NASCAR: Crayon 301 Post-Race Press Conference

NASCAR: Crayon 301 Post-Race Press Conference Participants.

Martin Truex Jr. dominated the rain delayed Crayon 301 NASCAR race Monday to score his first New Hampshire Cup victory.

Participants

Martin Truex Jr. – Race Winner

James Small – Truex Crew Chief

Joe Gibbs – Team Owner

THE MODERATOR: We are joined by our race winner Martin Truex Jr. Congrats on the win. First win here at one of your many, many home tracks. Can you tell us a little bit about what this means to you and your family?

MARTIN TRUEX JR: Sure, yeah. I think it’s no secret that I’ve been after this one for a long time. It’s always been one that I wanted so bad, and maybe I think too bad at times.

But it was well worth the wait to be able to do it here today finally, take home the lobster and put another win at Loudon with the name Truex on it. Very special.

Just an unbelievable day for our team and unbelievable job by everyone on our Reser’s Toyota Camry. The car was super fast again here like we’ve been in the past, but it definitely was fast all day long, not just the first two stages, so that was good.

Martin, is it more of a Monday thing for you this year or is it more of a home track thing for you this year?

MARTIN TRUEX JR: Man, I hate to say it, that it’s a Monday thing, but Mondays sure have been good to us. I don’t know, I think we could have won yesterday if it didn’t rain, but you never know.

The racing gods do funny things at times. Just glad we could put it together, honestly. Stage 3 came around and I’m like, all right, what’s going to happen. It all went to plan. We never got — the field never really flipped on strategy. We were always able to be at least equal tires to the guys around us or better. That’s really the difference from last year to this year, was just making the right decisions and the cautions not falling at inopportune times to put us in a bad spot.

James did a great job calling the race, when to take two, when to stay out, all those things, and he called it perfect, and race car was unbelievable.

Obviously, three wins for you now this year. Why do you think you and James have really clicked here in 2023?

MARTIN TRUEX JR: Just experience with this race car really. I think James and I have always had a great relationship, have always gelled and worked really well together, understand each other. Last year was just one of those years where we had a lot working against us.

But we learned a lot, and now we’ve got better race cars. We have a better understanding of them, and that consistency that we’ve shown and the ability to lead laps and win races is proof of that.

We never changed a thing with our team, our people, our process, the way we did things. We just have better cars, better understanding of our cars, and showing up to the racetrack ready to roll with a lot of speed this year.

You led nearly 85 percent of the laps today, 254 to be exact. I feel like we know that the 2016 Coke 600 is going to be No. 1, but where does this rank among the best cars you’ve ever driven in a race?

MARTIN TRUEX JR: I don’t know. I mean, it’s so hard to say how that works out. A lot of it depends on who’s around you. At times there was guys that were as fast as we were. Start of stage 3, we were on a little bit older tires.

Blaney was really fast. He put some pressure on running that really high groove, and then I got up there and kind of got that going, figured it out, and then was able to slightly pull away from him. And then at the end Logano was hanging, too.

You just never know in these races. Guys get better all day long. Everybody works on their car. Our car was so good you don’t really know what to do to make it better, and sometimes guys start catching up because you’re afraid to do anything.

That’s bit us here in the past. Today we were able to just make real small adjustments and the track didn’t really change that much but the groove changed a ton. I cannot believe where we were running at the end of that race, like in that old pavement way up high. That’s the craziest thing I’ve ever done here.

Pretty cool that it kind of moved around and worked out that way and our car, we were able to just run anywhere. Yeah, just a super good race car that was very maneuverable and could run different lanes, was good in traffic. I could pass cars and do what I needed.

I don’t know, I’ve had really good cars in the past at other places, and this place here you get out front, track position is a big deal, and we were able to take advantage of that today.

What kind of family members did you have here today?

MARTIN TRUEX JR: None. Yeah, nobody was here today. This is actually kind of far from home. We used to drive up here, it was seven and a half hours or something like that. Nobody is here. They’re all at home. So they screwed up. (Laughter.)

You haven’t been able to talk to anybody on the phone?

