Martin Truex Jr. looking to 'close the deal' at Kansas Speedway
Martin Truex will make his 400th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start in Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway.
A win for Truex this weekend would not only be the perfect way to celebrate 400 starts, but it would also lock him into the next round of the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
“The ideal scenario would be to win Kansas and not worry about Talladega,” said Truex. “But if you don’t win Kansas you want to finish high and have somewhat of a cushion (in points) for Talladega where the odds of getting collected in a wreck are higher than we would all prefer.”
In the spring race at the 1.5-mile track in May, Truex started from the pole to lead a race-high 172 laps. But then things went south, where in a fluke incident, a broken head bolt off the brake got lodged behind the right-front wheel following a late-race pit stop.
Truex went on to finish a disappointing 14th.
“That was just one more race at Kansas where we were dominant but didn’t close the deal,” said Truex. “But right now I am happy we’re headed to Kansas, this is a race we feel we can run up front and possibly win. When we left Kansas in May I said, ‘If we keep on bringing cars like we had tonight we’re going to win.'
Since then, Truex has recorded four victories so far this season, including two win in the Chase at Chicagoland Speedway and Dover International Speedway.
Truex made his first career Cup start at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Oct. 31, 2004, finishing 37th. After finishing a mediocre 13th-place in the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway to kick off the Chase Round of 12, he’s hoping the 400th will be a much different result in an effort to advance to the next round.
“I am hoping that my 400th Cup start will be much better than my first one,” Truex added. “I can’t believe it’s gone by this fast but I am sure enjoying every race, especially this season. It’s been awesome to be part of a great race team.”
