Ryan Truex

2010-09-22T12:11:00.000-07:00

CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 00 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota driver Ryan Truex earns his second consecutive K&N Pro Series East championship Friday when he starts the series finale at Dover International Speedway. The 18-year-old Mayetta, N.J. native won his second race in 2010 last weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway building a 118-point lead over the second-place driver. The lead guarantees Truex the title if he starts Friday’s race.

RYAN TRUEX QUOTES

Racing at Dover International Speedway: "Dover is a fun track to race at. You can go high in one and two and make a run on people, but it is also pretty strenuous with the speeds. You really have to be aggressive to do well. We went there last year and had a top-ten run, but this year we’re looking to put it all on the line for the win. I’ve had a neat opportunity to race so close to my hometown for the last two races of the season. I want to go out there and get another win for MWR. They’ve worked really hard for this and another trip to victory lane would be a good end to our East Series season.”

Clinching the East Series Championship: "Winning the championship was our season goal, and I’m lucky to have the opportunity to win it in front of my friends and family. I’m looking forward to going into Dover and being able to go out and win and not have to worry about points. It will most likely be my last race in the East Series so we’re really going to lay it on the line and try to get the win”

Looking back on the 2010 East Series Season: “It was a great year and everyone worked hard and gave me awesome race cars every week. We were always in contention for wins and were consistent and that is what it takes to win championships. I’m proud of my guys and everyone at MWR and very thankful to be where I’m at. Hopefully we can move on to bigger and better things.”

NOTES

• Only six drivers have won back-to-back East Series titles—none as a teenager.

• Dover International Speedway is 128 miles from Truex’s hometown of Mayetta, N.J.

• Truex owns five career East Series victories.

• Veteran Mike Greci, who once served as Martin Truex’s crew chief, has been working with Truex throughout his career in the East Series beginning in 2008.

• Truex is the first driver to earn a championship for Michael Waltrip Racing when he won the K&N Pro Series East Championship in 2009.

• Truex is the third member of his family to win in the K&N Pro Series East. His father, Martin Truex Sr. won at New Hampshire in 1994 and his brother NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver, Martin Truex Jr. won five times.

Ryan Truex New Hampshire Preview

2010-09-15T13:28:00.000-07:00

CORNELIUS, N.C. — In June, No. 00 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota driver Ryan Truex joined his father Martin Sr. and older brother Martin Jr. on the K&N Pro Series East win list at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The East Series returns to the “Magic Mile” for Friday’s penultimate race of the 2010 season. The 18-year-old’s 66-point lead gives him an outside chance to join five other drivers in clinching a second consecutive East Series title. Instead of concentrating on points, the Michael Waltrip Racing driver says he prefers to concentrate on the checkered flag. Truex hasn’t finished worse than third and has led 103 total laps in three East starts at NHMS.

QUOTES

RYAN TRUEX ON A SECOND CHAMPIONSHIP: “We’re focused on winning. That’s all that matters. If we win the race the championship stuff will take care of itself. I still believe this will come down to the final race at Dover and probably the final few laps. In the East Series, anything can happen and probably will. It’s been a wild year so far and I don’t see that changing.”

ON NEW HAMPSHIRE SUCCESS IN JUNE: “That was a special moment for my family in June. We won the race and my Dad, brother and Mom were all in victory lane with me. That’s one of the highlights of my career and even my life. New Hampshire is a special place not just for us but for every driver from the Northeast. It’s been a place where a lot of drivers have gotten the attention of people in NASCAR.”

ON WINNING A SECOND CHAMPIONSHIP: “Obviously, that’s our goal. My crew chief Mike Greci and the guys at MWR worked really hard all summer to make it happen. Winning two in a row would be an honor. There’s some great racers on that list.”

NOTES

Martin Truex Sr.’s lone victory in 135 East Series starts came at NHMS in 1994. Martin Truex Jr. started 62 East races visiting victory lane five times including wins at NHMS in 2000 and 2003.

Martin Truex Sr. competed in 15 Nationwide Series races 1989-1998. His best career finish of 12th came at Nazareth Speedway in 1994. He won an East Series race at New Hampshire in 1994. Martin Truex Jr. won the 2004 and 2005 Nationwide Series titles.

Veteran Mike Greci, who once served as Martin Truex Jr.’s crew chief, has been working with Truex throughout his East Series career beginning in 2008.

Truex will race Kansas, Charlotte and Homestead in the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series.

New Hampshire– Truex Clinch Scenarios

Truex Winning and:

Wallace finishing 35th or worse (lead no laps); OR 36th (lead one lap)

Whitt finishing 11th or worse (lead no laps); OR 12th or worse (lead one lap); OR 14th or worse (lead most laps)

Moffitt finishing 10th or worse (lead no laps); OR 12th or worse (lead one lap); OR 13th of worse (lead most laps)

Truex Winning and Leading Most Laps:

Wallace finishing 33th or worse (lead no laps); OR 35th (lead one lap)

Whitt finishing 10th or worse (lead no laps); OR 11th or worse (lead one lap); OR 12th or worse (lead most laps)

Moffitt finishing 9th or worse (lead no laps); OR 10th or worse (lead one lap); OR 12th of worse (lead most laps)

Truex Second and Leading Most Laps:

Wallace finishing 36th or worse (lead no laps)

Whitt finishing 13th or worse (lead no laps); OR 14th or worse (lead one lap); OR 16th or worse (lead most laps)

Moffitt finishing 12th or worse (lead no laps); OR 11th or worse (lead one lap); OR 16th of worse (lead most laps)

Ryan Truex Richmond Post Race Report

2010-09-10T19:51:00.000-07:00

Ryan Truex Race Summary: No. 00 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota driver Ryan Truex finished 26th Friday night at Richmond International Raceway. Making his third Nationwide Series appearance, the 18-year-old driver battled a loose handling race car in the early going that saw him fall down a lap to the leaders by the half way mark as the race slowed for just one caution. Truex and his Michael Waltrip Racing team corrected the handling issues and he began working his way through the field. Truex’s next race is at Kansas Speedway on Oct. 2.

Truex qualified 15th

Battled loose race car and brake vibration in early going of race.

Lost lap to leader Kevin Harvick at lap 70 and another during pit sequence.

Truex ran his three fastest laps of the race 150 laps in to the event.

NAPA crew corrected handling issues and Truex got faster and faster throughout race.

On final run, Truex’s lap times were as fast as leaders.

RYAN TRUEX: “That wasn’t what we were hoping for. We were pretty loose at the beginning and we struggled. But the second half of the race we were good. That last run we were as quick as the best cars. It was too little too late. That stinks. I wish we could run this race again right now because I think we’d have a really good finish. That’s just part of the learning curve and we start better at Kansas.”

Ryan Truex - Richmond Preview

2010-09-07T14:10:00.000-07:00

CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 00 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota driver Ryan Truex makes his third NASCAR Nationwide Series start Friday night at Richmond International Raceway.

The 18-year-old Mayetta, N.J. native qualified second and raced there for 45 laps at Michigan last month in only his second Nationwide Series start. At his debut in St. Louis he started 19th and raced his way into the top 10 by the halfway mark. The Michael Waltrip Racing driver competes fulltime in the K&N Pro Series East where he is the defending champion and 2010 points leader.

Truex is the son of race car driver Martin Truex Sr. and the younger brother of Martin Truex Jr. who drives the No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The Nationwide Series practices Thursday at Richmond then practices, qualifies and races Friday night.

QUOTES

Truex on racing at Richmond International Raceway: “I’m all about learning and finishing the race. Where we finish is important but it isn't as important as what we learn. We’ve started off the first two races really good. At St. Louis we drove to the front and at Michigan we ran second a long time. We have to work on dialing our car in for later in the race. That’s where these Nationwide guys and especially the Cup drivers have something over us. They know what these cars will do as the race goes on. That’ll come with experience.”

Truex and teammate Trevor Bayne: “Trevor has been great to talk to in the last few months. We bounce stuff off each other. I know my crew chief (Mike Greci) and his crew chief (Jerry Baxter) talk a lot at the shop then at the track. The No. 99 team has really improved over the season. That’s what we are counting on with our team. The more we race the more we learn and the better we’ll be.”

Notes

• Ryan Truex will race at Richmond, Kansas, Charlotte and Homestead in 2010 Nationwide Series competition.

• Martin Truex Sr. competed in 15 Nationwide Series races 1989-1998. His best career finish of 12th came at Nazareth Speedway in 1994. He won an East Series race at New Hampshire in 1994. Martin Truex Jr. won the 2004 and 2005 Nationwide Series titles.

• Ryan is the first driver to earn a championship for Michael Waltrip Racing when he won the K&N Pro Series East Championship in 2009. He leads the 2010 standings by 66 points over Darrell Wallace Jr. New Hampshire and Dover are the only remaining races in the 2010 East schedule.

• Michael Waltrip Racing fields Ryan Truex’s racecars in the Nationwide series as well as the East Series while Diamond-Waltrip Racing fields cars for Trevor Bayne in the Nationwide Series. Gary and Blake Bechtel along with MWR own the Diamond-Waltrip organization.

Ryan Truex Gresham Motorsports Park Preview

2010-08-24T15:17:00.000-07:00

CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 00 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota driver Ryan Truex continues his chase for the K&N Pro Series East championship Saturday at Gresham Motorsports Park in Jefferson, Ga. The 18-year-old Mayetta, N.J. native has three races left to achieve his back-to-back championship quest as well as garner his second title for Michael Waltrip Racing.

Truex is the son of race car driver Martin Truex Sr. and the younger brother of Martin Truex Jr. who drives the No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Truex tested his East Series car with crew chief Mike Greci at Gresham on Aug. 19.

QUOTES

Truex on racing at Gresham Motorsports Park: "Gresham is a fast track. I really like running there a lot. This will be my first time actually racing there, and I’m confident that my NAPA team can go there and do well. It’s a track that I feel comfortable on. I’ve heard a lot of guys compare it to Bristol, but with less banking so I’ll have to stay on my toes. I think our main strategy will be to make sure the car rotates in the center, and to qualify well for the track position. I’m definitely looking forward to getting on the track Saturday.”

Truex on his chase for the East Series Championship: "We are just trying to take this one race at a time right now. The championship is our long term goal, but we can’t get ahead of ourselves. We have Gresham to focus on this weekend and two more races after that. Greci and I have both just been focusing on one race at a time and I think that has worked out well for us.”

Truex on testing at Gresham: “Our test went really well. Greci and my guys put a great car together for this track. We unloaded and were immediately fast, that’s always a fun way to start a testing session. We worked making minor changes and picked up time towards the end of the test. I think this was a great confidence boost for my whole team and really got us all excited to go back and race on Saturday night.”

Greci on working with Ryan at Gresham: “He did an exceptional job at the test on Thursday. We were fast when we unloaded off of the trailer and he continued to get better as we continued. He really likes the track and is comfortable there. I think that all of the testing he has done in the Cup cars there has been a huge help to him.”

Notes

Veteran Mike Greci, who once served as Martin Truex Jr.’s crew chief, has been working with Truex throughout his career in the East Series beginning in 2008.

Truex is the first driver to earn a championship for Michael Waltrip Racing when he won the K&N Pro Series East Championship in 2009. He leads the 2010 standings by 33 points over Darrell Wallace Jr. with three races left in the championship.

Truex is the third member of his family to win in the K&N Pro Series East. His father, Martin Truex Sr. won at New Hampshire in 1994 and his brother Martin Truex Jr. won five times.

Ryan Truex Michigan Report

2010-08-14T14:35:00.000-07:00

Ryan Truex Race Summary: No. 00 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota driver Ryan Truex qualified second and raced in the top 10 most of the race before finishing 12th in Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Michigan International Speedway. The 18-year-old Michael Waltrip Racing driver ran in the top three the first 40 laps of the race outrunning Sprint Cup stars like Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch. A tight handling condition in the second half of the race prevented Truex from maintaining his pace, but he never ventured far outside the top 10. Truex makes his third Nationwide appearance at Richmond International Raceway on Sept. 10.

• Truex qualified second in just his second NASCAR Nationwide Series race.

• Truex ran second for the first 45 laps of the race.

• Remained in the top ten through the first 100 laps as he battled a tight handling condition.

• Brother Martin Truex Jr. sat on Ryan’s pit box and gave advice over the team radio throughout the race.

• Saturday’s race marked Truex’s second of six scheduled 2010 Nationwide races.

