TRUEX, NO. 78 TEAM PASS ON HOMESTEAD-MIAMI TEST

RELATED: Chase Grid

KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- Martin Truex Jr. and his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing team won't take part in next week's organizational test for NASCAR Sprint CupSeries teams, even though the 1.5-mile track hosts the season-ending, championship-determining event for the series next month.

"There's a lot that went into it," Truex said Friday about the decision. "We actually skipped the Chicago test as well and went there and we won, so … that certainly plays into the decision a bit."

The single-car organization is based in Denver, Colorado, also plays a role into such decisions, he said, noting that "Homestead is a long way from Denver."

"Just trying to make sure we are focused on the right things. We feel like testing has not really done anything to help us along. We feel like our time is better spent at the shop getting prepared.

"It seems like every time we've tested this year, we've gone to the race track and spent the first day-and-a-half trying to regroup and figure out where we need to be, so it seems like it's probably hurt us more than helped us and it's just kind of our mindset going forward that we feel like we'll be better off if we don't go."

The season's fifth and final organizational test is scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 18-19. Unlike Goodyear tire tests which normally feature only four teams among the three manufacturers, organizational tests are open, but limited to one team per organization.

The following drivers are scheduled to participate in the test, including each of those currently in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup:

Brad Keselowski (Team Penske No. 2 Ford); Austin Dillon (Richard Childress Racing No. 3 Chevrolet); Kurt Busch(Stewart-Haas Racing No. 41 Chevrolet);Carl Edwards (Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19 Toyota); Chase Elliott (Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 Chevrolet); Chris Buescher (Front Row Motorsports No. 34 Ford); Aric Almirola (Richard Petty Motorsports No. 43 Ford); Ryan Blaney(Wood Brothers Racing No. 21 Ford); Kyle Larson (Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates No. 42 Chevrolet); Michael McDowell (Circle Sport - Leavine Family Racing No. 95 Chevrolet); Trevor Bayne(Roush Fenway Racing No. 6 Ford); andDavid Ragan (BK Racing No. 23 Toyota).

Truex has won four times this season, including twice in the opening Round of 16 of the Chase -- at Chicago and Dover.

The team is scheduled to take part in Monday's Goodyear tire test here atKansas Speedway, but Erik Jones is listed as the driver for the No. 78 entry. Jones, who competes in the XFINITY Series for JGR, will move to Furniture Row next season to drive a second full-time entry for the organization.

READ: Furniture Row adds Jones to growing team 

Danica Patrick (SHR), Jimmie Johnson(HMS) and Joey Logano (Team Penske) are also expected to take part in the single-day test for the tire supplier.

Truex and his team were participants for Goodyear tests this year at Charlotte, Pocono and Michigan. Of the four previous organizational test, the team tested one day only at Kentucky and Watkins Glen and both days at Indianapolis. It did not take part in the most recent at Chicagoland Speedway.

"It just seemed like every time we talked about (the Homestead test), it was just like 'I don't really think that we should do it. I think we should continue to focus on the things that we've been doing,' and ultimately I think Cole (Pearn, crew chief) made the decision to say, 'Alright, that's it. We're not going to do it,' and he feels good about that, so I'm with him. I think he's making the right decision," Truex said.

Because of a technical alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing, which fields four teams, theFurniture Row Racing group will have access to data gleaned during the Homestead test from the No. 19 team of Edwards as well as TRD (Toyota Racing Development).

Edwards said there are two sides to the opportunity to test at Homestead in the midst of the Chase.

"There's an opportunity to test for the ultimate race -- the race that finishes the year," he said, "but it's also an interruption in your Chase and you have to go do it and it can take away as well."

Dave Wilson, President and General Manager for Toyota Racing Development, USA said while Toyota officials were aware of the move, "ultimately it's their decision.

"In their case, I think it's just a balancing of priorities," he said.

"The good news is with the technical alliance that Furniture Row has with Joe Gibbs Racing, they will still get some of the benefit that JGR will bring back from that test.

"I think the value of testing is considerably different today than it was five years ago, just the influence of technology, the influence of simulation is so great now. And the predictive tools that all these teams have are very powerful; it's amazing how good they are, so it's not as much of a must-do, must attend (event) as it has been in the past."