MARTIN TRUEX JR: I’ve seen my brother — I got a text back to my brother. He said, “finally.” I got one back to him and said, “hell, yeah.” I haven’t looked for anybody else yet.

Obviously, you’ve won here and had success in the past and done great things, and you’ve talked about what your dad has done here. A lot of times the sons want to top the fathers in different things or want to be able to match them or move forward. I know you’ve won here, but to win at this level, to win this type of race at a track where your dad had success, what does it mean from a son’s perspective of looking at hey, dad, I did it, or what would you say?

MARTIN TRUEX JR: Yeah, thinking back to when I was a kid coming here and watching that and watching him win here in ’94, just those were my heroes growing up, the guys he raced against, Kelly Warren and Dave Dion and all the Busch North guys back in the day that were legends of the northeast, to watch him race with them, they were all my heroes, and then to start racing against them and win against them and move up and keep doing things, I just never would have thought.

When I was a kid coming here watching, I didn’t even know I’d get to do that some day. He really paved the way for me. He gave me great opportunities, speaking of my father. He was going to run a couple Busch North races in 2000, and I was going to run not the full season. I ran the first couple, and he ran here the first race of the year, and then after that race, he stopped racing altogether.

He’s like, you’re too good. I need to give you my cars — the best equipment I have and put everything behind you. I’m like, why are you doing that? Doesn’t matter. We’re just going to go race. He’s like, no, because you can win here and keep going. I didn’t even know that.

I owe a lot of this to him. But we came back here that next time in July, raced two at Loudon that year, and he gave me his car and his engine and I came here and sat on the pole and led every lap and won the race.

It’s crazy to think that was 23 years ago, what has been between then and now, and to be right here again at this track with just a huge accomplishing day, with a great performance from my team just brings back a lot of memories of what this place means to me and to my career.

You guys always remember the ones that got away as much as the ones you win. When you look back at last year, how tough was that? How long did it take to recover, or if you have? I know James talked about it and said after Sonoma you guys were on the plane back and already talking about this. I’m sure there’s still a lot lingering even from last year.

MARTIN TRUEX JR: Yeah, I think they probably take it a little worse than I do, I’d say, and that’s a great thing for me because they’re just so determined. James is a grinder. He’ll do whatever it takes to get the job done. He’s always willing to go above and beyond. He works really hard, and I’m lucky to have him in my corner and running our team.

You know, I’ve been through so much in my career that I just kind of brush it off. I’m like, yeah. Wasn’t meant to be. We didn’t do anything wrong. It’s just the way — it’s racing. It will drive you absolutely nuts if you let it.

I’ve been through enough, and I’ve had enough races slip away throughout my career that I don’t let it get to me anymore. I didn’t do anything wrong. There’s nothing I could do; why let it bring you down; why let it get to you. Just brush it off, go to the next one.

But I think my team was really motivated, and they put a lot of effort into this one, and I appreciate that.

You might have just answered this, but coming here growing up, what was your favorite memory here as a child?

MARTIN TRUEX JR: My favorite memory ever was coming here for what used to be Chevy dealers 250. It was a combination race. The Busch North guys could run with the Busch guys, combination race. They had them up until, I don’t know, ’96 maybe, something like that.

My dad was running. His car was parked in the garage nose to nose with Dale Earnhardt’s car. Dale was running that race, and just getting to see his car in the garage up close — I actually seen him up under the fender working on the carburetor, which back in the day that used to be something that a lot of the drivers did.

Just seeing that was really cool because he was one of my favorite drivers growing up. It was the first time I got around anybody of that caliber of racing, and it was a very, very special memory.

Then right there with it was when my dad won here in ’94 on TV with Darrell Waltrip and Buddy Baker commentating the race. That was pretty awesome.

Three wins this year; perfect race today; extended the record; season championship lead.

MARTIN TRUEX JR: Beautiful.

Yeah. Do you feel like there’s a separation now in terms of the championship favorites and do you feel like you’re the favorite?

MARTIN TRUEX JR: It doesn’t matter what I think. We’ve got to execute. We’ve got to go win races. We’ve got to get points. I was thinking this week — I seen the points pop up the other day and I was like, all right, if we have a perfect weekend we’ll be like one bonus point behind Byron — wait, no, not quite, but close.