• Truex’s next Nationwide appearance is at Richmond on Sept. 10.

RYAN TRUEX: “It was a lot of fun. We had a good car. We were running with the 22 (Brad Keselowski) there at the beginning. We made a pit stop and with this car being new and us never running it before we weren’t sure about adjustments. We made an adjustment and it just didn’t agree with the car. We learned for next time. At the end there we got it better and we were running up there. I had a lot of fun and have to thank NAPA and Tow Truck in a Box for helping me out this weekend and this team for giving me a good car. I think me and Trevor (Bayne) finished right in front of each other. It was a fun day and a lot of fun racing. I learned a lot for next time.”

How much did your brother help you this weekend? “He taught me pretty much everything I used in the race. He’s been a lot of help and he was talking to me during the race and telling me what to do. He’s definitely been a big help. It’s been a fun weekend and I’m just happy we got out of here in one piece.”

Did you have any nervous moments in the race? “That last restart when that car blew up in front of me, I thought that race was over. I was dead sideways and I thought I was plowing into the wall. Somehow got through it, but that cost us a couple spots. It is what it is and I had a lot of fun. Happy to have the car in one piece and have a decent run.”

RACE NOTES:

• Brad Keselowski won his fourth race of the season.

• Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch rounded out the top three.

• There were two cautions for nine laps.

• The 1 hour and 39 minute race saw 11 lead changes among seven drivers.

• NASCAR estimated 40,000 attended the race.

Ryan Truex Michigan International Speedway Preview

2010-08-10T10:23:00.000-07:00

CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 00 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota driver Ryan Truex makes his second NASCAR Nationwide Series start Saturday at Michigan International Speedway— the biggest and fastest track ever faced by the 18-year-old Mayetta, N.J. native.

In his Nationwide Series debut in St. Louis he started 19th and raced his way into the top 10 by lap 100 before a late-race accident left him with a 28th-place finish. The Michael Waltrip Racing driver competes fulltime in the K&N Pro Series East where he is the defending champion and 2010 points leader.

Truex is the son of race car driver Martin Truex Sr. and the younger brother of Martin Truex Jr. who drives the No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. With the new car racing at MIS this weekend, the Nationwide series plans a day-long test session Thursday with practice Friday followed by qualifying and the race on Saturday.

QUOTES

Truex on racing at Michigan International Speedway: "Michigan is a wide, fast racetrack and will be the biggest track I’ve ever raced on. I want to go there and gain experience on a bigger track. I’ve been leaning on my brother a lot for advice and he said that it’s wide, very fast and with the higher speeds aerodynamics start to really come into play. I have a lot to learn on that side of things and I feel like having the extra day of testing on Thursday will be a huge benefit to us. This way I can get plenty of experience with the new car and how being around different cars affects my own car. I can learn what the cars do when you pull up on another car and all of those new experiences that come with running at a bigger track."

Truex on his first race with the new car: "I think they look awesome and it’s cool how they represent the street cars better. I have heard they are a lot of fun to drive and hopefully we can have a good run with it this weekend."

Truex on expectations for his second Nationwide Series race: “I feel like as a team we can go out and run good. (Diamond-Waltrip driver) Trevor (Bayne) has been running great and that just gives me more confidence in the racecars and how good of a job everyone at MWR is doing. I think with this race being the first race at an intermediate track with the new car we have more of a level playing field with the other teams. It’s just a matter of going into the weekend with confidence and learning as much as I can. Hopefully we have a great weekend with our NAPA Toyota.”

Martin Truex Jr. on Ryan’s Debut: “He did a great job and I was really proud of him. He’s good at staying pretty calm on and off the track. He did good with it. It all worked out good in the end. He ran a really good race—all but the last 20 laps—and I think he learned a lot. He earned a lot of respect from the drivers and had a good first outing.”

NOTES

Veteran Mike Greci, who once served as Martin Truex’s crew chief, will serve as Ryan Truex’s crew chief this weekend in Michigan.

Martin Truex Sr. competed in 15 Nationwide Series races 1989-1998. His best career finish of 12th came at Nazareth Speedway in 1994. He won an East Series race at New Hampshire in 1994. Martin Jr. is a two-time

Ryan is the first driver to earn a championship for Michael Waltrip Racing when he won the K&N Pro Series East Championship in 2009. He leads the 2010 standings by 33 points over Darrell Wallace Jr.

Truex is leading the East Series championship by 33 points over Darrell Wallace Jr. with three races left in the 2010 season.

Ryan Truex Lee USA Race Report

2010-08-02T11:55:00.000-07:00

Ryan Truex, No. 00 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota Camry - finished second – leads in points.

LEE, N.H. - No. 00 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota driver Ryan Truex raced through the field to finish second Friday night in the K&N Pro Series East race at Lee USA Speedway in New Hampshire. The 18-year-old started 16th and moved into the top five in the first 50 laps then battled for the lead on lap 90 of the 125-lap race. A late-race caution bunched the field with three laps remaining. Truex led on the restart before he and Darrell Wallace Jr. made contact racing for the victory. Wallace crossed the start/finish line a few feet ahead of Truex who finished second. The Michael Waltrip Racing driver continues to lead the East championship by 33 points. The series returns to action Aug. 28 at Gresham Motorsports Park in Georgia.

RYAN TRUEX, NAPA Auto Parts Toyota

• Truex led laps 100-102 and 115-122 of the 125 lap race.

• He earned the Coca-Cola Move of the Race Award.

• The margin of victory between Truex and the No. 6 of Darrell Wallace Jr. was only .175 seconds.

• Darrell Wallace Jr. won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series 125, his 2nd victory of the season.

• The fastest qualifier was Kevin Swindell at 15.562 seconds.

• This is Truex’s sixth top-five finish this season.

• The race was slowed by seven yellow flag periods totaling 38 laps.

• Truex is the third member of his family to win in the K&N Pro Series East. His father, Martin Truex Sr. won at New Hampshire in 1994 and his brother Martin Truex Jr. won five times.

• The 18-year-old is the first driver to earn a championship for Michael Waltrip Racing when he won the K&N Pro Series East Championship in 2009.

• •There are only three races left in the 2010 East Series Championship.

• Truex will resume his NASCAR Nationwide schedule August 14 in Michigan.

CREW CHIEF MIKE GRECI QUOTES:

“We didn’t qualify where we needed to be. We were 16th, but we stayed positive. We were third fastest in the final practice and we just needed our driver to stay confident for the race. We started in the back and worked our way through the field. Around lap-50 we were already in the top-five and Ryan was battling for the lead at lap 90. They battled hard back and forth for the next 25-30 laps. Then at the final restart with three to go the No. 6 went low and they were three wide. It was just hard racing; unfortunately that’s who we are battling for the lead. We finished second and it was a good battle for the team.”

Ryan Truex - Lee USA Preview

2010-07-27T11:54:00.000-07:00

CORNELIUS, N.C. — Michael Waltrip Racing development driver Ryan Truex will pilot the No. 00 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota in the K&N Pro Series East race Friday night at Lee USA Speedway in Lee, N.H. Truex is the East Series’ defending champion and leads Darrell Wallace Jr. by 43 points with four races remaining in the 2010 championship. The 18-year-old made his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut July 17 at Gateway International Raceway where an accident with 22 laps remaining ended a top-10 run. The Mayetta N.J. native said experience gained in the East Series prepared him well for his race at Gateway, but on transitioning back to the East Series his focus is on clinching a second consecutive championship.

QUOTES

Truex on racing at Lee USA Speedway: “Lee is a shorter track, not much grip. I’ve never been there, but (No. 00 crew chief) Mike Greci has been there, my brother and dad have both been there so I’ve heard about it. They say the surface of the track is a lot like Greenville there’s not much grip so the biggest thing is getting your car to drive off of the corners. I think we’ll be able to do that. We’re good at Greenville and we’ve had a good short track program this year so far, so I’m confident we can go there and run pretty good. The biggest thing is just going there, learning the track and figuring out what we need to do to go fast.”

Truex on how the East Series has helped his transition to Nationwide: “The K&N Pro Series East is probably the best place to start before jumping into the Nationwide Series just because the cars are so similar. The series is good because we go to a lot of bigger tracks like Loudon, Iowa and Dover to get experience. It’s a better place to step up than anywhere else just because of that and the way the cars drive. It has definitely made my transition easier being in the East Series for two years. Even with my partial Nationwide schedule, I’m still definitely looking forward to running the rest of the East Series this year too.”

Truex on added pressure upon returning to the East Series from the Nationwide Series: “I don’t feel like there is as much pressure going back from the Nationwide to the East Series. I feel like it will actually help me because I’ve raced with a higher level of competition. Now when I go to the East Series I’ll have more confidence going into the race. Hopefully that’s how it is, maybe we can go in there and win some more races and keep doing good in points. We’ve had great cars all year and I’m pretty confident that we can have good cars for the rest of the year and hopefully we can get another championship.”

Truex on NASCAR's 2010 Most Popular Driver competition: “It would be nice to be voted Most Popular Driver. We didn’t get it last year, but I’ve done a lot more this year to connect with fans. Hopefully I have more people who have gotten to know me this year that will go out and vote for me. It would be nice to know that I have a lot of fans out there who support my career, but the biggest thing for me is to win the championship.”

ADDITIONAL NOTES OF INTEREST

Truex resumes his six-race NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule on Aug. 14 in Michigan.

Vote for Ryan Truex the 2010 Most Popular Driver at http://bit.ly/cmtPQi

Truex is the third member of his family to win in the K&N Pro Series East. His father, Martin Truex Sr. won at New Hampshire in 1994 and his brother Martin Truex Jr. won five times.

Ryan is the first driver to earn a championship for Michael Waltrip Racing when he won the K&N Pro Series East Championship in 2009.

The 18-year-old was the youngest competitor to make a start in any of NASCAR’s top-three series this season.

Truex Has A Strong Run In Nationwide Series Debut

2010-07-18T04:38:00.000-07:00

‪

Ryan Truex Race Summary: It only took half a race for No. 00 Ryan Truex to claw his way into the top-10 in his first NASCAR Nationwide Series appearance. The 2009 K&N Pro Series East Champion and 2010 points leader impressed competitors and fans at Gateway International Raceway on Saturday night by driving like a veteran. The 18-year-old qualified 18th then stormed into the top 10 at the halfway mark and even climbed as high as eighth. With just 22 laps remaining, Truex lost control of his car and slapped the wall. He parked the car after the accident but drove the No. 20 Toyota in relief for Matt DiBenedetto who was involved in an earlier accident. Truex returns to Nationwide race at Michigan on Aug. 14.

‪·‬ Truex started his first NASCAR Nationwide Series race in 18th.

‪·‬ Truex moved into the top-10 at the halfway mark of the race.

‪·‬ He climbed as high as eighth late in the race.

‪·‬ Raced in 10th on lap 178 when he hit the wall and pulled into the garage.

‪·‬ Served a relief driver for Matt DiBenedetto who was in an accident earlier in the race.

TRUEX QUOTE: "Man that was a lot of fun until I spun out. I was really surprised how well we ran. I didn’t know if we would run that well. Napa and my crew made all this happen. I just drive. I have a lot to learn but that started tonight. I was having fun out there. Really, I was. Next time will be more about racing. This weekend was getting in the field and learning. I got hot out there, but I think everyone did. Sounds like it was a cool finish.”

RACE NOTES:

‪·‬ Carl Edwards and Brad Kesolowski made contact the front stretch coming to the checkered flag.

‪·‬ Edwards survived the contact and claimed the victory. Kesolowski hit and wall and was struck by another car and finished 14th.

‪·‬ Reed Sorenson finished second and Bayne finished third.

‪·‬ The next race is July 24 at Raceway Park in Indianapolis.

Trevor Bayne Race Summary: No. 99 Out Pet Care Toyota driver Trevor Bayne earned his second career pole and posted a career-best third-place finish Saturday night at Gateway International Raceway. Bayne opted to stay on the race track while the leaders pitted with just under 30 laps remaining to take the lead. Bayne relinquished two spots during the several restarts but was still able to hold off cars with fresher tires through the wild racing to hold on for the third-place finish. Bayne led the race’s opening lap and never faded outside the top-five in the first half of the race. The Jerry Baxter-led team prepared a Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota that looked good in every practice, qualifying and in the race on the 1.25-mile oval. Bayne’s finished, kept him in 11th-place in the series points race. The Nationwide Series returns to action Saturday night in Indianapolis.