Truex finished 13th in last week's Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the opening race of the Round of 12. He enters Sunday's Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas (2:15 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) seventh in points. Only the top eight advance to the Round of 8 for stops at Martinsville, Texas and Phoenix before the top four from that group move on to Homestead to determine the 2016Sprint Cup Champion.

Furniture Row Racing, Maaco team up for sponsorship

Martin Truex Jr. will return to the site of his history-making Coca-Cola 600 win with the same car, but with a new sponsor on board.

Furniture Row Racing announced Thursday that Maaco has signed on as a sponsor of its No. 78 Toyota entries in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The partnership with the auto painting and collision repair company starts with Saturday night's Bank of America 500 (7 p.m. ET, NBC, PRN, SiriusXM) at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

"This has been such a great season for Furniture Row Racing, bringing on new partners," Truex said. "This is just another step in that direction."

Truex has a career-best four Sprint Cup victories this season, kicked off by the most dominant win in Coca-Cola 600 history at Charlotte in May. Truex won the Coors Light Pole Award and led 392 of the 400 laps.

Truex said during his media availability Thursday that the Colorado-based team will use the same car from their Memorial Day romp this weekend.

Odds to win 2016 Bank of America 500 at Charlotte

Martin Truex Jr. led 392 of 400 laps at Charlotte in May.
BANK OF AMERICA 500
CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2016 - 7:10 PM ET

Martin TRUEX JR 4/1
Kevin HARVICK 5/1
Jimmie JOHNSON 6/1
Kyle BUSCH 7/1
Brad KESELOWSKI 8/1
Denny HAMLIN 8/1
Carl EDWARDS 10/1
Matt KENSETH 10/1
Joey LOGANO 12/1
Chase ELLIOTT 12/1
Kyle LARSON 15/1
Kurt BUSCH 25/1
Austin DILLON 50/1
Kasey KAHNE 50/1
Alex BOWMAN 100/1
Ryan NEWMAN 100/1
Jamie McMURRAY 100/1
Ryan BLANEY 100/1
Tony STEWART 100/1
Greg BIFFLE 200/1
Ricky STENHOUSE JR 200/1
AJ ALLMENDINGER 300/1
Paul MENARD 300/1
Trevor BAYNE 300/1
Chris BUESCHER 1000/1
Clint BOWYER 1000/1
Danica PATRICK 1000/1
Aric ALMIROLA 1000/1
Casey MEARS 1000/1
FIELD 1000/1

FOUR TEAMS SET FOR GOODYEAR TIRE TEST AT MARTINSVILLE

Four NASCAR teams will converge Tuesday and Wednesday for a Goodyear tire test at Martinsville Speedway, the lone short track left on the Sprint Cup Series schedule.

The four teams invited will help confirm the tire compound for the Oct. 30 Goody's Fast Relief 500, the seventh event in the 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs. Those participating at the .526-mile track are:

The Chip Ganassi Racing No. 1 Chevrolet with driver Jamie McMurray
The Roush Fenway Racing No. 16 Ford with driver Greg Biffle
The Richard Childress Racing No. 27 Chevrolet with driver Paul Menard
The Furniture Row Racing No. 78 Toyota with driver Martin Truex Jr.

Two tests remain on the Sprint Cup schedule for the rest of the year.

Another Goodyear tire test is scheduled at Kansas Speedway on Oct. 17, the day after the 1.5-mile track completes its second NASCAR weekend of the year. NASCAR is also scheduled to conduct an organizational test Oct. 18-19 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, site of the season finales for all three national series as part of Ford Championship Weekend.

PHONE CALL CHANGES JIMMIE JOHNSON'S CHASE OUTLOOK

LOUDON, N.H. -- Jimmie Johnson felt certain he'd be facing a much larger deficit in the second event of the 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs. A points penalty for his Hendrick Motorsports No. 48 Chevrolet failing its post-race pass through the Laser Inspection Station (LIS) platform last week likely would have dropped him into the bottom four of the 16-driver postseason field.

But Johnson said he received a phone call Wednesday afternoon on his way back from his race shop that altered his outlook. NASCAR competition officials had just implemented a midweek update regarding minor LIS infractions, offering a reprieve for both himself and the Furniture Row Racing No. 78 team of last weekend's race winner, Martin Truex Jr.

"I was just taking my lumps and going on with my business and then kind of Christmas showed up in September," Johnson said Friday after qualifying fourth for Sunday's Bad Boy Off Road 300 (2 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM) at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. "Just unexpected, but happy."

