Truex is tapping ‘memory bank’ to visualize Sonoma Raceway win
With NASCAR having bypassed Sonoma Raceway during its coronavirusaltered 2020 schedule and with no time to practice for Sunday’s return to the North Bay, drivers will be forced to call on past experiences on the 12turn road course.
“I haven’t been on it since 2019 when we left, so it’s just going to the memory bank, doing some simulated racing, then going straight to the
track,” Martin Truex Jr. said.
Fortunately for Truex, his memories of Sonoma are better than most.
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver remains the twotime defending Toyota/SaveMart 350 champion, having taken checkered flags in 2018 and ’19. He also won in 2013 and could have been going for four in a row this weekend had it not been for a blown engine while leading on lap 86 in 2017.
“Obviously, it’s a great track for me and I’ve been fortunate to have had a lot of success
there,” said Truex in a phone interview Sunday. “It was a real bummer that we couldn’t race there last summer. We’re obviously excited to get out there this year.”
The 2017 Cup champion heads to Sonoma sixth in the season standings with a seriesleading three wins.
A victory Sunday not only would be Truex’s third straight at Sonoma — only Vallejo native and nowretired Jeff Gordon has ever done that — but would be his fifth career roadcourse triumph (he also won at Watkins Glen in 2017). That would move him into a tie for sixth alltime with Darrell Waltrip and Bobby Allison.
“It’s a little different for everyone,” Truex said. “For me, it comes from a background of gokarts. I just kind of understood early ... and really enjoyed it.
“These days, with all the technology and iRacing (simulators) and the way kids come up, you have to be able to do everything. (Road racing) is part of what we do now.”
Sonoma is one of seven road courses NASCAR will run this season. In addition to being buoyed by the success he has enjoyed there, he’s also thrilled that he and his fellow drivers won’t be subjected to the type of weather they encountered at their last road course: a downpour at the rainshortened inaugural Circuit of the Americas stop in Austin, Texas, on May 23.
“Definitely happy to see some sunshine,” said Truex, whose day in Texas ended when he slowed in poor visibility and was rammed from behind by Cole Custer on lap 25. “It’s very challenging when you can’t see anything and are driving blindfolded. Not a lot of fun.”
Truex’s chances of having fun at Sonoma were dinged Wednesday when NASCAR announced the starting lineup.
Sonoma is one of the 28 races this season in which NASCAR — for costcutting and virusspreadprevention reasons — eliminated qualifying. Instead, the starting lineup is determined by a formula that blends the finish in the previous race and the car owner’s finishing position the previous week (both 25%), the team owner’s points ranking (35%) and the fastest lap from the previous race (15%).
Truex will start 19th Sunday, which is not good news for him. He has started in the top 10 11 times this season; in those races, he has finished in the top 10 seven times. In his four starts outside the top 10, he has finished 25th, 12th, sixth, and 35th.
Being up front when the race begins is particularly important at Sonoma, where passing opportunities are limited and the race leader tends to stay there. In his three Sonoma wins, Truex led a combined 172 of 310 laps.
“It’s important to start toward the front,” Truex said during Sunday’s call. “From there, you get a good (pit) stall and it just makes your life easier and smoother. You don’t have to pull out any strategy. You just go out and race.”
Strategy might be called for Sunday. But he’s made it work in the past: When he won in 2013, Truex started 14th.
You can bet he remembers that.