Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series ready to set Championship 4 under the lights

Posted on October 30, 2020October 30, 2020 by Holly Cain

In what’s been a fast and furious, no-holds bar final run toward the 2020 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series championship, several of the season’s most accomplished drivers find themselves in must-win situations for Friday night’s NASCAR Hall of Fame 200 (8 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

A rough-and-tumble race last week on the Texas Motor Speedway high banks left reigning series champion Matt Crafton in fifth place in the standings, 12-points below the cutoff line, with only the top-four drivers eligible to vie for the season trophy on Nov. 6 at Phoenix Raceway.

Grant Enfinger, whose won a career-high three races this year, is ranked sixth, 42-points out of the current championship mix after suffering an engine problem at Texas last week. Ben Rhodes is 45-points back and Tyler Ankrum is 79-points back – a victory this week is their only shot at competing for the title in Phoenix.

On the upside, last week’s winner at Texas, GMS Racing’s Sheldon Creed will make his Championship 4 debut, joining teammate Brett Moffitt, who won this playoff round’s opener at Kansas two weeks ago.

Regular season champion Austin Hill is ranked third, 27 points up on the cutoff line and Zane Smith, who almost missed even advancing to this playoff round, is ranked fourth 12-points above the cutoff line.

Should a non-playoff driver win this week, then the two highest ranked drivers in the points standings would advance. Fifth-place Crafton has an encouraging track record at the historic half-miler with two previous victories. The three-time series champ is the only current playoff driver with a trophy from this venue.

Another former series champion, Johnny Sauter, is the winningest driver of all time at Martinsville with four victories. Todd Gilliland, who was eliminated from championship contention following the opening round of the playoffs, is the defending race winner.

Last October, Gilliland beat Ross Chastain by .879-seconds for the win. Sauter was third, followed by Enfinger – the only current playoff driver in the top 10 last Fall. Moffitt led the most laps — 80 of the opening 81 — but crashed twice.

Among those looking for a victory to secure their move into the Championship 4, Hill, has two top-10 finishes in nine previous Martinsville starts. Ninth place is his best effort (2018). The 21-year old Smith will be making his first career Martinsville start in the series.

Crafton has two wins and an impressive 20 top-10 finishes in 36 starts – easily the longest Martinsville resume among the playoff contenders. Judging by his work in the playoff races, Crafton should absolutely be a factor this weekend. The driver of the No. 88 ThorSport Racing Ford has earned top-10 finishes in the last six races. He was runner-up at Richmond and 10th at Bristol, Tenn. in the other two short tracks stops this season.

Enfinger’s fourth-place finish in last year’s playoff race was his best work in seven starts. He was top 10 in both 2019 races. The driver of the No 98 ThorSport Racing Ford had six top-10 finishes in the last eight races coming to Martinsville – including a victory at Richmond

Rhodes, driver of the No. 99 ThorSport Racing Ford, has four top-10 finishes in nine Martinsville races and was runner-up in last year’s Spring race there. He needs a change in fortune this week as he’s placed 20th in both Playoff races this round and has only a single top 10 (Talladega) in the last five races.

The 19-year old Ankrum actually has three previous truck starts at Martinsville with a best showing of 18th in 2018. The driver of the No 26 GMS Racing Chevrolet last earned a top 10 four races ago at Las Vegas.

Posted on October 30, 2020October 30, 2020 by Official NASCAR Release

MARTINSVILLE, Va. — NASCAR and WynnBET, the digital gaming division of Wynn Resorts Ltd. that is responsible for Wynn’s mobile sportsbook and casino app, announced Friday a multi-year national sports betting partnership. As an Authorized Gaming Operator of NASCAR, WynnBET will collaborate with NASCAR to create and promote engaging sports betting experiences for racing fans across the United States.

“We’re excited to partner with such a deeply experienced and innovative team to drive engagement and expand our sports betting offerings,” said Tim Clark, NASCAR’s senior vice president and chief digital officer. “Wynn is a trusted and iconic brand and our new relationship advances NASCAR’s position in the rapidly evolving gaming space while delivering fans with yet another live-in race engagement tool.”

