Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M’s Toyota, leads Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #78 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER BOATS Toyota, during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Can-Am Duel 1 at Daytona International Speedway on February 23, 2017 in Daytona Beach, Florida. Photo – Jared C Tilton/Getty Images
A new, sleek Camry race car isn’t likely to change the Toyota teams’ approach to the Daytona 500.
Neither is the success Fords had in breaking up the Toyota monopoly in last Saturday’s Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona.
Last year, Camry drivers dominated the Great American Race, with Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin edging Furniture Row’s Martin Truex Jr. for the win by 0.010 seconds, roughly six inches. Toyotas swept all three podium positions and put four cars in the top-five. Continue reading →
Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, practices for the 59th Annual DAYTONA 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 24, 2017 in Daytona Beach, Florida. Photo – Jared C Tilton/Getty Images
With their primary cars damaged in Thursday night’s Can-Am Duel 150-mile qualifying races, Jimmie Johnson, Paul Menard and Ryan Blaney will start the Daytona 500 from the rear of the field in backup race cars.
They’ll be joined at the rear by three cars that failed to meet the minimum ride height requirement during inspection after the Duels. The two cars of JTG/Daugherty Racing—the No. 37 of Chris Buescher and the No. 47 of AJ Allmendinger—were demoted to the back of the field in their respective Duels, as was the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota of Martin Truex Jr.
Allmendinger lost the seven points he would have scored for his fourth-place finish in the second Duel, and Truex lost the four points he would have earned for finishing seventh in the first Duel. Continue reading →
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Erik Jones addresses the media during NASCAR testing at Phoenix International Raceway on January 31, 2017 in Avondale, Arizona. Photo – Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images
New Furniture Row Racing team prepares for 2017 NASCAR season
It’s the hours and hours a person spends preparing for the opportunity ahead that creates success.
Furniture Row Racing’s No. 77 5-hour ENERGY team spent Tuesday and Wednesday at Phoenix International Raceway becoming familiar with the new Toyota Camry as well as each other as a new team for the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series season. Driver Erik Jones and crew chief Chris Gayle have a brief history together in the NASCAR XFINITY Series with Joe Gibbs Racing though both are entering their rookie seasons in NASCAR’s premier class. Continue reading →
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Martin Truex Jr. poses for a photo during the NASCAR 2017 Media Tour at the Charlotte Convention Center on January 24, 2017 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Photo – Jared C Tilton/Getty Images
Martin Truex Jr. was as surprised as everyone else when he heard Joe Gibbs Racing driver Carl Edwards had decided to step away from racing.
As part of the Toyota factory effort, which also includes the Furniture Row Racing team, Truex valued Edwards’ contribution to the body of knowledge. Understandably, that will change when rookie Daniel Suarez takes over the seat of Edwards’ No. 19 Camry. Continue reading →
