Martin Truex Jr.
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.