Truex on the pole at Dover
DOVER, Del. — Martin Truex Jr. has tried to enjoy his career year as much as he can, with the veteran NASCAR driver saying he never knows when the good run might end.
He kept on rolling Friday afternoon. Truex will be driving for his sixth win of the season Sunday at Dover International Speedway — the third and final race in the first round of the Cup Series playoffs — and he’ll start from the pole position. Truex has been the driver to beat all season and proved it again Friday, when he turned a lap of 160.664 mph to win his second pole of the season.
Truex clinched a berth in the second round of the playoffs when he won at Chicagoland Speedway two weeks ago, and he had the dominant car last weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway until he was caught up in a wreck and finished fifth.
Truex has nine wins in the No. 78 Toyota at Furniture Row Racing since the start of the 2016 season after winning just three times in his first 10 years of Cup Series competition. He also won this race last year.
“It takes so many things to come together to be in a position that I’ve been the last few years really,” he said. “I’m very thankful, I’m definitely enjoying it. At the same time, there’s that chance of a championship out there. You can’t lose focus and say, ‘This is going great, we’re going to show up to the track and everything’s going to be fine.’ You still have to work hard.”
Truex ended Kyle Busch’s bid for three straight poles, but Busch qualified second to set up an all-Toyota front row for Sunday’s race. Like Truex, he is already in the second round, thanks to his win at New Hampshire.
“I’m glad for once we’re first and he’s not,” Truex said. “I’ve been second to him a lot, so it’s cool for us to get a pole.”
Playoff drivers Kyle Larson and Matt Kenseth will start third and fourth, while seven-time series champion Jimmie Johnson will start his run for a 12th Dover victory in 17th.
“I know when it comes to race time,” Johnson said, “we will be fine here.”
The playoff field will be sliced from 16 drivers to 12 after Sunday’s race. Austin Dillon, Ryan Newman, Kurt Busch and Kasey Kahne are the bottom four drivers in the playoff standings. Dillon starts 23rd, Newman eighth, Busch 13th and Kahne 21st.
“It’s going to be a race within the race,” Dillon said. “You’ve got to be smart throughout and make sure you’re there at the end and put yourself in good positions. I’m looking forward to the challenge.”