Following Truex: Weekly update on Stafford Township native and NASCAR driver Martin Truex Jr.

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Following Truex: Weekly update on Stafford Township native and NASCAR driver Martin Truex Jr.

Published: Tuesday, May 13, 2008

LAST RACE: Started 22nd and finished 14th in the Dodge Challenger 500 at Darlington Raceway on Saturday night in South Carolina.

NEXT RACE: Sprint Cup All-Star Race on Saturday (9 p.m. on Ch. 29, 5) at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Rockingham, N.C. On Friday, SPEED TV will show the final practice at 1:30 p.m. and qualifying at 6:15 p.m.

Truex earned a spot in the all-star race by winning a race last year, but other drivers will try to race their way into the field in the Sprint Cup Showdown at 7:30 p.m. Saturday (coverage will start at 7 p.m.).

On Friday, SPEED will show the final Sprint Cup Showdown practice at noon and qualifying at 5 p.m.

Also, SPEED will televise the annual pit crew challenge at 9 p.m. Thursday.

2008 CUP EARNINGS: $1,535,280.

POINT STANDINGS: Remained 15th after 11 of 36 races. He is 36 points behind 12th-place David Ragan.

WHAT TRUEX SAYS: Truex led the race twice for 11 laps but got into trouble on lap 301 when he made contact with Denny Hamlin's car. Damage on the right side of the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet affected its handling for the remaining 66 laps and he had to settle for 14th place.

"We gave away some points tonight," Truex said on his team's Web site, daleearnhardtinc.com. "We had a great car for most of the night and had a good chance to win this thing. We could have easily moved up a couple of spots in the standings. Once again, we're in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"With the luck we've been having, I'm about ready to go see a witch doctor to get this hex off us."