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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
ALL-STAR: Strong Second For Truex
Martin Truex Jr. nearly capped his Sprint Showdown win with a victory in the Sprint All-Star Race...
Jared Turner  |  Posted May 22, 2010   Charlotte, NC
Martin Truex Jr. stands on pit road prior to the the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. (Photo: Getty Images)
Already enjoying a superb night, Martin Truex Jr. nearly pulled off a rare feat in the Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

LINK>Unofficial Race Results: Sprint All- Star Race - CHARLOTTE

After transferring into the 100-lap main event with a win in the preliminary Sprint Showdown, Truex nearly won the All-Star Race as he came home second on the heels of a late surge into contention.

Starting 19th in the 21-car field, the Michael Waltrip Racing driver avoided mayhem all around to trail only winner Kurt Busch and notch easily his best All-Star finish in four such appearances.

“To come here, not be in the show, win the (Showdown), run well all night, it was a lot of fun for us,” Truex said. “We just fought track position all night. Finally got up there at the end. The closer we got to the front, the better we got. The guys did a good job with the car, adjusting the car from the sunlight of the (Showdown), to win that, and then throughout the race tonight.

"They did a good job. It was a lot of fun. It was fun to let those guys get in there, do their thing.”

Truex lined up fourth for a final restart with two laps remaining but shot past Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin on the outside to move into second.

Truex finished just .358 seconds off of Busch’s bumper.

“Just needed a few more laps,” he said. “I was catching Kurt there at the end.”

Truex’s run not only put the cap on a stellar night but it also gives the New Jersey native another boost of confidence heading into next Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at CMS, a track where he’s finished no better than seventh in nine points-paying starts.

The first-year MWR driver had already been strong of late, finishing 12th or better in four of his last five starts and surging to 12th in the series standings.
Martin Truex Jr. had a disappointing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points standings result in 2010. (Photo: Getty Images)

“We feel good,” Truex said. “Last few weeks, we seemed to be getting better and better. We thought we were going to be real good coming here, so it wasn't unexpected. It wasn't like we just come out of the blue, won the Showdown. We've been competitive.

“But, yeah, I mean, momentum is a big thing in this sport. You see it all the time. It worked for us a couple years ago. It seemed to just give us that confidence in each other and know that we can get it done. Hopefully it will do the same thing.”

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