We should be second now anyway. But the regular season championship is a big deal; 15 points for that. If we can keep knocking off bonus points, that’s going to be very, very important come playoff time.

Just keep digging and keep doing what we’re doing. The last two weeks have been tough with terrible finishes but really good race cars and really good runs. So we’re doing what we need to do, and just got to keep doing that and trying to keep gaining points.

Joe was just in here, Joe Gibbs, and he says you’re having fun, you’re having a great year, you’re winning races. Why wouldn’t you come back next year?

MARTIN TRUEX JR: Of course he says that.

That is the question; why wouldn’t you come back?

MARTIN TRUEX JR: I don’t know. I’m not sure. You know, I was talking out there to Claire, and I was like, this sport isn’t exactly what it appears to be sometimes. It takes a big commitment.

My team is amazing. They deserve the very best driver, the guy that wants it more than anyone else, and I’ve been that guy. I want to make sure that if I come back, I’m willing to do that. It takes a lot. It’s not just show up at the track, drive the car, go home. It takes a lot. It takes a lot of commitment. It’s a lot of travel. A lot of time missing things with family and friends and all those things that I’ve done for 25 years. Do I want to keep doing it and am I willing to sacrifice all those things again for my team?

So that’s just what I’m thinking about. I don’t know that running good and winning makes a difference. It would be pretty awesome to win the championship and walk off into the sunset.

I just don’t really know. I don’t really know. I’m bad at making big decisions. I told somebody out there, I was like, I’ve been looking at salt water boats for five, six years. Love to fish, spend a lot of time on the water, and I haven’t pulled the trigger on a boat because I just can’t make up my mind on what I want. I’m just bad at big decisions.

I finally am about to buy one maybe this week. I wish I had more time to figure out what I want to do next year, but I don’t, so I’ll know soon and you’ll know soon.

You caught the lobster first and then got the boat?

MARTIN TRUEX JR: Well, yes, but I won’t fish for lobster on my boat. I’ll fish for fish. Tuna. Catch tuna, not lobster. I don’t know. It’s a long-winded question, but I just don’t know what to do.

Obviously this is a big win, but when those cautions came out, did you get a little nervous there?

MARTIN TRUEX JR: No.

Car was just that good?

MARTIN TRUEX JR: Yeah. I mean, I knew what I had to do. The outside lane is preferred here on restarts. I knew if I could get a good jump I’d be in good shape, and that’s the way it worked out.

I think the first two I was a little bit like we were running so high on the track, a groove that we’ve never, ever run here before in anything throughout any point in time throughout my career. Maybe 10, 11 years ago we might have got up there one or two times, but in general that groove was really different.

On restarts I was a little nervous to go straight up there, so I kind of hedged lower, and the 22 hedged even lower than that, which was okay, and then he started to move up, I moved up.

I figured the next to last restart I was like, I probably need to get up there quicker and at least try it, so I did not want him to get to my outside. Luckily I fired it off in there to that third to fourth groove, and it stuck, and then from there it was like, I had a lot of confidence that I could do what I needed. I pulled away two, three car lengths and I could settle in from there.

The last restart I knew exactly what I needed to do, and it worked good. I never really got nervous. You just try to execute and think of all the things that could go wrong and try to not let those happen.

How much did that lobster weigh (indiscernible)?

MARTIN TRUEX JR: I’m not sure. What is he, 28 pounds, something like that? 22? Didn’t feel too heavy to me, but I was all jacked up on adrenaline. I’d damn sure like to go throw him on the grill right now if you can help me find him. Lobster rolls for everybody.

Was it unsettling at all that drivers were working other lines, and we kind of heard your spotter at one point tell you and you said, well I can’t — sounded like there were some lines that were working well for you but some lines that weren’t.

MARTIN TRUEX JR: Yeah, it was interesting how much it moved around today. Like I said, that super high groove is something that you’d have never thought about doing here last year or two years ago. I don’t really know why, something with the tire, I guess, that Goodyear brought.

