Cole Pearn keeps focus on championship bid, not Martinsville payback

Martin Truex Jr. hinted at payback for Joey Logano after their final-lap altercation at Martinsville Speedway, a shove that left his Furniture Row Racing No. 78 Toyota without the win and the automatic Championship 4 spot. Tuesday, having had two days to cool off from the First Data 500's frantic finish, Cole Pearn -- Truex's crew chief -- suggested that the best path to exacting revenge and contending for the title Nov. 18 at Homestead-Miami Speedway might be a different road than purely returning fire with fire. MORE: MTJ's crew reacts to bump | Pearn, Gordon exchange post-race words "I mean, right now our plan is to make it to Homestead and race for the championship," Pearn told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, when asked if retaliation was a viable option. "I think the best way to keep them from winning the championship is win it ourself. It's kind of like a 'beating them on the scoreboard' mentality, so I think that's our plan at this point." RELATED: Power Rankings | Full schedule for Texas Though the victory bid slipped through Truex's hands Sunday, Pearn's group has two more chances -- Texas and Phoenix -- to fortify their hopes for a repeat Monster Energy Series crown. Pearn said the Denver-based team still hopes for a fulfilling swan song and has strived to stay upbeat. "Everybody's just proud of their effort. Everybody, every second breath, wants to count us out of it, and we were able to keep the intensity up and keep bringing good cars," Pearn told SiriusXM. "It's difficult keeping everybody motivated right now, but the fact that everybody is staying motivated and you're able to go and put that kind of effort together at one of your perceived least (favorite) tracks, it's definitely a good feeling even though you didn't get to Victory Lane."