‪·‬ Bayne won his second career pole in just his 34th career race.
‪·‬ His third-place finish was the best of his brief career.
‪·‬ Bayne led the first lap and never fell outside the top five in the first half of the race.
‪·‬ Ran in the top-10 in second half of the race.
‪·‬ With 20 laps remaining, crew chief Jerry Baxter had Bayne stay on the track giving him the lead.
‪·‬ Carl Edwards and Brad Kesolowski passed Bayne before a red flag stopped the race.
‪·‬ Bayne restarted the with two laps to go in fourth and finished third after Kesolowski and Edwards made contact.

BAYNE QUOTE: How do you feel after tonight’s race?

“It was just a really enduring race. It was hard for the drivers, it was hard for the team, but Jerry Baxter (crew chief) did a great job with the call there to not pit and got us our track position back. We had a strong enough car to be up there and that was the way it was for us in our Out! Pet Car Toyota all weekend. We unloaded fast, in the top three, qualified on the pole and then finished top three so it’s a great weekend for us. Can’t thank everyone enough for giving us this opportunity. It was a great weekend for us and we’re happy to be in the top three.”

How important was the call by Jerry Baxter to not pit on the last caution?
“That was a crucial call for us and we had fallen back to eighth. That wasn’t because of our car, that was just because of some coincidences that had happened when I got pinched down on the bottom by the 62 (Brendan Gaughan) and that cost us to lose a couple spots. We were coming back, but track position is so important here because you don’t have the gear to get off the corners. That was a really great call and it took a lot of guts for Jerry Baxter (crew chief) to do that, to leave us out when everybody was coming down pit road. It paid off for us. We got a top three out of it, we had a strong Out! Pet Care Toyota all weekend. We unloaded top three, stayed top three all through practices, qualified on the pole and then finished top three. Just a really strong weekend for us.”

What did you see on the final lap between Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski?
“I had a front row view of it for sure. I was just hoping I could get by the 32 (Reed Sorenson) because I figured for sure I would win the race if I got by him because I figured the 60 (Carl Edwards) and 22 (Brad Keselowski) would kind of take care of themselves just by the way turn one and two looked. It was insane from the very beginning of the restart. They went into one and two -- Keselowski overdrove it and slid up the track and it looked like the 22 just overdrove it a couple times and slid up the track and tried to run the 60 up and then the 60 just came down there at the end and got the 22 from what I saw. I was kind of focused on chasing my car through three and four because I overdrove it as well on the last lap. Fortunately, it helped us and we got our first top three. It doesn’t really matter how we got it, as long as we got it. I hate it for those guys because they were so dominant all day, but it was just a great run for us.”

Results
1           Carl Edwards
2           Reed Sorenson
3           Trevor Bayne
4           Paul Menard
5           Steve Wallace
6           Brian Scott *
7           Colin Braun *
8           Josh Wise
9           Ricky Stenhouse Jr. *
10         Tony Raines
11         Michael Annett
12         Shelby Howard
13         Steve Arpin
14         Brad Keselowski
15         Willie Allen
16         Kevin Harvick
17         Brendan Gaughan
18         Tayler Malsam
19         Mike Bliss
20         Kenny Wallace
21         Morgan Shepherd
22         Mike Wallace
23         Jason Leffler
24         Alex Kennedy
25         Justin Allgaier
26         Eric McClure
27         Joe Nemechek
28         Ryan Truex
29         Matt DiBenedetto
30         Brad Coleman
31         Landon Cassill
32         Kelly Bires
33         Brad Baker
34         Jason Keller
35         Kevin Lepage
36         Chase Miller
37         Danny O'Quinn Jr.
38         Brian Keselowski
39         Kevin Swindell
40         Johnny Chapman
41         Johnny Sauter
42         Dennis Setzer
‪43‬        Mark Green

Points
1           Brad Keselowski          Leader
2           Carl Edwards                -168
3           Justin Allgaier                -497
4           Kyle Busch                    -556
5           Kevin Harvick                -608
6           Paul Menard                  -675
7           Steve Wallace              -838
8           Brendan Gaughan       -915
9           Joey Logano                 -934
10         Jason Leffler                 -954
11         Trevor Bayne                -1002
12         Brian Scott*                   -1051
13         Michael Annett             -1069
14         Reed Sorenson            -1085
15         Tony Raines                  -1110
16         Kenny Wallace             -1296
17         Mike Wallace                 -1323
18         Mike Bliss                      -1341
19         Eric McClure                 -1483
20         Ricky Stenhouse Jr.*   -1494
21         Joe Nemechek             -1499
22         Michael McDowell        -1563
23         Jason Keller                  -1608
24         Colin Braun*                  -1633
25         Greg Biffle                     -1674
26         Scott Lagasse Jr.         -1714
27         Josh Wise                     -1847
28         Willie Allen                    -1962
29         Shelby Howard            -1972
30         Robert Richardson Jr. -1983
31         Jamie McMurray          -1998
32         Morgan Shepherd        -2014
33         Brian Keselowski         -2068
34         James Buescher*         -2139
35         Mark Green                   -2156
36         Clint Bowyer                  -2187

Ryan Truex Race Preview - NNS debut at Gateway

2010-07-13T13:20:00.000-07:00

CORNELIUS, N.C. — Defending K&N Pro Series East champion and 2010 points leader Ryan Truex makes his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut Saturday night at Gateway International Raceway. Truex will pilot the No. 00 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota in the 200-lap race on the 1.25-mile oval near St. Louis. When the 18-year-old Mayetta, N.J. native takes the green flag, he’ll be the youngest of any driver racing in NASCAR’s top-three series. Truex is the son of race car driver Martin Truex Sr. and the younger brother of Martin Truex Jr. who drives the No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for Michael Waltrip Racing.

QUOTES

Truex on racing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series: “It is a really big opportunity and I’m just excited to get started. I can’t wait to get the first race started. I just can’t thank everyone enough at MWR for giving me this opportunity. Three years ago I remember racing a Legend car at Wall Stadium in New Jersey and now I’m here. It’s hard to believe how fast it’s come, but I’m excited, ready to get started and make the most of my opportunity.”

Truex on following in brother Martin’s footsteps: “It’s pretty big shoes to fill. I don’t expect to go out and set the world on fire. I know it’s not going to happen. I’m just going to get my feet wet and just try to get as much experience as I can. I’m not going to go in and think I can run top-10 or top-five or anything like that. It’s a tough series. It took him a lot of starts to figure it out. It’s going to be tough. I put more pressure on myself than anything just to run as good as him just because of the last name and everything. I’m just going to go and try to do the best that I can.”

Truex on racing at Gateway: “I’ve never been there before so I’ll get some advice from my brother. He’s always helped me out in the K&N Pro Series cars so this series won’t be any different in that respect. It’s a tough series, they have a lot of the cup series guys competing each week, but the cars aren’t that much different than what I have been running in. I’m just going to go to the track and get as much practice time as I can on Saturday. I’m not there to set the world on fire, I’m just there to learn, gain respect and show them that I deserve to be there.”

Martin Jr. on coaching Ryan: “It’s been fun to watch Ryan progress. Like he said, he hasn’t been doing this very long and he’s come a long way as a driver. He’s been impressive on the race track and behind the wheel. All the things that he’s done has led to this point. I’ll coach if he needs help, but he’s done a great job so far and he’s got a great team behind him. I look forward to watching him make his first start in the Nationwide Series.”

Martin Sr. on his son’s Gateway debut: “I am very proud of him. In the early days I wasn’t sure this is what he wanted to do and I really never coaxed him to do it. When he was about 14 years old, he decided he wanted to race. I wasn’t real happy about it, but we’re proud of what he’s doing and he’s really come a long way in a short time. I think he’s really got some true talent. As we progress up the ladder, we’ll see what he has.”

Notes

• Ryan Truex will be available in the Gateway media center at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

• Veteran Mike Greci, who once served as Martin Truex’s crew chief, will serve as Ryan Truex’s crew chief this weekend at Gateway.

• Martin Truex Sr. competed in 15 Nationwide Series races 1989-1998. His best career finish of 12th came at Nazareth Speedway in 1994. He won an East Series race at New Hampshire in 1994.

• Ryan is the first driver to earn a championship for Michael Waltrip Racing when he won the K&N Pro Series East Championship in 2009. He leads the 2010 standings by 43 points over Darrell Wallace Jr.

NAPA AUTO PARTS To Sponsor Ryan Truex in Nationwide Debut at Gateway July 17

2010-06-30T05:35:00.000-07:00

CORNELIUS, N.C. – Michael Waltrip Racing announced today that NAPA AUTO PARTS will sponsor defending K&N Pro Series East champion and current points leader Ryan Truex, when he makes his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut at Gateway International Raceway on July 17.

He’ll pilot the No. 00 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota at the St. Louis track with his East series crew chief Mike Greci helping to guide his way. Truex will race in five additonal Nationwide races in 2010.

The 18-year-old from Mayetta, N.J. is very familiar with the NAPA Racing program. Not only is his older brother Martin Truex Jr. driver of the No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, but NAPA sponsored him during his championship run in the East Series last year.

“I want to thank NAPA AUTO PARTS for all they have done for me. I’m just excited to finally get started and have them on board for the Gateway race,” said Truex who won the New England 125 K&N Pro Series East event on June 25. “Three years ago I remember racing a Legend car at Wall Stadium in New Jersey and now I’m here. It’s hard to believe how fast it’s come, but I’m excited, ready to get started and make the most of this opportunity.”

“We are proud to be a part of Ryan’s first start in the NASCAR Nationwide Series as he advances to the next level in his career. Ryan has proven to have the talent that warrants this opportunity.” stated NAPA President, Bob Susor. “NAPA was fortunate enough to be along for the ride as Ryan picked up numerous wins in route to the 2009 K&N Pro Series East championship. It will be fun watching his progress and we wish him and his team the best of luck.”

Truex Jr., is a two-time NASCAR Nationwide Series champion and has two poles and a race win at Gateway. He is ready to lend his little brother support when he runs in NASCAR’s second-tiered division. It’s a series that has launched many careers including his own. He’s hoping the same holds true for Ryan.

“I look forward to watching Ryan make his first start in the Nationwide Series. It’s going to be a big day for him. It’s been fun to watch his progress. He hasn’t been racing very long and he’s come a long way as a driver. He’s been impressive. I’ll coach if he needs help, but he’s done a great job so far and he’s got a great team and sponsor behind him for this race. I haven’t decided yet if I am going to go. I am a nervous wreck when he races. It’s a 250 miler. I’m not sure I can handle that.”

MWR plans to run Ryan Truex in six NASCAR Nationwide Series events this season and is seeking sponsorship support. On the schedule are Michigan, Richmond, Kansas, Charlotte and Homestead-Miami Speedway. Plans are also in the works to run Truex fulltime in the Nationwide Series in 2011, if sponsorship can be secured.

Ryan Truex leads the K&N Pro Series East point standings by 33 markers over Darrell Wallace Jr. On Saturday the series races at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Conn., where Truex is the defending race winner.

About NAPA

NAPA was founded in 1925 to meet America’s growing need for a world-class auto parts distribution system. By providing excellent customer service for more than 80 years, NAPA has become the industry leader.

NAPA’s strength is unrivaled, with over 6,000 NAPA AUTO PARTS stores, 64 Distribution Centers, more than 13,000 NAPA AutoCare and AutoCare Collision repair facilities, over 400,000 parts in inventory every day and the convenience of 24-hour shopping with NAPAonline. NAPA AUTO PARTS stores provide friendly, personalized service. Our highly trained and experienced professionals are here to help you get the job done. With our huge in-stock inventory, NAPA provides the parts you need when you need them.

NAPA is currently participating its 15th season of primary sponsorship in NASCAR. NAPA AUTO PARTS has visited victory lane in all three major NASCAR series – Truck, Nationwide and Sprint Cup – amassing 30 wins, two Daytona 500 victories, and two Truck Series championships.

Ryan Wins New Hampshire

2010-06-25T16:38:00.000-07:00

MWR's K&N Pro Series East Race Report

New Hampshire Motor Speedway

• Ryan Truex, No. 00 Toyota Camry - finished first and remains first in points.

Ryan Truex Race Summary: The New Hampshire Motor Speedway has been kind to the Truex family. On Friday, 18-year-old Ryan Truex joined his father Martin Sr. and his brother Martin Jr. as a winner on the flat, mile oval in Loudon, N.H. The youngest Truex led 65 of 125 laps to claim his first victory of the 2010 season and first at the track.

