Martin Truex Jr. showcases ability, outduels Kyle Busch to win Cup Series championship

Martin Truex Jr. isn’t one for superstitions. Lucky mementos are just not his thing.

On Sunday, however, in the biggest race of his star-crossed career, he made an exception. He carried with him a rabbit’s foot given to him the day before by good buddy Darrell Gwynn.

A noted Top Fuel drag racer, Gwynn carried the rabbit foot with him when he won several big races in the late 1980s. But his career ended in 1990 after he was involved in a horrific incident where he hit the wall at approximately 240 mph, which left him paralyzed and cost him his left arm.

Gwynn didn’t have that rabbit’s foot that fateful day. Ever since, the lucky charm has had a permanent place in his trophy case — until Friday, when he gave it Truex, who was one of four NASCAR drivers vying for the Monster Energy Cup Series championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

That rabbit’s foot is something Gwynn will not get back in his possession — not after Truex defeated Kyle Busch in a nail-biter finish to win his first Cup title.

“(Gwynn) said, ‘If this works for you, I get to keep it; if it doesn’t, I need it back for my trophy case,” Truex said. “That son of a bitch worked. You ain’t getting it back, sorry.”

Truex isn’t the unlikeliest driver to win the series crown in NASCAR’s premier division. That distinction still belongs to Alan Kulwicki, who in Cinderella fashion drove a car dubbed the “Underbird” to the 1992 championship.

But the journeyman Truex nearly found himself out of the sport four years ago, victim of a cheating scandal he had no knowledge of that prompted his then sponsor, NAPA Auto Parts, to void its contract with his then team, Michael Waltrip Racing.

When he got the call that Napa was dissociating itself with MWR, Truex was sitting on his porch. Suddenly his world crashed with the realization that with it being mid-September, most of the best rides for the 2014 season were already filled. He figured he had no chance of landing with a competitive team and he’d permanently find himself on the sidelines.

“I truly didn’t know if I would ever race competitively in the Cup Series again,” Truex said. “I didn’t know if I’d ever have a chance at winning. Hell, I didn’t even know if I’d have chance of driving, period.”

A few days later Truex’s job prospects took a turn for the better. Furniture Row Racing president Joe Garone called, offering Truex a deal to drive its No. 78 car. Kurt Busch had signed with Stewart-Haas Racing, leaving FRR in a bind to find a suitable replacement for the driver who had elevated the one-car team from mid-pack to an unexpected playoff berth.

But Truex’s first season with the upstart Colorado-based team didn’t go as anticipated. The cars Busch had driven to acclaim didn’t mesh with Truex’s style with the results bearing that out. He led just a single lap and finished 24th in points, underscoring a frustrating year for all involved. Compounding the woebegone year, Truex’s longtime girlfriend, Sherry Pollex, was diagnosed with Stage 3 ovarian cancer in August.

The lone bright spot was engineer Cole Pearn, who was elevated to crew chief late in the year. He and Truex instantly meshed, with Pearn able to take the feedback Truex provided and construct cars to his liking.

That promise spurred an FRR’s return to the playoffs in 2015, which included a surprising run to the championship four. In 2016, Truex and FRR emerged as a team to beat on a weekly basis on the strength of four wins. The only setback came when Truex was bounced from the playoffs in the quarterfinals.

There were zero missteps this season — only sustained excellence. Every week regardless of the track, Truex was fast and often dominant. He led all drivers in wins, top fives, top 10s and laps led, with his eighth and most important victory coming Sunday at Homestead.

The knock on Truex is whether he is as good a driver as Pearn is a crew chief. That perhaps the 37-year-old is merely the fortunate recipient of working with a mastermind crew chief, whose ability to set up a car combined with astute pit strategy leaves the competition in disbelief.

Pearn, though, never doubted his driver’s capabilities. Before joining FRR, Truex had yet to have the opportunity to be with a team that allowed him to showcase his skill set.

“I continue to believe every day in his talent level,” Pearn said. “A lot of times we get a lot of credit as a team because maybe in his career he didn’t have the success he’s had since we’ve been together.

On Sunday, Truex certainly proved his mettle. Even with Kyle Busch, one of NASCAR’s very best, hounding him over the final 30 laps, Truex never faltered. He exceptionally adjusted his driving line to slow Busch and never turned the wheel wrong. Eventually Busch burned up his tires, giving Truex enough of a cushion that with two laps remaining he knew the championship was his.

“Damn, it feels good to go faster than Kyle and just to beat him felt pretty damn awesome; a champion, one of the best drivers ever,” Truex said.

Now anytime Truex is questioned, he can point to the championship sitting in his trophy case. It can likely be found right next to the rabbit’s foot Gwynn gave him.

“I feel like we’re going to be in this position for a while,” Truex said. “We’re not going anywhere. I think we’re still getting stronger. Sorry to everybody else. That’s how I feel. Look at our four years together; we went from nobodies to winners to weekly contenders last year.”