Martin Truex Jr. says his DEI title team could be even stronger in 2005. Credit: Autostock

Conversation: Truex Jr.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Martin Truex Jr.'s 2004 season in the NASCAR Busch Series played out as if written to a dream script.

As late as January, Truex's Chance 2 Motorsports team was not even planning to compete in the full schedule of 34 races.

AUDIO Conversation: Martin Truex Jr. Busch champion says winning the title still hasn't sunk in -- yet.

But by the end of the season Truex, crew chief Kevin Manion and their multi-sponsored No. 8 Chevrolet had posted leading totals in all the critical statistical categories, including wins, poles, top-fives and top-10s.

On the eve of the Busch Series awards ceremony, Truex sat down to discuss the impact of the championship; his family's role, particularly that of his father, who gave up a successful driving career to focus on his son's future; repeating his championship; and his plans for the Nextel Cup Series.

Q: Martin, it's been a couple weeks for your Busch Series championship to sink in, and I think something's kind of snuck by everyone. It seems like the TV cameras are always catching dad at the racetrack, but what role has your mom played in your career?

Martin Truex Jr.: I think she's really happy about it. Mom's not real good about showing her emotions too much. She doesn't like to be in the spotlight and when we win a race she gets embarrassed to get her picture taken.

Mom's been a big part of me getting here. I spent a lot of time with her growing up. She used to drive me to the go-kart track when my dad was racing so I'm sure it's been really special for her.

Every time I go home there's a new book full of newspaper clippings and pictures. They're her scrapbooks. She's been a big fan, a big supporter and a big part of it.

VIDEO Awards banquet Junior talks about Truex's title season at the Busch banquet. Awards banquet Busch Series champ Truex Jr. makes his acceptance speech

Q: Is all that memorabilia she's collecting something that will mean a lot more, some time in the future?

Truex: Yeah, I think so, especially after all my racing days are over and I can go back and look at it. We can tell stories about it someday when we're both older and I'm sure it will be some special times.

Q: It's been a few weeks since you won this Busch Series championship, so what's been the biggest impact of winning it? Has it screwed up your routine?

Truex: No, not really. I think after this week it will settle down a little bit and it will really sink in. I've had a little bit of time to sit back and think about what we've accomplished -- when I'm laying in bed at night or something -- and it's pretty amazing.

As the year went on we were so busy and there were so many things going on and so many other things to think about and to worry about than how we were doing and the things we were accomplishing and all the steps we were learning.

And now that we'll have some time to sit back and think about it, it's pretty amazing what we were able to do.

Q: I noticed this last year. The day after Brian Vickers won the Busch championship, I followed him for 100 yards through the Cup garage before he went inside a trailer and no one stopped him -- no one asked him for an autograph. Are you still able to fly under the radar out in public, and do you see a day when you'll wish you could come back to that level?

MARTIN TRUEX JR. •   Driver Page •   2004 Stats

Truex: Well, I don't know. I've gotten a lot of fans this year and they've been really cool but I'm not really noticed out in the public eye. I can move around.

If it's around the racetrack (that's one thing). But I can go to the supermarket or I can go to Taco Bell or wherever and sit down and have food without people bothering me too much.

I'm not sure that the day won't come that I won't be able to do that, but that would be great (to have to worry about). Wherever racing takes me I'm happy with it. Hopefully we'll keep having the success and having fun and that's the biggest thing.

Q: After you won the championship it looked like dad was just about speechless with joy. I'm sure he's continued to enjoy this, but who in your family has been most excited about you winning this title, would you say?

Truex: I think we all have. My family is a huge part of the reason I'm here and I think we all are going to celebrate it together, after the banquet.

But I imagine my dad is pretty happy about it, obviously. He was a great racer in his own day and never got the opportunity to get that chance that I got.

He got older and had a family and had a business to run never was able to try to take racing as a full-time job and go after his dream. So I think he's kind of living it out through me, right now.

Q: Have you and your dad had a chance to sit down and have a heart-to-heart talk about what he did, because he was winning races, in the prime of his career and yet he stepped back to give you the opportunity to build your own career?

