2006 was the last time Martin Truex Jr. raced in the Camping World Truck Series. He had just one start that year and one the year before. That is the extent of his experience in the series. But on Saturday night, he will climb into the Kyle Busch Motorsports No. 51 Auto-Owners Insurance Toyota Tundra and give it a go in the Pinty's Truck Race on Dirt.
Martin Truex's start 15-years ago at Michigan International Speedway was also in a 51 truck but was owned at the time by Billy Ballew Motorsports.
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Getting Martin Truex Jr. in a truck has been talked about for a long time
“This is something Kyle (Busch) and I have talked about over the last few years, and I’m excited that we were finally able to make it happen,” Martin Truex Jr. said in a KBM release.
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Martin Truex is coming off his best race of the season, scoring his first victory since last June at Martinsville Speedway. He will be looking for career win number 29 in the Cup Series race on Sunday.
Speaking about Martin Truex Jr., Busch said:
“We’re excited to have Martin behind the wheel of the No. 51 Auto-Owners Insurance Tundra for the inaugural Bristol Dirt weekend and provide him with the opportunity to join the list of drivers who have been able to win in all three NASCAR National Series."
“It’s pretty cool to say that four of the 35 drivers in that exclusive club earned their first Camping World Truck Series victory driving for KBM, and we’re going to do everything we can to help Martin become the fifth.”
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Should Martin Truex win the Trucks event, he will be one of just 35 drivers to have at least one win in all three of NASCAR’s national series. The most recent to join that exclusive club was Christopher Bell. His truck victory came in 2015 with Kyle Busch Motorsports.