Truex, the 2009 series champion, took over the lead on lap 60 and never gave it back surviving a number of restarts late in the race.

“This is my Daytona 500,” said Truex in victory lane. “This is the most important race of the year for the East Series and I am so thankful for my family, my team, my crew and everyone connected with Michael Waltrip Racing.”

Truex will make his Nationwide Series debut on July 17 at Gateway International Raceway and run six races in 2010.

SPEED-TV will broadcast the race on Thursday, July 1 at 6 p.m.

The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East will return to the track at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Conn., on Saturday, July 3.

Ryan Truex, No. 00 Toyota Camry

• Truex crossed the finish line by .477 seconds over Kevin Swindell.

• Truex was followed across the line Friday by Kevin Swindell, Darrell Wallace Jr., Ryan Gifford and Brett Moffitt in the top five.

• With the New Hampshire win, Truex earned a secured starting position in the postseason NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown in Toyota Speedway at Irwindale (Calif.).

Ryan Visits New Hampshire Media Center with Dad, brother to talk about Nationwide Racing

2010-06-25T12:16:00.000-07:00

RYAN TRUEX, No. 00 Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing

NOTE: Ryan Truex will make his NNS debut at Gateway International Raceway in July 17, 2010

How big of an opportunity is it for you to race in the Nationwide Series?

“It is a really big opportunity and I’m just excited to get started. I can’t wait to get the first race started – Gateway on July 17. I just can’t thank everyone enough at MWR (Michael Waltrip Racing) for giving me this opportunity. Three years ago I remember racing a Legend car at Wall Stadium in New Jersey and now I’m here. It’s hard to believe how fast it’s come, but I’m excited, ready to get started and make the most of my opportunity.”

Do you feel pressure from your brother because he has won two NNS championships?

“It’s pretty big shoes to fill. I don’t expect to go out and set the world on fire. I know it’s not going to happen. I’m just going to get my feet wet and just try to get as much experience as I can. I’m not going to go in and think I can run top-10 or top-five or anything like that. It’s a tough series. It took him (Martin Truex Jr.) a lot of starts to figure it out. It’s going to be tough. I put more pressure on myself than anything just to run as good as him just because of the last name and everything. I’m just going to go and try to do the best that I can.”

MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing

Are you coaching Ryan Truex for his Nationwide start?

“I’m not sure where we race that weekend. It’s been fun to watch Ryan (Truex) progress. Like he said, he hasn’t been doing this very long and he’s come a long way as a driver. He’s been impressive on the race track and behind the wheel. All the things that he’s done has led to this point. I’ll coach if he needs help, but he’s done a great job so far and he’s got a great team behind him. I look forward to watching him make his first start in the Nationwide Series.”

Do you have any ownership in Ryan Truex’s NNS car?

“As of right now, I’m not sure how it’s working to be honest with you. We’re working with MWR (Michael Waltrip Racing) in anyway possible to get Ryan (Truex) on the race track. Me and my dad were the owners of the East team before MWR stepped in and said, ‘Hey, we would like to do this with you.’ They’ve been very gracious and been a big part of Ryan’s career, obviously. I think we kind of have a small part in the Nationwide deal, but not nearly as much as the East deal.”

MARTIN TRUEX SR.

How do you feel about your youngest son making his Nationwide Series start?

“I am very proud of him. In the early days I wasn’t sure this is what he wanted to do and I really never coaxed him to do it. When he was about 14 years old, he decided he wanted to race. I wasn’t real happy about it, but we’re proud of what he’s doing and he’s really come a long way in a short time. I think he’s really got some true talent. As we progress up the ladder, we’ll see what he has.”

Ryan Truex - New Hampshire Preview

2010-06-22T08:35:00.000-07:00

CORNELIUS, N.C. — Ryan Truex hopes to add to his K&N Pro Series East points lead on Friday in the New England 125 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. This race marks the halfway point in the series’ ten-race schedule. Truex, the 2009 series champion, is just eight points ahead of Darrell Wallace Jr. after taking over the lead at Martinsville Speedway on June. 6. Truex raced from the 32nd to second when rain shortened the race to just 175 laps. The 18-year-old Michael Waltrip Racing Development driver will also run six NASCAR Nationwide Series races in 2010 beginning at Gateway International Raceway on July 17.

QUOTES

ON NEW HAMPSHIRE: “This week we’re going to New Hampshire, and I’m really excited about that. We ran there last year and ran really well, we should have had a win or two. We raced there two times and I think we are going to run good. Hopefully we can be up front and try to defend our points lead.”

ON BEING CLOSE TO HOME: “It’s a pretty special track to me. It’s close to home, and my brother and my dad have both won their first races there. I almost got it last year, so hopefully we can go there this year and get the win. I’m really excited to be there. It’s just a fun track – I like everything about it. My brother has taught me a lot about it and my dad has too, so I’m excited to go back.”

ON RACE STRATEGY: “New Hampshire, unlike most tracks, we have to pit for tires and gas because it’s a longer race. The strategy is a little different there. You want to try to get your tires and gas early so you can get back your track position before everyone else pits. It’s hard to say what exactly you are going to do, you just have to play it by ear as the race goes on. You don’t want to go too early to get tires and end up shuffled back when everyone else gets new tires, but then you don’t want to pit too late and end up having bad track position. It’s pretty tough. We did pretty good at that last year and stayed up front. I’m confident that we can do it again this year.”

ADDITIONAL NOTES OF INTEREST

• Truex along with Martin Truex Jr. and Sr. will hold a media availability at the New Hampshire Speedway media center at 1:30 p.m. on Friday.

• The 18-year-old driver is first in K&N Pro Series East standings, with 631 points. He leads second place, Darrell Wallace Jr., by eight points.

• The Mayetta, N.J. native is the first driver to earn a championship for Michael Waltrip Racing.

• Truex earned the first series championship title for Toyota in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East last year.

• Truex is the third member of his family to compete in the K&N Pro Series East. His father, Martin Truex Sr., and his brother Martin Truex Jr. also competed in the series.

• Truex will make his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut on July 17 at Gateway International Raceway. He will also race at Michigan, Richmond, Kansas, Charlotte and Homestead.

Ryan Truex - Martinsville Post Race Report

2010-06-08T11:35:00.000-07:00

Ryan Truex, No. 00 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota Camry - finished second - now first in points.

Ryan Truex Race Summary: Ryan Truex qualified fourth for the UNOH Performance 200. Due to a pre-race NASCAR penalty he was forced to start from the rear of the 32-car field. The Michael Waltrip Racing development driver, was passing cars from lap one as he steadily moved his way through the field, and by lap 68 Truex was running in the top-15. The 18-year-old managed to avoid the bumping and banging that led to 11 caution periods and took over the lead on lap 130. However, that was not the end of the caution laps. On lap 161 Truex was leading the competitors out of a caution period. Upon taking the green flag NASCAR officials ruled that the No. 20 car of Brett Moffitt had beaten Truex to the line, so Truex was scored in the second position. Rain began to fall soon after and the race was ruled official on lap 175. Truex finished second and regained the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East points lead.

KNPS Racing Results

The 2009 defending champion, Ryan Truex, now leads the series points after his second-place finish at Martinsville Speedway.

Brett Moffitt won the UNOH Performance 200 at Martinsville Speedway.

Ryan Gifford won the Coors Light Pole Award on Saturday.

The race featured six lead changes among five drivers.

The race was slowed by eleven cautions for a total of 55 laps.

RYAN TRUEX, No. 00 Armed Forces Foundation Toyota

Truex started 32 and finished second

Truex qualified in the fourth position

Led 28 laps throughout the event including 23 laps of the final 38 lap run

Came home second after ending the event under caution for rain

TRUEX QUOTE: “It was a little disappointing being so close to a win, but we’re good in points now. We had a good weekend, qualified fourth and unfortunately I missed driver introductions - that wasn’t very good. We had to start from the back and had our work cut out for us, but I just took my time, was patient and made my way to the front. We had a good strategy. My crew chief, Mike Greci, was smart. We pitted before anyone else for gas and tires so when they pitted we got the track position and that is huge at Martinsville. It was a good weekend, I’m proud of the guys. They did a great job. We’re in the lead now so hopefully we can just keep on finishing in the top-3”.

UNOH Performance 200 FINAL RESULTS (Unofficial)

FIN DRIVER

1 Brett Moffitt

2 Ryan Truex

3 Darrell Wallace, Jr. *

4 Matt Kobyluck

5 Andrew Ranger

6 Jason Patison

7 Beto Monteiro

8 Matt Frahm

9 Cole Whitt

10 Jeff Anton

11 Kevin Swindell

12 Ryan Gifford

13 Jake Crum

14 Sergio Pena

15 Zach Germain

16 D.J. Shaw

17 Mas Gresham

18 Mackena Bell

19 Ryan Duff

20 Brandon Haley

21 Jody Lavender

22 Ty Dillion

23 John Salemi

24 Scott Bouley

25 Alan Tardiff

26 Andrew Smith

27 Eddie MacDonald

28 Josh Richards

29 Miguel Paludo

30 Steve Park

31 Guy Pavageau

32 Todd Peck

CURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP POINT STANDINGS (Unofficial)

RANK DRIVER POINTS

Ryan Truex 631

Darrell Wallace Jr. 623

Cole Whitt 585

Max Gresham 581

Ryan Gifford 572

Brett Moffitt 571

Matt Kobyluck 560

D.J. Shaw 546

Ty Dillon 515

Jason Patison 495

Jeff Anton 495

Eddie MacDonald 493

Kevin Swindell * 458

Sergio Pena * 445

Zach Germain * 431

Ryan Duff 412

Mackena Bell 409

Mackena Bell * 400

Jody Lavender 376

Andrew Smith 370

John Salemi 339

Drew Brannon 327

Miguel Paludo 264

Andrew Ranger 262

Derek Ramstrom 256

Ryan Truex - Martinsville Preview

2010-06-02T11:07:00.000-07:00

CORNELIUS, N.C. — Michael Waltrip Racing developmental driver Ryan Truex races at Martinsville Speedway this weekend in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East UNOH Performance 200.
The race marks the 18-year-old’s debut at the historic flat, mile oval. The defending series champion finished 14th in the season-opening race at Greenville-Pickens, third at South Boston and fifth at Iowa speedways. He’s now second in points just 13 points out of the lead. The younger brother of MWR Sprint cup driver Martin Truex Jr., will race in six Nationwide Series races in 2010 beginning July 17 at Gateway International Raceway. He’ll also race at Michigan, Richmond, Kansas, Charlotte and Homestead-Miami.

QUOTES

ON DEFENDING THE SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP: “I’m up to second in points now. Hopefully we can have a good run and get up to first. We just need to keep the car out of the fence. It’s a tough track. Everyone uses their bumpers and the side of their cars there to try and drive by you so hopefully we can run up front and avoid a lot of that.”

ON RACE STRATEGY: “It’s 200 laps, you get two tires and you can come in whenever you want. I don’t really know how we’re going to do it. You can come in halfway and get gas and tires or you can come in later and get just gas and not tires. Track position is a big deal there. You want to be up front, you don’t want to get funneled to the back because then you have to work through and there are always wrecks there. We don’t want to end up with a torn up racecar so strategy is going to be a big deal. We’ll have our work cut out for us, but I’m pretty confident my guys can figure it out.”

ON MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY: ““I’ve never actually been to Martinsville, so I’m excited. It has a lot of history. Hopefully we can get a grandfather clock. That’s a really big deal. We’ve done well at every track we went to last year that was new. I think we’ll be alright, I know we can be up there contending for the win.”

ADDITIONAL NOTES OF INTEREST

The 18-year-old driver is second in K&N Pro Series East standings, with 456 points. He trails leader Max Gresham by a mere 13 points.

The Mayetta, N.J. native is the first driver to earn a championship for Michael Waltrip Racing.

Truex recently participated in Michael Waltrip Racing’s Fan Appreciation Day on May 26, 2010 where he signed autographs for 200 fans at the MWR shop.

Truex is the third member of his family to compete in the K&N Pro Series East. His father, Martin Truex Sr., and his brother Martin Truex Jr. also competed in the series.

Truex will make his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut on July 17 at Gateway International Raceway.

Ryan Truex Iowa Race Report

2010-05-25T08:25:00.000-07:00

Ryan Truex, No. 00 Michael Waltrip Racing Armed Forces Foundation Toyota Camry - finished sixth - now second in points.

