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Truex, Jr interested in contract extension; team looking at manufacturers UPDATES: Martin Truex Jr. hopes that his success early this season, especially his win Sunday at Pocono Raceway, will spark discussions on a contract extension at Furniture Row Racing. Truex, in the second year of a two-year deal, and team general manager Joe Garone both said Wednesday that while they plan to get a new deal done, they have not talked about an extension because they have been so focused on racing. "We haven't really talked about it," Truex said about a possible contract extension Wednesday during a break in testing at Darlington Raceway. "You know, with the team that we're building, that we've built, I feel like this is the kind of situation that I've really looked for my whole career. ... I hope [the win sparks talks]. I'm ready to go, so we'll have to figure it all out and see what happens with it." Furniture Row appears ready to make sure he doesn't entertain any thoughts of moving and start those talks, especially now that the team has solidified a spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. "We've been so busy focusing on what we're doing, we haven't talked about it yet ," Garone said in a phone interview Tuesday. "It's obvious things are working well, and it might be time to start talking about it."(ESPN.com)(6-11-2015)
UPDATE: After Sunday's win at Pocono Raceway, Furniture Row Racing wants to lock down its future with driver Martin Truex Jr. The team's manufacturer relationship seems hazier. In a Wednesday interview on Sirius Satellite Radio's NASCAR channel, #78 Chevy owner Barney Visser said the team would weigh its options in working on an extension with Truex, whose contract expires after this season. "We're looking for sponsorship," Visser told Sirius Speedway host Dave Moody. "We need to get some of that in place to negotiate the kind of contract (for Truex) that we'd both like to see. It may involve a change in manufacturer here. We're not sure. There just doesn't seem to be any money out of General Motors and probably never will be for us. So something's got to give. We'll see where it goes." Chevys comprise roughly half the 43-car field in every Sprint Cup race, and rival manufacturers Toyota and Ford have indicated a desire to expand their rosters. Toyota Racing Development builds engines for six cars but has the capacity to add two more. Furniture Row Racing has fielded Chevrolets exclusively since entering NASCAR's premier series part time in 2005, currently receiving chassis and engines from Richard Childress Racing since 2013. Furniture Row Racing had preliminary negotiations with Dodge three years ago before its exit from Sprint Cup.(NBC Sports)(6-11-2015)
UPDATE 2: For the second consecutive season, Toyota is trying to sign Furniture Row Racing, a team that's fielded Chevys since its inception in 2005. Sources in the Toyota camp confirmed to FOXSports.com that the automaker would like to sign Furniture Row to give it another championship-capable team to go along with Joe Gibbs Racing. The need for another contending Toyota team has increased over the past two seasons, with the fall off in performance of Michael Waltrip Racing, which has not won a race since mid-2013. Last year, Toyota offered Furniture Row incentives to make the change, but the team decided to stay with Chevy for 2015. Now, the push is on to sign Furniture Row to Toyota for 2016, sources have confirmed.(FoxSports)
AND: Chevy officials took note this week when team owner Barney Visser broached the subject of a possible manufacturer change for his Furniture Row Racing #78 team. "We don't want to lose them; we've been there with them in every stage of their business and we're very happy to see they are doing that great," Alba Colon, General Motors program manager for its NASCAR Sprint Cup Series effort said Thursday. It would be disappointing if the relationship with Furniture Row came to an end, Colon said. "We have a good relationship with our teams; we don't want to lose any of our teams. But at the end of the day, outside of the personal side, business is business and manufacturers and teams make the decisions that they think are the best for their circumstances.(NASCAR.com)(6-13-2015)
UPDATE 3: Toyota's United States racing boss confirmed that he is indeed interested in signing Furniture Row Racing for 2016, and is looking at some other NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams as well. "We would love to have the 78 team," David Wilson, the president and general manager of TRD, U.S.A., told FOXSports.com Saturday afternoon at Michigan International Speedway. "Who wouldn't really, the way they're running right now? ... If you asked me, 'Would I like to have Furniture Row in the Toyota stable?' Absolutely. Love to. Martin Truex Jr., we go back. That would be a great story." Wilson said he wants to expand the number of contending Toyota teams in the Cup field beyond Joe Gibbs Racing and Michael Waltrip Racing. "I'm always quality over quantity, but we're undersubscribed with quality Toyotas right now," said Wilson. "We've got our eyes open." Asked if Toyota would consider adding teams besides Furniture Row, Wilson said, "There's a couple other teams that are interesting to look at. I don't whether they're available. So many of these things have to do with timing."(FoxSports)(6-14-2015)