Richmond International Raceway likely is not on Martin Truex Jr.’s list of favorite tracks.
The Stafford Township native has struggled in his Cup career at the site of this week’s race, finishing 15th or worse in all but two of his 13 races there. But this season has been so promising that Truex believes he should be a favorite to win at Richmond now.
“I’ll be honest. Richmond has been a mixed bag for me,” Truex said in quotes provided this week by his team, Michael Waltrip Racing. “Last year in the spring, we were the dominant car, but pit-road issues cost us the win. This spring, we were somewhat off, but got back on track by working with our teammates.”
The pit-road issues Truex referred to came in a race in which he led for 12 laps but finished 27th. He famously yelled at his crew over the radio, and days later four crew members were replaced.
But this year, Truex heads to Richmond as one of NASCAR’s hottest drivers. He has finished in the top 10 in 14 of 25 races so far, already a tying his season high with 11 races left.
“I expect us to be a favorite to win because we’ve made some gains recently that should help us at Richmond,” he said. “I think we’ve also learned some things at the 2013 test at Martinsville last month that we can apply.
“I’m ready to get back on track and see if we can finally win one of these things.”
