BRISTOL, Tenn. – Reigning Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr. was put on the spot Friday afternoon at Bristol Motor Speedway about the chances he will return with Furniture Row Racing next season and he confessed he doesn’t know.
“That’s hard to put a number on,” Truex said. “Honestly, I really don’t know. I think in another week or two, I’ll have a better answer for you. (A) better percentage.”
Truex is in the final year of his contract with the Denver, Co.-based Furniture Row Racing but the team announced last month that 5-hour ENERGY, one of the team’s primary sponsors will leave the sport at the end of the season.
For most of his tenure at FRR, the Mayetta, New Jersey native has seen his No. 78 car carry the colors of Furniture Row, the successful Furniture empire owned by team owner Barney Visser. And with the perception that Visser doesn’t want to continue to pay the tab moving forward, Truex made it clear the team needs sponsorship for next season.
“Right now, we need sponsorship, and that’s as simple as it gets,” Truex said. “It’s hard to say, is there a 50 percent chance we get that in a couple weeks, or a hundred percent change, or two percent, I don’t know. I can tell you that everything is based upon that.”
Seeking a replacement for 5-hour ENERGY and an extension with Truex, Furniture Row also does not have an agreement with manufacturer Toyota.
With silly season in full swing, Truex hasn’t been immune to hearing his name elsewhere next season but says he’d like to remain with the team – if sponsorship materializes.
“I’m starting to hear rumors. That’s kind of how it works in this sport, I’ve been in this position before. I’ve got a great team – Barney (Visser, team owner) has done a lot for my career.
“It’s something we all want to keep going and just need a little bit of time to let the dominoes fall into place and see if we can keep it going and if not, I have to figure it out from there.”
Entering Saturday night’s Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol, Truex is third in the championship point standings as the end of the regular season looms. Classified as one of the “Big 3” this season, Truex eyes his fifth win of the season compared to the other Big 3 comrades of Kyle Busch at six wins and Kevin Harvick with seven wins respectively.
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