NASCAR's competition department announced Wednesday that P2 and P3-level penalties would be eliminated for lesser LIS violations found in post-race inspections, leaving the stricter P4-grade punishments in place for more egregious infractions. Truex, who automatically advanced to the Chase's next round with his victory at Chicagoland Speedway, and Johnson were not penalized in the points standings.

Johnson said he was pleasantly surprised, though he knew his car was slightly outside of the allowable measurements for its rear axle offset, or "skew."

"I really feel NASCAR was trying to create a penalty system that was more forgiving," Johnson said. "Stuff bends, stuff moves, and they set those tolerances up to really help the garage area and then to keep cars failing out of the headlines. But it's tough. There's a lot of moving parts in these cars and of course we're trying to get as much skew as we can and we failed.

"I'm sure directionally, it was an advantage. Everybody will take every hundredth of an inch they can get. I think we were four thousandths over. I don't know how much of an advantage you can get in four thousandths. That's awfully, awfully small, but we're in a world now where it's black or white."

The non-penalty kept Johnson in the heart of the Chase's opening round, slotted eighth with a 13-point spread behind series leader Truex. Four drivers will be eliminated from championship eligibility after next weekend's race at Dover International Speedway, where Johnson has won a record 10 times.

Johnson's current ranking could be worse had the penalty taken effect, but it could have been better as well. Johnson was solidly on the verge of a top-five finish last week at Chicagoland, but a pit-road speeding penalty on his penultimate stop bumped him outside the top 10.

Johnson said he began to accelerate just 2 feet too early at the pit-exit line, sending him over the speed limit for the final timing section and offsetting the performance strides the No. 48 team had made in recent weeks.

"We've definitely been showing speed over the last month and a half," Johnson said. "That's been something that's very welcomed and it's been a lot of hard work to get to that point. Unfortunately, mistakes still are continuing to happen and last week was on me."

RELATED: Hear Johnson's reaction on the scanner

TRUEX JR. TAKES LESS, GIVES MORE TO FURNITURE ROW

JOLIET, Ill. -- How sincere was Martin Truex Jr. in his desire to stay with Furniture Row Racing during contract talks with team officials?

Enough that the 36-year-old NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver agreed to work for less than he likely could have earned elsewhere.

"There were other opportunities that were out there," Truex said Sunday after winning the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400 at Chicagoland Speedway.  "I believe this is the best team I've ever had. This is my best opportunity to win races. We've proven that. It's my best opportunity, and really only my second opportunity, since last year, to go for a championship. That wasn't something I was willing to get rid of or throw away."

While Furniture Row officials were in the midst of making the switch from Chevrolet to Toyota a year ago, a contract extension with Truex was also wrapping up. In late September, officials announced both agreements were in place.

Then, in August of this year, the team announced a new, two-year extension for Truex.

RELATED: Truex inks new deal at Furniture Row

"I made the commitment to Barney we were going to do it, we were going to work together and make it work for everybody," Truex said of the arrangement. "Barney has put a lot into his race team over the years obviously. Seeing Furniture Row on that race car each and every year, that's Barney's race car and Barney is the one funding it.

"He had to change some things in the way he was running his race team. He asked me if I would kind of, not take the hit but be the one that took a little bit of a hit for the team to make sure we could keep the competition up and make sure we could continue to get the things we needed to be competitive and win races and hopefully go after a championship."

Visser started the Denver-based team from scratch in 2005, and has funded the single-car outfit for much of its existence through his own businesses.

Others have come on board to help the cause and the switch from Chevrolet to Toyota has paid tremendous dividends. Sunday's victory was the third of the season for Truex and more importantly it came in the opening race of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. He and the No. 78 team, run by crew chief Cole Pearn, are guaranteed to advance to the Round of 12 in the Chase.

Prior to this season, Truex had three career wins. Furniture Row had two.

The organization, which now receives technical support from Joe Gibbs Racing, will expand in 2017 with the addition of a second team and driver Erik Jones.

RELATED: Furniture Row adds Jones to growing team

The rise from a struggling single-car outfit to a championship contender didn't happen overnight.

