Motorsports FanHouse

NASCAR Docks Truex Jr. 25 Points

Geoffrey Miller — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 19:21:00 EST

Filed under: Martin Truex Jr., Sprint Cup, Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing

Aside from his announcement last week that he'd have a new home for Sprint Cup competition in 2010, it's been a season loaded down with disappointment for Martin Truex Jr.

Tuesday afternoon, it took another step in the wrong direction.

Truex and his No. 1 Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing team were docked 25 points, fined $25,000 and had crew chief Kevin "Bono" Manion placed on probation through the end of the year after the car was found to be too high after Saturday night's race at Chicagoland Speedway.

Truex was one of the random selections by NASCAR to go through the post-race inspection procedure, and the sanctioning body determined that the left-rear quarter panel sat above the maximum height restriction. NASCAR then confiscated the car to do more testing on it at their research and development center in Concord, N.C., before releasing word on the penalty.

Having a car that rides higher in the rear-end than the rulebook allows could conceivably alter the car's downforce and handling in a positive manner, though it didn't seem to make much of a difference in the Lifelock.com 400. The No. 1 finished 16th.

The penalty didn't affect Truex's position in the point standings, as he remains 24th with just three Top-10s and a pole in 2009.

Prior to Chicagoland, Truex announced that he'd be leaving the only team he's raced for in Sprint Cup competition -- Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing, formerly Dale Earnhardt Inc. -- in favor of driving full-time in the No. 56 Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing in 2010.

NASCAR Docks Truex Jr. 25 Points originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Tue, 14 Jul 2009 19:21:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Truex Jr.'s Move Comes a Year Late

Geoffrey Miller — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 17:46:00 EST

Filed under: Martin Truex Jr., Michael Waltrip Racing

The water invading the hull of the Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing sinking ship finally got to be too much for the talented Martin Truex Jr.

"I've given them everything that I could," said Truex on Tuesday after announcing he'd take over a ride at Michael Waltrip Racing. "There got to be too many questions, too many things that were uncertain."

Which is why, as we guessed a year ago, his one-year contract extension with the Teresa Earnhardt-run operation would be all for naught thanks to a nasty set of decisions and circumstances that have left a once proud team in survival mode, and might have left Truex settling for a team he might not have otherwise gone to.

And so, Truex made his move Tuesday to a team that certainly has its nose pointed towards to the peaks of NASCAR Sprint Cup competition, rather than towards the dark valleys of bad finishes and desperation. The New Jersey driver will, in effect, take over the reigns for team co-owner Michael Waltrip in 2010.

Waltrip, in fact, will stay to true to his somewhat shocking words from the beginning of the 2009 campaign that this season's performance will sway whether or not he remains a full-time driver in 2010. He won't and will drive his No. 55 NAPA Toyota in a partial schedule, while Truex will drive full-time in the No. 56 NAPA car that has new multi-year sponsorship from the auto parts chain.

And while some might question Truex's jump to MWR, it's important to realize that the team is not even close to the ill-performing package it was in 2007.

David Reutimann has been the brightest light for the organization, picking up a win in the Coca-Cola 600 and battling for Chase competition. Marcos Ambrose, while not an official team car, has his cars built in the MWR shop thanks to his JTG Daughtery Racing team's alliance and has been impressive in his first full Sprint Cup season.

Had Truex not been smitten with his past at EGR (then, it was still DEI) and the promises that they were putting on the table -- he said Tuesday that the Ganassi merger, while extremely helpful, was a complete shock -- he may have landed up the the ladder quite a bit for 2009.

Joe Gibbs Racing, Stewart-Haas Racing, Penske Racing and Richard Childress Racing all made driver changes for 2009, and you'd have to be out of your mind to not think Truex wouldn't have been a top candidate for any of those jobs.

Instead, he opted to return to EGR with longtime-sponsor Bass Pro Shops for a one-year deal that obviously hasn't worked out as planned -- despite tremendous gains in his now-teammate's car of Juan Pablo Montoya. The biggest difference between the two top dogs at EGR in 2009? Montoya has been able to finish races.

This move by Truex is certainly a good one, and he's now teamed up with an organization that has shown a dedication to not only race but to compete. He's got a great sponsor behind him and, most importantly, a knowledge of stability in the organization.

It's good to see for NASCAR because Truex is a talented driver and has a nice following from the northeast, but even with all the positives you see in him getting free of a struggling company, you have to wonder what the difference a year would have made.

Truex Jr.'s Move Comes a Year Late originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Tue, 07 Jul 2009 17:46:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FanHouse Warmup: Gatorade Duels

Geoffrey Miller — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Mark Martin, Martin Truex Jr., Sprint Cup

The Essentials

Race: Gatorade Duels at Daytona

Where: Daytona Int'l Speedway
Time: Thursday 2 PM ET
TV/Radio: SPEED, MRN Radio
Forecast: 20 percent chance of rain, High 76
Distance: 2 races of 50 laps (150 miles)
Pole Sitters: Martin Truex Jr., Mark Martin

The Storylines

If you're gonna skip work to watch NASCAR on television in 2009, Thursday might be the best day to do so.

Fifty-six entered race cars will be split into two races based on 2008 owner points and last Sunday's time trials in a battle to secure a starting spot in Sunday's Daytona 500. Of course, winning and pride are pretty important to these guys, as well.

All of that, combined with race car that aren't cooperating with on-track handling like the drivers may prefer, will certainly team up to make the race for starting spots and cash plenty interesting.

Really, how often can you get two exciting restrictor plate races in one day? Take that sick day and find the race on SPEED either at home or your local watering hole. You won't regret it.

Jamie McMurray and Michael Waltrip tangled late in the second practice on Wednesday afternoon after Waltrip got a run in the draft behind Kasey Kahne. As Waltrip nudged Kahne, David Stremme couldn't get slowed down and knocked Waltrip down the track and into Jamie McMurray.

