SPARTA, KY - JULY 07: Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #78 Furniture Row/Denver Mattress Toyota, stands on the grid during qualifying for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Quaker State 400 presented by Advance Auto Parts at Kentucky Speedway on July 7, 2017 in Sparta, Kentucky. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)

Martin Truex Jr. weighs on whether Furniture Row is better off with a second car


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Furniture Row Racing is a hot commodity these days because it has a very hot property -- an available seat.

With  Erik Jones moving to Joe Gibbs racing, FRR is looking for a driver for its second car.

Only thing is, Martin Truex Jr., the driver of the No. 78 Toyota, isn't sure a second car is the right way to go. He's not against it -- just lukewarm.

FRR president Joe Garone has said he wants to replace Jones. But Truex Jr., in remarks reported by CupScene, wonders if that's the right strategy.

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"On one hand, we are two teams this year for the first time ever, and we're having our best season," he said. This winter, I was a little nervous because I'm like, 'Alright, we're going to two cars. We've got a lot of new people here. We've got a lot going on. Is it going to take away from our team,' and it hasn't, so I don't really know.

That lukewarm response should open some eyes, especially given FRR's public stance.

 

With Erik Jones moving to Joe Gibbs Racing next season, FRR can have its pick of drivers. It can decide to go young, as Hendrick MotorSports did when it replaced Kasey Kahne with 19-year-old William Byron; or it can take its pick from a number of veteran drivers already on the market, including Kahne, Matt Kenseth and Kurt Busch. There's also a chance Danica Patrick and Aric Almirola could be on the market, too.

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FRR president Joe Garone told NASCAR.com that he's gotten a lot of interest in the No. 77 Toyota.

"There have been some really good drivers that are looking around and that have inquired about the car because I think it is obvious the performance of the car is something any driver would like to be in right now. It hasn't shocked me; it's a compliment to the team some of the drivers that have talked to us."

Garone didn't name names, but the the list of available drivers is impressive, including Kurt Busch and Matt Kenseth.

 

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