WynnBET is launching a nationally scaled sports betting business that is built upon the strength of its best-in-class brand offering with an innovative approach to sports betting products. WynnBET offers unique products comprised of one-of-a-kind experiences, unique social betting mechanics and a high-quality user experience evocative of the Wynn brand to drive engagement and to attract both new and existing loyal customers.

As the historic 2020 NASCAR season reaches its penultimate race in Martinsville, Virginia, this weekend, WynnBET is formally submitting an application to become a legal gaming operator in the state of Virginia. Earlier this year, the Virginia state legislature passed a bill that will legalize sports betting and could grant up to 12 online sports betting licenses by the end of the year.

“Like Wynn, NASCAR is an iconic brand,” Wynn Resorts president Craig Billings said. “Together, Wynn Interactive and NASCAR will provide sports bettors in Virginia with one-of-a-kind experiences, both digitally and at NASCAR facilities in the Commonwealth.”

NASCAR has deep-rooted history in Virginia, with two of its most iconic tracks, Martinsville Speedway and Richmond Raceway, located in the state. Pending Wynn’s approval within Virginia, WynnBET will become the Official Online Sportsbook of Martinsville and Richmond, resulting in the construction of WynnBET Lounges at each venue. Martinsville and Richmond will combine to host four NASCAR Cup Series races per year, the most of any state in the country.

“We take great pride in providing fans with an unforgettable experience at our race track and WynnBET is best-in-class in delivering a premium experience to its customers,” Martinsville Speedway president Clay Campbell said. “We are excited about what this new venture could mean for the Commonwealth of Virginia and for our loyal fans visiting our track in the years to come.”

Richmond Raceway president Dennis Bickmeier said: “Richmond Raceway and WynnBET have a number of shared attributes. We are both strong, trustworthy brands that believe deeply in customer hospitality and creating incredible experiences. We wish the Wynn well in their future endeavors here in the great Commonwealth of Virginia and look forward to years of successful partnership.”

WynnBET will expand the portfolio of bet types offered on its mobile app throughout the NASCAR season, including pre-race and in-play bets. Bet types currently being explored include top-finishing drivers, driver matchups, stage winners and bets tied to the number of the winning car (over/under), among others. Beginning in 2021, WynnBET will offer live, in-play betting through a partnership with Genius Sports and live betting product, Betgenius, as the sport continues to strengthen its position around in-play sports betting.

NASCAR has experienced across-the-board growth in its sports betting handle and added blue-chip partners in the space in the last year, including Penn National Gaming, BetMGM and IMG Arena.

Posted on October 30, 2020October 30, 2020 by Staff Report

Michael Jordan’s new NASCAR team with Denny Hamlin now has a manufacturer and a technical alliance. Hamlin and driver Bubba Wallace appeared Friday on CBS This Morning to share the latest news.

The No. 23 will be a Toyota and 23XI Racing will have a technical alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing. JGR, of course, is the team for which Hamlin has been a driver since 2005, compiling 44 NASCAR Cup Series wins along the way.

Hamlin later revealed in an afternoon media availability that Mike Wheeler will be the team’s crew chief. Wheeler was Hamlin’s crew chief from 2016 to 2018 and the pair won five races together. He was a crew chief at Leavine Family Racing and driver Matt DiBenedetto in 2019 before transition over to the competition director role with the team.

“Toyota has been a big part of my NASCAR career,” Hamlin said in a statement. “We’ve achieved multiple milestones together including back-to-back Daytona 500 victories. I know how they support their teams, and when I decided move to team ownership, I knew that I wanted Toyota to be alongside our team. Toyota supports my vision with this team and will be integrated with our team members to support us as we grow and strive to achieve race wins and championships.”

Jared Allen | PROSPORT Management

Jordan revealed on Sept. 21 that he had agreed to purchase a charter and partner with Hamlin for the 2021 season and that Wallace would be their driver.

“My main goal for 23XI Racing is to be competitive for a championship as soon as possible,” said Jordan. “Our partnership with Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing gives us the equipment, resources and expertise to do it.”

Gibbs is excited to help the new team get off the ground.

“We’re excited to have the opportunity to provide resources to this new Toyota team to help them get started,” said Joe Gibbs, owner of Joe Gibbs Racing in a statement. “We can remember being in a similar position nearly three decades ago and we were fortunate to have a similar agreement that helped us in the beginning. We’re happy for Denny to realize his dream of ownership and certainly it’s a big deal for NASCAR to have someone with the respect and stature of Michael Jordan enter our sport.”