Ryan Truex Race Summary: Ryan Truex was solid all day in Iowa in the K&N Pro Series’ version of an All-Star Race where the top East Series drivers square off against the best West Series drivers. Truex qualified third and fought his way to the lead early. Truex and crew chief Mike Greci fought a loose condition all day, but remained in the top five most of the event. Despite the car’s handling, Truex came home sixth when the flag fell on a green-white-checkered finish. The solid points day places Truex firmly in second in East Series standings, just 14 behind leader and Iowa winner Max Gresham.

KNPS Race Results

Max Gresham won the Goodyear Dealers of Iowa 200

This is his second consecutive win this season

This is his first appearance at Iowa

Gresham edged Ty Dillon (second) by a fender at the line, Darrell Wallace Jr., Corey LaJoie and pole sitter David Mayhew rounded out the top five.

The race featured nine lead changes among seven drivers.

The race was slowed by seven cautions for a total of 50 laps.

Ryan Truex, No. 00 Armed Forces Foundation Toyota

Truex started third and finished sixth

Led six laps midway through the event

Ran inside the top five for the majority of the race

Came home sixth after a green-white-checkered finish

Truex Quotes: “Our car was great during that first run, but something changed after we pitted. I’m not sure if we got a bad set of tires or what, but our car was just too loose the rest of the race. I’ve got to thank everyone on my team though. Once again they gave me fast car. It was a good points day for us, so we’ll take that and get ready for Martinsville.”

Ryan Truex Iowa Preview

2010-05-20T08:23:00.000-07:00

CORNELIUS, N.C. — Michael Waltrip Racing developmental driver Ryan Truex heads to Iowa Speedway this weekend for the fourth annual NASCAR K&N Pro Series East-West combination race. This event marks the only race in which competitors from the East and West series go head-to-head with championship points on the line. This year’s race is the third race of the season for both series.

After starting the season with a 14th-place finish at Greenville, defending K&N Pro Series East Champion Truex bounced back to finish third at South Boston moving him to fourth in points. The three East-West combination races at Iowa have produced three different race winners. Truex hopes to be the fourth this weekend in the Goodyear Dealers of Iowa 200.

QUOTES

ON HAVING SUCH A LONG BREAK BETWEEN EVENTS: “I hate it, to be honest. We had back-to-back events in April and I just started to feel like the team and I were getting into a groove. Plus, we had a strong run at South Boston (finished third) so I definitely didn’t want to take a break.”

ON THE RACE BEING A COMBINATION EVENT: “It definitely elevates the competition level. There are a lot of good racers in the West division. We don’t get to compete against them much so this gives us a chance to see where we stack up against those guys.”

ON IOWA SPEEDWAY: “I love racing there. Last year was my first year there and I got a feel for the place pretty quickly. It’s definitely one of the nicer tracks on the circuit. It’s fast and wide so you’ve got plenty of room to pass which makes it exciting for the fans.

ADDITIONAL NOTES OF INTEREST

Last year Truex qualified third but finished 33rd after an mid-race incident. Truex then reeled off seven consecutive top-three finishes winning the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East championship.

This weekend Truex will run an Armed Forces Foundation (AFF) paint scheme on his No. 00 Toyota Camry. In addition to the custom paint scheme fans are encouraged to text ‘AFF’ to 50555 and contribute $10 that will support our country’s military and their families. The text campaign will run through the end of 2010.

Truex is the third member of his family to compete in the K&N Pro Series East. His father, Martin Truex Sr., and his brother Martin Truex Jr. also competed in the series.

Truex will make his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut on July 17 at Gateway International Raceway.

The 18-year-old driver is fourth in K&N Pro Series East standings, with 296 points. He trails leader Cole Whitt by 49 points.

The Mayetta, N.J., native will sign autographs 6-8 p.m. on May 26 at the Michael Waltrip Racing Fan Appreciation Event. The event will be held at Michael Waltrip Racing at exit 28 on I-77 in Cornelius, N.C.

2010-04-05T06:24:00.000-07:00

SOUTH BOSTON, Va. – Michael Waltrip Racing development driver Ryan Truex finished third in Saturday’s NASCAR K&N Pro Series East event at South Boston Speedway. It was a strong rebound for Truex and his No. 00 Toyota team after finishing 14th in the season-opener at Greenville (S.C.) Speedway a week earlier.

“Our car was really strong from the moment we unloaded it,” said Truex, the 2009 K&N Pro Series East champion. “This team just seems to be able to bounce back whenever we have trouble. This is not even the strongest car in our stable and we still finished third with it. That just shows you how good this team is.”

Truex qualified fifth for the event and never ran outside the top five. The closing laps featured a spirited battle between Truex, second-place finisher Cole Whitt and race winner Max Gresham. Unfortunately, Truex couldn’t advance his position and settled for third.

"It was just tough racing - short-track racing, beating and banging and doing everything you can to get to the front," said Truex. "I was kind of banking on maybe the 84 (Whitt) and the 18 (Gresham) would get in a little trouble there racing side-by-side, maybe I'd be able to slip under them. But they did a great job. It was a fun race."

The solid finish moved Truex up to fourth in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series standings, 49 markers behind Whitt.

The next event on the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East calendar is May 23 at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa. It is a combination event with the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West.

Ryan Truex, No. 00 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota, K&N Pro Series South Boston Preview

2010-03-30T11:51:00.001-07:00

CORNELIUS, N.C. — After leading 127 laps and dominating most of the race, Ryan Truex didn’t like his 15th-place finish in Saturday night’s K&N Pro Series East race at Greenville Pickens Speedway. But history shows a slow start is only a minor detour in his bid to repeat as series champion.

Last season, Truex began his rookie campaign with a 14th-place finish at the South Carolina track then went on to capture three victories and Michael Waltrip Racing’s first championship. The 18-year-old plans to begin his 2010 comeback Saturday afternoon at the fourth-tenths mile South Boston Speedway in Virginia where the younger brother of Martin Truex Jr. is the defending polesitter.

QUOTES

ON GETTING HIS SEASON BACK ON TRACK: “It’s too early to panic but the season is only 10 races long, so you definitely don’t want to have two bad races in a row. We had a really strong car last week. If my guys can give me another strong Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota for Saturday, we should be fine.”

ON SOUTH BOSTON SPEEDWAY: “South Boston is really the place we turned our season around last year. We struggled at the beginning of the season. Then we came to South Boston and won the pole and finished third. It was a great weekend for us and we built on that momentum.”

ON DEFENDING HIS K&N SERIES TITLE: “It’s definitely different this year. Last year, no one knew who I was. Now that I’m the champion, everyone’s gunning for us. You really have to be on your game each weekend. There are a bunch of rookies in the series this year and they all want to prove that they can race with you. ”

ADDITIONAL NOTES OF INTEREST

• Last weekend at Greenville Pickens Speedway Truex started the race second and grabbed the lead on lap three. He led a race-high 127 laps before being involved in an incident on the final restart to cross the finish line 15th.

• Truex won three races and the series championship in 2009, but did not lead the most laps in any race. His first career Wix Lap Leader Award came last weekend at Greenville Pickens Speedway.

• South Boston Speedway was the site of the Mayetta, N.J., natives first career K&N Pro Series East pole. His success at South Boston last year started a string of seven-straight top-three finishes.

• Truex is the third member of his family to compete in the K&N Pro Series East. His father, Martin Truex Sr., and his brother Martin Truex Jr. also competed in the series.

• Saturday’s event marks the fourth consecutive year that South Boston Speedway has hosted a K&N Pro Series East event. The track opened in 1953.

• Truex is expected to compete in five Nationwide Series races in 2010.

East Champ Truex Commits To NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown

2009-12-04T06:18:00.000-08:00

Three-Time 2009 Winner To Make Irwindale Debut

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Nov. 24, 2009) – NASCAR Camping World Series East Champion Ryan Truex is the first driver to confirm his intention to compete in the 2010 NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown on Jan. 29-30 in Toyota Speedway at Irwindale (Calif.).

“I'm really excited about the Showdown,” Truex said. “You're racing against some of the best drivers in the country. All of those guys can drive and they have the records to prove it. If you win the Showdown, you can say you've beaten the best of the best.”

The seventh running of the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown, which brings together the top racers from across North America for the ”Daytona 500 of short-track racing,” will be highlighted by the 225-lap Camping World Series all-star race. Each race winner during the 2009 Camping World Series season is eligible for a protected starting spot, as are the 2009 champions from each of NASCAR’s six regional touring series and the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national champion.

Truex, a development driver for Michael Waltrip Racing, registered three wins and eight top 10s during the 2009 Camping World Series East season. He became just the second driver in series history, along with Joey Logano, to win the title and Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors in the same season.

Logano followed up his 2007 championship season by winning the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown, something Truex hopes to replicate.

“I've never raced at Irwindale before, so that adds another level of excitement for me,” Truex said. “Everyone talks about how great the track is, so I can't wait to get the NAPA Auto Parts Camry out there and see what we can do.”

The No. 00 Toyota will have a new look for the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown as team owner Michael Waltrip wanted to do something special for the event. The all-white car Truex ran during the 2009 season will be transformed to blue for Irwindale, with a paint scheme that NAPA and MWR are currently designing.

Truex, from Mayetta, N.J., plans to return to the Camping World Series East in 2010 to defend his title. MWR also intends to enter him in select NASCAR Nationwide Series races during the second half of the 2010 season. Truex does not turn 18 until next March.

In addition to eligible 2009 race winners and series champions, the starting lineup for the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown will be determined through time trials, limited provisionals for Camping World Series regulars, and the last-chance "Open" race that provides drivers one final chance to make the grid.

The 2010 NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown schedule also includes 100-lap Whelen All-American Series Super Late Model and 75-lap Late Model races. Both nights of racing will air on SPEED.

For more information, contact:

Jason Cunningham, NASCAR Public Relations

Michael Waltrip to hold Fan Appreciation Day

2009-10-06T13:34:00.000-07:00

CORNELIUS, N.C. (October 5, 2009) – Michael Waltrip announced today that he will hold his third Fan Appreciation Day at Michael Waltrip Racing (20310 Chartwell Center Drive, Cornelius, N.C.) on Wednesday, October 14th from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern.

From October 5th to October 11th fans can visit www.michaelwaltrip.com to register for the opportunity to become one of 200 randomly-selected individuals to receive autographs from the following NASCAR competitors:

Michael Waltrip - - two-time Daytona 500 champion, driver of the No. 55 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota

David Reutimann - - Coca-Cola 600 champion, driver of the No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry

Marcos Ambrose - - Two-time V8 Supercar champion and driver of the No. 47 Little Debbie®/Kingsford/Clorox Toyota (JTG-Daugherty Racing)

Trevor Bayne - - NASCAR Camping World East Series winner and two-time USAR Hooters Pro Cup winner and driver of the No. 99 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota

Ryan Truex - - NASCAR Camping World East Series champion and three-time winner, driver of the No. 00 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota

The event kicks off at 11 a.m. The driver autograph session takes place from 11am to 1 p.m. for fans that were randomly-selected online at www.michaelwaltrip.com. For any fan attending, there will be live music/entertainment, free food and prizes. Please join us as MWR celebrates you, our fan.

Contact: Jennifer Chapple Michael

Waltrip Racing 20310 Chartwell Center Drive Cornelius, NC 28031

Phone: 704-655-9550 Cell: 704-507-8809 Fax: 704-655-9979

Truex and the NAPA AUTO PARTS Team Win the NASCAR Camping World East Series Championship for Michael Waltrip Racing

2009-09-27T07:04:00.000-07:00

DOVER, Del. – Ryan Truex became the first NASCAR champion in the short history of Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR) when he captured the NASCAR Camping World East Series title on Friday evening at Dover International Speedway. Truex drove his No. 00 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota to an eighth-place finish in the Sunoco 150. The top-10 result enabled Truex to win the championship over Eddie MacDonald by a 34-point margin.

"I just have to thank everyone at NAPA and Michael Waltrip Racing,” said Truex. “Everyone on my team is incredible and I especially want to thank Michael Waltrip, Ty Norris and my crew chief Mike Greci for making all of this possible. I can't believe we won this title. We struggled during the first two races of the season so to come back and win the championship is phenomenal."

Truex, the 17-year-old brother of Martin Truex Jr., and development driver for MWR, produced solid results over the course of the 11-race schedule. His first season in NASCAR’s top development series equated to three wins, seven top-five and eight top-10 finishes.

