Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Martin Truex Jr. on Daytona: 'I honestly don't know what to expect right now'

CORNELIUS, N.C. – NAPA Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. is on a hot streak as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to Daytona International Speedway during the July 4th holiday weekend for its 400-mile race Saturday night.

Truex left Pocono Raceway 17th in the standings before posting third (Michigan), first (Sonoma) and seventh (Kentucky) place finishes and moving to seventh in points. He and his Michael Waltrip Racing teammate Clint Bowyer have scored the most points in those three races. Truex has nine more races left in his bid to secure a second consecutive appearance in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Truex will drive the No. 56 NAPA Brakes Toyota to promote NAPA’s “Get Back and Give Back” program at Daytona and New Hampshire. The promotion offers fans great savings on the purchase of a qualifying battery, alternator or starter throughout July. Customers may contribute a portion of the rebate to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund to provide support for the families of U.S. military personnel lost in service to our nation, and for those severely wounded in the performance of their duties in Afghanistan and Iraq.

“This is a big deal for us,” said Truex. “Last year, we were able to raise $350,000 for the cause and it’s my favorite NAPA promotion. What I like about this is our dedicated fans can save money this month on batteries, alternators and starters and at the same time, help our servicemen and women by making a donation. I’ll have some soldiers with me on Saturday like I did last year. I look forward to meeting them and saying thank you for serving our country. I hope fans will at least text the word NAPA to 27722 and make a pledge. It’s the least we can do for all those men and women who fight for our freedom, keep us safe and allow us to go race cars on the weekend.”

RETURNING TO DAYTONA: “I honestly don’t know what to expect right now. NASCAR is taking a different tire. TRD has been working on the engine program to avoid the issues we experienced last time. It will be hot, but the track surface still is relatively new. The track has so much grip that everyone will be able to run wide open. I don’t expect handling to be an issue. I know we’ll have to race smart and work on putting the NAPA Brakes Toyota in the right position. This race is about being in the right position during the last couple of laps. You have to do what it takes to put yourself there.”

NOTES:

GET BACK GIVE BACK: NAPA will donate $1 to Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund for every qualifying rebate redeemed by customers in July. NAPA also is encouraging the public to donate $10 – no purchase is needed – to Intrepid by texting the word NAPA to 27722. Consumers can also select to donate (in $5 increments) part or all of their earned mail-in rebate that range from $5 to $25.

NAPA Kicking it for Camo T-shirts: Pick up yours along with support bracelets at select NAPA locations and at NAPAonline.com.

- Michael Waltrip Racing

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