Martin Truex Jr. Forced to Backup Car

Furniture Row Racing driver Martin Truex Jr. was forced to a backup Chevrolet after damaging his primary car in Saturday's first Sprint Cup practice at Auto Club Speedway. The incident was triggered when the left-rear tire went flat as Truex was going into Turn 1 on the 2-mile oval.

Truex's No. 78 Chevrolet smacked the outside wall, causing major body damage to the right-side of the car. Since he will be in a backup car, Truex's 12th-place qualifying effort will be nullified as he will have to start the 200-lap race from the rear of the field.

"The tire went down going into Turn 1 and I didn't have any warning," said Truex. "That's not the place you want to have a tire issue. We had a good race car and felt it was even getting better. We have to start at the back, but if your car is good here you can make your way up through the field. It's really been a tough start of the year for this Furniture Row team. I hate it for the guys but we'll get through this and show what this team is capable of accomplishing."

Note: This is the second time in the first five races of the season that Truex has been forced to a backup car. He also went to a backup at the season-opening Daytona 500. According to Truex, Daytona was the first time in his Sprint Cup career that he entered a race in a backup car.