Truex started the Sunoco 150 in sixth position and drove a conservative race. He kept MacDonald in his sights while also working with his team to improve the handling on his No. 00 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota.

"We started out tight," elaborated Truex. "The NAPA team made some changes during our pit stop and it helped. From there on out, we just tried to keep the car clean and get to the finish."

The Mayetta, N.J. native was quick to realize the magnitude of what he had accomplished.

"To be the first champion at MWR means the world to me," continued Truex. "I really love racing for these guys. It’s such a great place to work. They consistently give me great cars.

"Hopefully, we'll win a lot more titles together."

Truex and the rest of the NASCAR touring series champions will be honored at the Touring Series Gala in Concord, N.C., on Saturday, Nov. 14.

The NASCAR Camping World Series will be back in action for the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown on Jan. 29 and 30 at the Toyota Speedway in Irwindale (Calif.).

Congrats to Ryan Truex and the entire MWR Camping World East Series Team. 2009 East Series Champions!

2009-09-26T00:27:00.000-07:00

Claims Camping World East crown at Dover as fellow rookie Moffitt wins season finale

Official Release:NASCARmedia.com
September 25, 2009 - 4:33pm

DOVER, Del. -- A pair of rookies took center stage Friday at Dover International Speedway: Brett Moffitt came away with the Sunoco 150 checkered flag and Ryan Truex earned the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Series East championship.

Truex, a 17-year-old development driver for Michael Waltrip Racing, finished eighth on Friday but it was the performance throughout the 11-race season that put him in the championship Winner’s Circle following the Sunoco 150. Truex finished his first season in NASCAR’s top development series with three wins and eight top 10s.

The main championship contender for Truex – Eddie MacDonald – finished one position behind Truex in the race and wound up 34 points out of the championship (1,719 – 1,685).

Jody Lavender was the third driver to enter the day with a mathematical chance at the championship, 102 points back of Truex. His race ended with a 17th-place finish, seven laps down.

Friday’s season finale was dominated on the track by Moffitt, also 17. The Grimes, Iowa, native led four different times for 85 laps and crossed the line two and a half seconds ahead of Ryan Gifford for the Sunoco 150 victory. The second win of the year placed him third in the season standings.

Following Richard Childress Racing development driver Gifford across the line at Dover was Corey LaJoie, David Mayhew, and Alan Tardiff. Steve Park, Ryan Duff, Truex, MacDonald and Jarit Johnson rounded out the top 10.

Joe Gibbs Racing’s Matt DiBenedetto set the track qualifying record earlier in the day and led three different times for 31 laps, but a mid-race accident left him two laps down in 11th.

With the 2009 season complete, the next racing event on the schedule for NASCAR Camping World Series teams will be the 2010 NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown on Jan. 29-30 in Toyota Speedway at Irwindale (Calif.).

Truex and the rest of the NASCAR touring series champions will be honored at the Touring Series Gala in Concord, N.C., Saturday, Nov. 14.

Waltrip Disappointed After a Tough Night in Atlanta

2009-09-08T05:55:00.000-07:00

HAMPTON, GA. – It was another mixed bag of results for Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR) during Sunday night’s running of the Atlanta 500 at one of Waltrip’s favorite places and home track for sponsor NAPA AUTO PARTS -- the Atlanta Motor Speedway. MWR’s top finisher was Chase contender David Reutimann. He earned his eighth top-10 finish of the season with a fourth-place result and moved up one position in the points to 15th. As for Waltrip and his new crew chief Gene Nead, they had a good start to the weekend but had a tough race and finished 32nd. As for JTG-Daugherty Racing’s Marcos Ambrose, he crossed the finish line in 23rd place.

“I hate that we had a tough night,” said Waltrip after the race as his team remains 32nd in the NASCAR owner points standings. “We had a good Friday and a bad day today. I appreciate how Gene jumped right in and meshed with the guys immediately. They worked hard, but unfortunately, we didn’t get the job done. We made changes to the car throughout the race, but it didn’t work out. Atlanta is one of my favorite tracks and I know how to run well. We just didn’t find the right combination for my NAPA Toyota. It was so hard to drive. Right now, it’s all about getting as many points as we can to put the 55 car in a good position for Martin (Truex) next season.”

On the pole for the Atlanta 500 was the man who will be behind the wheel of the No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota next season for MWR, Martin Truex Jr. It was his second pole of the season and third of his career. He went on to lead the most laps of the race – 68. As for his future car owner, Waltrip had a good qualifying effort. He lined up 19th for the event.

During the opening laps of the 325-lap event, Waltrip’s NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota was competitive especially on the longer race runs. But over the course of the race, the handling went drastically away. The NAPA team and their new leader rallied behind their driver to try and improve the car as it was inconsistent going from extremely loose to tight. Stops for changes were completed on laps 38, 61, 83,107, 132, 182, 203, 248 and 271. Spring rubber, track bar, wedge and air pressure adjustments were all in the mix to fix the No. 55 Toyota. Despite their hard work and determination, it produced a 32nd-place result.

Meanwhile, Kasey Kahne took advantage of the final restart of the night to overtake Kevin Harvick to score his second win of the season. Finishing behind Kahne to round out the top-10 finishers were Harvick, Juan Pablo Montoya, Reutimann, Mark Martin, Denny Hamlin, Brian Vickers, Jeff Gordon, Ryan Newman and Greg Biffle.

Next Saturday night the NAPA Racing team competes in the Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway. It’s the final race in the Chase before the field of 12 is set for NASCAR’s Sprint Cup playoff. Broadcast coverage of the race gets underway on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. ET on ABC. It can also be heard on Sirius XM Satellite Radio and MRN.

Atlanta 500 Unofficial Results:
http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2009/25/data/results_unofficial.html

Atlanta 500 Lap By Lap:
http://www.nascar.com/2009/races/lapbylap/09/06/lap.by.lap.atlanta2/index.html

Truex Wins at Lime Rock Park, Extends Points Lead

2009-08-16T11:44:00.000-07:00

Official Release (courtesy of nascarmedia.com)

LAKEVILLE, Conn. – NASCAR Camping World Series East rookie Ryan Truex completed the road-course sweep in the Mohegan Sun 200 Saturday at Lime Rock Park to move into the driver’s seat for the series title.

Matt DiBenedetto, who sat on the pole and led a race-high 56 laps, was caught up in an accident on Lap 70 and Truex – second place at the time – assumed the lead for the second time in the race. The 17-year-old from Mayetta, N.J., then held off series veteran Eddie MacDonald on the final two restarts to earn his third victory of the season.

Truex, a Michael Waltrip Racing development driver, earned his first career victory on a road course at Watkins (N.Y.) Glen International in June and took the points lead for the first time after his first oval track win at Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway in July. On Saturday at Lime Rock, his win extended his lead in the championship standings to a season-high 50 points over MacDonald.

While MacDonald record his best career effort at the 1.53-mile road course, several other contenders struggled.

Defending race and series champion Matt Kobyluck, who entered the day 60 points behind Truex, had engine trouble from the start. The team worked to get his car back out onto the track and he was able to turn in 38 laps before being involved in the Lap 70 accident that eventually caught up race leader DiBenedetto. Kobyluck had to settle for a 17th place finish and is 133 points behind Truex with just two races remaining in his bid to repeat as NASCAR Camping World Series East champion.

Brett Moffitt (ninth), Steve Park (11th) and Jody Lavender (13th) all entered the event within 100 points of Truex but lost considerable ground.

Jason Holehouse earned his best career NASCAR Camping World Series East finish with a third-place effort on Saturday. He was followed in the top five by Alex Kennedy, with a new career-best finish as well, and Mike Olsen.

Jesus Hernandez, Ryan Duff, Dustin Delaney, Brett Moffitt and Jeff Anton rounded out the top 10.

The next-to-last race of the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Series season will take place at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The Heluva Good! Fall 125 is slated for Friday, Sept. 18.

Truex Finishes Second at Adirondack Int'l Speedway, Widens Overall Championship Points Lead

2009-08-02T13:11:00.000-07:00

Courtesy of NASCARMEDIA.com
BEAVER FALLS, N.Y. – Veteran Steve Park showed he hasn’t forgotten his way to Victory Lane, leading the final five laps Saturday evening at Adirondack International Speedway en route to the win in The Edge Hotel 150 presented by Casella Waste Systems.

It was Park’s first NASCAR Camping World Series East victory in 13 years. He won twice in 1996, with the latter coming at the now closed Nazareth (Penn.) Speedway on July 1. Since, he has collected wins in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Series Truck Series. He has also won on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.

Park appeared on the verge of the win in the NASCAR Camping World Series previous race, July 11 at Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway, only to lose the lead late to teenage rookie Ryan Truex.

This time, it was Park who got the jump on race leader Jody Lavender on the race’s final restart and led the the rest of the way. Truex got by Lavender in the closing laps to grab second. Jesus Hernandez and defending race winner Matt Kobyluck rounded out the top five.

With the win, Park locked up a secured spot in the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown. The prestigious postseason race is scheduled for Jan. 29-30, 2010 at the Toyota Speedway at Irwindale (Calif.).

Eddie MacDonald won his first career Coors Light Pole Award and led a race-high 101 laps. However, he got shuffled back late in the race and finished 10th.

Truex was able to stretch his points lead to 26 over Lavender with three races remaining. The top six drivers are seperated by just 100 points.

NASCAR Camping World Series East-The Edge Hotel 150 pres. by Casella Waste Systems Unofficial Results
Saturday
At Adirondack International Speedway
Lowville, N.Y.
Lap length: 0.5 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (7) Steve Park, East Northport, N.Y., Chevrolet, 150 laps, 80.000 mph, $8,000.
2. (9) Ryan Truex, Mayetta, N.J., Toyota, 150, $4,625.
3. (11) Jody Lavender, Hartsville, S.C., Chevrolet, 150, $3,700.
4. (10) Jesus Hernandez, Fresno, Calif., Dodge, 150, $3,000.
5. (3) Matt Kobyluck, Uncasville, Conn., Chevrolet, 150, $2,600.
6. (16) Alan Tardiff, Lyman, Maine, Chevrolet, 150, $3,900.
7. (8) Ty Dillon, Lewisville, N.C., Chevrolet, 150, $1,700.
8. (2) Brett Moffitt, Grimes, Iowa, Chevrolet, 150, $2,100.
9. (17) John Salemi, Nashua, N.H., Chevrolet, 150, $2,025.
10. (1) Eddie MacDonald, Rowley, Mass., Chevrolet, 150, $3,975.
11. (5) Dustin Delaney, Mayfield, N.Y., Chevrolet, 150, $2,475.
12. (13) Jonathan Smith, Beacon Falls, Conn., Chevrolet, 150, $1,875.
13. (12) Tommy Cloce, Canton, N.Y., Chevrolet, 150, $1,325.
14. (4) Ryan Duff, Hazard, KY., Chevrolet, 150, $1,775.
15. (18) Jason Holehouse, Toronto, Ontario, Toyota, 150, $1,230.
16. (14) Max Gresham, Griffin, Ga., Toyota, 149, $1,700.
17. (15) Matt Kurzejewski, Mansfield, Pa., Dodge, 149, $1,670.
18. (19) Levi Arthur, Boonville, N.Y., Chevrolet, 148, $1,150.
19. (20) Scott Bouley, Middlebury, Conn., Chevrolet, 146, $1,130.
20. (6) Alex Kennedy, Aztec, N.M., Chevrolet, 111, vibration, $1,615.
21. (21) Todd Peck, Glenville, Pa., Chevrolet, 98, vibration, $1,100.

Rookie Truex Takes Points Lead With Victory

2009-07-11T21:57:00.000-07:00

THOMPSON, Conn. (July 11, 2009) – Ryan Truex captured the checkered flag in a NASCAR Camping World Series East race for the second time in the last three outings as he took the Pepsi Full Fender Frenzy 100 Saturday night at Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway.

Truex (No. 00 NAPA Toyota) battled Steve Park (No. 35 Waste Management Recycle America Chevrolet) through the last half of the race as the pair swapped the lead three times, but it was the 17-year-old Michael Waltrip Racing development driver who got past the veteran on Lap 96 and rode to the victory.

It was the second win in the last three outings for Truex, who earned his first series victory at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International on June 6. The Mayetta, N.J., native also joined his older brother, Martin Truex Jr., as NASCAR Camping World Series East winners at Thompson.