Both cars missed hitting the infield wall coming out of the tri-oval, but both incurred a decent dose of suspension damage that might force one or both to the back of the field for the 150s.

Joey Logano and Ryan Newman also made some news after Logano scraped the wall for some minor sheet metal damage and Newman blew a motor in his Stewart-Haas Chevrolet during Wednesday's practice. Newman will start from the rear of the field in his qualifying race.

The Competition: Race 1

The Top-10 Starters: Martin Truex Jr., Bill Elliott, Jimmie Johnson, Aric Almirola, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Paul Menard, Greg Biffle, Joe Nemechek, Joey Logano

Down to their last chance*: Joe Nemechek, Scott Riggs, Brad Keselowski, Kirk Shelmerdine, Tony Raines, Mike Skinner, Carl Long

The Competition: Race 2

The Top-10 Starters: Mark Martin, Ryan Newman [starts last due to engine change], Juan Pablo Montoya, Travis Kvapil, Bobby Labonte, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Regan Smith, Kyle Busch, Scott Speed, David Reutimann

Down to their last chance*: Regan Smith, Boris Said, A.J. Allmendinger, Jeremy Mayfield, Mike Wallace, Mike Garvey, Derrike Cope, Kelly Bires, Geoff Bodine, Norm Benning

* = drivers are not locked into the Daytona 500 field due to 2008 owner's points.

FanHouse Warmup: Gatorade Duels originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Thu, 12 Feb 2009 08:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Martin Truex Jr. Lands Daytona 500 Pole

Geoffrey Miller — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 19:20:00 EST

Filed under: Mark Martin, Martin Truex Jr., Sprint Cup

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- After what could possibly be described as the most boring day in all of NASCAR -- well, save for the middle laps at Pocono -- a pair of Martins had the hot hand during Sunday's qualifying for next Sunday's Daytona 500.

Earnhardt Ganassi Racing's Martin Truex Jr. will lead the Sprint Cup season-opener when the green flag waves, while the revitalized Mark Martin from the Hendrick Motorsports stable will start alongside. Truex's pole-winning speed of 188.001 mph just bested Martin's lap of 187.817 mph to earn the New Jersey driver just his second career pole.

Fifty four other cars took timed laps during the three-hour session under a balmy and sunny Florida sky, but thanks to NASCAR's Daytona qualifying procedure, only the top two know where they'll start next weekend's race.

Those spots will be sorted out after Thursday afternoon's qualifying races at the track -- the two Gatorade Duel 150-mile races -- that will be filled in a matter that even words like "convoluted" or "perplexing" can't properly explain. Regardless, the process (check out David Poole's explanation if you're so inclined) will result in a starting field for the Daytona 500 based mostly on the finishing order of each qualifying race.

But as for Truex, winning the pole has to be darn good dose of medicine after the turbulent offseason his team has faced. First, his original employer, Dale Earnhardt Inc., merged with Chip Ganassi Racing in November. The move created a four-car team lacking enough sponsorship for the whole operation and created a few rumors that Truex might take his current sponsor Bass Pro Shops to a new team.

Those rumors never materialized.

Truex also returned to the track where just months ago during DIS' July Sprint Cup race, he saw his hopes to earn a spot in the Chase for the Championship extinguished thanks to a car inspection problem that lost the team points and the use of crew chief Kevin Manion for six weeks.

The Chevrolets of Truex and Martin weren't the only bowties to find their way to the front during Sunday's time trials. Eight of the top 10 qualifers -- save for the Fords of Bill Elliott (5th) and Travis Kvapil (8th) -- carried the Chevrolet colors.

Saturday night's winner of the Budweiser Shootout, Kevin Harvick, didn't keep the pace during the Saturday qualifying activities and wound up 47th on the speed charts.

Martin Truex Jr. Lands Daytona 500 Pole originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 08 Feb 2009 19:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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'08 Rear-View Mirror: Martin Truex Jr.

Geoffrey Miller — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 16:42:00 EST

Filed under: Martin Truex Jr., Sprint Cup

Warning: Objects in this post may be the only way to successfully live through the NASCAR off-season. For best results, read rearview mirror early and often.

Driver: Martin Truex Jr.
Team: No. 1 Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet
'08 Final Standing: 15th (-2845)
Best Race: New Hampshire (4th-place)
Worst Race: Kansas & Phoenix (43rd-place)

Season in a box: After picking up his first career win in 2007, most people would have guessed that Martin Truex Jr. -- DEI's new top driver after the departure of Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- would have been a solid competitor in 2008. Instead, 2008 turned into a season of turmoil, rumor and by the time the 2009 season was starting to take shape, it had left questions as to whether he'd be at DEI in 2009.

Truex's best finish of the season came at the same event that Kurt Busch won in New Hampshire thanks to an ill-timed rain shower for the race's leaders that trapped them well back in the field. The other Top-5's came at Richmond in May and Watkins Glen in August, but the No. 1 did find the Top-10 11 times over the course of the season.

Likely the most memorable part of Truex's season was the rumor mill that took over much of the middle part of the NASCAR season. Truex had an option in his contract for another season at DEI in 2009 and thanks to that possible change, the driver was listed as heading to many other operations for the 2009 season. Eventually, Truex and DEI struck a deal for the driver to remain for 2009, but there's still a question as whether or not the deal will happen.

Through the crystal windshield: That deal seems to be in question due to reports stating the Truex's contract requires that Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing -- the team created just weeks ago thanks to a merger between DEI and Chip Ganassi Racing -- to have multiple, fully-sponsored teams to serve as teammates for Truex. Apparently, that count has not been met.

As a result, Truex's future with EGR is in limbo, but thanks to a secure relationship with sponsor Bass Pro Shops, Truex will undoubtedly be driving a full season in 2009. If that season is Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing, I'm certainly not going to be expecting much.

The merger between the two companies wasn't a combination of titans, but rather a joining of Sprint Cup mediocrity and to hope that pays big dividends in terms of performance (the biggest dividend its paying now is keeping the two teams alive ) is a little misguided. Truex, though, will likely be the biggest bright spot for the team in 2009 -- that is, of course, if he's still around.

