CREW CHIEF: Cole Pearn
TEAM: Furniture Row Racing
POINTS: 1st
WINS: 8 (career-best; previous high was four in 2016)
LAPS LED: 2,253 (career-best and series-best; previous high was 1,809 in 2016)
TOP 5s: 19 (career-best; previous high was eight in 2015-16)
TOP 10s: 26 (career-best; previous high was 22 in 2015)
POLES: 3 (New Hampshire I, Dover II, Kansas II)
WHAT WENT RIGHT: Truex dominated the Cup Series from start to finish. He led the series in wins, top fives, top 10s, laps led and stage wins (19) … Truex set the record for wins at 1.5-mile track in a season with seven. His only win at a different type of track was Watkins Glen … His points total allowed him to advance to the Championship 4 after the second race in the third round of the playoffs. The third round was the only one Truex didn’t earn a win in … Truex clinched the title with his win in the championship race, where he led the final 51 laps to beat out Kyle Busch.
WHAT WENT WRONG: Truex earned six DNFs, including five for wrecks and one engine failure (Sonoma) … Truex missed out on consecutive wins at Darlington and Richmond to close out the regular season. At Darlington, he cut a tire and hit the wall while leading with three laps to go at Darlington. At Richmond, a late caution allowed Kyle Larson to assume the lead on an overtime restart. Denny Hamlin made contact with Truex entering Turn 1 on the last lap, sending Truex into the wall. … Crashed out of three of the four restrictor-plate races … At Indianapolis, Truex crashed out on a Lap 111 restart with Kyle Busch while they were racing for the lead.
WHAT TO EXPECT IN 2018: Furniture Row Racing returns to a single-car operation with the departure of Erik Jones for Joe Gibbs Racing. Truex returns for his fifth season with the team coming off the best campaign of his 12-year Cup career.