When I first — when guys were first running up there, and I’m like, where the hell are they going, the first couple times I slid up there on accident and tried it, I was like, ooh, that felt like a lot of grip up there.

Then it just took a little while to figure out that it would work because I’ve never even thought about doing that here. In years past you get up there you’d about bust your ass.

It was very different and took a little getting used to, but at the end it was way faster to be up high, so it was pretty cool.

Piggy-backing, thoughts on the new tire after a full race going forward for future short tracks?

MARTIN TRUEX JR: Yeah, I mean, I thought it was good for here. I thought there was more falloff than we’d had in the past.

Still had an option to do two. I don’t know that I like that. I kind of like — wish they would wear a little bit more, maybe fire off a little faster, maybe slow down a little bit more. It was still hard to pass. You could still take two.

Still probably could go softer. I know Goodyear hates when we talk about it like that, but I still think that would be better. But all in all, seemed like a pretty good race. This place is just hard to pass. It is what it is.

That top groove, especially when that came in, that was pretty dominant, so it was going to be hard to pass guys on older tires.

It seemed like newer tires, you could pass a little easier than older, which is I guess a good thing. I don’t know.

Your brother sent this picture from back in the day.

MARTIN TRUEX JR: There it is. He’s drinking a bottle.

Can you tell me what kind of memories come when you see that?

MARTIN TRUEX JR: Yeah, just crazy to think about what has happened between then and now, and then also just how fast time flies by.

That was, what, 22 years ago probably. I was probably 13; Ryan was one, I’m guessing.

It’s crazy how fast time goes by. That’s what makes the retirement decision a question mark, and part of that is how fast time goes and when you want to stop working and enjoy it.

But just seeing that, just a reminder of what this place means and how long we’ve been coming here and what it means to win here again was very, very special.

THE MODERATOR: Martin, congratulations. Thank you for your time.

Crew Chief James Small

THE MODERATOR: We will continue with questions for crew chief James Small.

James, I know Martin has felt that pressure. How happy are you for him that he finally got the win up here at one of his home tracks?

JAMES SMALL: Yeah, it’s amazing. I know what this race means to him, his family, and how close we’ve been before to winning this, leading all those laps, and just something going upside down towards the end.

They threw everything at us today, and thankfully we were able to get it and get it for the family. Yeah, just remarkable. I can’t imagine how happy his dad is where we’re at right now.

James, obviously three wins in the season, perfect day today points-wise, extending your lead. Do you guys feel like you’re the championship favorite right now?

JAMES SMALL: I don’t know. It’s very up and down. Obviously we’re showing strong pace across a variety of tracks, and it’s just about executing it.

You can do that all day and have things out of your control go wrong and take you out of it. Take every race one at a time, each week at a time, and try and maximize it. We’ll see if we wind up there and if we can do it, but I feel really good about it right now.

Obviously you guys were the dominant car today. Is it easier to call a race when you’re kind of on offense like that, or is it tougher when you’re more on the defensive strategy?

JAMES SMALL: It’s kind of tougher, to be honest. It’s your race to lose in a way. I feel like that happened to us last year, and I’ve thought about it every day since.

I was up last night stressing about it for ages, thinking of all the different scenarios. Once we got through doing what we did and being slightly conservative, just taking the four tires and being able to get back in front, but I knew at the end, that was the only call to make because so many people were going to do it, and we would have been buried if we had taken four.

Yeah, it’s definitely more difficult, but yeah, thankfully it worked out for us today.

You guys were originally going to take four or two?

JAMES SMALL: I was more on the side of rights. I was just trying to see what the other people were going to do. As soon as the 22 did rights it was a given. So they were ready, and we just needed to confirm what we were going to do.

James, obviously the joke is Martin has got so many home tracks, so maybe it doesn’t matter. I know Dover is important, but when you come here and he hasn’t won, you’re doing the best you can every week, but is there any more of realizing the significance of what a win could mean or what this place means, because he has 15 different home tracks it’s the same thing every week?

JAMES SMALL: Yeah, this really is kind of his home track. I don’t know. I guess Dover might be closer, but I know how much this win means to him and his family and the significance of him coming here when he was a young child and everything and all of that.