"Yeah, I do feel like I'm living a dream," Visser, a Vietnam veteran, said. "But that's why we do it. Most of the other things that I've done in life have been a little bit like this, but nothing right to the very top of the best racing in the world here. (It's) very exciting.

"I have to thank Toyota and Martin. Like I said, I think he's a pure athlete. He drove for a little bit less this year than I think a lot of the drivers in his class have, and he did it because he wanted to be here. I can't thank him enough for all that."

Furniture Row Racing accepts NASCAR’s post-race inspection findings

Furniture Row Racing issued a statement Monday regarding the No. 78 of Martin Truex Jr. failing inspection following Sunday’s race at Chicagoland Speedway.

Following his win, NASCAR’s laser inspection found the left rear of Truex’ car was not within tolerated measurements. Furniture Row Racing president Joe Garone stated that the team accepted NASCAR’s ruling.

“The right rear of our car was well within the tolerance margin, which showed that we were trying to be conservative. However, the left rear wheel alignment was off by approximately 10-thousandths of an inch, which in high probability was due to damage in that area as a result of being hit by the No. 4 car. We believe the laser inspection numbers were correct and accept NASCAR’s decision that was made following Sunday’s Sprint Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway.”

Both Truex and Jimmie Johnson failed laser inspection twice after the race. Any penalties are expected to be announced later this week. NASCAR stated Sunday that any penalty would not prevent Truex from advancing to the second round via the win.

DENNY HAMLIN WINS REGULAR-SEASON FINALE AT RICHMOND

RICHMOND, Va. – Denny Hamlin won a wild race at his home track, and the top four Chase hopefuls entering Saturday night's Federated Auto Parts 400 all held serve at Richmond International Raceway in an event that ended in overtime after a record 16 cautions.

Jamie McMurray locked up a spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup with a seventh-place finish, and Austin Dillon did likewise with a 13th-place run.

Sunoco rookies Chase Elliott and Chris Buescher both weathered some tense moments to qualify for NASCAR's 10-race playoff, the first time two rookies have ever been included in the Chase field—and the first time any rookie has made the Chase since Hamlin accomplished the feat in 2006.

Elliott brought out the third caution of the night after contact with the Turn 1 wall, but he recovered to finish 19th to earn his Chase spot with room to spare.

Buescher, on the other hand, had to make a precautionary green-flag pit stop on Lap 308 of 407 because of a tire that was deflating and lost two laps in the process. But Buescher regained the lead lap during a spate of late cautions and came home 24th, his path to the Chase made easier when David Ragan, his chief rival for 30th place in the Sprint Cup standings, was eliminated in a eight-car accident on Lap 363.

Hamlin took control of the race when his pit crew handed him the lead under caution on Lap 322. Six cautions followed, the last of which sent the race to overtime when Regan Smith slammed the outside wall on Lap 399 of a scheduled 400.

Kyle Larson pitted for fresh tires under the yellow and streaked from 12th to second on the two-lap overtime run, but the driver of the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet didn't have time to catch Hamlin’s No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, which crossed the finish line with a margin of victory of .609 seconds.

Hamlin, who grew up in nearby Chesterfield, was elated to win the race in front of his home crowd.

"That's what’s so special about it," said Hamlin, who started from the pole and led the last 86 laps (189 total) on the way to his third victory of the season, his third at the .75-mile track and the 29th of his career. "You get to do it at home.

"I see all the extra Denny Hamlin shirts and hats and everything, and it just fires me up every time I get here. This was a great car, and hopefully we can use it in the Chase."

RELATED: See all of Hamlin's wins

Martin Truex Jr. ran third, followed by Brad Keselowski and Kevin Harvick. Kasey Kahne, who needed a victory to advance to the Chase, ran sixth after a hard-fought run to the finish. McMurray, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch and Joey Logano completed the top 10.

With the exception of Kahne, all top-10 finishers on Saturday will compete in the Chase.

Ryan Newman's hopes of an eleventh-hour Chase miracle ended abruptly on Lap 363 when contact between his No. 31 Chevrolet and Tony Stewart’s No. 14 Chevy sent both cars out of control, blocking the track at the entry to Turn 3.

All told, eight cars were in the accident, but no driver was more incensed than Newman, who was racing hard with Stewart for the 10th position in a last-ditch attempt to make the Chase by winning the race.

