CHARLOTTE, N.C. – As the complexion of NASCAR changes, the teams that make up the sport are changing too. And being the only driver of your team can seem intimidating but that's the challenge that the defending Cup Series champion is taking on.
In 2017, Furniture Row racing competed with two cars on the track -- the 77 driven by Erik Jones and the 78 driven by Martin Truex Jr. Truex and his crew dominated the new stage racing format that debuted last season, which set him up in prime position for the championship.
"Just to come from 2014 and really have no success at all to 2015, reset and build this team from scratch (and) then, in three years, go win a championship has just been amazing," said Truex.
"That confidence you feel is incredible. So we keep it going. You know, that was last year now; it's time to move forward," he said.
But after Furniture Row sold its ownership charter of the 77 car, Truex will move forward without a teammate. Jones is heading back to Joe Gibbs Racing, where there's a mix of young talent and veterans, including Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch and Daniel Suarez. It's a situation that's becoming more common around the NASCAR circuit.
"I mean, it's definitely different. I mean, even our team looks different than it did three years ago," said Joe Gibbs team member Denny Hamlin.
"It's definitely gotten a lot younger, for sure. It's just the way that it is right now in NASCAR. These guys are coming in right as some guys are getting to that age, thinking about what they're going to do with their career," Hamlin said.
Daniel Suarez is one of the young ones at Joe Gibbs Racing. The 26-year-old entered the Cup Series in 2017, after Carl Edwards announced he was leaving. Despite any age gap, Suarez sees a benefit in having Hamlin and Busch on his team.
"There is always something you can learn from all these guys, especially from the veteran guys. The way that they work, the way that they do the meetings.
"They way that they attack the problems and the way that they help improve the product of the team," Suarez said.
With the team dynamic becoming increasingly important in NASCAR, it will be interesting to see if Truex can have the same run he did in 2017.