It’s always been one that he wanted to win.

We were talking about it, he flew home with us after Sonoma, and we were sitting back there drinking some beers on the plane — probably shouldn’t say that. (Laughter).

We were talking about, this is the one. We need to win this one. Hopefully he doesn’t go and retire on us now that he’s got it.

But yeah, it’s important. We put the same effort in every week, but we just know that we come here and we really expect to win, and thankfully we crossed it off the list today.

How does this track come up in a conversation on the plane back from Sonoma then?

JAMES SMALL: It’s just races that we really wanted to win and races that have gotten away from us in the past. We just talk garbage back there. It’s like a couple of — all of us, we’re such a close-knit group and we’re just a bunch of mates going racing. That’s why it’s so fun. It’s the most fun I’ve ever had with anybody in my life racing on the 19 team. He loves it, as well. We’re there for him and he’s there for us every week.

Was it a couple years ago you guys were in control, then it went away? Was that one of the more disheartening losses because of what happened, where it was and things like that? Was that something in the back of your mind or is that something that in the past you forget about?

JAMES SMALL: No, I think about all the mistakes every day. Last year there we dominated the race and we had that early caution in stage 3, and there was a bunch of us that took rights, and, you know, four tires was back in tenth with Chase and then fell behind him.

We had a terrible restart and got buried. We had what was the dominant car that day, as well, and we kind of let that one get away from us.

There’s so many factors, but if I had that time back again — it’s always easier when you know all the information, isn’t it.

There’s other races here in the past where we’ve had really good cars and fallen away at the end or gotten in an accident. I’m just glad we crossed it off the list.

I just was wondering, you had such a great setup during qualifying and during practice. During the course of the race today, did you have to make any modifications to the setup of the car or did you leave it the way it was during those qualifications?

JAMES SMALL: No, we can’t help ourselves. We weren’t that good in practice. As fast as we were, we weren’t where we needed to be. We knew we needed to make adjustments.

Yeah, we worked on it for the last few days. Still working on it this morning.

Yeah, during the race we just did a few little air pressure changes, and that was it. Never had to get a wrench out or anything like that. Yeah, I think we improved what we needed to.

Is there any extra motivation to do well so that Martin returns, and/or is there motivation to do well because you don’t know how many more races you’re going to have left with him?

JAMES SMALL: No, we don’t need any extra motivation. We’re just here to win every week and win the championship. What will be is what will be. We don’t even talk about it with him. None of us on the team.

It’s his decision, and whatever. We’re happy either way, and we’ll support him. Our focus is on this championship and winning that, and we’ll worry about next year come December.

He doesn’t talk about it much with us, either.

JAMES SMALL: Yeah, I know. I heard you pissed him off. (Laughter.)

There was a lot of talk about how much wider the track seemed to be for guys today. When you see that happening from your perspective, does it make you say, do we have to do things a little different, or is the proof in the pudding and you just say he’s doing all right already?

JAMES SMALL: No, the proof is in the pudding. We were joking about it after the race, like we can’t believe where he was running, like how much grip there was up there.

Obviously that’s not like what we worked around, but you’ve got to go where the grip is. Yeah, it was crazy.

It was interesting, and those guys, they’re so good. All those guys, Martin, Joey, they know how to find the grip and whatever, and we have the tools to see where everybody else is running, so if somebody suddenly starts running a faster lap time or whatever, oh, what line are they in, and kind of give him that information, as well.

THE MODERATOR: James, thanks for joining us, and congrats on the win.

Joe Gibbs

THE MODERATOR: We are going to continue our media availabilities, and we are currently joined by race winning owner Coach Joe Gibbs. Coach, thanks for joining us. Can you tell us a little bit about what this win means to you, the organization and to Martin, as well?

JOE GIBBS: Well, first of all, let me just say we love coming to Loudon. It’s a huge deal for our sponsors. I hate it that the rain yesterday kept us from our big hospitalities and everything that we have, but it’s a big deal for us coming up here. Really appreciate it.

To be truthful, I think we have a real confidence when we come here. Our guys believe they’re going to run good. Christopher has been good here; obviously Martin was last year; Denny has been also.

