TRUEX HAS REGAINED CHAMPIONSHIP FORM BUSCH RACER OVERCOMES SLOW START TO LEAD SERIES.

Byline: Lewis Brewster Staff Writer

By his own admission, the success Martin Truex Jr. enjoyed last year in the NASCAR Busch Series created the basis for a slow start this year. But the defending series champion has more than made up for it.

Heading into Saturday night's Ameriquest 300 at California Speedway, Truex is well on his way to a second consecutive championship. Following his sixth-place finish at Bristol, Tenn., Truex leads Clint Boyer by 194 points with nine races remaining on the schedule.

Along the way, Truex has not only overcome his slow start, but also the renegotiation of his contract with Dale Earnhardt Inc. and the turmoil at DEI involving Nextel Cup drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Michael Waltrip.

``I would say just hard work and a little bit of racing luck,'' Truex said about turning his season around. ``At the beginning of the year, we were behind a little bit. We ran so good last year and had so much good stuff going on that we didn't really try to change too much over the winter. And we found ourselves behind at the beginning of the year with the new tires that Goodyear brought with the gear (ratio).

``With the competition being better, we were behind at the beginning of the year and it took us awhile to catch up.''

In the 23 races since the Stater Bros. 300 in February, Truex has won six times and gone from ninth in the standings to first.

``We had to build some new cars and, in doing that, we built some that weren't any good,'' Truex said. ``So it just took us a little time to get back on track. Even though it's the Busch Series, it's just like the Cup Series. Things change, people's cars get better and the rules change and make a difference. So it just took us awhile to catch up with all of that stuff.''

Truex believes one of the new DEI cars can put him in the new California Speedway winner's circle.

``We're looking forward to getting back there,'' Truex said. ``Our speedway, our intermediate-track program has gotten a lot better over the past few months and I feel like California is a place that we can go to now with these new cars that we've built and be a contender for the win.''

If he can overcome some bad luck.

He was on his way to a win in 2004, before running out of gas and finishing 13th. He was sixth in the Busch race last fall, but suffered more misfortune in the spring.

``We went there this spring and we struggled kind of like we did at Las Vegas and the beginning of the year with some cars that we were trying to run,'' said Truex. ``At the end of the race there we were running 10th with ten laps to go and we got a flat tire and ended up crashing and I finished 30th.''

Saturday's race will start at 5:30 p.m., and end under the lights, which is to Truex's liking. But there are also drawbacks to the conditions.

``I think it's going to make it harder on the drivers and teams to keep their cars running good, keep them adjusted,'' said Truex. ``You've got to keep up with it on every pit stop and I feel like that's kind of an advantage for me and my team. (Crew chief Kevin) Manion does a great job of taking my feedback in the car and making my car better throughout the race. So I feel like that will be an advantage for us.''

Many Busch competitors believe Truex has an edge because of DEI and its huge operation. But as Earnhardt struggles to make the Chase for the Championship and Waltrip makes plans for a new team in 2006, Truex said his team has been able to avoid the turmoil.

``We've kind of left that stuff over there for them to deal with,'' Truex said, a reference to separate shops across a parking lot. ``We started the season knowing what we wanted to accomplish and we were going to do anything it took to do that. We just paid attention to our own deal.

``Even throughout all the contract negotiations and everything, it didn't affect our team. It didn't affect anything that was going on at the Busch shop. So everything has been real good.''

Truex will move up to Nextel Cup competition in 2006, full of confidence in his ability and DEI.

``I feel like I could have probably went and done it this year,'' Truex said of the move. ``But I think running another year with my team together and then moving them up next year is the best situation for us. If there had been a team that was ready to go racing this year, I feel like I could have done a good job. I feel like I could have been ready.''

Truex said he isn't worried whether DEI will pull the trigger and dump him should he struggle like some other car owners have done to younger drivers.

``I've got confidence in everybody (at DEI) I'm working with and I think they feel the same way about me,'' said Truex. ``They believe in what I can do and if we work together, we'll get it done. So that's a big part of the racing nowadays is that communication and having confidence in each other and just being around all the right people.

``If you don't believe in each other, nothing's going to work.''

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1) After a slow start Martin Truex Jr. is positioned to win his second straight NASCAR Busch Series championship.

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

(2) no caption (Martin Truex)