NAPA Racing/Martin Truex Jr. Indianapolis Motor Speedway Preview

No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota driver Martin Truex Jr. enjoyed the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series off week by getting a little rest and relaxation in the Bahamas that included swimming with sharks. 

Now with his battery charged and seven races left to earn his second-straight Chase for the Sprint Cup appearance, Truex turns his attention to one of the sport’s most prestigious and challenging races of the season —The Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

TRUEX ON RACING AT INDIANAPOLIS: “The Brickyard is one of those races that everyone, including myself and my crew chief, want to win. Just going to Indy is cool. It has so much history around it. The prestige of winning there is incredible. It sure would be nice to kiss the bricks. I think we have a chance. We have had some really good runs there over the years including last year in the NAPA Toyota. I really like the place. It’s definitely challenging because of the size of it. People talk about it having four distinct corners and it’s definitely the case. It’s a tricky track. Sometimes the sun is out in turns 1 and 2 but not turns 3 and 4. The way the sun hits it throughout the day creates challenges because it is very temperature sensitive. It is definitely a challenging place throughout the day and over the course of a weekend. You definitely need horsepower, aero and good handling. You need it all to be fast there.”

ON SWIMMING WITH SHARKS: “It was something that I had never done before and it certainly wasn’t scary or even crazy like you would expect it to be. They were only three to four feet long and we were given instructions as to what to do. By all means, we’re not talking about great whites. They were nurse sharks so they were not aggressive. They just wanted you to pet them. We also went to a grotto where a James Bond movie was shot. It looked like an island and when you pulled up, there was a tiny hole you could barely see. But you could swim into it and come out in a big cave. We had a good time and my batteries got charged up in time for one of the biggest weeks in our sport.” 

MWR PR