DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The much anticipated qualifying race under chilly conditions at Daytona International Speedway is over and our primary Furniture Row Chevrolet is ready to be fine-tuned for Sunday’s Daytona 500.
We ran in the top-three and top-four for most of the night and ended up finishing fifth in the 64-lap qualifying race Thursday. As a result of the finish we should start 10th for the Daytona 500.
We had a decent run. The car wasn’t quite as good as the Sprint Unlimited car that we finished second with on Saturday night. The main problem was when I got next to someone our car had a tendency to stall out. We were basically a fourth- or fifth-place car next to Jimmie Johnson’s car and the Joe Gibbs Racing cars of Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards.
For the first 50 laps we were right there contending for the lead and then I got shuffled back in the draft. They got three wide behind me and I picked the wrong lane. I was concerned at that point because there weren’t many laps remaining, but fortunately I was able to get back up front.
We’ll put in our 500 engine Friday and then practice for the last time Saturday. Our crew chief, Cole Pearn, said he has some ideas on how to get more speed out of the car. Don’t get me wrong, we have a fast car, but when you’re going for the Gold, a little more speed never hurts.
It’s been a relaxing and fun Daytona Speedweeks so far. The cars have run well and we have not suffered any major damage or misfortune. The guys back at the shop in Denver have built me some great race cars and our road crew here at Daytona is getting it done. It’s been nothing short of a great team effort by this Furniture Row Racing team. Everyone is doing their job and we’re getting the results that we expected.
We have momentum and feeling good right now. But we’ve been in this business long enough to know that things can change in an instant. And that’s why we’ll continue to follow the standard cliché — “Look ahead and take things one day at a time.”
Furniture Row Racing’s Martin Truex Jr., driver of Denver’s No. 78 car, is keeping a daily diary for The Post through Sunday’s Daytona 500.
