Ryan Truex at 9 pm ET on Thursday, May 12, 2016
Photo – Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images
Ryan Truex is our guest on Fan4Racing NASCAR Weekend Preview on Thursday, May 12, 2016 at 9 pm ET. Call 929-477-1790 or tweet @Fan4RacingSite or @beberly18 with any questions or comments during our LIVE broadcast.
On occasion, a great story sneaks up and seemingly it suddenly comes to light, leaving some wondering how did that happen? The story behind Ryan Truex this season is that kind of story. Last January, Ryan Truex wasn’t sure if he’d be racing this season, and now he’s third in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series contending for the series’ championship title. Racing with Hattori Racing Enterprises in the No. 81, Truex was able to hook up with the team just in time for the season opener at Daytona in February.
“In January I had no ride, but the truck came together just in time for Daytona,” Truex said. “The result of the race was as good as it gets except the win. Now we’re competing for the championship. It feels good to have success. The sport goes from bottom to top, and top to bottom. You can’t give up.”
With four starts in 2016, Truex has one top-five and two top-ten finishes and has 93 points, just two points from second-place Daniel Hemric and ten markers behind the leader, Timothy Peters.
Positive momentum is certainly on his side with Truex now heading to his home track, Dover International Speedway to race the Ollie’s Bargain Outlet 200 in front of family and friends on Friday night.
“Dover is like my home track,” Ryan Truex said. “I always have a little extra incentive to perform well. It’s only a mile track, but it’s a lot faster (than most mile tracks) because there’s a lot more banking. It’s the perfect opportunity to hopefully get a win.”
At just 24, Truex is the younger brother of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver, Martin Truex Jr, who is also racing this weekend in the AAA 400 Drive for Autism on Sunday.
“Martin’s success is inspiring to me, and it drives me to do well,” Truex said. “It helps me to want to do Sprint Cup. He won at all these things, and I can lean on him for knowledge and experience.”
Both Truex brothers are racing to earn titles in their respective series this season. Having raced in all three of the NASCAR national series and winning the K&N Pro Series East championship in 2009 and ’10, Ryan Truex, is looking to continue building on his success to secure his future in the sport.
“In the next two years you’ll probably see some guys retire, and then it’s a matter of being in the right spot in the right time,” Truex said.
After starting the year with his season in doubt, a Truex Camping World Truck Series victory this weekend with family and friends at his side, would certainly add a great boost of confidence toward his 2016 series championship campaign.