Martin Truex Jr. Calls Bull… on ESPN.com
Martin Truex Jr. has been one of the names mentioned these past few months as one of the top candidates to make a move to some of the vacated seats that teams are offering up for 2009, to include Stewart Haas Racing, RCR, Joe Gibbs Racing, and Penske. David Newton over at ESPN.com recently attempted to squash all of those rumors in an article that he posted stating that not only had Truex come to an agreement with his current team, Dale Earnhardt Inc, that would keep him in the no. 1 car in 2009, but that the deal would also carry all the way through 2010 with a myriad of sponsors taking the front hood of the car throughout that duration.
With Newton breaking the news Saturday morning, Truex was the target of the media following the practice session being run at Indianapolis Motor Speedway a few hours later. When the reporters approached Martin to get their answers about the contract signing, though, they were in for quite a shock.
“It’s bull****,” Truex said. “I don’t know what the hell Newton is talking about. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”
Truex has been in ongoing negotiations with DEI throughout this entire year. It appeared as though things had been finalized a few months ago when the team announced they’d picked up their 2010 option on him, but Truex later denied the legality of the contract, and several sources indicated that he could get out of it if he wanted. Don’t let all of this fool you, though, as the likelihood of him returning with the team next season remains very high.
“We’ve been talking a lot,” he added. “Things have been going well. We’re working on some stuff, and that’s what I told him.”
ESPN.com has been the target of several critics in the NASCAR media for some of their off-beat reporting throughout the year. On several occasions they have reported stories that highly contradicted what several other sources were saying, but then again, they haven’t always been wrong. They did, afterall, get the Tony Stewart / Haas CNC Racing deal correct after several other had already given up on it, but I wouldn’t say that they’re exactly batting 1.000 either.
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6 opinions for Martin Truex Jr. Calls Bull… on ESPN.com
Newman's #1
Jul 28, 2008 at 7:25 pm
I heard about that. Yeah, I was laughing at his response to the situation. It funny when these Nascar drivers cuss and let them have it.
Tim Zaegel
Jul 28, 2008 at 8:22 pm
Yeah, I almost didn’t even write this story, but truth be told … I couldn’t resist the title. ;)
lynn
Jul 30, 2008 at 12:25 am
I would love to see truex jr go with STEWART/HAAS
My 2 favorite drivers together SWEET
Tim Zaegel
Jul 30, 2008 at 8:02 pm
It would be cool, Lynn, but I really don’t see it happening. I think Newman’s become a pretty safe bet for that car.
Philip
Aug 5, 2008 at 11:48 am
It could happen. I’ve heard plenty of scuttlebutt that Stewart/Haas may be going to a three-car team next year. If that happens, there would be room for both Ryan & Martin Jr.
Tim Zaegel
Aug 5, 2008 at 5:10 pm
*Could* being the operative word there. Philip, I’m well aware of all the gossip going around the “scuttlebutt”, but until someone explains to me how it makes any sense at all for Stewart-Haas to field a third team in 2009, I’m not buying it whatsoever.
Let’s think about it …. it’s going to be Stewart’s first year as a car owner, and at least one of the teams is already going to be starting outside of the top-35 in owners points. If the 66 fails to keep inside the top-35 as well, then that means that the no. 4 car will have to qualify for the races at the beginning of next season. To add another team outside of the top-35 on top of that in Stewart’s first year as a team owner is just too much of a headache. And, I didn’t even get into all the hassle of signing additional sponsors when they haven’t even finalized one for the 4 car.
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