Martin Truex Jr. is hoping the momentum and good luck that his team enjoyed Sunday in Loudon (N.H.) continues for Saturday’s Coke Zero 400 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. The Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats team used pit strategy—and a timely thunderstorm—to finish fourth in last week’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Event.
“There have been many times this season where we ran well and didn’t get the finish we deserved,” Truex said. “It’s good to see our luck change and have something positive happen to us.”
As the Sprint Cup Series heads to the legendary high banks of Daytona International Speedway, Truex knows that now is the time for his team to make a move into the top 12 in points.
“We’ve only got nine more races before the Chase starts, so we really need nothing but top-10 finishes before Richmond (the final race before the 2008 NASCAR Chase for the Cup begins),” explained Truex. “We’ve been fortunate this year because when we’ve had bad weeks, a lot of the guys around us in points have too. Now we’re getting down to crunch time so we can’t keep relying on the guys around us to mess up. We need to make our own luck.”
Truex’s car will carry a special paint scheme this weekend to promote Kevin Costner’s new movie, “Swing Vote”, opening in theaters August 1. The actor will also serve as honorary crew chief for the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet.
“We don’t run that many special paint schemes in a season, so it’s really cool to be doing this with Kevin,” Truex said with a laugh. “I’ll have to make a deal with him, though. I won’t try to act if he doesn’t try to make the calls for us on pit road.”
