Tuesday, July 27, 2010
No. 56's damage hinders Truex's performance at Indianapolis
Michael Waltrip Racing / TireMonkey.com driver Martin Truex Jr. saw a sure top-10 finish at Indianapolis spoiled in the final quarter of Sunday’s Brickyard 400 race when his No. 56 Toyota suffered front end damage during a restart. The accident took Truex out of contention for the victory.
“It's a shame,” Truex said. “We had a top-five Toyota and got back in traffic after a jack problem on our pit stop with about 40 to go. The restart bit us again when the cars started getting bunched up. We got damage to the nose and right side.”
Truex started the race in 12th place, but a late race pit stop for a loose wheel dropped him off the lead lap. Until then, the No. 56 looked to be the strongest Toyota and one of the strongest of all cars in the race, never venturing outside the top 10 except during pit stop cycles.
“The NAPA Know How crew did all they could,” Truex said. “It just didn't handle competitively after that, and then we had to pit late in the race for a vibration (loose right front wheel). I just hate it that our good runs are being taken away like this. I'm so disappointed.”
Truex’s 26th-place finish keeps him 20th in driver points. The NASCAR Sprint Cup series returns to action Sunday, Aug. 1, for the Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 race at Pocono International Raceway.
“It's a shame,” Truex said. “We had a top-five Toyota and got back in traffic after a jack problem on our pit stop with about 40 to go. The restart bit us again when the cars started getting bunched up. We got damage to the nose and right side.”
Truex started the race in 12th place, but a late race pit stop for a loose wheel dropped him off the lead lap. Until then, the No. 56 looked to be the strongest Toyota and one of the strongest of all cars in the race, never venturing outside the top 10 except during pit stop cycles.
“The NAPA Know How crew did all they could,” Truex said. “It just didn't handle competitively after that, and then we had to pit late in the race for a vibration (loose right front wheel). I just hate it that our good runs are being taken away like this. I'm so disappointed.”
Truex’s 26th-place finish keeps him 20th in driver points. The NASCAR Sprint Cup series returns to action Sunday, Aug. 1, for the Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 race at Pocono International Raceway.
Labels: Brickyard 400, Indianapolis, Martin Truex Jr., Michael Waltrip Racing, NAPA Know How, Pocono Raceway, Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 race, TireMonkey.com
Not even toxic fumes can keep Gosselin down
TireMonkey.com driver Mario Gosselin overcame a wall collision and toxic fumes in his cockpit to finish 24th in the AAA Insurance 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race in Indianapolis on Friday.
By posting a time of 23.026 seconds at 107.253 seconds at O’Reilly Raceway Park during qualifying, Gosselin started the race in 17th position. He had maneuvered into 14th place by lap 96, but that’s when his No. 12 truck became wedged between Aric Almirola’s No. 51 truck, Donny Lia’s No. 7 truck and Narain Karthikeyan’s No. 60 truck. Sparks flying, the TireMonkey.com truck careened into the back stretch wall. The accident knocked out the panel separating the driver from the engine compartment, and the cockpit filled with poisonous fumes.
Gosselin and the DGM Racing crew kept the TireMonkey.com truck on the lead lap until suspension and handling issues forced them to lose laps in the pits while correcting the issues and fixing the damage. After 104 laps of inhaling the fumes in his cockpit, Gosselin was nauseous and cramping up afterward, but he felt better after a night of rest.
Gosselin’s next race is the Pocono Mountains 125 in Pennsylvania on Saturday, July 31.
By posting a time of 23.026 seconds at 107.253 seconds at O’Reilly Raceway Park during qualifying, Gosselin started the race in 17th position. He had maneuvered into 14th place by lap 96, but that’s when his No. 12 truck became wedged between Aric Almirola’s No. 51 truck, Donny Lia’s No. 7 truck and Narain Karthikeyan’s No. 60 truck. Sparks flying, the TireMonkey.com truck careened into the back stretch wall. The accident knocked out the panel separating the driver from the engine compartment, and the cockpit filled with poisonous fumes.Gosselin and the DGM Racing crew kept the TireMonkey.com truck on the lead lap until suspension and handling issues forced them to lose laps in the pits while correcting the issues and fixing the damage. After 104 laps of inhaling the fumes in his cockpit, Gosselin was nauseous and cramping up afterward, but he felt better after a night of rest.
Gosselin’s next race is the Pocono Mountains 125 in Pennsylvania on Saturday, July 31.
Labels: AAA Insurance 200, Aric Almirola, Donny Lia, Indianapolis, Mario Gosselin, Narain Karthikeyan, O'Reilly Raceway Park, TireMonkey.com
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Gosselin finishes 14th at Gateway
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series fans were treated to the sight of two TireMonkey.com trucks on the Gateway International Speedway track during the CampingWorld.com 200 race on Saturday.
While Mario Gosselin drove the No. 12 Chevrolet Silverado, Johnny Chapman borrowed another TireMonkey.com truck for the race. Gosselin started the race in 19th place and finished 14th, but unfortunately, Chapman suffered engine trouble and could not complete the race.
