Getty Martin Truex Jr. waits on the starting grid at Kansas Speedway.
The NASCAR Cup Series drivers take part in the annual All-Star Race at Texas Motor Speedway on May 22. This will mark the first Next Gen race at the 1.5-mile track, and Martin Truex Jr. expects some chaos.
“It’s going to be a really, really sketchy track, I think, with this car,” Truex told PRN’s Garage Pass ahead of the race at Kansas Speedway. “For sure. Like, it’s probably going to be the hardest track that we’ve been to I think. I just feel like it’s going to be really, really treacherous.”
The Cup Series drivers have dealt with some handling issues at intermediate tracks during the 2022 season. Several spun during practice at Auto Club Speedway while others dealt with major tire issues at Kansas Speedway. Chase Elliott also moved to a backup car at Darlington Raceway after losing control with a cut tire and hitting the wall hard.
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Truex Will Pursue His First Win at Texas Motor Speedway
The race will not count in the points standings, but it will provide the drivers with the opportunity to win at another intermediate track and collect the $1 million prize. For Truex, he will shoot for his first Cup Series win at Texas Motor Speedway.
The 2017 Cup Series champion has made 32 starts at the 1.5-mile track during his career. He has been within reach of Victory Lane with top-10 finishes in 53.1% of his starts. This includes five top-five finishes.
There are three races that serve as Truex’s best performances at Texas Motor Speedway. He has three runner-ups in his career. The first was behind Kyle Busch during the 2013 season, the second was behind Kevin Harvick in 2017, and the third was behind Busch in 2020.
Truex Faces Favorable Odds To Win at Texas
GettyMartin Truex Jr. during driver introductions at the 2021 All-Star Race.
Capturing the All-Star Race is not a simple matter of taking the lead early, avoiding incidents, earning stage points, and getting in position for the final run to the checkered flag. Instead, the first three stages have greater importance given that the winners will start on the front row for the final run to the checkered flag, provided they are inside of the top-15.
Truex will face favorable odds overall to win the All-Star Race, which would be the first of his career. According to BetMGM, he enters the weekend at 12-1, which puts him in a tie with Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney. These drivers have the sixth-best odds to win the All-Star Race, and they are directly behind Ross Chastain at 10-1.
Kyle Larson, the defending winner of the All-Star Race, faces the best odds to win at 5-1. He will enter the weekend in search of his third career win in the exhibition race, which would put him in a tie with Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt for the second-most all-time behind Jimmie Johnson (four wins). A win for Larson would also mark three straight for Hendrick Motorsports.
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