Martin Truex Jr. will run his final Cup Series race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday. The veteran is retiring at the end of this season and this venue gave him one of the most memorable nights of his career. In 2016, he won the Coca-Cola 600 for the first time after leading 392 of the 400 laps. Looking back, it still brings a smile to the Joe Gibbs Racing driver’s face.
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Earlier this year, Truex had called the achievement an anomaly since he hadn’t expected the car to be that good throughout the race. His then-girlfriend Sherry Pollex had tears in her eyes as she congratulated her man. That victory in a Furniture Row Racing car cemented his position as one of the best drivers in the competition and he won the championship the following year.
“Just looking back at that race, man, it was incredible what we were able to do. It’s something that, may never be topped. To have a record like that, that might stand for a long, long time is pretty neat,” the veteran said in a recent interview. “I guess just a lot of good memories and a lot of heartbreakers here too as well. Just a fun track. A really cool place.”
Before he hangs up his boots, Truex would love to win one more race and Charlotte would be one of the best places to do it. He has performed well in the Roval race before but the track changes can make things tricky. However, he has vast reserves of experience to help him if he finds himself in a potentially race-winning position.
JGR veteran explains going airborne on new Roval layout
Despite the changes to the track, the JGR star is excited for the Bank of America 400 on Sunday. There is a long straight between turns 5 and 6 which is an elevated section of the track. Carrying enough speed through the climbing section makes the car go airborne when the track descends.
That is what the veteran race car driver finds interesting after running the new Roval on the simulator.
“They finally put a jump in one of these tracks for us. I was on the simulator today and you kind of get airborne there going between turn five and that new turn six. So it’s gonna be interesting for sure,” he added.
It is unlikely that Truex will win a race given his form this season but it would make for a fantastic story if he won on Sunday. He has a couple of top-10 finishes on the Charlotte Roval. It will take a lot of hard work and some luck if he is to win the tricky road course race out of the blue.