Park’s runner-up finish was the best of his 2009 season so far. He led a race-high 76 laps after earning the Coors Light Pole Award earlier in the day.

Matt DiBenedetto (No. 18 Joe Gibbs Driven Toyota) finished third to record his fourth top-five in five starts this year. Eddie MacDonald (No. 71 NEMO/Grimm Construction) and Alan Tardiff (No. 38 Bestway Disposal Chevrolet) rounded out the top five.

The rest of the top 10 finishers included Matt Kobyluck, Jesus Hernandez, Ryan Duff, Jonathan Smith and Brett Moffitt.

With the win, Truex has registered three-straight top-three finishes, which vaulted him past Jody Lavender and MacDonald into the points lead with four races remaining on the 2009 schedule. Lavender, the points leader entering the day, finished 11th.

The NASCAR Camping World Series East will next compete at Adirondack International Speedway on Saturday, August 1 in The Edge Hotel 150 presented by Casella Waste Systems.

Ryan Truex On Pole for Heluva Good" Summer 125 from NHMS

2009-06-25T14:25:00.000-07:00

Joins father & brother as pole winners at Loudon
By Jason Cunningham, NASCAR

LOUDON, N.H. – NASCAR Camping World Series East rookie Ryan Truex continued his hot streak Thursday afternoon when he won the Coors Light Pole Award in advance of Friday’s Heluva Good! Summer 125 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Truex (No. 00 NAPA Toyota) earned his first career pole two races ago at South Boston (Va.) Speedway and reached Victory Lane for the first time in the series’ last event at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International. On Thursday he kept the momentum going when he posted the fastest lap in qualifying at 30.433 seconds (125.113 mph).

Truex also joined his father and brother in winning NASCAR Camping World Series East pole awards at New Hampshire. Martin Sr. won the pole for the Sept. 1994 event, while current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Martin Jr. won the pole three times (twice in 2000 and in 2003). Both Martin Sr. and Jr. also won NASCAR Camping World Series East races at NHMS.

Ryan Truex, who was the next-to-last car to go out, knocked Eddie MacDonald (No. 71 NEMO/Grimm Construction Chevrolet) off the provisional pole. MacDonald won both of the New Hampshire races in 2008 and posted a fast lap of 30.601 seconds (124.467 mph) during qualifying.

Kevin Swindell was third fastest in qualifying at 30.616 seconds (124.406 mph). Brett Moffitt (30.690/124.106) and Matt DiBenedetto (30.693/124.093) rounded out the top five qualifiers.

Among the top five qualifiers, only MacDonald had previously turned laps at the 1.058-mile track.

Steve Park, Matt Kobyluck, Alan Tardiff, Jody Lavender and Jeff Anton completed the top 10 from Thursday’s qualifying.

The Heluva Good! Summer 125 is slated to go green on Friday, June 26, at 5:10 p.m.

Truex Wins Tioga Downs Casino 125 from the Glen

2009-06-06T15:33:00.000-07:00

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (June 6, 2009) – NASCAR Camping World Series East rookie Ryan Truex passed race leader Patrick Long between Turns 10 and 11 on the last lap and took the checkered flag in the Tioga Downs Casino 125 Saturday at Watkins Glen International.

Truex (No. 00 NAPA Toyota), who was making just his fifth career start in the series for Michael Waltrip Racing, ran in the top three throughout the day and got position on Long (No. 03 AASCO Motorsports Chevrolet) coming out of Turn 10 on the last lap of a green-white-checker finish. Truex held his position as Long went off the course and Truex came out of Turn 11 with a clear vision of the finish line and earned the victory.

Long settled for a fourth-place finish. Matt Kobyluck (No. 40 Mohegan Sun Resort & Casino Chevrolet) finished as the runner-up and rookie Brett Moffitt (No. 44 Castle Packs Power Chevrolet) was third.

Rounding out the top 10 finishers were Matt DiBenedetto, Steve Park, Eddie MacDonald, Alex Kennedy, Brian Wong and Jonathon Smith.

Truex's win marked the fifth different driver in as many races to win in 2009. Truex is the third member of his family to win in the series along with his father, Martin Sr., and his older brother, Martin Jr.

With his third-place effort, Moffitt overtook Jody Lavender for the series points lead. Lavender finished 14th on Saturday.

The sixth race of the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Series East season is slated for Friday, June 25 with the Heluva Good! Summer 125 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H.

Truex Finishes Third at SOBO Speedway

2009-05-31T09:41:00.000-07:00

SOUTH BOSTON, Va. (May 30, 2009) – Brett Moffitt already broke one of Joey Logano’s NASCAR Camping World Series records. It didn’t take him long to take care of another.

Moffitt became the youngest winner in NASCAR Camping World Series history Saturday night with his win in the South Boston 150 at South Boston (Va.) Speedway. His Andy Santerre Motorsports' No. 44 brettmoffitt.com Chevrolet led 81 laps – including the last 67 – and outpaced a pair of fellow teenagers in runner-up Ryan Gifford and third-place Ryan Truex.

Moffitt doesn’t turn 17 until August 7. Joey Logano, now driving the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, was 1 month, 5 days of turning 17 when he scored his first win in the NASCAR Camping World Series West, and he set the NASCAR Camping World Series East mark 11 days later with his win at Greenville (S.C.) Pickens Speedway. In the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Series East opener, Moffitt broke Logano’s record as the series’ youngest Coors Light Pole Award winner.

With Saturday’s win, Moffitt also secured a starting spot in the postseason NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown.

Moffitt and Truex traded the lead three times. Moffitt pulled away on the final lap 103 restart and won by 3.691 seconds. Truex, the 19-year-old younger brother of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Martin Truex Jr. and a Michael Waltrip Racing development driver, won his first career Coors Light Pole Award earlier in the day.

Gifford, 19, is driving a limited schedule for Richard Childress Racing. He started 10th and charged up through the field. He got to second when Truex got loose coming off Turn 4, but was unable to close the gap on Moffitt.

Point leader Jody Lavender finished fourth and maintained a 26-point lead on Moffitt. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Max Gresham, making his first series start, finished fifth.

Alan Tardiff, Sean Caisse, Ty Dillon, Eddie MacDonald and Dustin Delaney rounded out the top 10.

Truex Captures MWR's 2nd Pole of the Weekend at SOBO Speedway

2009-05-30T15:09:00.000-07:00

SOUTH BOSTON, Va. -- Ryan Truex was the second car out for NASCAR Camping World Series East qualifying at South Boston (Va.) Speedway and then had to sweat out watching the rest of the field take time before he could celebrate his first career Coors Light Pole Award.

Truex turned a fast lap of 16.176 seconds (89.021 mph) in his No. 00 NAPA Toyota at the .400-mile oval for Saturday night's South Boston 150. The 17-year-old younger brother of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Martin Truex Jr. became the third driver in as many years to earn their first career pole at South Boston - following Peyton Sellers (2007) and Ricky Carmichael (2008).

Truex's closest challenger was Brett Moffitt in the No. 44 brettmoffitt.com Chevrolet, who came within two one-thousandths of a second with a lap of 16.178 (89.010).

Sean Caisse, making a spot start in the No. 03 RCR Driver Development Chevrolet, qualified third at 16.258 (88.572). Jonathan Smith was the last car to qualify and grabbed the fourth spot, bumping 2007 race winner Matt Kobyluck to fifth.

Series points leader Jody Lavender will start 11th.

The South Boston 150 is scheduled to take the green at 7 p.m.

Ambrose Competes in First Coca-Cola 600

2009-05-21T02:41:00.000-07:00

CONCORD, N.C. (May 20, 2009) - - Marcos Ambrose competes in his first Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway on Sunday in the No. 47 Kingsford® Charcoal Toyota. Last weekend, he earned a respectable 10th-place finish in his first 40-lap NASCAR Sprint Showdown.

“It was a good practice session for us and we learned some things that will help us in the Coca-Cola 600,” Ambrose said. “We’re actually bringing a different Kingsford® Charcoal Toyota with a different setup for this race. It’s the car we raced at Atlanta Motor Speedway earlier this season.”

“We figured we wouldn’t bring that car back from the Showdown without some damage so we planned to run a different car for the Coca-Cola 600,” Kerr said. “We missed the setup a little in the Showdown, but we feel like we’re dialed in with this car we’re bringing.”

Prior to racing Saturday night, Ambrose’s only NASCAR Sprint Cup Series experience at the 1.5-mile track was a two-day tire test in March. Even though he’s still honing his skills, the Australian driver boasts that this type of track suits him.

“Lowe’s Motor Speedway really suits my style,” Ambrose said. “It’s just a great place to race and I learned a lot last weekend. I feel like we made some progress. We’ve just got to get into a groove there.”

Ambrose has plenty of time to do that with 600 miles to go on Sunday.

“I’ve never drove a race this long without sharing driving responsibilities,” Ambrose said. “I’m looking forward to racing into the night there.”

Ambrose has had a busy week with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in town for two weeks and today it continues. Ambrose along with Michael Waltrip, David Reutimann, Scott Speed, Michael McDowell and Ryan Truex signed autographs for Fan Appreciation Day hosted by JTG-Daugherty Racing and Michael Waltrip Racing. The owners were on hand for autographs too.

Then this evening Ambrose and his crew chief Frank Kerr will go head-to-head against resident house expert Ken Herring for SPEED Channel’s program “Pass Time” at zMAX Dragway in Concord, N.C. There will be a total of 10 passes (one will be a combo round). Ambrose, Kerr and Herring will have a chance to ask each driver one question about their car before guessing the amount of time it will take the car to make a quarter-mile pass. The three will be competing against each other for $2,000.

“I have not had a chance to watch the show, but Frankie has,” Ambrose said. “I guess the cars are chosen the day of the taping and will vary. They are telling us that they will have some excellent cars and drivers. So, it should be real fun.”

“It’s a cool show and it’s going to be nice to see a different side of racing,” Kerr said. “I can’t wait to beat Marcos.”

Live coverage of the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 24th begins at 5 p.m. ET on FOX. MRN and Sirius Satellite Radio will also carry the event.

NAPA Racing Press Box Featuring Michael Waltrip (All-Star Race Preview)

2009-05-13T06:38:00.000-07:00

How special was it to win the All-Star race in 1996?

“It was a great night to be able to celebrate with the Wood Brothers. I remember when Eddie (Wood) and Len (Wood) and Glen (Wood) and Leonard (Wood) handed their car over to me. I thought that was a big deal and they trusted me with the family car – I didn’t get a lot of that when I was a kid. For them to do that and for me to be able to go out there and perform and win the All-Star race for them and us as a team was just one of the highlights of my career.”

Did the Wood Brothers give you special advice the night you won?

“They worked with me on the car. They told me that on my second ignition system that there was more timing – the car would go faster and use that only at the end though because it won’t last. They walked off and I switched it on right there at the beginning because I figured I would need everything and we did.”

How stressful is it to have to race your way into the All-Star?

“I’ve done it before and while it isn’t ideal, you want to go there with a plan of racing in the All-Star race. It’s not a bad thing either. Not only have I done it, but Kasey Kahne did it last year and Ryan Newman has done it before. It’s not a death sentence. If you can transfer in then you’re in good shape to try to win.”

What makes Lowe’s Motor Speedway so tough?

“The question is interesting because it changes all the time. They will always do something to that place. The latest paving job I think has made the track consistently really fast. It’s high-banked, it’s a mile-and-a-half with a lot of grip so it makes it real fast. When you say what do you think of Lowe’s Motor Speedway – I say speed because that’s what you feel there maybe more so than anywhere.”

Michael Waltrip Fast Facts

NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Michael Waltrip will compete in his 16th Sprint All-Star Race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

Waltrip has competed in 15 All-Star events. In 1996, he won the race. He is the only the third driver in the history of the All-Star event to win after earning the final transfer spot in the Showdown. His very popular victory came when he started in 20th place. It was his first victory in a Cup car.

Waltrip has two opportunities to qualify for the All-Star Race. He can race his way in by finishing first or second place in the Sprint Showdown race or earn the Sprint Fan Vote.

Drivers eligible for the Sprint All-Star Race: race winners from the 2008 and 2009 season, the top-two finishers in the Sprint Showdown, the winner of the Sprint Fan Vote who finishes on the lead lap of the Showdown, past winners of the All-Star Race from the last 10 seasons, and Sprint Cup Series champions from the past 10 seasons who have competed in at least one series event during the 2008 and 2009 seasons.

