NASCAR Rookie Report: What Happened to Martin Truex Jr?

Remember Martin Truex Jr? You know- the guy who overwhelmingly dominated the NASCAR Busch Series in 2004 and 2005. After winning 12 races combined in his two championship seasons, it was plausible to believe that he could carry that same success into the Nextel Cup level. Unfortunately, Truex Jr’s most notable moment of his 2006 Nextel Cup rookie campaign was his run-in with Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart during the Spring Bristol race.

Heading into the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup season, Truex was anticipated as the driver to beat among one of the most talented rookie classes in this sport’s history. But it’s clear that Denny Hamlin has all but clinched the Rookie of the Year title after winning twice, and Clint Bowyer has threatened to win on several occasions. Even 20-year old Reed Sorenson has begun to make some noise.

After 24 races, Truex has only scored a pair of top tens and is barely clinging to fourth in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings- 80 points behind Hamlin.

So what’s going on with this projected future NASCAR star?

Looking back, Truex won 12 Busch Series events throughout his pre-Nextel Cup career, while Bowyer and Hamlin combined for just two wins, both by Bowyer.

Well, the dilemma starts within the Dale Earnhardt Inc. organization. Even though Dale Earnhardt Jr has won a race, and is currently placed in the top ten in the NASCAR Nextel Cup standings, DEI is several steps behind Joe Gibbs Racing (Hamlin) and Richard Childress Racing (Bowyer).

DEI only has two full-time Nextel Cup teams, which has increasingly become more of a disadvantage compared to the three, four, and five team powerhouses. And the same team that fielded Truex Jr’s Busch Series team in 2004 and 2005 graduated to Nextel Cup along with him. So not only is Truex Jr a rookie, but so is the entire # 1 team.

And look at Truex’s teammate. It’s hard for any driver not to be overshadowed by NASCAR’s most popular driver. Even the attention demanding Michael Waltrip had a tough time emerging out of Earnhardt’s shadow.

While in the Busch Series, Truex proved that he is no one-hit wonder. He was able to win at difficult tracks such as the road course in Mexico City as well as Bristol. I just believe Truex is one of these drivers who was exceptional in the Busch Series, but has had a difficult time adjusting to the Nextel Cup series for one reason or another- kind of like Greg Biffle. Biffle never lit up the NASCAR circuit in his rookie season. But he has won nine races since his rookie season in 2003.