More sponsorship needed for a Truex contract extension

Martin Truex Jr.

While there has been speculation that Martin Truex Jr. could be the odd man out at Furniture Row Racing (#78) when Erik Jones is promoted to Sprint Cup, that's simply not the case. For now, the only obstacle between sealing the Truex deal appears to be sponsorship. "We're working on it as hard as we can," Furniture Row Racing team owner Barney Visser said.

"It's a matter of finding some sponsorship help right now. That's what he needs. That's what we need."

Toyota Racing Development boss David Wilson said he hopes to have his 2017 lineup shored up by mid-July. Wilson jokes often that having an abundance of talented up-and-coming-drivers and not enough seats is a good problem to have. Truex has expressed his desire to stay the course with crew chief Cole Pearn and continue building a championship caliber club. Visser is open to operating two Cup teams.

However, in order to afford multiple teams, Visser would need a second charter for a new squad as well as additional funding. "Yes, again, it's sponsorships," Visser added. "Toyota is doing everything they can to help us. They've been terrific to work with. They're doing everything they can. Joe Gibbs is doing everything he can to help us get this thing done." Motorsport