Career year: Martin Truex Jr. made 2015 season special
Truthfully, there has not been much to brag about in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for Martin Truex Jr.
After winning back-to-back XFINITY Series titles in 2004 and 2005, respectively, Truex made the transition to the Sprint Cup Series and struggled to find much success.
But in his 10th full season in the Sprint Cup Series, Truex finally discovered his keys to success, scoring one win, eight top fives and 22 top 10s en route to a fourth-place finish in the overall series standings.
For Truex, the 2015 season was a story of recovery, redemption and finally feeling at home.
Although he scored wins in 2007 and 2013, it seemed Truex got the short end of the stick both on and off the track. The New Jersey native endured the merger of Dale Earnhardt Inc. with Ginn Racing in 2007, eventually joining the Chip Ganassi organization under the Earnhardt Ganassi Racing title.
In 2009, Truex joined Michael Waltrip Racing to pilot the No. 56 NAPA Toyota. While it appeared he made the 12-driver Chase for the Sprint Cup in 2013, Truex was eliminated after NASCAR determined other MWR officials and drivers manipulated the outcome of the Chase cutoff race at Richmond International Raceway.
As a result of the controversy, NAPA left MWR and Truex was left searching for a ride for 2014. Joining forces with the independent, Colorado-based Furniture Row Racing, few thought Truex would have a major impact on the Sprint Cup Series.
That was the case in 2014, as Truex earned one top five, five top 10s and led just one lap all season. In addition to the on-track struggles, Truex was also forced to cope with his longtime girlfriend, Sherry Pollex, battling ovarian cancer. The illness put life into prospective for the second-generation racer, but his focus on the track never wavered.
From the outset of the 2015 season, Truex and his rookie crew chief Cole Pearn proved they were a serious threat. The No. 78 team opened the season with seven consecutive top-10 finishes, and recorded a total of 14 top 10s in the first 15 races of the season.
Coming so close to victory, Truex and the No. 78 team finally earned their first win together at Pocono Raceway in June. After three weeks of dominant performances at Kansas, Charlotte and Dover, Truex led 97 laps and celebrated the emotional win with his girlfriend in Victory Lane.
"It feels unbelievable," said Truex during the emotional celebration. "I can't thank all these guys enough on the Furniture Row Chevrolet. What a great group of guys. I knew we were going to get one. Everybody kept asking, 'When are going to win? When are you going to win? What's going on?' I knew we had the team. I knew we had what it took. We just needed things to play out the way we needed them to. I feel like we're on Cloud Nine right now."
While the team remained there for some time thereafter, it ultimately faced a number of challenges during the summer stretch of races. Back-to-back DNFs at Sonoma Raceway and the July Daytona event led to two finishes of 38th or worse. The poor finishes kicked off a mediocre stretch that led to just two top fives and three top 10s before the Chase kicked off at Chigacoland Speedway.
Once the Chase started, Truex was able to rekindle his consistency to advance through each round of the Chase to be one of four drivers racing for the title at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Carrying the torch for the underdogs, Truex's story successful season was capped with the opportunity to compete for his first Sprint Cup championship.
While he finished the race fourth among the four title contenders, Truex ended the year with mixed emotions. One year after earning one top fives and five top 10s with one lap led, Truex recorded one win, eight top fives, 22 top 10s, 567 laps led and the best points finish of his Sprint Cup career.
"We came here to win and I am disappointed that we didn't give it a better effort," Truex said after the 12th-place finish at Homestead. "But on the other hand I am proud about how far this Furniture Row team progressed this season. I am also super proud of all our guys at the track, the pit crew and all the guys back at the shop in Denver. We came from finishing 24th (in the 2014 points) to fourth this season. I don't think people outside of racing can truly understand what an accomplishment that is to make that kind of gain in one season. We won a race and ran up front for the majority of the season."
In addition to his on-track success, Truex signed an extension to remain the driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row car through the 2016 season. As part of that deal, the team also joined forces with Toyota to join the manufacturer for 2016 and beyond with a technical alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing.
A native of New Jersey and a resident of North Carolina, Mile High Sports Magazine also named Truex the 2015 Colorado Pro Athlete of the Year.
"I am deeply honored to be recognized in the home state of our Furniture Row Racing team," he said in response to the award.. "Though it will be showcased as an individual honor, the Mile High Sports award would never have been possible if it weren't for the talented and dedicated group of people at our Denver shop for giving me fast race cars throughout the season.
"Our team owner and Denver native Barney Visser has given us the resources to compete with the top teams of the sport. And Joe Garone, another Denver native, has skillfully guided the program in his role as general manager. Needless to say, our results in 2015 have been a total team effort. I also want to give a shout out to all the Colorado NASCAR fans for their support, which means so much to everyone associated with Furniture Row Racing."
