Stock car drivers see the world through a windshield. So forgive Martin Truex Jr. if he frames his NASCAR ups and downs in racing terms.
“Last year is in the rearview mirror,” Truex said. “We’re looking ahead, and I feel good about the direction for this season as far as building cars and what we need to go fast.”
Truex on Sunday will start 10th at the Daytona 500, the Super Bowl of stock car racing and the traditional season-opening race. It’s Truex’s second season driving Denver’s No. 78 car for the single-ride Furniture Row Racing team.
After a rough 2014 — Truex finished 24th, his worst career finish — he’s trying to get FRR back on the NASCAR map. And he’s trying to get himself back into the Sprint Cup playoffs.
“I’m looking forward to seeing if all the things we’ve done in the offseason will do what we hope they’ll do,” Truex said. “The anticipation of getting on the track and seeing if it’s all going to do what you think is crazy.”
Last Saturday, Truex drove to an impressive second-place finish in the preseason Sprint Unlimited race at Daytona International Speedway. It was a promising start for the No. 78 car. Truex was fifth in the 64-lap qualifying race Thursday night.
But Truex and the team started well last year, too, before the floor fell out. He started the Daytona 500 on the front row after qualifying second, then he was forced to drop out after 30 laps because of his car’s oil pump exploding.
“It was miserable,” Truex said. “We tried so hard. Everybody worked so hard.”
The flameout at Daytona was just the beginning of the trouble. Truex had just one top-10 finish in his first 12 races, a 10th at Richmond, and just one other top-15 finish.
“We just couldn’t get anywhere,” Truex said. “It’s like a dog chasing its tail in a circle. … Between bad luck or part failures, it was hard to gain any traction, any momentum.”
He did end the season on an upswing, finishing fourth at Kansas, seventh at Dover and 12th at Phoenix in the final eight races.
“We started to turn, and the luck got a little better,” Truex said. “Nowhere near where we wanted it to be, but better. Confidence and communication — we all got on the same page together.”
Nick Groke: ngroke@denverpost.com or
Daytona 500 lineup
Race is Sunday at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. Lap length: 2.5 miles. Car number in parentheses.
1. (24) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 201.293 mph
2. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 201.135
3. (88) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 195.080
4. (18) Matt Crafton, Toyota, 200.187
5. (22) Joey Logano, Ford, 193.241
6. (19) Carl Edwards, Toyota, 197.837
7. (14) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 197.968
8. (16) Greg Biffle, Ford, 197.477
9. (15) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 194.995
10. (78) Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, 190.678
11. (4) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 197.994
12. (21) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 193.282
13. (5) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 199.867
14. (44) Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet, 194.978
15. (1) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 193.133
16. (66) Mike Wallace, Toyota, 192.509
17. (40) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 193.299
18. (51) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 196.532
19. (35) Cole Whitt, Ford, 194.012
20. (10) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 197.959
21. (27) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 198.325
22. (31) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 198.177
23. (95) Michael McDowell, Ford, 195.3
24. (41) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 197.976
25. (23) J.J. Yeley, Toyota, 199.256
26. (38) David Gilliland, Ford, 195.346
27. (46) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 196.554
28. (34) David Ragan, Ford, 194.452
29. (42) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 195.588
30. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 196.962
31. (33) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 197.507
32. (17) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 196.816
33. (43) Aric Almirola, Ford, 197.2
34. (55) Michael Waltrip, Toyota, 190.517
35. (20) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 200.214
36. (83) Johnny Sauter, Toyota, 198.22
37. (6) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 197.256
38. (9) Sam Hornish Jr., Ford, 197.243
39. (2) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 193.357
40. (47) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 198.212
41. (13) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 197.946
42. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 200.933
43. (32) Bobby Labonte, Ford, past champion
Failed to qualify
44. (62) Brian Scott, Chevrolet, 197.828
45. (29) Justin Marks, Toyota, 194.675
46. (30) Ron Hornaday Jr., Chevrolet, 190.791
47. (26) Jeb Burton, Toyota, 195.004
48. (7) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 198.229
49. (98) Josh Wise, Ford, 193.386