Next up: Kasey Kahne

'08 Rear-View Mirror: Martin Truex Jr. originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 20 Dec 2008 16:42:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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10 from '08: Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch Trade Early Season Jabs at Daytona

Geoffrey Miller — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:39:00 EST

Filed under: Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Daytona Int'l Speedway, Nationwide Series, Sprint Cup, Joe Gibbs Racing

Nine months after the 2008 NASCAR season began, we're back to the offseason. With NASCAR's awards banquet on Friday, Dec. 6 (stop by for the live blog!), here's a look at ten of the season's best moments.

The Sprint Cup season hadn't even officially started for 2008, but hot shoe Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt Inc.'s Martin Truex Jr. were already spittin' mad after the first race run under the Nationwide Series banner at Daytona International Speedway.

Here's a glance back:

Truex was heated after finishing 11th in the Camping World 300 despite challenging for the lead late in the race. A block by Busch as Truex tried to take second place killed his momentum and opportunity to challenge Tony Stewart for the win.

Busch wound up 2nd.

From the NASCAR Scene: "Kyle drives like a girl," Truex said. "I mean, come on. We're out here racing for fun. We had a hell of a battle. I had a lot of fun racing today with him, and then I had a huge run and he just blocked me.

(for the original entire post, click here)

I would imagine Danica Patrick, statisticians who know men are actually the less talented drivers and females everywhere cringed at the comment, but dang, that was pretty funny.

Busch responded verbally with a meaningless "grow up" comment that didn't make much sense (Truex is older), but unfortunately for the six or seven NASCAR fans who aren't too big on all things Kyle Busch, the Las Vegas driver also responded with a ridiculous amount of victories in all three of NASCAR's top divisions.

Nah, Busch didn't make too many friends in 2008, but he sure piled on the victories -- even if he does drive like a girl.

Perhaps that was the secret to his success?

10 from '08: Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch Trade Early Season Jabs at Daytona originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:39:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dale Earnhardt Inc., Chip Ganassi Racing Ink Plan to Merge Mediocre Teams

Geoffrey Miller — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 19:39:00 EST

Filed under: Martin Truex Jr., NASCAR Silly Season, Sprint Cup

Chip Ganassi has found a way to make his team not as pathetic as before and Dale Earnhardt Inc. has found a way to keep grasping at being a relevant Sprint Cup Series team.

That method? Join the two programs together to create strange bedfellows, cut costs and hope that a math equation of subpar plus subpar finally equals something good.

Yep, Dale Earnhardt Inc. and Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates will be teaming up to make a four-car team in 2009.

Two of motorsports' biggest names - Earnhardt and Ganassi - will launch a four-car team beginning in 2009 through the combination of the motorsports operations of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (DEI) and Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, Inc. (CGRFS). NASCAR stars Martin Truex Jr. and Juan Pablo Montoya will drive the Nos. 1 and 42 respectively and future star Aric Almirola will be behind the wheel of the No. 8. The driver of the No. 41 will be named in the near future.

For those of you keeping track at home, this combination of forces currently includes 4 cars, 3 drivers and 2.5 sponsorships. Let's hope that changes before 2009.

Additionally, the overriding rumor is that Chevrolet will be the manufacturer for the organization, mainly because it's very likely Dale Earnhardt would rise from his grave to haunt anything bearing his name that doesn't bear a bow tie. Dodge, Ganassi's current partner, is apparently being shoved out.

There's so many aspects of this situation that are so very interesting. Will this team actually be better because Chip Ganassi will at least be a visible owner in the garage area? Is this Teresa Earnhardt's way of both saving her floundering race team and starting her exit, stage left, of NASCAR? And you think this is what the Intimidator had in mind when he first started DEI?

On the last question, I'd presume an emphatic no, but along those lines I think it'd be doubly hard to believe his son, Dale Earnhardt Jr., would be driving for a rival organization had Dale Sr. still been alive.

The saddest part of this inevitable process thanks to such a savage economy and decreased success for both teams is the fact that over 100 people lost their jobs Wednesday. Fortunately, this merger isn't likely to come back to haunt the remaining employees like Bobby Ginn's brief and embarrassing foray into the sport back in the summer of 2007.

Latest NASCAR Photos

MARTINSVILLE, VA - OCTOBER 18: Justin Skinner, driver of the #03 Germain Toyota Toyota, poses on tack prior to the start of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Kroger 200 at Martinsville Speedway on October 18, 2008 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Justin Skinner

Getty Images for NASCAR

MARTINSVILLE, VA - OCTOBER 18: Mike Skinner (L), driver of the #5 Toyota Tundra Toyota, poses with son, Justin Skinner (R), driver of the #03 Germain Toyota Toyota, on the track prior to the start of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Kroger 200 at Martinsville Speedway on October 18, 2008 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Mike Skinner;Justin Skinner

Getty Images for NASCAR

MARTINSVILLE, VA - OCTOBER 18: Jeff Green, driver of the #40 Westerman Companies Chevrolet, spins as leader Ron Hornady, driver of the #33 Camping World Chevrolet passes during the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Kroger 200 at Martinsville Speedway on October 18, 2008 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Jeff Green;Ron Hornady

Getty Images for NASCAR

MARTINSVILLE, VA - OCTOBER 18: Johnny Benson, driver of the #23 Toyota Tundra Toyota, celebrates winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Kroger 200 at Martinsville Speedway on October 18, 2008 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Johnny Benson

Getty Images for NASCAR

MARTINSVILLE, VA - OCTOBER 18: Johnny Benson, driver of the #23 Toyota Tundra Toyota, leads the field on the final restart during the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Kroger 200 at Martinsville Speedway on October 18, 2008 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Johnny Benson