Gosselin’s finish bumped him one spot to 12th in the Camping World Truck Series driver standings.
Kevin Harvick of the No. 2 truck won the pole and ended up winning the race, his third win in four Camping World Truck Series races this season. He beat out Brad Keselowski of the No. 129 truck by more than five seconds. Next were Johnny Sauter, Todd Bodine and Matt Crafton.
Although the race was slated to take place Friday night, power failure postponed the competition until Saturday afternoon.
Gosselin next competes in the AAA Insurance 200 race on Friday at O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis.
While Mario Gosselin drove the No. 12 Chevrolet Silverado, Johnny Chapman borrowed another TireMonkey.com truck for the race. Gosselin started the race in 19th place and finished 14th, but unfortunately, Chapman suffered engine trouble and could not complete the race. Gosselin’s finish bumped him one spot to 12th in the Camping World Truck Series driver standings.
Kevin Harvick of the No. 2 truck won the pole and ended up winning the race, his third win in four Camping World Truck Series races this season. He beat out Brad Keselowski of the No. 129 truck by more than five seconds. Next were Johnny Sauter, Todd Bodine and Matt Crafton.
Although the race was slated to take place Friday night, power failure postponed the competition until Saturday afternoon.
Gosselin next competes in the AAA Insurance 200 race on Friday at O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis.
Labels: Gateway International Speedway, Indianapolis, Johnny Chapman, Mario Gosselin, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, O'Reilly Raceway Park, TireMonkey.com
Monday, July 12, 2010
Truex captures 11th place at Chicagoland
For Michael Waltrip Racing / TireMonkey.com driver Martin Truex Jr., it was all about finding the right air pressure combination during Saturday’s 400-mile NASCAR Sprint Cup event at Chicagoland Speedway.
Truex started the LifeLock.com 400 race in eighth place and finished in 11th.
The early stages of the race saw the 30-year-old from Mayetta, N.J., run as high as second. Approaching the halfway mark, Truex remained comfortably in the top-10, but needed a few tweaks to climb back into winning contention. Unfortunately, a problem with an air gun socket during the team's stop on lap 183 dropped the NAPA Toyota from ninth to 13th position. Truex was able to climb back to 11th place before his teammate David Reutimann scored the victory.
"I am so happy for David. We should have been up there with him,” Truex said. “Our car just got really loose. We could have been better than that but we may have missed it a little on air pressure. Regardless, we got a decent finish and our teammate got the win.
This coming weekend, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is off, but the series will return the following week to the hallowed grounds of Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 25.
Truex started the LifeLock.com 400 race in eighth place and finished in 11th.
The early stages of the race saw the 30-year-old from Mayetta, N.J., run as high as second. Approaching the halfway mark, Truex remained comfortably in the top-10, but needed a few tweaks to climb back into winning contention. Unfortunately, a problem with an air gun socket during the team's stop on lap 183 dropped the NAPA Toyota from ninth to 13th position. Truex was able to climb back to 11th place before his teammate David Reutimann scored the victory.
"I am so happy for David. We should have been up there with him,” Truex said. “Our car just got really loose. We could have been better than that but we may have missed it a little on air pressure. Regardless, we got a decent finish and our teammate got the win.
This coming weekend, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is off, but the series will return the following week to the hallowed grounds of Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 25.
Labels: Chicagoland Speedway, David Reutimann, LifeLock.com, Martin Truex Jr., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, TireMonkey.com
Strong Iowa finish bumps Gosselin in standings
TireMonkey.com driver Mario Gosselin finished strong in Sunday’s Lucas Oil 200 race, coming in 12th place on the Iowa Speedway. His performance bumped him one place to 13th in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver standings.
Rookie Austin Dillon, 20, won the race, his first Camping World Truck Series victory.
Gosselin started the race in 22nd place after posting a qualifying time of 24.187 seconds at 130.235 mph.
Gosselin's next race will be the CampingWorld.com 200 on Friday, July 16, at Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Ill.
Rookie Austin Dillon, 20, won the race, his first Camping World Truck Series victory.Gosselin started the race in 22nd place after posting a qualifying time of 24.187 seconds at 130.235 mph.
Gosselin's next race will be the CampingWorld.com 200 on Friday, July 16, at Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Ill.
Labels: Austin Dillon, Gateway International Speedway, Iowa Speedway, Lucas Oil 200, Mario Gosselin, TireMonkey.com
Monday, July 5, 2010
Multi-car wreck claims NAPA Toyota at Daytona
It was the case of being at the wrong place at the wrong time for No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota driver Martin Truex Jr. on Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway.
The Michael Waltrip Racing Camry started in 18th place and climbed into the top five early in the Coke Zero 400 race, but Truex’s luck ran out when a piece of metal from Kyle Busch’s wrecked car damaged Truex’s splitter on lap 103.