Anyway, love coming here. Appreciate the day. It means so much. Just to emphasize this, Reser’s is a huge partner for us, to have them on the car, Auto Owners. I called Johnny Morris, Bass Pro. Nobody is a bigger race guy than Johnny. So it’s a huge deal for us and our partners.

Joe, Martin has talked the last couple weeks about he’s thinking about maybe retiring at the end of the season or coming back. What has he told you about his decision, and how soon do you need a decision?

JOE GIBBS: I wish — hey, will you please talk to him for me? He tells me the same thing every year, that I’m right in the middle of trying to make this decision. I go, come on, what are you talking about, man? You’re making money, you’re having fun, you’re driving race cars. Come on.

But no, we haven’t — I think it is, though, very important for us to kind of have some pressure here because it’s pressure for all of us. It’s a huge deal for us.

I’m hoping — I really felt like he’s having such, I think, a great year, and I think he’s having fun, and so I’m hoping that we get a good answer for us here.

How would you assess what Martin has been able to do this year compared to what he’s done for you since he joined your organization?

JOE GIBBS: Yeah, I think he and James right now, it’s so important, that combination. Last year we all know in this sport you can have years where things just won’t go your way, and I can’t think of how many times I still got a picture of the car spinning on pit road down at Homestead and things like that happening to him.

I think we were fast certainly last year at times, but I think this year has just been totally different. I think they’ve kind of set their mind to have a great year. Couldn’t come at a better time for us.

The Clash, amazingly enough, winning that thing was a big confidence deal. Just appreciate NASCAR putting that track in the Coliseum and doing some of the things we’ve done this year, the road race. Obviously it was a huge deal for us, too, so I really appreciate everybody’s hard work at NASCAR.

I think they’ve got a great schedule for us. I think it’s interesting for our fans, and I think Chicago was a big deal for us.

Did you ever think about breaking up James and Martin?

JOE GIBBS: No. I think they — honestly, Martin has such a great ability — I’m telling you, no matter how big a mess it was, that man is as even and never — you don’t shake him up. He has a real belief in James, and Jazzy, our engineer there, we’re doing some interesting things with him. We’re bringing him to the racetrack now. I think that’s made a big difference, too.

I think they’ve got a really good team. I think Martin has got a real confidence in that group.

You’ve been partnering with Toyota. How has that partnership with Toyota led to such a great season so far?

JOE GIBBS: Well, we’ve had a great partnership. I think when it started like 16 years ago, it’s been a big deal for us.

I think the biggest thing with partnerships, it’s yes, everybody has fun and it’s great when you’re winning, but when you go through some tough times, too, and we’ve done that with Toyota.

I think it’s a battle-tested partnership. Love the relationship we have with those guys. I called Jack from the winner’s circle, and I’ll talk to David tonight.

You couldn’t have better partners from an OEM standpoint.

How do you explain the level of almost domination that you’ve had at both the top levels here, putting so many cars over here in Victory Lane through the last five, six, seven years?

JOE GIBBS: Yeah, I think when you go to some places, you just have a lot of confidence, and I mentioned that, and I think Loudon is one of those places for us.

Our guys, I think, really, all four of them, like this place. Ty’s first go around here. But I think we have a real confidence, and I think our crew chiefs have done a great job, too, with our setups and stuff, so I feel real good about that.

Like I said, we love coming here.

Coach, next week marks a year since Ty’s Cup Series debut. How much progress have you seen from him?

JOE GIBBS: Well, I think it is so hard when you step up, so we just take — we’re after it with him. I think he’s had six top 10s or so, had some disappointments. Today was one of them.

So I think it’s a learning process. It’s extremely hard, and I think we’ve seen in the past that even the guys that wind up being superstars, it takes a while.

I think he’s working hard at it, and I think Chris and he have a real partnership and kind of get along good, have a good chemistry.

We’ve got great sponsors there. Monster, He Gets Us on the car, and Interstate, that’s a great three-team effort for us and sponsorship, which is great.

THE MODERATOR: Coach, thank you for your time. Congratulations on the win.