Getty Images for NASCAR

MARTINSVILLE, VA - OCTOBER 18: Johnny Benson, driver of the #23 Toyota Tundra Toyota, makes a pit stop during the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Kroger 200 at Martinsville Speedway on October 18, 2008 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Johnny Benson

Getty Images for NASCAR

L Carriers Chevrolet, during the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Kroger 200 at Martinsville Speedway on October 18, 2008 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Ron Hornaday Jr.;Johnny Benson;Kevin Harvick

Getty Images

MARTINSVILLE, VA - OCTOBER 18: Johnny Benson, driver of the #23 Toyota Tundra Toyota, crosses the finish line to win the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Kroger 200 at Martinsville Speedway on October 18, 2008 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Johnny Benson

Getty Images

MARTINSVILLE, VA - OCTOBER 18: Johnny Benson, driver of the #23 Toyota Tundra Toyota, celebrates after winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Kroger 200 at Martinsville Speedway on October 18, 2008 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Johnny Benson

Getty Images

At the end of the day, NASCAR fans can still be satisfied to see that two of the sport's more recognizable drivers -- Montoya and Truex Jr. -- will still be around in 2009.

In the mean time, it's sure going to be weird ditching the "DEI" moniker in lieu of "Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates."

Fun fact about that Sabates character? He gets full name recognition despite only owning 20 percent of the former CGRFS, so by my math, he only owns 10 percent of the new team -- and still gets his full name in there. Now that, my friends, is a smart businessman.

Note: Be sure to head back FanHouse way on Sunday for our season-finale live blog of the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway! We'll kick off the festivities at 3:30pm/EST. See ya then!

Dale Earnhardt Inc., Chip Ganassi Racing Ink Plan to Merge Mediocre Teams originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Wed, 12 Nov 2008 19:39:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Montoya DQ'ed, Gives Johnson Kansas Pole

Geoffrey Miller — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 19:37:00 EST

Filed under: Elliott Sadler, Jimmie Johnson, Juan Pablo Montoya, Mark Martin, Martin Truex Jr., Matt Kenseth, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Sprint Cup

Juan Pablo Montoya: "Hey, did you see that lap, man? Yep, first Sprint Cup pole! Uh-huh! Wait, what did you say? They disqualified me? What the #%^&?!?!"

While the above quote is not actually attributable to JPM, you can bet he wasn't happy to be starting 42nd on Sunday at Kansas Speedway after posting Friday's qualifying session fastest time.

Montoya dropped a lap Friday afternoon at Kansas City, Kan.-track of 172.150mph to put him at the top of the grid for the first time in his Sprint Cup career, celebrated his pole with the obligatory photo shoot, and talked to the media about how exciting it was for his No. 42 team:

"It's huge. There's times where it's getting darker and cooling down and you run at the end and all of a sudden you pick up a half a second and you're up there. But we were in the middle of the pack and the track didn't really change that much. We were genuinely fast," said Montoya.

But now, he's starting in the back thanks to a technical violation during the post-qualifying inspection process that revealed his two rear shocks had pressure levels higher than allowed by NASCAR.

NASCAR instituted rules on the shock assemblies a few years ago mainly in the name of safety after teams started running the suspension devices near their explosion breaking point to help the car handle. Essentially, its just not safe for slender metal tubes to be filled with gas at a near breaking point, so NASCAR stepped in.

The main benefactor from Montoya's issue? Hendrick Motorsports' Jimmie Johnson, or more concisely, the guy who always seems to be there to take advantage of any situation.

Johnson will start out front for Sunday's race with the rest of the Top-5 now including Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Elliott Sadler and Martin Truex Jr.

Failing to score a spot in Sunday's field were Johnny Sauter and Michael McDowell.

Montoya DQ'ed, Gives Johnson Kansas Pole originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Fri, 26 Sep 2008 19:37:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Postponing the Inevitable? Truex at DEI for '09

Geoffrey Miller — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 12:45:00 EST

Filed under: Martin Truex Jr., Dale Earnhardt Inc., Sprint Cup

Leading up to the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, word was that Martin Truex Jr. was going to re-sign with Dale Earnhardt Inc. for 2009, and potentially longer. Truex, though, wasn't happy about the report done by ESPN.com's David Newton:

"It's (expletive). I don't know what the hell (the reporter) is talking about. He doesn't know what he's talking about," Truex said.

It turns out, though, that Newton was ultimately right. Whether or not he was right at the time, though, is still up in the air.

Regardless, Martin Truex Jr. is expected to announce later Friday that he will be staying at DEI in the No. 1 car for at least one more year. In contract terms, Truex actually just accepted the DEI's proposal to pick up the one-year option for '09 that was already in his previous deal.

Truex's move takes away at least a fraction of the rumor game being currently played throughout the Sprint Cup garage area, as he has been rumored for any number of open seats in 2009 including Stewart-Haas Racing, Penske Racing, and Richard Childress Racing.

I figured that Penske or Childress would be a great fit for Truex Jr. mainly because DEI just hasn't elevated its game on-track to compete for championships like it should, and because Truex does have the talent to win races and championships.

Put together Mark Martin leaving the team after 2008, rumors about team president Max Siegel looking at new opportunities outside of NASCAR, and an array of young, under performing drivers in the stable, the DEI outlook isn't exactly a rosy picture.

Perhaps, though, that's exactly why Truex didn't sign a long-term deal with DEI. This move might come with an unwritten clause of "Get better or I'm gone" from Truex.

And Truex deserves that.

He deserves to be in equipment that can consistently challenge for wins and be a near shoe-in each season to make the Chase. If that doesn't happen quickly in 2009, expect a "one and done" effort for the New Jersey driver as he moves on to greener pastures in 2010.

Postponing the Inevitable? Truex at DEI for '09 originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Thu, 07 Aug 2008 12:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Truex Jr. Appears to Have Contract Signed; McMurray Denies Free Agent Reports

Geoffrey Miller — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 17:20:00 EST

Filed under: Jamie McMurray, Martin Truex Jr., Roush Fenway Racing, Dale Earnhardt Inc., Indianapolis Motor Speedway, NASCAR Silly Season

FanHouse's Geoffrey Miller is on location & blogging away at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for Sunday's 15th Running of the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard.

