Important two months lie ahead for Truex, DEI future

If free agent-to-be Martin Truex Jr. is considering employment with another team, the next two months should help him make up his mind.

Starting with last year's spring race at Talladega, Truex shrugged off a slow start with finishes of 11th or better in six of nine races -- including a dominant win at Dover, where he led 216 of 400 laps. During that stretch, Truex rose from 20th in the standings to ninth, and that helped him to a spot in the Chase, where he was Dale Earnhardt Inc.'s only entrant.

But Truex's situation is much different this season. He's feeling the pressure to duplicate last year's performance and is unable to sneak up on competitors. Dale Earnhardt Jr., who bolted from DEI to Hendrick Motorsports, no longer is there to deflect the media glare, and the spotlight rests squarely on Truex's mug as reporters prod him for answers on his future.

"I know that he's going to have a difficult year answering this question all year long as far as what he's going to do and where he's going to go and all that," Earnhardt told reporters at Martinsville.

The good news is that Truex may not have to worry about finding a new employer. His performance to date (an average finish of 17.5) has been much better than in the first eight races of last year, when his average finish was 23. However, a blown engine in the closing laps at Texas and a "skipping" motor at Phoenix probably factor heavily into Truex's thoughts, given the nine engine failures DEI had last year.

If Truex decides to bolt, Richard Childress Racing's new fourth car would be a step up. Truex is a good qualifier and probably wouldn't sweat too much over the first five races of next season, when he would have to qualify solely on time. Also, Truex would be joining an organization whose current drivers (Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer) rank among the top eight in points. Given Childress' struggles in the early part of this decade, that's saying something.

If Truex's cars don't measure up to his expectations during these next two months, the decision to leave will become that much easier. And it would leave DEI without any full-time premier drivers.

Oh, how times can change.