Jared Allen | PROSPORT Management

Posted on October 29, 2020June 23, 2021 by Terrin Waack

In its 37 years of existence, Hendrick Motorsports has only had six seasons without a NASCAR Cup Series champion on its team.

Jimmie Johnson is the current resident champ. But “Seven-Time” is retiring from full-time NASCAR competition at the end of 2020. And title-less Kyle Larson – 28 years old compared to Johnson’s 45 – is filling the void in team owner Rick Hendrick’s garage next season, taking over his No. 5 Chevrolet as Alex Bowman moves to the No. 48.

“I’m super excited about it,” Hendrick said. “I like the way Kyle drives the car. Didn’t like to race against him, but always took a little pride in the motor was ours. I’m feeling real good about it.”

Larson used to drive for Chip Ganassi Racing in its No. 42 Chevrolet, which did feature a Hendrick Motorsports engine. He was released by the team and suspended by NASCAR back in April, however, after his use of a racial slur on an iRacing live stream. The sanctioning body reinstated Larson after evaluation on Oct. 19, and Hendrick Motorsports announced it had signed him to a multi-year deal on Oct. 28.

With the addition of Larson and loss of Johnson, the average age of Hendrick Motorsports drivers drops from 29.50 to 25.25. Alex Bowman is 27, Chase Elliott is 24 and William Byron is 22.

“It’s weird to be 28 years old and be the oldest guy on the team,” Larson said. “I was looking yesterday, I think Jamie McMurray is 16 years older than I am and Kurt (Busch) is 14 years older than me. Those are the last teammates I’ve had. They were both teenagers before I was born.”

Based on driver age in the Daytona 500, the 2021 crop will be Hendrick Motorsports’ youngest since 2005. Larson and Bowman will be the same age as they are now, while Elliott and Byron will be a year older. That’ll make their average 25.75. The 2005 bunch had Johnson (29), Jeff Gordon (33), Brian Vickers (21) and Kyle Busch (19). They averaged out to 25.50.

A major difference between those two groups: The 2005 team had a four-time champion in Gordon (Johnson’s first came in 2006).

There have only been two periods in Hendrick Motorsports history with no champions – from 1984-86 and 1991-93. The organization was founded in 1984, and then Benny Parsons was added in 1987. He joined already a champion (1973) and stayed at Hendrick for just the one season. Darrell Waltrip really held down the fort from 1987-90 thanks to his three previous titles. There was then a gap until Terry Labonte came around in 1994. He had his prior 1984 championship and then added another one in 1996 with Hendrick. Jeff Gordon showed up in 1993, won his first of four titles in 1995 and overlapped until 2015 with Johnson, who started his championship bonanza in 2006 and still carries the torch.

There’s still a chance the streak continues. Elliott and Bowman are active in the 2020 NASCAR Playoffs, as the Round of 8 concludes Sunday at Martinsville Speedway (2 p.m. ET on NBC/NBC Sports App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) and the Championship 4 is set for the Nov. 8 finale at Phoenix Raceway. Both are currently below the elimination cutline, though, with three spots remaining. They’re tied at a 25-point disadvantage.

So, as of right now, the 2021 Hendrick Motorsports stable looks like it’ll be the first in 28 years without a crown-holder. But it may not be that way for long.

“We don’t have a champion,” Hendrick said. “But I think these guys are going to be champions.”

Posted on October 29, 2020 by Staff Report

NASCAR fined three Cup Series teams for lug-nut violations found in post-race inspection Wednesday at Texas Motor Speedway. The No. 6 of Ryan Newman, No. 12 of Ryan Blaney and No. 14 of Clint Bowyer were each discovered to have at least one lug nut not safe and secure, a violation of Section 10.9.10.4 in the NASCAR Rule Book.

As a result, NASCAR fined each of the crew chiefs $10,000 — Scott Graves for the No. 6, Todd Gordon for the No. 12 and John Klausmeier for the No. 14.