Martin Truex Jr. appears set to end the rumor mill swirling around his future.

ESPN.com's David Newton reported on Saturday that "several sources" are confirming that Truex will now stay right where he's at -- with Dale Earnhardt Inc. -- until at least 2010:

The 28-year-old New Jersey native has agreed in principle to a two-year deal that will keep him at Dale Earnhardt Inc. through the 2010 season, multiple sources close to the situation told ESPN.com on Saturday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Sources said an official announcement is expected any day, and that details with multiple sponsors remain to be finalized.

Truex, asked if he has an agreement, said: "We're getting there, yeah. Things are going well right. I'm pretty happy. I just want to think about racing this weekend."

That quote from Truex seems to seal the deal for me, as he definitely didn't make any attempt to deny the report. He pretty much gave the "yeah, that's been correctly reported but I can't say anything yet so I'm going to get back in my race car and stay away from you media-types"-style answer.

I'm glad Truex has got his deal seemingly worked out with DEI, a team where he'll remain as the No. 1 driver in the camp. I don't think, however, that re-signing with the team will lead him towards a Sprint Cup championship any time soon.

McMurray Grows Weary of Constant Free Agency Reports

It must be tough to have the media firing you from a high-profile job before you get the news, unless, you know, the media is wrong.

That's what Roush Fenway Racing's Jamie McMurray is claiming after more speculation came about Friday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway that he would be out of the No. 26 ride effective at the end of the 2008 season -- one year before his RFR contract expires.

The speculation came after his team owner Jack Roush virtually threw McMurray under the bus during a press conference on Friday at IMS -- telling the world that he's been disappointed with Jamie's performance compared to the rest of the team among other less-than-loving statements about the Missouri driver.

McMurray responded on Saturday to both Roush's remarks and the rampant speculation that they induced in the media about his future:

"If you guys want to print the truth, the truth is I'll be there with Crown Royal," he said. "There's not a question. It's 100 percent. I know there's been some reporters that have speculated again on where I'll be and who the sponsors will be - and certainly everyone is entitled to their opinion - but I wish that for all the media that they would base it on facts."

He even stated that he was somewhat puzzled by his team owner's statements on the previous day:

"They haven't discussed that with me and I don't think that's really even been discussed," he said. "I can't control what Jack says, and sometimes Jack will go off a little bit and it maybe gets out of control. It's not that big of a deal."

It can't be too easy to focus completely on driving when not only the media is down your back about your future but also your team owner is offering any public help.

Regardless, McMurray -- currently 22nd in Sprint Cup points -- will start Sunday's Allstate 400 at the Brickyard from the 7th spot.

Truex Jr. Appears to Have Contract Signed; McMurray Denies Free Agent Reports originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 26 Jul 2008 17:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Martin Truex Jr.'s Long Road to the Chase

Geoffrey Miller — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 02:28:00 EST

Filed under: Martin Truex Jr., Dale Earnhardt Inc., Sprint Cup

After receiving a strong penalty from NASCAR Tuesday afternoon, Martin Truex Jr.'s shot at making the Chase for the Championship for the second time in two years took a deep hit.

It wasn't the 150 owner points that hurt, not the $100,000 fine, or even the loss of his crew chief and car chief for the next six races, instead, it was the 150 driver points that Truex lost thanks to his No. 1 car failing inspection last Thursday at Daytona due to a roof height violation.

As if it wasn't bad enough, NASCAR confiscated that car, forcing Truex to miss practice and race a backup car.

But that 150-point penalty is the killer. The penalty completely wiped all 112 points that Truex earned in Saturday night's Coke Zero 400 at Daytona and then some. In other words, the penalty is worse than if Truex would have missed a race.

The damage dropped Truex 238 points behind 12th-place Tony Stewart, but the biggest difference is that instead of sitting 14th in the point standings, Truex now sits 18th, leaving six drivers ahead of him that are fighting for the same spot.

Truex is now in a very, very tough spot if he wants to make the Chase, having to average at this point a finish 30 points higher each race than Stewart, which translates to between 5 and 11 spots higher in each of the last 8 races before the Chase.

It's a tough penalty, and it deeply affected Truex's run at the championship in the playoff, but its simply another wake up call to teams to be extremely stringent with the way they build their race cars. Is a penalty like that fair? Well, thats a discussion for another day.

Martin Truex Jr.'s Long Road to the Chase originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Wed, 09 Jul 2008 02:28:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NASCAR Crash Video of the Week: M'Ville

Geoffrey Miller — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 18:45:00 EST

Filed under: Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte, Scott Riggs, Martin Truex Jr., NASCAR Crashes, NASCAR Videos, Sprint Cup

Sunday's Sprint Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway saw its share of spins and wrecks to contribute the races 18 cautions.

Aside from Matt Kenseth's antics, the biggest crash of the day involved 5 cars early in the 500 lap event. The melee, shown below, involved Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte, Aric Almirola, Scott Riggs, and Martin Truex Jr.

Almirola slid the nose of his No. 8 coming off of turn four into Bobby Labonte on the outside, turning the No. 43 and blocking the track for the rest of the field. Riggs then gets turned by Gordon as the accordion effect takes shape, damaging the nose of the No. 24.

Gordon seemed to have suffered the most damage from the incident though it was repairable and didn't end up hurting his chances at a solid finish. The No. 24 finished 2nd to eventual race winner Denny Hamlin.

Wrecks like that are one of the reasons why I love racing Martinsville at so much. Because of the low speed, many accidents can have little damage, and even if some damage occurs, the aerodynamic problems won't kill a drivers chances to win.

