Truex wraps up Busch Series crown
McMurray bags Bi-Lo 200 title for second win in row
Darlington, S.C. ? Martin Truex Jr.’s fourth-place finish Saturday at Darlington Raceway gave Dale Earnhardt Jr. the first of two series championships he covets this year.
With the help of a bad day by Busch Series runner-up Kyle Busch, Truex wrapped up the title with one more race remaining in the 2004 season, giving Chance 2 Motorsports, co-owned by Earnhardt and his stepmother, Teresa, their first championship.
“I never thought this would ever come true,” Truex said.
Jamie McMurray shared the spotlight with Truex, winning the Bi-Lo 200 for his second victory in a row and giving the new Rusty Wallace Inc. team its first series victory.
Truex is the first rookie to win a Busch championship since Earnhardt won the first of his two consecutive titles in 1998. The new champion has been the top driver in the series most of the year, leading the series in wins (6), poles (7), top fives (17) and top 10s (25).
Asked if he believed he could win the title in his first full year in the series, Truex pointed at the beaming Earnhardt Jr. and said, “No, but he did. He told me back in the winter I could win this thing hands down and I told him he was crazy.”
His boss said he knew Truex had the talent and the equipment to get the job done.
“He just managed himself all year long, in and out of the race car,” Earnhardt said. “He got great finishes and drove a couple of 10th-place cars to top-five finishes. He had good equipment and didn’t overdrive it too often or get in trouble too often.”