"The No. 14 (Stewart) cut across my nose into Turn 1, and I got into him after that, but he'd already chopped into me and messed up my line, and I clipped him a little bit coming off of (Turn) 2," Newman said of Stewart, who was racing at Richmond for the last time in a Sprint Cup car. ...

"And then he just drove across my nose on the back straightaway. We'll keep fighting like we always do. It's just unfortunate not to end the way we wanted to. It's just disappointing that you've got somebody old like that, that should be retired the way he drives. It's just ridiculous."

RELATED: Late wreck derails Newman's Chase hopes

Not surprisingly, Stewart had a different perspective.

"That was the third time he'd driven into me during the night, and how many times does a guy get a free pass until you've had enough of it?" said the three-time champion.  "He's got to do his part racing for a championship, too, and to race to get in there, and if you're going to run into guys -- I go into (Turn) 1 and he dive bombs in there.

"I'm already coming down, so it's not like I was trying to squeeze him in the infield or something. Ryan and I have been good friends. I don't do that to him. But he hits me in 1, he hits me off of 2, and it's like the third time by that time. There was once early in the race that nobody saw. Three times, that's two more times than I normally let somebody run into me."

And as to Newman’s suggestion Stewart should be retired already?

"He'll get his wish in 10 weeks," Stewart said. "He'll get his wish. Maybe next year without us here, he'll get his spot in the Chase that way."

The Lap 363 pileup that ended Newman's Chase hopes—and ended with Dylan Lupton's Toyota on the hood of Newman's car—also locked Buescher into NASCAR's playoff with the elimination of Ragan from the race.

"It was a crazy race," said Buescher, the first driver to represent Front Row Motorsports in the Chase. "I can't believe how many cautions we had. We got involved in one of the accidents, had a tire go down, just a very eventful day. Just so proud to be here."

Elliott was just relieved to shed the stress of an eventful race.

"I just think we have to first off be thankful that we were able to get in tonight after the night we had," Elliott said. "I can't thank my guys for working as hard as they did.

"I've never had to go through—I'm sure they haven't either—all the stuff we went through tonight, so hats off to them, fixing our car multiple times."

Notes: With four victories this season, Kyle Busch starts the Chase next Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway as the top seed with 2,012 points, the same total earned by second-seeded Keselowski, also a four-time winner ... With three victories and 2,009 points, Hamlin is the No. 3 seed, followed by Harvick, Carl Edwards, Truex, Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson, Joey Logano, Larson, Stewart, Kurt Busch, Buescher, Elliott, Dillon and McMurray. ... Truex's No. 78 Toyota failed the laser inspection station after the race. If penalties are warranted, they will be announced before the Chase begins.

NASCAR America: Value of winning goes beyond the trophy

Team Penske has won 25.5 percent of the 90 Sprint Cup races run since 2014 and does not appear to be slowing any time soon after back-to-back wins by Brad Keselowski.

The NASCAR America crew discusses the value of wins even for teams all but set to make the Chase already, noting how Kyle Busch needed the bonus points from his four regular-season wins to advance to the second round of the Chase last year.

Since the start of the 2014 season (90 Sprint Cup races), here’s how many races have been won by each organization:

24 – Hendrick Motorsports

23 – Team Penske

23 – Joe Gibbs Racing

14 – Stewart-Haas Racing

2 – Furniture Row Racing

2 – Roush Fenway Racing

1 – JTG Daugherty

1 – Richard Petty Motorsports

Furniture Row Racing honoring California National Guard with logo on car at Sonoma

Beginning with this weekend’s race at Sonoma Raceway, the No. 78 of Furniture Row Racing will honor the military with special logos placed on its car.

The recognition begins with the patch of the California National Guard.

According to a press release, the California National Guard is “among the nation’s largest and most frequently deployed National Guard force. Cal Guard soldiers and airmen have deployed across the world more than 44,000 times since 9/11, and 29 of its soldiers have sacrificed their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

In 2013, the California National Guard reportedly had 21,000 troops, including 16,565 soldiers and 4,572 airmen. FRR racing features nine military veterans. Among them is owner Barney Visser.

“The longer I live and the more things I experience the more I appreciate the sacrifice and dedication that our military men and women have made, and will continue to make to preserve our freedom,” said Visser in a press release. Visser is a Vietnam veteran, having served in the U.S. Army’s 173rd Airborne Brigade in the late 1960s. “We are proud to showcase the California National Guard, which not only responds and takes action in state emergencies but also in combat deployment throughout the world.”