NASCAR Crash Video of the Week: M'Ville originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Thu, 03 Apr 2008 18:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kyle Busch Drives Like a Girl, Truex Says

Geoffrey Miller — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 18:41:00 EST

Filed under: Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing, Dale Earnhardt Inc., Daytona Int'l Speedway, Kyle Busch

Check out all of the NASCAR Fanhouse Daytona Speedweeks Coverage.
On Sunday, stop by for the live blog of the 50th Daytona 500 at 3:00pm/ET.

Kyle Busch finished second Saturday's Nationwide Series race at Daytona driving like a girl, according to Martin Truex Jr.

Truex was heated after finishing 11th in the Camping World 300 despite challenging for the lead late in the race. A block by Busch as Truex tried to take second place killed his momentum and opportunity to challenge Tony Stewart for the win.

Busch wound up 2nd.

From the NASCAR Scene:

"Kyle drives like a girl," Truex said. "I mean, come on. We're out here racing for fun. We had a hell of a battle. I had a lot of fun racing today with him, and then I had a huge run and he just blocked me. I pretty much knew he was going to do it. I had such a run and had to go."

It sounds like Truex is a fan of the movie "The Sandlot", in which one of the most familiar lines is "You play ball like a girl!".

Busch's comeback wasn't nearly as awesome:

"What else you going to do, man? " Busch said "Shoot, he's pushing me through the tri-oval, wanting to spin me out. I'm sorry I saved it and kept it in front of him. Grow up, bud. What do you want me to do, pull over? Next question."

Kyle's comeback lacked mainly because someone younger than someone else can't tell that other person to grow up. That just doesn't make sense.

Busch is 22 while Truex is 27.

If this turns into a nice rivalry, I can't wait for the short tracks.

Who Will the Daytona 500? Find out at the Fanhouse Warmup: Daytona 500.

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Kyle Busch Drives Like a Girl, Truex Says originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 16 Feb 2008 18:41:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NASCAR FanHouse Top 25 Year-in-Review:
Martin Truex Jr., No. 1 DEI Chevrolet

Geoffrey Miller — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, Dale Earnhardt Inc.

Welcome to the 2007 NASCAR FanHouse Year in Review. Follow along each day as we look back on the top 25 drivers of the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series for the 2007 season. Heck, bookmark us if you have to! Today, we review the season of 11th-place Martin Truex Jr.

Driver: Martin Truex Jr. -- Mayetta, New Jersey
Team: No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet
Points: 11th (-559)
2006: 19th in Cup Standings
Key Stats: 1 win, 1 pole, 7 Top-5s, 14 Top-10s
Back in 2008?: Yes

2007 was a bit like Christmas Day for Martin Truex Jr. The Dale Earnhardt Inc. driver picked up not only his first career pole, but also his first career win at Dover in June.

With a little more good luck and a whole lot less bad, Truex easily could have competed for the Nextel Cup Series title.

Heading into the Chase, Truex turned in a nice streak of finishes that set him as a potential favorite for the 10-race playoff. The last five races before the Chase opener at New Hampshire saw Truex average an 8th-place finish and move from 11th to 7th in the point standings prior to Chase seeding.

A top-5 at New Hampshire led to a disappointing 13th-place finish at Dover due to a late race wreck. Truex got used to the bad luck quite quickly with finishes of 38th and 42nd at Kansas and Talladega. A finish of 31st at Atlanta dropped any high Chase finish hopes.

Truex rebounded in the last 3 races of 2007 with three consecutive Top-10s but even that wasn't enough to earn him a trip on the stage in New York for Nextel Cup Awards ceremony.

Truex's lone victory in 2007 came in a next-generation race car at Dover, which definitely sets a good precedent as Truex looks to assume the role of top dog at DEI in '08 with Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s departure. 2008 should definitely be a very competitive one for Truex.

NASCAR FanHouse Top 25 Year-in-Review:
Martin Truex Jr., No. 1 DEI Chevrolet originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Thu, 27 Dec 2007 08:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NASCAR You Ask 'Em, We Answer 'Em:
Top 10, Tony the Tiger, & AMP'ed Up

Geoffrey Miller — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Martin Truex Jr., NASCAR Fans, NASCAR Rumors, Denny Hamlin

Welcome to the first edition of the new AOL Sports NASCAR FanHouse "You Ask 'Em, We Answer 'Em". This is going to hopefully be a weekly feature for the loyal readers of the NASCAR FanHouse that are trying to beat the winter doldrums until Daytona. (Hey, we're trying to beat them, too!) Check each week to see if your question is featured and hopefully answered.

To get in the mix, simply drop us an email at this link. Just click and follow the directions!

Q: Please, tell me why only 10 of the 12 NASCAR Chase for the Nextel Cup drivers are honored at the awards banquet. NASCAR is the one who upped the Chase to 12 drivers, and it seems like to me that the last two were left out for a bad reason. -- Lee from Palm Bay, Florida

A: Well, Lee, thanks for the question. I think the better question in this scenario is why in the heck NASCAR actually upped the Chase number to 12. But that's a discussion for another time.

Obviously, it sucked for Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. fans to not have their drivers on stage for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Awards Ceremony in New York City. But, other than the fact that NASCAR said so at the beginning of the Chase is the only reason they weren't officially honored. It's simple, finish in the Top 10, and you go to New York. Finish 11th or 12th?

Find your own way to New York. (Click to Continue)

The cookie doesn't always crumble fairly, I suppose, but isn't that life? And what did you really miss by Truex and Hamlin not being on stage other than more teleprompter errors? Not a whole lot. That's why they'll race in 2008.

Q: Tony Stewart is clearly a Chevy man but Joe Gibbs Racing has bought into the Toyota franchise. Tony seems none too thrilled as he always talks about the upcoming year and how promising it will be, etc. He hasn't said a word. How long is Tony's contract with Joe Gibb's Racing? Does anyone know when it expires? I foresee Tony looking for another Chevy team (Hendrick?) and soon! -- Kim from ??

A: You definitely aren't the first to notice it, Kim, and you bring up a great point. Tony Stewart and Toyota seem to go like cookies dipped in orange juice. You've just got to have a funny face when you think about it.