EVENT FACTS
Sprint All-Star
Lowe’s Motor Speedway Length: 1.5-Mile Tri-Oval

Date: Saturday, May 16
Showdown: 7:30 p.m.
Two (20 laps) segments- 40 laps/60 miles
All-Star: 9 p.m.
Four segments (50, 20, 20, and 10) 100 laps/150 miles
TV: SPEED
Radio: PRN; Sirius XM Satellite Radio, Ch. 128

NOTABLES
Qualifying
Friday, May 15 on SPEED
Showdown: 5 p.m.
All-Star: 6 p.m.

Practices
Friday, May 15 on SPEED
Showdown: 12 p.m.
All-Star: 1:30 p.m.

This Week in NASCAR
Monday, May 18 at 8 p.m.
Only on SPEED

All Times Eastern

Vote for Mikey! Fast track Michael into the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. Sprint customers, vote on your phones by texting “NASCAR” to 7777 to download NASCAR Sprint Cup MobileSM to cast a vote. (Standard text messaging and data rates apply.)

Or, visit http://sports.sprint.com/speed/?id9=vanity:speed

Vote Now! Vote Often!

You’re Invited!! Please join Michael Waltrip for Michael Waltrip Racing’s Fan Appreciation Day at Raceworld USA on Wednesday, May 20th from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. This year it is bigger and better! We are holding the event as a big thank you to all of our fans and we are pleased the JTG-Daugherty Racing team is joining us to celebrate the fans continued support of our teams and sponsors.

Waltrip, David Reutimann, Marcos Ambrose, Scott Speed, Ryan Truex, Michael McDowell will be on site to welcome everyone and sign autographs for the two hours. The first 300 people that receive a wristband will be guaranteed an autograph and a goody bag. Many of our partners will be on site with displays, show cars, giveaways…there will be something for everyone. We will also have food and beverages available so please join us.

2009 NAPA AUTO PARTS PIT CREW
** Ryan Langley Front Tire Changer
Chris Hall Front Tire Carrier
Tony Cardamone Jack Man
** Mike Ellershaw Rear Tire Changer
** Eric Wakeland Rear Tire Carrier
Art Harris Gasman
Shawn Soules Catch Can
Ron Otto Eighth Man
** Terry Spaulding Hose and Sign
Craig Harper Gas Runner
Mark Maloney Second Gas Can

** New Crewmembers

To access the NAPA Racing media guide online, please visit: www.napasponsorship.com

Fan Appreciation Event at Raceworld USA: May 20th: 11am-1pm

2009-05-05T13:00:00.000-07:00

It’s time for Fan Appreciation Day at Raceworld USA and this year it is bigger and better! We are holding the event as a big thank you to all of our fans and we are pleased the JTG-Daugherty Racing team is joining us to celebrate your continued support of our teams and sponsors. So, we want to welcome all of you to Raceworld USA on Wednesday, May 20th from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

David Reutimann, Marcos Ambrose, Scott Speed, Ryan Truex, Michael McDowell and I will be on site to welcome everyone and sign autographs for the two hours (300 wristbands to be distributed – details below). Many of our partners will be on site with displays, show cars, giveaways…there will be something for everyone. We will also have food and beverages available.

After fans receive autographs, they can tour the 140,000 sq. ft. facility, which I am most proud of. Fans that have not been to Raceworld USA will be surprised at the accessibility and all it has to offer. You can take full advantage of an all-access tour and see the evolution of a race car from start to finish (for a nominal fee-see below). Literally, you can see the team start with a chassis in the fabrication shop and follow the manufacturing process through the finished product in the assembly room. You will be able to look into each room which supports that effort including; the fabrication shop, machine shop, gear and transmission assembly shop, shock and spring room, pull-down rig area, paint booth, final race car assembly area and the truck bay. You may even be able to see the cars as they are being loaded to head for the race track.

Our pit stop practice area is really cool and provides another unique element in which fans can watch our over-the-wall crews practice. There are interactive exhibits throughout Raceworld as well as an HD movie theatre where fans can watch a movie documenting team preparation for each race weekend. Don’t forget to stop by our retail store in the front lobby area where you will find some neat souvenirs and apparel that will make your visit to Raceworld complete.

The first 300 people that stop by for wristbands for autographs will also receive goody bags. Also, anyone that signs up for the tour and makes a pet food donation for a dog or cat will receive $2 off the price of admission. In addition, a portion of the proceeds collected from tours during the day will go to the Animal Adoption League (www.mynextpet.com).

With all of that being said, I look forward to saying hello to each and every one of you during race week.

See you there!

Sincerely,
Michael Waltrip

Second Annual MWR Fan Appreciation Day at Raceworld USA
Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Michael Waltrip Racing and JTG-Daugherty invite fans to visit Raceworld USA for a meet and greet during the second annual Fan Appreciation Day and driver autograph session at the state-of-the-art facility on Wednesday, May 20 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Raceworld USA, 20310 Chartwell Center Drive, Cornelius, N.C. 28031.

Michael Waltrip, David Reutimann, Marcos Ambrose, Scott Speed, Michael McDowell and Ryan Truex will all be on site to sign autographs. Also, JTG-Daugherty Racing’s team owners will also sign autographs - - Tad and Jodi Geschickter and Brad Daugherty.

To ensure fans receive time with all drivers, 300 wristbands will be distributed on a first come, first serve basis beginning Tuesday, May 19th from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and again on May 20th starting at 10 a.m. at the Raceworld USA retail store.

Entrance to the Raceworld USA lobby area to obtain driver autographs is free. To tour the entire facility there is a nominal fee described below. For each person that brings a pet food donation for a dog or cat will receive $2 off the price of admission. Also, some of the proceeds from the day will go to the Animal Adoption League. For more information about the Animal Adoption league visit www.mynextpet.com.

The Animal Adoption League is a non-profit organization. The Animal Adoption League’s mission is to provide veterinary care and temporary housing for homeless animals, to provide an adoption outlet for the permanent placement of these animals, to educate the general public in the proper care of animals and the importance of reducing pet overpopulation and to work for the welfare of all animals.

For more information on Raceworld USA, visit www.michaelwaltrip.com

Raceworld USA Tour of MWR:
Adults . . . $10
Children (3 to 12) $5
Children (2 and under) Free
Seniors . . . $8

Truex Finishes 16th at Tri-County Speedway

2009-04-28T11:39:00.000-07:00

HUDSON, N.C. – Matt DiBenedetto took just two starts to find Victory Lane.

The 17-year-old Grass Valley, Calif., driver passed Austin Dillon on a back-and-forth battle following a green-white-checkered finish to Saturday night’s Tri-County 150 to earn his first career NASCAR Camping World Series East victory.

DiBenedetto, a Joe Gibbs Racing development driver, and Dillon, a Richard Childress Racing development driver, swapped the lead six times over the second half of the race. The event was stretched to 165 laps due to a pair of late cautions. DiBenedetto led four times for 75 laps, while Dillon led three times for 15 laps.

On the final restart, Dillon got the jump from the second spot to take the lead. DiBenedetto, however, was able to nose underneath as they came to the white flag and took the lead going into Turn 1 of the final lap.

Rookie Alan Tardiff earned his first Coors Light Pole Award earlier in the day and brought home his best finish with a third-place run. Jody Lavender took over the points lead with a fourth-place finish, while Patrick Long rounded out the top five.

The next NASCAR Camping World Series East race is the combination event with the NASCAR Camping World Series West at Iowa Speedway May 17.

NASCAR Camping World Series East-Tri-County 150 Unofficial Results
Saturday
At Tri-County Motor Speedway
Hudson, N.C.
Lap length: 0.4 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (3) Matt DiBenedetto, Grass Valley, Calif., Toyota, 165 laps, 57.628 mph, $8,050.
2. (4) Austin Dillon, Lewisville, N.C., Chevrolet, 165, $4,000.
3. (1) Alan Tardiff, Lyman, Maine, Chevrolet, 165, $4,825.
4. (10) Jody Lavender, Hartsville, S.C., Chevrolet, 165, $3,000.
5. (9) Patrick Long, Oak Park, Calif., Chevrolet, 165, $2,500.
6. (2) Trevor Bayne, Knoxville, Tenn., Chevrolet, 165, $1,900.
7. (7) Dakoda Armstrong, New Castle, Ind., Chevrolet, 165, $2,300.
8. (16) Ryan Duff, Hazard, Ky., Chevrolet, 165, $2,000.
9. (15) Dustin Delaney, Mayfield, N.Y., Chevrolet, 165, $1,900.
10. (6) Matt Kobyluck, Uncasville, Conn., Chevrolet, 165, $2,400.
11. (22) Jason Patison, Corona, Calif., Chevrolet, 165, $2,700.
12. (8) Eddie MacDonald, Rowley, Mass., Chevrolet, 165, $1,675.
13. (19) Kyle Fowler, Smyrna, Ga., Chevrolet, 165, $1,650.
14. (21) Alex Kennedy, Aztec, N.M., Chevrolet, 165, $1,125.
15. (13) Steve Park, East Northport, N.Y., Chevrolet, 165, $1,600.
16. (20) Ryan Truex, Mayetta, N.J., Toyota, 165, $1,550.
17. (14) Ryan Gifford, Winchester, Tenn., Chevrolet, 165, $1,000.
18. (11) John Salemi, Nashua, N.H., Chevrolet, 165, $975.
19. (24) Antonio Perez, Guadalajara, Mexico, Dodge, 164, $1,440.
20. (23) Dominick Casola, Holmdel, N.J., Chevrolet, 164, $920.
21. (12) Jason Cochran, Daytona Beach, Fla., Chevrolet, 164, $910.
22. (17) Jonathan Smith, Beacon Falls, Conn., Chevrolet, 163, $1,400.
23. (5) Brett Moffitt, Grimes, Iowa, Chevrolet, 162, $1,400.
24. (26) Kristin Bumbera, Sealy, Texas, Dodge, 162, $900.
25. (25) Matt Kurzejewski, Mansfield, Pa., Dodge, 147, accident, $900.
26. (18) Jarit Johnson, El Cajon, Calif., Chevrolet, 130, engine, $900.

Ryan Truex Pairs with MWR in NASCAR Camping World East Series

2009-04-07T13:55:00.000-07:00

CORNELIUS, N.C. – At 17 years of age, Ryan Truex has a career action plan and one of his long-term career goals includes following his NASCAR champion brother Martin Truex Jr. to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series level.

Today, Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR) announced a partnership that will field a full-time NASCAR Camping World East program for the young Truex as he takes the next step towards fulfilling that lifelong dream. The season-opener is this weekend at Greenville-Pickens (S.C.) Speedway.

“Pairing with a racing organization like Michael Waltrip Racing and having NAPA AUTO PARTS on my Toyota is a great opportunity for me,” said Truex, whose team is operating out of the 140,000 square foot shop in Cornelius, N.C. “MWR is really coming on strong this year in the Cup Series and I hope to learn a lot from just being there each week.”

Last season, Truex finished 11th at Stafford Speedway in his CW East debut and only career start while driving a car prepared by Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Now, he is ready for his first race with Michael Waltrip Racing.

“In essence, Ryan was ready to move to the next level,” said Ty Norris, MWR general manager. “The Truex's had the cars and the engines, but needed someone to house, employ the staff and operate the team. I've known the Truex's since we approached Truex Jr. about driving for DEI's nationwide team in 2003. Ryan has the bloodline and needed the opportunity, so we partnered in this entry. We heard he was aggressive and fast and we can’t wait to see him compete.”

Truex started four years ago racing a Bandolero at Wall Township Speedway in Wall, New Jersey that has been hosting racing event for 54 years. He graduated to Legends and quickly won a speedway championship at the track in 2007. Last season, Truex raced a family-owned Late Model at Motor Mile Speedway in Radford, Va.

Fast forward to today, he’s preparing to turn laps at the half-mile oval in Greenville, S.C.under the watchful eye of his crew chief Mike Greci. Greci has been a regular in the NASCAR garages where he has experienced working with Truex's brother.

“I'm looking forward to starting the season with Mike," Truex said. "Our first race takes place this weekend at Greenville-Pickens, which is a flat half-mile oval with not much grip. We're hoping to leave there with a strong finish."

The NASCAR Camping World Series East broadcast schedule will cover all 11 races. The Greenville-Pickens opener, scheduled for Saturday, April 11, will air Thursday, April 16 on SPEED. The season will conclude Friday, Sept. 25 at Dover International Speedway and the race will be broadcast Thursday, Oct. 1.