Martin Truex Jr. will make his 11th start at Sonoma Raceway. Truex won the 2013 race at the road course for the second win of his career.

NASCAR America: What are realistic expectations for Martin Truex Jr., JGR this summer?

On Thursday’s NASCAR America, we discussed how Martin Truex Jr. and Furniture Row Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing enter the summer in a position to dominate the competition. But there are plenty of other teams who will be gunning for them.

Bad luck, not bad strategy, dooms Martin Truex Jr.’s chance at Kansas win

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Sitting atop the pit box for Furniture Row Racing, crew chief Cole Pearn allowed himself a pleasant thought.

“Man, maybe we’re going to ease into this one,” Pearn contemplated.

The No. 78 driven by Martin Truex Jr., had taken the pole and the No. 1 pit stall that came with it and was running away with the Go Bowling 400 at Kansas Speedway.

Truex was in the process of racking up the most laps led in the race for the second straight year. Twelve months after leading 95 laps in the spring race at Kansas, Truex would total 172, a team record for Furniture Row Racing.

Then came Lap 212.

That’s when Truex pitted from the lead for what should have been his final stop of the night.

Should have.

The second Truex left the pit box at the end of pit road, his Toyota began shaking.

“‘You got to be kidding’ me was my reaction,” Truex said following the race, once again leaning against his car in defeat rather than standing on it in celebration.

With 55 laps left, Truex tried thinking of a reason his car was misbehaving at the worst possible time.

“Maybe it’s shaking because it’s got tape on it or something stupid,” Truex thought.

It wasn’t tape or a lack of lug nuts. All four tires were on tight.

“A bolt that holds that right-front brake hat, one of the heads broke off for whatever reason,” Pearn said. “(It) holds the brake rotor on basically. The small head of the bolt broke off and got hung in the wheel when it went on.”

That’s what forced Truex back to pit road on Lap 215. When the No. 78 returned to the action, Truex was a lap down.

“You always know there’s the possibility of those things happening, you just hope they’re earlier in the race so you can overcome them,” said Truex. “We certainly had a car fast enough we could have overcome it if it was earlier.”

Two late cautions would allow Truex to return to the lead lap, but he ran out of time, finishing 14th. When Truex emerged from his car on pit road, he was approached by an apologetic Joe Gibbs. Furniture Row Racing is aligned with Gibbs’ organization.

“The pit crew guys train at his place, so he felt responsible,” Truex said. ” (He) just wanted to let me know what it was.”

For once, it was bad luck.

It’s the second race of the year Truex has led the most laps and failed to win. During the Duck Commander 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, Truex led 141 laps. Then under a late caution, Pearn called the No. 78 to pit road and had to watch as the rest of the leaders stayed out.

Busch won, Truex finished sixth.

Last year under the Kansas lights, Pearn had Truex pit for fuel during a late caution. In his rear-view mirror, Truex had to watch as the rest of the field stayed on the track.

Jimmie Johnson won, Truex finished ninth.

Truex would lead the most laps – 131 each – in the next two races at Charlotte and Dover, but fail to win. He finally broke through at Pocono Raceway the week after Dover.

The No. 78 hasn’t been back to victory lane since.

“It’s frustrating when you’ve had it happen so many times in your career,” said Truex, who leaves Kansas 10th in points. “I swear, you watch guys win races that don’t have the best car, on fuel mileage and all this stuff and it’s like, damn. Someday I’m going to get on the (right) side of one of them. It’s usually dominate and don’t win.”

But even while on the wrong side of circumstance once again, Truex recognizes he’s in the best place he’s been during his 11 seasons racing full-time in the Sprint Cup Series.

“Without a doubt, that’s why I don’t get down and lose my mind when things like this happen,” Truex said. “We’re going to win races. Whether we win four or one before the Chase, it really doesn’t matter, we won one last year and we made it to the final four.”

And then there’s Pearn, who allowed himself to contemplate the possibility of a well-earned win.

The second-year crew chief has one win with Truex, but sticking the landing a second time is proving difficult. How does he keep his spirits up?

“You’ve got no choice, I think maybe last year, I was mad after this one last year, but now I’ve experienced going through it,” Pearn said. “We’re obviously doing something right, but we’re not doing something else right.”