When One Door Closes Another One Opens, Martin Truex Jr. Style
We’ve all heard the expression, “When one door closes another one opens.” In the case of Martin Truex Jr. the expression could not be more apropos. On October 14th, 2013, Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR) announced that they would no longer need the services of Martin Truex Jr. At the time no one knew this was the beginning of the end of MWR and the beginning of the greatness for Martin Truex Jr.
Just three short days after being informed by MWR that his services would no longer be needed, Martin Truex hooked his wagon, I mean Toyota Camry, to the Furniture Row Racing Team.
You’d be hard pressed to find a greater story of a NASCAR driver’s career turnaround. From essentially out of a job to being the car to beat every weekend just three short years later. Truex, for the past two seasons has been near or at the top of the finishing order nearly every week.
We are nearing the conclusion of NASCAR’s regular season and Truex has accumulated more playoff and bonus points that his participation in the season finale at Homestead-Miami is all but assured. One can argue that Truex, for quite some time, has had a Gordon/Petty type dominate season.
How good has Truex been? Of course the 1.5 mile tracks seem to be his favorites but lately it doesn’t matter what kind of track he’s racing on. The Tricky Triangle at Pocono Raceway? Finished in 3rd. Watkins Glen Road Course? He takes the checkered flag. The 2 miler at Michigan? Runner up behind Kyle Larson. Cookie cutter, short track, road course, superspeedway, it doesn’t matter. I think you could put Truex Jr. on a tricycle and he’d be peddling at the top of the pack somewhere.
Week after week we see that black Furniture Row Toyota leading the field. After winning just two races in his first 11 seasons in the Cup Series, Truex Jr. has 9 victories to his credit since 2015. Even when he’s not leading the charge you’ll find him somewhere at the top of the field. Talk about a career turnaround. Add to that an astonishing 18 top-five’s and 33 top-ten’s in the last year and a half of racing and you get the picture of a driver who is now dominating NASCAR.
In 1998, a young Jeff Gordon absolutely destroyed the competition, winning 13 races, 26 top-five’s and, get this, 28 top-ten’s in 33 races. That’s pretty good but “The King” yawns at those numbers with his 1967 season. All Richard Petty did that year was win 27 races, 38 top-five’s and 40 top-ten’s in 48 races.
Now Truex’s season certainly pales in comparison to those two dominating seasons. Given today’s parity in NASCAR we’ll never see drivers repeat anywhere near the numbers of those two. But given the times one could argue that Truex is having, for today’s era, an incredible dominating season. His focus now is to gain his first NASCAR Championship on the seasons final Sunday night in Miami. It’s hard to place a bet against that.
Thanks for reading. Listen to WTBQ radio on Monday and Friday mornings at 8:45 as I join Frank, Taylor and the Morning Show gang to discuss all the current happenings in NASCAR. 1110AM 93.5FM or online at WTBQ.COM. You can also follow me on twitter @JimLaplante
