NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
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CUP: Truex Takes Happy Hour
Martin Truex Jr. is in his first season with Michael Waltrip Racing...
Tom Jensen  |  Posted July 24, 2010   Indianapolis, IN
Martin Truex Jr. (Right) and crew chief Pat Tryson (Left) confer. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
A new face jumped to the top of the leader board at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, as Martin Truex Jr. led Saturday’s final “Happy Hour” round of practice for the Brickyard 400.

PDF> FINAL PRACTICE: BRICKYARD 400 - INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
LINK> UNOFFICIAL QUALIFYING RESULTS: BRICKYARD 400 - INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Truex lapped the 2.5-mile track at 175.627 miles per hour in his Michael Waltrip Racing No. 56 Toyota, best among the 41 cars that practiced.

Earlier in the day, Truex qualified 12th for Sunday’s big race and said he’s looking for a strong run.

“This is the track where a season turns from a decent season into a good season,” said Truex, who comes into the Brickyard 400 ranked 20th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup points standings. “We’ve got to keep working hard to get into those top-10s and pick up some top-five finishes.”

Trailing Truex in the final Happy Hour session were Richard Childress Racing’s Jeff Burton, who ran 175.531 mph, and RCR's Clint Bowyer at 175.456 mph.

Completing the top five were Carl Edwards’ Roush Fenway Racing Ford and last year’s runner-up, Mark Martin, in a Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

The second five were Jimmie Johnson, winner of three of the last four Brickyards; the Fords of Greg Biffle, Kasey Kahne and Matt Kenseth; and Denny Hamlin, who is tied with Johnson for most Sprint Cup victories this season with five.

PDF> FINAL PRACTICE: BRICKYARD 400 - INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
LINK> UNOFFICIAL QUALIFYING RESULTS: BRICKYARD 400 - INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief of SPEED.com, Senior NASCAR Editor at RACER and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. You can follow him online at twitter.com/tomjensen100 and e-mail him at Jensen is the author of “Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of Speed,” and has appeared on numerous television and radio shows. Jensen is the past President of the National Motorsports Press Association and an NMPA Writer of the Year.

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