Ryan Truex - Richmond Preview

CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 00 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota driver Ryan Truex makes his third NASCAR Nationwide Series start Friday night at Richmond International Raceway.


The 18-year-old Mayetta, N.J. native qualified second and raced there for 45 laps at Michigan last month in only his second Nationwide Series start. At his debut in St. Louis he started 19th and raced his way into the top 10 by the halfway mark. The Michael Waltrip Racing driver competes fulltime in the K&N Pro Series East where he is the defending champion and 2010 points leader.

Truex is the son of race car driver Martin Truex Sr. and the younger brother of Martin Truex Jr. who drives the No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The Nationwide Series practices Thursday at Richmond then practices, qualifies and races Friday night.

QUOTES

Truex on racing at Richmond International Raceway: “I’m all about learning and finishing the race. Where we finish is important but it isn't as important as what we learn. We’ve started off the first two races really good. At St. Louis we drove to the front and at Michigan we ran second a long time. We have to work on dialing our car in for later in the race. That’s where these Nationwide guys and especially the Cup drivers have something over us. They know what these cars will do as the race goes on. That’ll come with experience.”

Truex and teammate Trevor Bayne: “Trevor has been great to talk to in the last few months. We bounce stuff off each other. I know my crew chief (Mike Greci) and his crew chief (Jerry Baxter) talk a lot at the shop then at the track. The No. 99 team has really improved over the season. That’s what we are counting on with our team. The more we race the more we learn and the better we’ll be.”

Notes

• Ryan Truex will race at Richmond, Kansas, Charlotte and Homestead in 2010 Nationwide Series competition.

• Martin Truex Sr. competed in 15 Nationwide Series races 1989-1998. His best career finish of 12th came at Nazareth Speedway in 1994. He won an East Series race at New Hampshire in 1994. Martin Truex Jr. won the 2004 and 2005 Nationwide Series titles.

• Ryan is the first driver to earn a championship for Michael Waltrip Racing when he won the K&N Pro Series East Championship in 2009. He leads the 2010 standings by 66 points over Darrell Wallace Jr. New Hampshire and Dover are the only remaining races in the 2010 East schedule.

• Michael Waltrip Racing fields Ryan Truex’s racecars in the Nationwide series as well as the East Series while Diamond-Waltrip Racing fields cars for Trevor Bayne in the Nationwide Series. Gary and Blake Bechtel along with MWR own the Diamond-Waltrip organization.