Martin Truex Jr. Richmond Race Preview

CORNELIUS, N.C. — Martin Truex Jr. reminded NASCAR fans how good he and his Michael Waltrip Racing team are Sunday night at Atlanta Motor Speedway when he raced in the top five throughout the 500-mile race before finishing 12th. His pit crew came within a tenth of a second of winning its third Tissot Pit Crew award. Truex expects that momentum to carry into Saturday night’s race at Richmond International Raceway where he finished seventh in April. Truex’s No. 56 will have a silver look for Saturday’s race. The NAPA Brakes paint scheme adorns Truex’s ride to help kick off NAPA’s Great Breaks on Great Brakes promotion. Customers can receive up to a $50 mail-in rebate with purchase of qualifying NAPA Brakes products at any participating NAPA AUTO PARTS store or AutoCare Center through Sept. 30.

QUOTES

MARTIN TRUEX JR. ON RETURNING TO RICHMOND: “Richmond has been one of those tracks that’s been up and down for me. I’ve had great runs and some disappointing deals. It’s short-track racing where a lot of stuff happens. It’s a fun place to race and for the NAPA team, we had a good run during the spring race. We finished seventh. We didn’t qualify very well, but we were able to drive our way up through the field for a top-10 finish.”

ON RACING AGAINST DRIVERS TRYING TO MAKE THE CHASE: “A few weeks back I was one of those guys. I was a contender. I won’t race them any differently or cut them any slack because they don’t cut me any breaks. I race them clean anyway so my focus is on winning races in the NAPA Toyota. And to be honest, it’s Clint Bowyer’s deal to lose. He’s been running well and Richmond is a good track for him. I don’t see him dropping out unless something really crazy happens.”

ON NEW NAPA BRAKES PROMOTION: “The NAPA Brakes Toyota is an awesome looking car. I am looking forward to driving the scheme this weekend. NAPA knows how to create great promotions for customers and this one is no exception. I hope fans will go to www.napaonline.com and take advantage of the offer. I’m hoping this new look with change up our luck a little bit. Maybe we’ll get a good break too in the last few laps on Saturday night to end up in victory lane.”

NOTES OF INTEREST

Truex will appear on SPEED-TV’s Trackside Friday at 11 p.m. EDT

The No. 56 team tested at Gresham Motorsports Park in Georgia on Tuesday in preparation for Saturday’s race.

Saturday marks Truex’s 179th Sprint Cup start and 10th at Richmond. His best start is second (Sept. 12, 2009) and best finish is fifth (May 3, 2008). He owns one top–five and two top-10 finishes at Richmond with and average start of 14th and average finish of 24th.

The Martin Truex Jr. Foundation will host its third annual MTJF Golf Tournament presented by NAPA AUTO PARTS on Sept. 22 at Sea Oaks Country Club in Little Egg Harbor Township, N.J. The 19th Hole Dinner Celebration presented by Sea Watch International will be immediately following the tournament: www.martintruexjrfoundation.org.

Sign up for the NAPA Belden Spark Plug Wire “Take the Lead” Sweepstakes. Ten lucky winners will be chosen to ride with Truex at Charlotte Motor Speedway. They’ll also get to drive a few laps with the Richard Petty Driving Experience and take a behind-the-scenes tour of Michael Waltrip Racing. To enter, visit NAPABELDEN.com or NAPAonline.com now through Sept. 20.

Take advantage of NAPA’s free Track Pass offer. To listen in to Truex’s in-car audio, register at www.nascar.com/napatruexscanner or www.NAPAonline.com. The offer is good through the remainder of the season.