Martin Truex Jr. and crew chief Kevin Manion Credit: Autostock

Truex: No (we haven't). It's hard to even think about. I still to this day can't figure out how he was able to do that. He hasn't sat in a racecar since then.

It just takes a big heart and it's just incredible that somebody was able to give up what they love for somebody else. Maybe someday I'll probably realize how he did it -- maybe when I have kids -- but it blows my mind every time that I think about it to this day.

Q: You're a young guy, still, but you have an opportunity to mentor another young guy from the Busch North who's coming along at DEI, Ryan Moore. How well did you know Ryan Moore up in the Northeast and how much have you had a chance to communicate with him since he's done his DEI deal?

Truex: I don't really know Ryan that well, though I know his dad (Kelly Moore) pretty well because I raced against his dad for years up there. I raced against Ryan a few times in 2003, but I never really had any close battles with him.

I never really got around him on the track, so I don't really know his style or how he races or anything like that, but I know he's got a lot of talent and he's got a great opportunity, just like I did.

All you have to do when you have an opportunity is make the most of it. There were people at DEI to help me when I got started and my plan is to help him as much as I can.

Everybody deserves a fair shot and it's always nice to see guys come from where you did or just guys come from lower levels of racing, period. It's kind of humbling, I think, when they ask for your help or people think you should help them.

Q: When you look at 2005, you could dominate, or someone could step up and really give you a dogfight. What's your biggest fear, in terms of that or who do you think your biggest challenger might be?

Truex Jr. with Teresa Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Credit: Autostock

Truex: Well, I'm not really scared of anything or anybody (laughing). I think the biggest thing is, we can't beat ourselves. If we do the things we did this year we're going to be tough to beat.

Maybe somebody might come in and step it up a notch, and then we'll have to do it, too. It's hard to say right now because there's a lot of good teams coming in and a lot of new drivers and drivers going to different teams, just like there is every year.

But we have the same foundation and that team that just did so many incredible things this year in our first year together and I think we can be a lot stronger next year.

We just need to not hit any bad luck and just do the things that we do and keep our team intact and we'll be tough.

Q: You've talked about the schedule challenges this season, but describe the challenges that might be presented by stepping up to a 42-race schedule in 2005, with seven Nextel Cup races added with all the testing that goes with them. What will be the biggest challenge, there?

Truex: I'm not real sure. I'm really looking forward to all the races, obviously. I think this year was a good warm-up for me and broke me in a little bit slower (to Cup racing) than this year's going to be.

I'm not real sure what's going to be the toughest part of it. Bass Pro Shops has been a really cool sponsor to work with.

They don't ask a lot of me other than to go out there and do a good job for them and win races and come visit their stores every once in a while -- which I would do even if they weren't my sponsor.

I'm not sure what's going to be the hardest, but I'm definitely going to be busy and I'm not going to be home much and that's probably the thing that I don't like about it. But it's what the job brings and I'd rather be racing than doing anything else.

Q: What's the most important element you think you'll carry forward from the Busch Series as you take the first step towards racing full-time in Nextel Cup?

Credit: Autostock

Truex: I think just going to all the same tracks that (Nextel Cup) goes to is really huge. The cars are fairly similar; though I know with the Cup cars the aero package is getting away from ours a pretty good bit.

But just learning how to race with a lot of them guys, getting some laps in at a lot of the tracks and getting to know the characteristics of all the racetracks is a huge part of the learning curve for any series, I think, and that's obviously the biggest thing.

But just learning how to race and learning how to run 42 races in a year and doing all that testing and taking care of your sponsors -- just everything will be a great training ground for the Cup Series.

Q: In this holiday season, finally, do you have any New Year's resolutions? I would bet you'd like to take the time off to get in a hunting or fishing trip?

Truex: Yeah, that should be one of them. I'm hoping to get to do some of that before New Year's -- hopefully for Christmas when I get home. But I'm not sure yet.

There's nothing I'd like to change, right now. I've had an incredible year -- probably the best I've ever had in my life. I've had more fun and more success than I ever thought I could ever have, and I guess my New Year's resolution would be to keep my head down and keep fighting strong.