Tony's not a dumb guy, and realizes that he can't badmouth his own team -- or the Gibbs family. After all, who got him into NASCAR, and who has saved his butt countless times? Joe & J.D. Gibbs. In that same breath, he hasn't ruined things with Chevrolet either by signing his personal sprint car and outlaw car teams to extended deal with the bowtie. Granted Toyota doesn't compete in that divsion, it still seems to muddy the water.

Of course, Stewart may look like a genius in a year or two if Toyota starts dominating NASCAR. You can bet he won't care about foreign relations at that point.

Stewart is indeed locked into a contract with JGR through 2009, but that's muddy, too. Gibbs has wanted to discuss contracts first over the season, and then over the offseason. Stewart recently was quoted as saying he doesn't want to deal with contracts during the offseason, and he hasn't seemed to enjoy that in season either. That leaves very little room for contract signing.

I think 2008 will tell us a lot about Tony & Toyota, and very quickly. Thanks for the hot question, Kim!

Q: With Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s new sponsors, how will they divide the AMP car and the National Guard car with races? Will they race one or the other only at big races like Jeff Gordon does with Pepsi? -- Max from ??

A: This is question I definitely had to do some research on, Max, so thanks!

Anyways, as everyone and their neighbor know, Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be in a Hendrick Motorsports No. 88 sponsored by Mountain Dew AMP and the National Guard.

To the best of my knowledge and SPEED's as well, NASCAR fans will see the Mountain Dew AMP car (green & white) for 20 races in 2008. The remaining 16 races will see the blue and white National Guard race car.

There haven't been any firm details released as to specific races, but there are answers we might be able to assume.

First, Daytona International Speedway is no longer a Pepsi track as it had been for nearly forever. I'd imagine PepsiCo (who owns Mountain Dew) will at least have a either the Daytona 500 or the Coke 400 (July Daytona race) as an AMP race.

It's funny though because two of the most patriotic races of the season over Memorial Day and July 4th are sponsored by Coca-Cola. Being patriotic, you'd expect the National Guard to have a definite presence, but Pepsi/Mountain Dew/AMP will definitely want to put a Pepsi product in a Coca-Cola race victory lane. And of course, Pepsi has to roll out a Mountain Dew Code Red Dale Jr. car at some point, right? Thanks, Max!

NASCAR You Ask 'Em, We Answer 'Em:
Top 10, Tony the Tiger, & AMP'ed Up originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Thu, 13 Dec 2007 12:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Raceday Warmup: Checker Auto Parts 500k

Geoffrey Miller — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 12:07:00 EST

Filed under: Phoenix, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Martin Truex Jr., Nextel Cup, Kyle Busch, Chase for the Sprint Cup

The Essentials
Coverage: ESPN on ABC @ 3:00pm/ET
Green Flag: 3:45pm/ET
Distance: 312 laps/312 miles/500 kilometers
Other: Follow it on ESPN360 if available
Venue: Phoenix Int'l Raceway, sold out

Keep These in Mind...
1) Chasing Dreams - The second-to-last round of the Jeff and Jimmie Show: 2007 gets underway with the green flag. It's simple, Jeff Gordon has to overcome a 30-point margin in the next two races to win his fifth Nextel Cup title. Johnson has to beat him to claim his second.

Johnson averages a finish of one spot higher than Gordon at Phoenix, but Gordon was the last to win at the track in April.

2) Three-peat? Kyle Busch could become the first driver in NASCAR history to win in all three divisions on the same weekend. Busch took the victory in Friday night's Craftsman Truck Series race and followed that up with a Busch Series win Saturday night at PIR.

He starts 38th Sunday at Phoenix in the Nextel Cup race.

3) A Flavor of Indy in the Desert - For just the third time in history (thanks, Jayski!), three former winners of the Indianapolis 500 are in Sunday's race. Sam Hornish Jr., Juan Pablo Montoya, and Jacques Villeneuve all made the field.

Add in former open wheel drivers Patrick Carpentier, Casey Mears, Robby Gordon, and Tony Stewart and you see very quickly how quickly NASCAR has become the all-around proving ground for drivers.

4) Truex Strong in Practice - Martin Truex Jr. starts second at Phoenix but had the car to beat in Happy Hour practice yesterday. He ran the fastest lap of the session, followed by Kasey Kahne, Casey Mears, David Stremme and Jeff Gordon.

Chase point leader Jimmie Johnson was seventh on the time sheet.

Raceday Warmup: Checker Auto Parts 500k originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 11 Nov 2007 12:07:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Edwards Nips Phoenix Pole; Three Former Indianapolis 500 Winner Make Field

Geoffrey Miller — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 11:59:00 EST

Filed under: Phoenix, Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Martin Truex Jr., Roush Fenway Racing, Chase for the Sprint Cup

Carl Edwards has quietly allowed the brouhaha with fellow Roush driver Matt Kenseth to slowly disappear in the media in good fashion.

Quietly enough, in fact, that he won the pole at Phoenix and no really seemed to care -- nor bring the topic up. After all, there are two races left in the "Hendrick Motorsports Trophy Deciding Circus" and three former winners of the Indianapolis 500 are in the show.

But yes, Edwards did in fact win the pole with a lap of 132.773mph. It's his first of the season and guarantees the No. 99 Ford a spot in the 2008 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona. Edwards bested Martin Truex Jr. for the top spot by just three one-thousandths of a second.

"I told them after that lap, I said, 'That was a blast.' The guys did a great job with the car -- everybody," said Edwards.

The pole for Edwards was his first since he started on the point in the 2005 Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

As for "The Jeff and Jimmie Show", Jeff Gordon will start right behind Edwards in third while Johnson will roll off the grid from the sixth position.

The list of past Indianapolis 500 winners is indeed well-represented in the Nextel Cup grid. Juan Pablo Montoya starts 14th, Sam Hornish Jr. made his first Nextel Cup race and starts 26th and fellow '500' winner Jacques Villeneuve lines up 27th.

