Truex Jr. puts focus on race, not retribution

FORT WORTH, Texas — Martin Truex Jr. has promised that Joey Logano won’t win the NASCAR Cup title.

That is a score that can’t be settled at Texas.

For now, defending Cup champion Truex is trying to stay focused on winning at Texas, or next week in

Phoenix, or at least getting enough points to make sure that he is one of the four drivers racing for the title in two weeks.

“That’s the plan anyways,” Truex said. “I do pretty good about keeping my head straight. I’ve said my peace, told him what I thought and I’m here at Texas trying to win.”

Logano is the only driver locked into the final four spots, clinching that after his bump-and-run on the final lap to beat Truex last week at Martinsville.

In the immediate aftermath of that race, Truex proclaimed, “He may have won the battle, but he ain’t winning the damn war.” A text to Logano followed that night.

Truex qualified 13th for Sunday’s AAA Texas 500, with Chase Elliott the only of the eight championship contenders behind him in 16th.

“We have two important races here where I am in a position to run for a championship,” Truex said. “I am not going to let what happened last week take my focus off of that.”

The four Stewart-Haas drivers were the top four qualifiers among the eight contenders, with Clint Bowyer on the front row after qualifying second, with teammates Kevin Harvick and Aric Almirola in the second row and Las Vegan Kurt Busch starting seventh. Logano qualified eighth, and Las Vegan Kyle Busch 10th.

When asked at Texas if everything was cool with Truex, or if his head would be on a swivel looking around, Logano said only time would tell.

“I think he was a little frustrated and that is part of it. I also think it is short-track racing,” said Logano, who will start eighth on Sunday. “All of that was on the line at that point and I think we both understand that there was so much on the line and that is what happens sometimes.”