In addition, NASCAR posted the L1 penalty for the illegal spoiler confiscated from the No. 19 car of Martin Truex Jr. in pre-race inspection. As reported earlier, crew chief James Small was fined $35,000 and the team lost 20 owner points and 20 driver points.

Posted on October 29, 2020October 29, 2020 by Sean Montgomery

The NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs field is heading to “The Half Mile of Mayhem” on a quick turnaround for a crucial elimination race that sets the stage for the Championship 4. Tune in to live coverage of the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway at 2 p.m. ET Sunday (NBC/NBC Sports App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Before the Round of 8 finale, check out some important information you need to know.

TRACK DETAILS

Martinsville is a .526-mile asphalt track, the shortest on the series circuit, with concrete paving in the turns. Contained in a width of 55 feet, the track features 800-foot straightaways and tight, nearly flat turns that are banked at only 11 degrees. The high maneuverability of the track most often leads to door-to-door racing.

Sunday’s race will be the 144th Cup Series competition held at the track, with Red Byron taking home the inaugural checkered flag in 1949.

STAGE LENGTHS

Stage 1 will end at Lap 130, Stage 2 at Lap 260 and the final stage at Lap 500.

STARTING LINEUP

Brad Keselowski won the Busch Pole Award and will lead the field to the green Sunday. Martin Truex Jr. will join Keselowski on the front row.

The lineup was determined using NASCAR’s competition-based formula, which is a total number based on the previous event: 15% of a fastest lap time position, 25% of the driver’s final race finish position, 25% of the owner’s final race position and 35% of the owner points position.

RELATED: Full starting grid

RULES PACKAGE

The 2020 NASCAR rules package for short tracks will be in effect with a tapered spacer used to set a target of 750 horsepower. The cars will use a reduced downforce package with a shorter spoiler, a shorter splitter overhang and other aerodynamic changes.

GOODYEAR TIRES

Each team will be outfitted with nine sets of Goodyear Eagle Short Track Radials.

Later into the fall season, adjusting for cooler track temperatures is a key factor in developing the right tire compound that produces the desired wear. It is important for the tires to have the ability to lay rubber in all areas of the track, creating alternate racing grooves throughout the race.

“The last time we raced at Martinsville, it was June and both ambient and track temperatures were not a concern,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “We’ve had a lot of cold weather races at this track over the past several years, so we did some work on developing tread compounds that would lay rubber in the concrete corners in those conditions. The results have been good, as we’ve seen the surface turn from white to black in the corners, giving drivers the ability to move up the track to find grip. The resulting second lane has helped produce some great racing along the way.”

PLAYOFF STATS TO KNOW

— Only Joe Gibbs Racing has competed with multiple Championship 4 drivers in the same year (2016, 2019), and Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. are still in contention for 2020. This trend will change if Brad Keselowski joins Team Penske teammate Joey Logano for the final run at Phoenix Raceway.

— Neither Hamlin or Kevin Harvick have won in the last three races, tying the longest winless streak between the two for the entire 2020 season.

— With his win at Kansas Speedway, Logano tied Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Fred Lorenzen for 31st in all-time Cup Series wins with 26. Logano currently has a three-year multi-race win streak and has won multiple times in six of the last seven seasons.

— Alex Bowman is the only remaining title contender who has never finished inside the top five at Martinsville. He heads into this weekend in a potential must-win situation, sitting 25 points below the cutline.

Source: Racing Insights

INTERACTIVE COVERAGE

For a more interactive experience, head over to NASCAR.com or the NASCAR app to check out an enhanced Race Center, live Lap-by-Lap coverage, the customizable live leaderboard with Scanner, and the return of Drive (featuring in-car cameras).

Be sure to set your lineup in Fantasy Live and make your picks in the NASCAR Finish Line App.

2019 RACE WINNER

Martin Truex Jr. put on a historic display of dominance in last year’s playoff race at Martinsville, leading 464 laps and picking up his first win at the track. Truex swept each stage and punched his ticket to the Championship 4.

RELATED: Who does this race favor?

ACTIVE MARTINSVILLE WINNERS

Jimmie Johnson (nine wins); Denny Hamlin (five wins); Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr., Kurt Busch and Kyle Busch (two wins each); Clint Bowyer, Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick and Ryan Newman (one win each).

