Truex hoping for higher luck as Bristol beckons
One of many keys to success within the NASCAR Cup Collection playoffs is figuring out easy methods to cope with the stress, which is what Martin Truex Jr. believes he and his workforce do properly.
Simply weeks in the past, Truex spoke about how a workforce can not let any second get too large whereas competing within the postseason. Coincidentally, Saturday evening at Bristol Motor Speedway, Truex and his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing group might want to follow what they preach as they attempt to overcome a seven-point deficit to advance into the subsequent spherical.
“It’s a horrible spot to be in,” Truex stated. “Final week, we didn’t even get an opportunity to race, which was disappointing. I felt prefer it was most likely one of the best automotive I had on a mile-and-a-half all yr lengthy. I used to be actually enthusiastic about it after coming off a tricky Darlington race, after which two laps in, you’re feeling such as you’re in bother with a flat tire, and it seems you ran one thing over.
“It’s horrible dangerous luck. I don’t know what you do about it. You simply transfer on and do one of the best you possibly can tomorrow evening. Clearly, it’s a nasty spot to be in.”
It was a puncture to the fitting rear tire that resulted in a Thirty sixth-place end for Truex after he crashed on lap 4. Every week prior, Truex struggled with the dealing with of his Toyota at Darlington Raceway, which he admitted afterward was due to the harm from hitting the wall in follow. He completed 18th.
Truex is the primary driver under the Cup Collection playoff grid cutline.
Bristol shouldn’t be one in every of Truex’s finest racetracks. He has by no means gained at Bristol in 32 begins, and has a median end of 20.8. A steering rack subject compelled him to retire from the race final yr, one of many 5 DNFs he has at Bristol.
“I assume somewhat bit,” Truex stated of being nervous for Saturday evening. “I believe it’s been a whole lot of completely different points through the years. We’ve run properly right here at occasions. We’ve definitely struggled at occasions, however I believe everyone has. This place is difficult with the spray and the groove shifting round.
“We gained’t race the place we follow. It’s somewhat little bit of a problem there, however all the occasions we’ve run right here, it’s at all times been a flat tire or a unfastened wheel. I can’t even use each palms to depend all the occasions that has occurred. It’s simply been a tricky place, hopefully, no dangerous luck tomorrow evening, and we are able to go simply have a clean race and hopefully have the efficiency to get the job performed.”
Truex entered the postseason because the No. 1 seed, having gained the common season championship. NASCAR started awarding a regular-season championship in 2017 and since that point, the winner has by no means been knocked out of the postseason within the first spherical.
Requested if there’s something flawed with the system if he turns into the primary, Truex stated, “I don’t assume so. We simply had two horrible races. That’s form of the way in which it’s. You possibly can’t afford to have dangerous races, and we’ve had two of the three up to now. Hopefully, tomorrow evening goes higher.”