The going home list includes all three Michael Waltrip Racing cars, A.J. Allmendinger, John Andretti and Ward Burton.

Edwards Nips Phoenix Pole; Three Former Indianapolis 500 Winner Make Field originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 10 Nov 2007 11:59:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Truex Hunts Down First Career Pole in Texas

tallglassofmilk — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 16:31:00 EST

Filed under: Martin Truex Jr., NASCAR Awards, Nextel Cup

Martin Truex Jr. scored his first career pole at Texas Motor Speedway and he's got a reservation for #1 in the 2008 ~~NASCAR All-Star race oops~~ Bud Shootout to show for it ... Not to mention a spankin' new rifle for his next hunting adventure.

All Bud Pole Awards are definitely not created equally. I do believe this one comes from Beretta's Gold and Diamond Pigeon Series of field guns, placing its value somewhere between $4,500 - $8,500. Not a bad score for the Bass Pro Shops sponsored outdoor enthusiast.

Mad props to A.J. Allmendinger, too, who also posted a career-best qualifying effort and will start in the 5th position in Sunday's Dickies 500.

Missed the Mark
John Andretti, Ward Burton, Burney Lamar and Kevin Lepage and Michael Waltrip will be sitting this one out.

Dickies 500 lineup

Truex Hunts Down First Career Pole in Texas originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 03 Nov 2007 16:31:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DEI-RCR Engines Fail 'Dega Reliability Test

Geoffrey Miller — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 22:20:00 EST

Filed under: Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton, Martin Truex Jr.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. may have lost what was his best remaining chance at a Nextel Cup race victory Sunday after blowing his engine with 52 laps to go in the UAW-Ford 500.

But his teammate Martin Truex Jr. and engine program partner Jeff Burton might have lost so much more.

The Dale Earnhardt Inc.-Richard Childress Racing engine partnership had seven cars on track Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway and only two of them finished under full power. Three of them actually finished.

Burton lost his motor off of turn four on lap 92 and 21 laps later Truex blew his coming into the tri-oval.

Burton knows that he can pretty much stick a fork in his title chances.

"Obviously, this about wraps it up for us for the championship. We will keep fighting," Burton said. "We will go next week and strap our boots on and go fight and see what we can make out of it."

Truex now finds himself 300 points out of first in tenth while Burton sits further back -- in 12th with a 331 point deficit.

Kevin Harvick also started engine trouble late in the event. With 44 laps to go, Harvick was sitting on pit road with the hood up, but his crew could do nothing to fixed what ailed his Chevrolet engine. He would finish on seven cylinders in 20th place, some 202 points behind race-winner and point leader Jeff Gordon.

New DEI'er Aric Almirola also finished with a DNF because of his engine.

Only Clint Bowyer and Paul Menard would finish without a hitch in the engine.

DEI-RCR Engines Fail 'Dega Reliability Test originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 07 Oct 2007 22:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Handicapping the Chase: Truex and Bowyer

tallglassofmilk — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 10:27:00 EST

Filed under: Clint Bowyer, Martin Truex Jr., Chase for the Sprint Cup

7th Seed Martin Truex Jr. (12/1)
Points: 5,010
Bonus: 55
Wins: 1
Top 5s: 5
Tops 10: 10
DNFs: 2

12th Seed Clint Bowyer (11/1)
Points: 5,000
Bonus: 50
Wins: 0
Top 5s: 2
Tops 10: 12
DNFs: 0

The dark horses of the season, both Nextel Cup sophomores and first-time Chasers have their work cut out for them. Both are long shots to win the championship, but either is capable. Having two teammates in the Chase could work in Bowyer's favor, but he needs to lead more laps and find more top 5 finishes. Truex needs DEI engine magic. Slight advantage: Bowyer.

Question? What was the rule in last year's Chase for ties? This year following Richmond, Truex was tied for points with Kurt Busch in 10th. Under the previous rules, would Truex have been the 11th driver in the Chase or was there a tie-breaker of some sort?

Handicapping the Rest of the Chase Field
Gordon and Johnson
Stewart and Hamlin
Kenseth and Edwards
Harvick and Burton
The Busch Brothers

Handicapping the Chase: Truex and Bowyer originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 16 Sep 2007 10:27:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorsports FanHouse

NASCAR Docks Truex Jr. 25 Points

Truex Jr.'s Move Comes a Year Late

FanHouse Warmup: Gatorade Duels

Martin Truex Jr. Lands Daytona 500 Pole

'08 Rear-View Mirror: Martin Truex Jr.

10 from '08: Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch Trade Early Season Jabs at Daytona

Dale Earnhardt Inc., Chip Ganassi Racing Ink Plan to Merge Mediocre Teams

Latest NASCAR Photos

Montoya DQ'ed, Gives Johnson Kansas Pole

Postponing the Inevitable? Truex at DEI for '09

Truex Jr. Appears to Have Contract Signed; McMurray Denies Free Agent Reports

Martin Truex Jr.'s Long Road to the Chase

NASCAR Crash Video of the Week: M'Ville

Kyle Busch Drives Like a Girl, Truex Says

NASCAR FanHouse Top 25 Year-in-Review: Martin Truex Jr., No. 1 DEI Chevrolet

NASCAR You Ask 'Em, We Answer 'Em:Top 10, Tony the Tiger, & AMP'ed Up

Raceday Warmup: Checker Auto Parts 500k

Edwards Nips Phoenix Pole; Three Former Indianapolis 500 Winner Make Field

Truex Hunts Down First Career Pole in Texas

DEI-RCR Engines Fail 'Dega Reliability Test

Handicapping the Chase: Truex and Bowyer

NASCAR FanHouse Top 25 Year-in-Review:
Martin Truex Jr., No. 1 DEI Chevrolet

NASCAR You Ask 'Em, We Answer 'Em:
Top 10, Tony the Tiger, & AMP'ed Up