Truex returned to the track in the back of the pack, but he couldn’t avoid a multi-car accident at about lap 116 that severely damaged the NAPA Toyota. David Ragan’s No. 6 Ford triggered the accident by turning sideways in turn three and slamming into Jamie McMurray, Truex and Kasey Kahne.
“I'm not quite sure what happened,” Truex said. “They all spun in front of me. I saw (Ragan) up in front of me, sideways. He was coming down the track. You just can't slow down. We had a good car. The NAPA Toyota was running really well. When Kyle wrecked, we hit some of his debris and pitted twice because we were afraid the splitter would drag.”
Truex returned to the track on lap 144 and managed to finish the race in 35th place.
“We have good cars, but we just can't catch any breaks,” Truex said. “It's a shame because the NAPA Know How crew is working hard. The NAPA Toyota was really good and we were running up in the top 10 most of the race.”
Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet, started the race in first place and ultimately won by holding off Kahne, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Truex’s finish puts him in 20th place in Sprint Cup Series driver points. He next travels to Chicagoland for Saturday’s LifeLock.com 400 race.
Photos courtesy of SPEED.
The Michael Waltrip Racing Camry started in 18th place and climbed into the top five early in the Coke Zero 400 race, but Truex’s luck ran out when a piece of metal from Kyle Busch’s wrecked car damaged Truex’s splitter on lap 103. Truex returned to the track in the back of the pack, but he couldn’t avoid a multi-car accident at about lap 116 that severely damaged the NAPA Toyota. David Ragan’s No. 6 Ford triggered the accident by turning sideways in turn three and slamming into Jamie McMurray, Truex and Kasey Kahne.
“I'm not quite sure what happened,” Truex said. “They all spun in front of me. I saw (Ragan) up in front of me, sideways. He was coming down the track. You just can't slow down. We had a good car. The NAPA Toyota was running really well. When Kyle wrecked, we hit some of his debris and pitted twice because we were afraid the splitter would drag.”
Truex returned to the track on lap 144 and managed to finish the race in 35th place.“We have good cars, but we just can't catch any breaks,” Truex said. “It's a shame because the NAPA Know How crew is working hard. The NAPA Toyota was really good and we were running up in the top 10 most of the race.”
Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet, started the race in first place and ultimately won by holding off Kahne, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Truex’s finish puts him in 20th place in Sprint Cup Series driver points. He next travels to Chicagoland for Saturday’s LifeLock.com 400 race.
Photos courtesy of SPEED.
Labels: Coke Zero 400, David Ragan, Daytona International Speedway, Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr., Michael Waltrip Racing, NAPA Auto Parts, TireMonkey.com
Monday, June 28, 2010
Temperamental Toyota troubles Truex in Tools 301
Michael Waltrip Racing/TireMonkey.com driver Martin Truex Jr. brought the No. 56 Toyota across the New Hampshire finish line in 22nd place on Sunday, bumping himself up to 18th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver standings.
Jimmie Johnson of the No. 48 Chevrolet won the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 race, his fifth win of the 2010 season. Tony Stewart of the No. 14 Chevrolet came in second place and Kurt Busch of the No. 2 Dodge grabbed third place.
A qualifying time of 29.167 seconds at 130.586 mph on the New Hampshire Motor Speedway put Truex in the 26th starting position for the race, but he soon struggled with his car’s handling. At first, the Chevrolet was too loose, but then the handling became too tight.
"We definitely need to be better when we come back here in the fall,” Truex said after the race. “Qualifying definitely hurt us because it was so hard to pass. It seemed as if nothing really worked out in our favor.”
At one point, Truex had crawled his way to 16th place, but he fell off the lead lap during lap 217 and then fell a second lap during lap 236. During lap 291, he had to pull into pit road for four tires and to have his crew make some adjustments to the car’s handling.
Truex’s next race is the Coke Zero 400 on July 3 at Daytona International Speedway.
Jimmie Johnson of the No. 48 Chevrolet won the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 race, his fifth win of the 2010 season. Tony Stewart of the No. 14 Chevrolet came in second place and Kurt Busch of the No. 2 Dodge grabbed third place.A qualifying time of 29.167 seconds at 130.586 mph on the New Hampshire Motor Speedway put Truex in the 26th starting position for the race, but he soon struggled with his car’s handling. At first, the Chevrolet was too loose, but then the handling became too tight.
"We definitely need to be better when we come back here in the fall,” Truex said after the race. “Qualifying definitely hurt us because it was so hard to pass. It seemed as if nothing really worked out in our favor.”
At one point, Truex had crawled his way to 16th place, but he fell off the lead lap during lap 217 and then fell a second lap during lap 236. During lap 291, he had to pull into pit road for four tires and to have his crew make some adjustments to the car’s handling.
Truex’s next race is the Coke Zero 400 on July 3 at Daytona International Speedway.
Labels: Daytona International Speedway, Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Lenox Industrial Tools 301, Loudon, Martin Truex Jr., Michael Waltrip Racing, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, New Hampshire, Tony Stewart