Posted on October 29, 2020October 29, 2020 by Staff Report

See where your favorite driver will pit for the Xfinity 500 on Sunday at Martinsville Speedway (2 p.m. ET, NBC, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Posted on October 29, 2020October 30, 2020 by Staff Report

Brad Keselowski won the Busch Pole Award for Sunday’s Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway (2 p.m. ET on NBC/NBC Sports App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), host of the Round of 8 elimination race in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.

The lineup was determined using NASCAR’s competition-based formula, which is a total number based on the series’ previous event: 15% of a fastest lap time position, 25% of the driver’s final race finish position, 25% of the owner’s final race position and 35% of the owner points position.

Joining Keselowski and the No. 2 Team Penske on the front row will be Martin Truex Jr. in the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

In the majority of national series events since NASCAR’s May return, starting lineups have been set by random draws. This structure, first introduced in early August, draws on performance from both individual races and season-long results, rather than leaving a range of starting spots up to chance.

See the full starting lineup for Sunday’s race below (P = playoff eligible):

Start	Driver	Car #	Team
1	Brad Keselowski (P)	2	Team Penske
2	Martin Truex Jr. (P)	19	Joe Gibbs Racing
3	Alex Bowman (P)	88	Hendrick Motorsports
4	Denny Hamlin (P)	11	Joe Gibbs Racing
5	Kurt Busch (P)	1	Chip Ganassi Racing
6	Kevin Harvick (P)	4	Stewart-Haas Racing
7	Joey Logano (P)	22	Team Penske
8	Chase Elliott (P)	9	Hendrick Motorsports
9	Kyle Busch	18	Joe Gibbs Racing
10	Ryan Blaney	12	Team Penske
11	Christopher Bell	95	Leavine Family Racing
12	Matt DiBenedetto	21	Wood Brothers Racing
13	William Byron	24	Hendrick Motorsports
14	Austin Dillon	3	Richard Childress Racing
15	Cole Custer	41	Stewart-Haas Racing
16	Clint Bowyer	14	Stewart-Haas Racing
17	Tyler Reddick	8	Richard Childress Racing
18	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	47	JTG Daugherty Racing
19	Erik Jones	20	Joe Gibbs Racing
20	Aric Almirola	10	Stewart-Haas Racing
21	Ryan Newman	6	Roush Fenway Racing
22	Ryan Preece	37	JTG Daugherty Racing
23	John Hunter Nemechek	38	Front Row Motorsports
24	Michael McDowell	34	Front Row Motorsports
25	Ty Dillon	13	Germain Racing
26	Corey LaJoie	32	GoFas Racing
27	Jimmie Johnson	48	Hendrick Motorsports
28	Chris Buescher	17	Roush Fenway Racing
29	Daniel Suarez	96	Gaunt Brothers Racing
30	Brennan Poole	15	Premium Motorsports
31	Matt Kenseth	42	Chip Ganassi Racing
32	Bubba Wallace	43	Richard Petty Motorsports
33	Josh Bilicki	7	Tommy Baldwin Racing
34	Timmy Hill	66	Motorsports Business Management
35	Quin Houff	00	StarCom Racing
36	Garrett Smithley	77	Spire Motorsports
37	James Davison	53	Rick Ware Racing
38	JJ Yeley	27	Rick Ware Racing
39	Joey Gase	51	Petty Ware Racing

Posted on October 28, 2020 by Terrin Waack

A technicality doesn’t set the mentality.

Kurt Busch, sitting eighth in the NASCAR Playoffs standings, is currently the only title-eligible driver who must win at Martinsville Speedway this Sunday to qualify for the Championship 4. There’s no way he can point his way into the final round. It’s a true must-win situation.

“We need to go win,” said Chase Elliott, who’s tied for fifth, right below the cutoff. “That’s really the bottom line. I’m not even going to look at the points because, in my opinion, it doesn’t really matter. If you can’t win races and win consistently in the series, then you’re not going to the championship anyway.”

Technically, Elliott doesn’t need to win. Neither does Alex Bowman (sixth), nor Martin Truex Jr. (seventh). But that doesn’t matter to the four on the outside looking in.

“I feel like we need to go there to win or …,” Bowman said. “Obviously it can happen. Some guys can have really bad days. But we need to go win.”

