That is the third and closing piece in a multi-part collection about Martin Truex Jr. A future NASCAR Corridor of Famer, the previous Joe Gibbs Racing driver has retired from full-time competitors and shall be remembered for his many accomplishments, together with a dominating 2017 championship run. The latter was the first focus of this collection.
Martin Truex Jr. spent a few years within the early a part of his NASCAR Cup Sequence profession feeling envious of drivers who arrived on the racetrack figuring out they might win. What, Truex thought, did he must do to get into that place?
It seems that signing with Furnishings Row Racing and being a driver that Toyota wished to reunite with was the reply. Truex turned a type of drivers he as soon as envied in 2016, and drove to a Cup Sequence championship in 2017 in dominating style.
“It was simply superb to have the ability to drove these vehicles and have that workforce,” Truex advised RACER. “It was simply clicking and easy. We’d simply go do it. It’s loopy to even take into consideration, and also you assume it’s going to go on without end and also you get used to that, and when issues aren’t going that manner it’s more durable to take care of. However simply a tremendous 12 months. A fantastic group of fellows.”
It’s been seven years since Truex hoisted the championship trophy. It proved to be the one one in his profession, as he retired from full competitors after the 2024 season.
But when a driver can solely win the Cup Sequence title as soon as, doing so within the style Truex and his No. 78 workforce did can be arduous to move up. Within the elimination period, it is going to be remembered as one of many, if not the, most dominant championship run in historical past.
Truex breezed by way of the primary 12 months of stage racing with 19 stage wins (a complete of 440 stage factors to steer the collection) and 53 playoff factors going into the postseason. He received a complete of eight races and led 2,253 laps. The laps led are the second most by a champion in a season within the elimination period (Kyle Larson topped Truex in 2021 with 2,581 laps led).
The 26 top-10 finishes Truex earned had been probably the most by a champion within the elimination period till two years later. Kyle Busch topped his teammate with 27 top-10 finishes in his 2019 championship run.
“You simply take it week by week and don’t actually have a look at final week; it’s at all times ahead,” Truex mentioned. “You don’t actually take pleasure in it that a lot till it’s over. I feel all of us knew how particular it was when it was occurring but it surely was, ‘What’s subsequent? What’s subsequent?’
“We had enjoyable alongside the best way; we weren’t all enterprise. It was a enjoyable group who would rejoice wins and do enjoyable stuff. Nevertheless it was at all times, “All proper, what are we doing subsequent?’ It glided by fast.”
And but it wasn’t all clean crusing. On the weekends that Truex wasn’t dominating, he wasn’t ending. The workforce earned six DNFs in 2017, together with one of the crucial infuriating when he led 198 laps at Richmond Raceway and was wrecked from second place – after shedding the lead off pit highway – by Toyota teammate Denny Hamlin on the ultimate lap. Truex then awkwardly accepted the common season championship (which he had clinched every week prior) throughout post-race as he and the workforce had been visibly upset about lacking out on a victory.
“There have been a whole lot of ups and down and a whole lot of heartache off the monitor, which was powerful,” Cole Pearn advised RACER. “However on the racing facet, it was good. We had been sturdy all 12 months. We received a bunch of races, however we positively may have received a bunch extra if issues had gone our manner. We had the velocity.”
The workforce’s 2017 success owed loads to the chemistry between Truex and Pearn. “(Pearn) at all times had a plan,” Truex says. “And more often than not it labored.” Lesley Ann Miller/Motorsport Photos
Pearn handled the lack of his childhood greatest buddy throughout the season. The workforce then mourned the lack of highway crew fabricator Jim Watson, who suffered a coronary heart assault, the Saturday night time earlier than profitable at Kansas Speedway within the playoffs.
“You at all times have stuff occurring away from the monitor guys are occupied with however they did a terrific job of staying targeted and doing the job,” Truex mentioned. “They had been extremely invested and 100% racers who had been all in on what we had been doing, so it was simple for them when stuff occurred to go to work and deal with that.
“It made it look simple. I suppose watching the races, I made it look simple, too, however man, it wasn’t. It was powerful. I used to be working like I used to be on hearth loads simply attempting to remain out entrance or get to the entrance. It was a blast.”
Because the workforce arrived at Homestead-Miami Speedway to compete for the championship, workforce proprietor Barney Visser was absent. Visser was unable to journey, having undergone profitable bypass surgical procedure after struggling a coronary heart assault. He watched his workforce triumph from afar.
“We had gone down there and examined as a result of it had by no means been our strongest monitor,” Pearn recalled. “And we had been capable of determine some issues out that basically helped us going into that weekend. I do keep in mind we had screwed up just a little bit going into the race, perhaps made a pair errors in our simulation, but it surely allow us to be stronger later within the race when the solar went down. It was a grind of a race attempting to hold on. However as soon as the monitor gripped up and went to nighttime, we had been capable of get clear air and had been in a greater state.”
Truex has a barely totally different reminiscence of finale weekend.
“Nicely, we had been actually good in apply and Cole’s technique was to not deal with having the very best future automotive,” Truex mentioned. “He wished one thing that was going to be good and be quick when the solar went down. I used to be complaining all day about it. Actually, we weren’t that nice, particularly early within the race. It was a wrestle for me behind the wheel to determine it out; the automotive wasn’t driving good and I used to be attempting to be good and never make mistake whereas not lose monitor place.
“Then he simply did his factor. He was like, ‘Follow me right here. I’m going that will help you. I do know what’s occurring.’ I had a lot belief in him that I may chill, do my factor and wait on him. Positive sufficient, we obtained it higher and higher and towards the top of the race, the automotive was superb. He at all times had a plan and more often than not it labored.”
As simple because it might need regarded, Truex doesn’t deny the stress he felt to shut the deal on any given Sunday. In actual fact, he describes it as a ‘enormous quantity’ of stress, figuring out how good his vehicles had been and needing to benefit from the state of affairs.
“ these alternatives aren’t going to proceed without end and ever,” Truex mentioned. “You hope they’ll, however the actuality is, issues change shortly on this sport. So to have the ability to win the races we did was enormous, and there have been loads that obtained away nonetheless. Not likely in 2017, however different years main as much as that. I feel it made us hungrier and work more durable to attempt to repair the problems and work out the way to get by way of these issues.”
Truex and Furnishings Row Racing received 17 races collectively in 5 seasons. It’s probably the most wins Truex earned with any workforce he drove for throughout his Cup Sequence profession. The No. 78 group additionally made three appearances within the Championship 4, together with the 2017 title triumph.
