● Truex and the No. 19 team for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) set the tone for the season right out of the gate by winning the 150-lap feature in the non-points Clash at the Coliseum on Feb. 5 in Los Angeles. Truex won his heat race, then went on to lead the final 25 laps of the feature en route to a victory that gave him and the team much-needed momentum heading into the 2023 season. While the team was knocking on the door over the next 10 points-paying races, the breakthrough win finally came at Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway on May 1, and Truex added a second points-paying victory and third overall this season last month at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway.
● Truex has eight top-five finishes and 14 top-10s and has led a total of 916 laps in 29 career Cup Series starts at New Hampshire. Truex’s average New Hampshire finish is 11.7. In last year’s New Hampshire race, Truex started on the pole and led 172 of the 301 laps before bringing home a fourth-place finish.
● History at New Hampshire: Truex has some history at New Hampshire in the NASCAR K&N Series, having scored two of his five series victories at the mile oval.
● Family Ties: Not only has Truex won at New Hampshire in both the K&N and Xfinity Series, his dad, Martin Truex Sr., won a K&N Series race at the track back in 1994.
● Reser’s Fine Foods Cornhole Tournament: Reser’s will be putting on a Cornhole Tournament benefiting the New Hampshire Chapter of Speedway Children’s Charities this weekend at New Hampshire on Saturday July 15. The event will take place in the NHMS Fan Zone, in front of the Trackside Live stage. Advanced online registration is $60 per two-person team and day of registration is $75. The winning team will receive two VIP Suite Tickets for Sunday’s Cup Series race! Check-in and practice begin at 9am and bags will fly at 10am on Saturday morning. For more information and to register visit: https://speedwaycharities.org/events/new-hampshire/cornhole/registration.
● Good Times Summer: Family owned and operated Reser’s Fine Foods will be sponsoring Truex’s No. 19 Toyota this weekend at New Hampshire as they spotlight their summer Good Times Tour with free samples of their famous potato salad in the NHMS Fan Zone. Fans can learn more about their summer tour stops and sweepstakes and register for a chance to win weekly prizes at https://reser.com/goodtimes. Prizes included a cornhole set, Bluetooth speaker, and Reser’s Deli Salads and Sides. Race fans can find Reser’s products in their local grocer’s deli, perfect for a summer barbeque or a tailgate at the track.
● Family owned and operated, Reser’s has been a proud sponsor of good times at racetracks, picnics, and barbecues since 1950 with a family of brands that includes Reser’s American Classics, Main St. Bistro, and more. Reser’s operates 14 facilities in the U.S., Mexico and Canada and actively supports the communities it serves. Visit http://resers.com to learn more.
● 33 and Counting: Truex’s win at Sonoma was the 33rd of his Cup Series career, putting him in a tie with NASCAR Hall of Famer Fireball Roberts for 26th on the series’ all-time wins list.
● After last weekend’s race at Atlanta, Truex now sits second in the Cup Series driver standings as the series heads to New Hampshire. He has 607 points, 21 points behind new points leader William Byron. The top four in the Cup Series standings are separated by just 37 points as things start to heat up in the chase for the regular-season championship. The regular-season champion will receive 15 important playoff points when the playoffs start on Labor Day weekend in September. Seven races remain in the regular season.
● Ahead at this Stage: Truex leads the NASCAR Cup Series with 57 stage wins since the beginning of the stage racing era in 2017. He is the only driver with 10 or more stage sweeps, as well. Truex added to his haul of stage wins by taking the opening stage last month at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.
Last year you dominated the New Hampshire race. How did the end of the race play out?
“We decided to get four tires at the end and we came out in a bad spot and got in a bad spot on the restart and got all bottled up and we were 14th after the first lap and we were able to drive back up to fourth. It was a heartbreaker, especially it’s one I’ve really, really wanted to win for a long time, it’s a special track to me. We’ve led tons of laps there over the years and can’t figure out how to finish the deal, so hoping this is our year there this weekend with our Reser’s Fine Foods Camry. Reser’s has a lot going at the track this weekend for the fans with a Cornhole tournament on Saturday and their Good Times Summer Campaign. Hope the fans get their Reser’s products for their tailgate and watch us get up there and finally get a Cup win there.”
It seems that JGR struggled a bit at the flat track in Phoenix in the spring but, made some pretty big gains at another flat track in St. Louis in June. What can you take away from those two races that you might be able to bring to New Hampshire, even though it’s a completely different track?
“I feel like you can take something from Phoenix and also from St. Louis as far as learning this new car and figuring out what it takes to get around these flatter, shorter tracks. It feels like we are getting closer. Loudon is obviously different, but generally if you have a good short-track package, you can kind of find the setup on all three of those tracks. We’re looking forward to big things in Loudon with our Reser’s Fine Foods Camry.”
What do you enjoy most about racing at New Hampshire and what is the biggest challenge there?
“I think, for me, the coolest part of Loudon is that I’ve been going there for a long time. I got to watch my dad race there when I was growing up in the old Busch North Series. It’s one of those tracks that I really, really want to win at in the Cup Series. I’ve won in every other series I’ve raced there. Loudon was a big part of me growing up in racing and me being able to work my way up through the ranks. Winning there when I was 19 years old really set my career off, so that always makes it special to go back there.”
What does New Hampshire mean to you and your family starting with your Dad’s win there?
“New Hampshire is a big part of my career and our families racing history. When my dad got his win there it was his first big win and I was 12 when that happened. I grew up going up there for races and seeing the Busch car and the Cup cars there for the first time ever. The only time I got close to those cars was up there until I moved to North Carolina to race for a living. A lot of special memories there and that place was a big reason I finally got the opportunity to move south.”
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