As his push to make the 2008 Chase heats up, Martin Truex Jr. hopes to keep the momentum he established last weekend with his fifth-place finish at Watkins Glen (NY).
Next up on the NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule for Truex and his Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats teammates is Sunday’s 3M Performance 400 at Michigan International Speedway.
Truex moved up one spot to 16th in driver points after Watkins Glen, and is 209 markers out of 12th.
“Sunday was big for a couple of reasons,” said Truex. “Obviously, it helped us points-wise. More importantly, it picked everybody’s spirits up. We had kind of struggled the last couple of weeks, so we needed a good run. I’m proud of the team for building me such a good car.
“Making the Chase may be a long shot for us, but I’m looking forward to the challenge. Even though you try to not focus on the points, we know that we really can’t afford to finish outside of the top-five in the next four races - and even then - we probably need a win or two to get us in the top 12.”
Truex has two top-five finishes in five starts at the 2.0-mile track.
“I’m glad that we’re going to Michigan next,” said the Dale Earnhardt Inc. driver. “We’ve had some great runs there. The track is so smooth and wide, it’s got a number of different racing grooves on it. It is becoming one of my favorite tracks.
“I’d love to get another top-five (finish) on Sunday and get us back into the mix.”
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