Truex still looking for second Cup win

Martin Truex Jr. waited a lifetime for the triumphant feeling of winning a Cup race.

When he took the checkered flag at Dover International Speedway in June 2007, Truex’s boyhood dream came true — at a spot he considers his hometown track.

More than five years later, in what only seems like a lifetime in NASCAR, Truex is still waiting for his second win.

Sunday would be a great time to get one. Truex needs a victory in a hurry if he wants to jumpstart his already fading championship pursuit. His first victory is becoming a distant memory.

“I don’t think I probably enjoyed it as much as I should have,” Truex said. “I didn’t think it would be this far until the next one.”

The victory drought continues even as he enjoys perhaps his best season.

Truex is having his strongest season since he made the Chase for now-defunct Dale Earnhardt Inc. in 2007. His six top-five finishes this season for Michael Waltrip Racing are one more than his combined total from 2009-11 and he came close to winning in September at Atlanta.

Throw in a three-year contract extension with primary sponsor NAPA and MWR, and it’s really been a season to savor for Truex.

But with eight races left, time is already running out to make a serious run. Truex, from nearby Mayetta, N.J., finished ninth and 17th in his first Chase races and is 10th in the standings entering the race at Dover. He’s 34 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson.