Martin Truex Jr. TUMS Fast Relief 500 Race Preview

CORNELIUS, N.C. — Martin Truex Jr. wasn’t always a big fan of Martinsville Speedway. But, that’s before he started driving for Michael Waltrip Racing. Before his 2010 MWR arrival, the Mayetta, N.J. driver posted one top-10 finish in eight races. He’s earned two top-five and three top-10 finishes in five races with MWR. Sunday’s event on the flat, Virginia half-mile track is the most important Martinsville race of Truex’s career. The No. 56 team is sixth in NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup — 43 points out of first. He hopes participation in an Aug. 7 Goodyear tire test will give the NAPA team a head start this weekend. Only four races remain in the 2012 Chase. Martin Truex Jr. on Returning to Martinsville: “I think we learned quite a bit from the Goodyear Tire test that can help us. The thing about Martinsville that makes it so unique is the concrete in the corners. This place changes so much as you go through all the practice sessions and the Truck Series activities. The track gets...