Truex earns 2017 NASCAR season crown.
Truex Jr. caps dominant season, emotional journey with title
HOMESTEAD – Sometimes, storybook wins. Perfection. Emotionally and professionally.
Martin Truex Jr. had the most dominant race car all season. He had the most poignant story all season, given the struggles of his fiancée, Sherry Pollex, who has battled ovarian cancer.
And now he has the 2017 NASCAR Cup title to complete the story.
Truex, 37, held off Kyle Busch in the closing laps to win the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, clinching the championship as the emotions kicked in while the last laps clicked away, all while holding off Busch.
Truex “bawled like a little girl,” as he took the checkered flag, trying to piece together the journey.
“I was just a wreck thinking about all the tough days, the bad days, the times where I thought my career was over with,” Truex said. “Times when I didn’t think anyone believed in me.”
Truex gave them plenty of
reason to believe Sunday, even though Busch was relentless in the final 20 laps. Busch closed to within several seconds in the final laps but never had enough to make a run. Truex won by 0.681 seconds.
Just as well. Busch would have mucked up the perfect ending, all wrapped up in equal parts perseverance and domination.
“A lot of it was for her,” Truex said of Pollex. “A lot of it was for me. A lot of it was for this team. I don’t even know what to say. We just never gave up all day long. We didn’t have the best car. I don’t know how we won that thing.
“Never give up. Dig deep. I told my guys we were going to dig deeper than we ever have today, and at 20 to go I thought I was done They [his competitors] all were better than me on the long run all day long. I just found a way.”
Truex’s career took a tumble in the fall of 2013 when Michael Waltrip Racing broke up and he was left with no ride and no sponsors. The next year, Pollex was diagnosed with Stage III ovarian cancer.
Sherry was there to celebrate with Truex on Sunday, a testimony to her resolve. She has endured two major surgeries and approximately 35 chemotherapy treatments since 2014. The first surgery included removal of her ovaries, spleen, appendix, fallopian tubes and part of her stomach. And just months ago, Pollex was in a hospital, recovering from the second surgery.
“We always say if you can fight a struggle with a positive attitude and just have a smile on your face and find the good and the silver lining in everything,” Pollex said, “in the end you’ll come out and karma will pay you back and good things will happen to you.”
And they did. About that karma thing? Busch — a great driver but often boorish — may be one of the most reviled drivers among fans. The Right Guy won for the NASCAR Nation.
“What a story for Martin,” said his close friend, Dale Earnhardt Jr., who was competing in his last race as a Cup regular. He later joined Truex and his team along Victory Lane, bear-hugging Truex several times.
Truex has been the most dominant driver on the Monster Energy Cup circuit this season, with eight victories. He also had 19 top 5s, 26 top 10s, and led 2,250 laps. all statistical bests on the circuit. He would have clinched the title before the race already with a 47-point lead based on the previous playoff incarnation.
Truex’s championship narrative becomes even more compelling considering that his Furniture Row Racing team is based in Denver, hundreds of miles away from the NASCAR hub in North Carolina.
In another emotional twist, Furniture Row owner Barney Visser — the man who gave Truex a shot to resurrect his career — could not make it to Homestead. He is recovering from a bypass surgery Nov. 6 following a heart attack he suffered two days earlier. He was not allowed to watch the race per doctor’s orders but got text updates throughout the day.
Still, Busch had a shot spoiling the story but didn’t have enough gas to make a legitimate run.
“It wasn’t quite what we wanted at the end,” Busch said. “It came down to not having enough tire when I got to the 78. I feel bad we came up a spot short considering I think we had the best car today.”