In what has been a historic season thus far, Martin Truex Jr. finished a disappointing 13th place in the first race of the Chase for the Sprint Cup at Chicagoland Speedway.
Truex Jr. was the fastest in the final two practices leading up to Sunday’s race, and led for 39 laps despite finishing outside of the top 10.
There are still two races to go in the Challenger Round of 16 drivers before the field is narrowed to 12, and Truex Jr. currently sits at 11th overall in the Chase standings. Here are the full standings:
Here's where things stand.
And here's some analysis: http://t.co/jfUXpuv8RQ #TheChase pic.twitter.com/B4OMQ2aq7C
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) September 21, 2015
The second race will take place next Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, a place where Truex Jr. has excelled, grabbing three top-5 finishes through 14 races.
Truex Jr. got his third career win in early June at Pocono Raceway, and led for 97 of 160 laps. He’s made seven top-5 finishes so far this season, which ties his career high.
The Denver-based Furniture Row Racing team has generally been considered an afterthought in a world where single-car teams face an uphill battle, but Truex Jr. has been putting the team on the map as of late.
Calvin Jouard is a Mile High Sports intern and Denver University student