Will Dale Earnhardt Inc. Lose Martin Truex Jr. Too?

CIA Stock Photo Inc.

Mar 29, 2008

Martin Truex Jr. never had the luxury of laboring in obscurity in the NASCAR ranks. Driving in what was then the Busch Series for high-profile team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr., his career was always in the spotlight.

He then earned even more attention by proving to be one of NASCAR’s top young talents, winning two Busch Series championships before moving into the Sprint Cup Series ranks full time in 2006. After a season in which he endured some typical rookie struggles, Truex once more hit his stride and became a championship contender in his sophomore season.

Now, he’s taken on even more of a high-profile role. Though only 27 and in his third full season at the Cup level, Truex finds himself both a student and a teacher in the sport. Depending on the Dale Earnhardt Inc. organization’s lineup week to week, he can be one or both at any time.

When Mark Martin is his teammate, Truex studies and listens and learns from the veteran, trying to gain an even greater understanding of the nuances of the sport. But when Martin takes a weekend off — he’s competing in 24 points races this season — Truex finds himself shifting gears and helping teach Aric Almirola the same lessons.

When Martin is absent, Truex is the senior member of the four-team organization, the veteran of the group that also includes second-year driver Paul Menard and Regan Smith. He still retains parts of that role when Martin is at the track, growing in impact and stature within the DEI team that now rests as much on his shoulders as anyone else’s.

As he prepared to enter 2008, after endless questions about the loss of Dale Earnhardt Jr. within the organization and his new role as the “Face of DEI,” Truex seemed to have hit his stride.

“It’s really neat, it’s fun,” Truex says of the role. “It makes me proud to know that I can help people. It’s exciting and new for me to know I’ve always had older drivers to look up to. Dale Jr. helped me the most throughout my career. People like him have done so much for my career and helped me ... it’s cool to be able to give back and do the same thing.”

The Future?

Truex is in the third year of his contract with DEI, a deal which includes an option for 2009 that has been exercised by DEI but requires approval from Truex.

The upheaval at DEI—including the departure of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the additions of drivers Mark Martin, Aric Almirola and Regan Smith—and Truex’s slow start to 2008 have prompted questions about his future.

“I suspect he’ll have a difficult year answering this question all year along as far as what he’s going to do and where he’s going to go,” Earnhardt Jr. said Friday at Martinsville Speedway. “The only thing I can do for him is help him with that. He probably don’t need my help, though, he’s pretty focused.”