TMCnet News
Truex happy to be home: DEI driver returns to site of his first Nextel Cup victory(Richmond Times-Dispatch (VA) (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Sep. 23--DOVER, Del. -- Dover International Speedway plays a role in a lot of Martin Truex Jr.'s memories. Most noticeable, of course, is his first career Nextel Cup victory here in June. It's also one of the Mayetta, N.J., native's home tracks. Truex was at the track on Sept. 11, 2001, testing a Busch North Series car with his dad and other drivers from several series. He said he had no idea what had happened when the test was cut short and the ambulance sent north to New York City. "Everyone was in disbelief," Truex said. "We didn't really understand what happened or why it happened or how or anything. It was just kind of an empty, hollow feeling." Now, he's at the top of NASCAR's top series, sixth in the points with a chance to climb higher today in the Dodge Dealers 400. It's the first time Truex has been able to return to a Cup track where he has won. He said relying on information learned in June won't help him much this time around. "It feels good and it's cool, but at the same time I think everybody here will be better than they were last time and we'll have to be to win it again," Truex said. "So we're just doing our normal deal, working hard and trying to get the car the best we can get." Truex starts today's race fifth, the second week in a row he's started in the top five. He hasn't finished worse than 15th in the past six races. Yesterday was only his third Busch Series start of the year, and it had special meaning to him as well. He ran the race carrying sponsorship from his father's company, Sea Watch. It was a sponsor as he worked his way up to NASCAR, and he said doing it again at Dover was a nice surprise. "I wanted to a run a few Busch races throughout the year, and I hadn't really gotten a chance to do it. And the guys at DEI said they wanted me to run here just because I like coming here, and they were kind of doing it as a favor to me," Truex said. "It's pretty cool, kind of a little tribute deal for my old man." It was a shift for Truex to go from the Busch car to the Car of Tomorrow during alternating practices Friday and yesterday. This weekend was the first time he's had to switch back and forth -- his first two Busch starts came at the superspeedways of Talladega and Daytona. "I was kind of surprised at how different that car felt than what these are, so I'm a little concerned about doing more next year now that we'll be running CoT every week," Truex said. It's much cooler this time around than it was in June, and rain delayed final practice yesterday. But Truex hopes because the track doesn't change much, he can build off his previous success. "I'm sure we'll go back to what works and hopefully we can tune on it a little bit more and get it a little better," Truex said. "If you try some stuff and it doesn't work, you can always go back to it." Contact Jill Erwin at (804) 649-6490 or [email protected]. To see more of the Richmond Times-Dispatch, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.timesdispatch.com. Copyright (c) 2007, Richmond Times-Dispatch, Va. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |