Truex chases another win on road course
‘Big 3’ driver aims to extend streak to three in a row
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — Martin Truex Jr. has a chance to join former NASCAR greats Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart as kings of the roads.
Truex is seeking his third consecutive victory on a road course in NASCAR’s stop Sunday at Watkins Glen. The 11-turn, 3.4-mile circuit and Sonoma (California) Raceway are the only two true road courses on the Cup schedule.
Gordon, with nine career road course victories, won six consecutive road races from 1997-2000. His streak included three wins each at Watkins Glen and Sonoma. Stewart, with eight career road course wins, won three consecutive from 2004-05.
Truex won at Watkins Glen last summer, in California in June, and now is chasing Stewart and Gordon for the mark of three in a row. The reigning Cup champion figures he’s successful on road courses because he enjoys the challenge of the rare right-hand turns.
“It’s a unique set of circumstances. It’s an extraspecial feeling to win on tracks that are completely different like this,” Truex said Saturday, insisting he could be going for four in a row if not for an engine failure Matt Kenseth on the final lap at Sonoma last year. His after Brad Keselowski and Furniture Row Racing No. Ryan Blaney were forced to 78 Toyota led 25 laps in that pit for gas. race before the engine blew. “You do what you can
“I think we should have do,” said Keselowski, a three in a row already with three-time runner-up at The the trouble we had at Glen. “If it takes strategy to Sonoma last year, but that’s win, you play strategy. If you kind of the way it goes in racing,” can win on speed, you try to said Truex, who will win on speed.” start fourth Sunday . Opportunities to win have
Denny Hamlin won the been rare this season because pole, ahead of Joe Gibbs Racing of the Big 3, and Joey teammate Kyle Logano doesn’t expect those Busch. Chase Elliott will drivers to give an inch Sunday start third. on the high-speed road
Truex is part of the “Big course. Busch, Harvick and 3” in NASCAR that is dominating Truex are the only active the season. Truex, drivers in the Cup Series Kevin Harvick and Kyle with previous wins at both Busch have combined to win Sonoma and Watkins Glen. 16 of the 21 Cup races. Truex “I still expect the same has four victories, but three cars to be fast,” Logano said. of those wins have come in The trio was as dominant the past eight races. The as always last week at Pocono Sonoma win was by a margin when Busch and Harvick of over 10 seconds, aided had to start at the back by crew chief Cole Pearn’s of the field after their cars gamble to pit off-sequence failed post-qualifying inspection. from the rest of the leaders. They responded by
Pearn was pivotal last quickly working their way year at The Glen when the to the front. Busch captured No. 78 won a strategic fuel his sixth victory of the season mileage race. Truex held off in his No. 18 Toyota, holding off Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Daniel Suarez on a restart in overtime.
Catching up has been an uphill battle, even for drivers under the same roof.
“I truly believe that to be fast at the racetrack, you need to have a fast car out of the hauler,” Suarez said. “That’s key. It’s impossible ... when you get the car out of the hauler to make that 20thplace car a winning race car by the end of second practice. That doesn’t happen because everybody is improving and you cannot improve that much.”
Sunday will be a marathon for NASCAR and the teams because inspection was moved to prior to the race. At Pocono, the inspections were performed after Saturday qualifying. It took hours with several cars failing.
“You adjust your game plan accordingly if something does happen to go awry,” Busch said. “It’s going to be a quick turnaround for people to figure out their game plan.”