Brad Keselowski holds the fourth and final transfer spot with a 25-point advantage. Elliott and Bowman follow, respectively, but hold the same deficit at 25 points apiece. Truex is 36 points out. Busch is 81 down.

The absolute most points a driver can earn in a race is 60 – 40 for the overall win and 10 each for the two stage wins. It’s a full sweep.

“We’ll see how it plays out,” Busch said. “We’re going to be elbows out, not afraid to rub. Hopefully we’re going to be in the right spot.”

Three of the Championship 4 berths remain. Joey Logano punched his ticket with his Round of 8 opener at Kansas Speedway two weeks ago. Kyle Busch robbed a title contender of his opportunity to do the same when he won Wednesday at Texas Motor Speedway as non-playoff driver.

Kevin Harvick comes in at second, plus-42 points. Denny Hamlin is third at plus-27. Keselowski, again, falls fourth.

“We just needed to run better throughout the year,” Bowman said. “We did a phenomenal job the last two months; we’ve been as good as anybody the last two months. But those summer months, when you needed to be accumulating playoff points, we were struggling.”

That’s really how Hamlin has remained safe. He won six regular-season races but has struggled in the playoffs. Points got him through the Round of 16, a win at Talladega Superspeedway then advanced him out of the Round 12, and now he brings a cushion into the Round of 8 elimination event.

RELATED: Martinsville weekend schedule

It’s a season-long race to the finale. Not a playoff race. Though, winning in the postseason does have its automatic benefits.

“I don’t think you have to go hit home runs to win races,” Elliott said. “I think we can get solid base hits with singles and doubles to put ourselves in a position to win. Just treat it like a normal race weekend because that’s what it is. We’ll give it our best shot to go try and win. We do that every weekend. I don’t think we need to reinvent the wheel.”

Posted on October 28, 2020 by Zack Albert

Martin Truex Jr. came a Texas-sized fuel-mileage gamble away from icing his NASCAR Cup Series postseason fate Wednesday evening.

Truex came up short when teammate Kyle Busch’s gas tank didn’t, finishing second in the rain-plagued Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Instead of taking a breather for the short turn to Sunday’s Round of 8 finale in the playoffs, Truex and his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota team will need to rely on his recent Martinsville Speedway mastery in the Xfinity 500 (Sunday, 2 p.m. ET on NBC/NBC Sports App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

RELATED: Race results | Martinsville schedule

Truex made his final pit stop seven laps later than his teammate but was unable to make up substantial ground on the fuel-conscious Busch during the final run to the end.

“We knew he was close,” said Truex, who led five times for 53 laps. “The only thing we could do at that point, which we did all day anyway, was try to run flat-out. Hell of an effort by the Bass Pro guys and everybody that helps us. It just seems like one of those years where we’re second, third, fourth – we’re right there a lot. Just need a little bit more to be better.”

Truex enters the next-to-last race of the season facing a 36-point deficit below the provisional cutline, ranking seventh among the remaining eight playoff-eligible drivers. Three spots in the Championship 4 field remain up for grabs, with only Joey Logano having locked up an automatic berth with his Kansas Speedway win in the round opener.

Truex completed a solid points day with matching second-place finishes in both stages at Texas, but those gains were offset by a substantial 20-point penalty to the No. 19 team for an unapproved spoiler discovered in Sunday’s pre-race inspection. Truex started at the rear of the field and raced with car chief Blake Harris serving as the interim crew chief in place of the ejected James Small.

The points gap means the most likely route to his fourth straight Championship 4 appearance would be by virtue of a victory at Martinsville, which has been friendly to him in recent years. Truex has won the last two races at the .526-mile Virginia track, part of a streak of six straight top-10 efforts there.

It’s a track record that has him confident, but cautiously so.

“Yes and no. I mean, a must‑win at any track, no matter how good you’ve been there in the past, I think is a challenge,” Truex said. “The last race there that we ran and to lead all the laps that we did, whatever, it’s no guarantee. We’ve got to work hard this week to make sure we’re prepared. I know the guys have already been doing that. So definitely optimistic. It’s a good track for us, but it’s a short track and a lot can happen on restarts and things. We’ll go there and do the best job we can.”