New Flyer Xcelsior

# New Flyer Xcelsior

## Abstract

The New Flyer Xcelsior is a line of transit buses available in 35-foot rigid, 40-foot rigid, and 60-foot articulated nominal lengths manufactured by New Flyer Industries since 2008. In addition to the different available lengths, the buses are sold with a variety of propulsion systems: conventional diesel, compressed natural gas (CNG), diesel-electric hybrid, hydrogen fuel cell, overhead electric wire and battery electric. A future autonomous bus variant was announced in January 2021.

## Model codes

For example, a New Flyer XE60 AND XE62 CHARGE NG is a 60- and 62-foot Next Generation 60- and 62-foot articulated Next Generation Xcelsior with battery electric power, XN60 and XN62's a 60- and 62-foot articulated Next Generation Xcelsior with CNG power. All power sources have 60- and 62-foot models: XHE60s and XHE62 (hydrogen-powered) don't exist.

## History

The Xcelsior was introduced October 2008 APTA Expo held in San Diego. The Xcelsior started off as a set of improvements to the company's prior product, the New Flyer Low Floor, but over the development process the company said it ended up designing a new bus. Compared to the Low Floor, the Xcelsior was 10% lighter, boosting fuel economy by about 7%.

The bus was also designed to allow a much larger cooling system and the addition of a SCR system, both required to meet the more stringent EPA mandates that were coming in 2010. To accommodate the change, the Thermo King air conditioning system was moved from the rear of the bus to a roof mount location over the front axle. New Flyer found that the move improved the weight balance of the bus, and when combined with enhanced insulation, contributed to the vehicle running quieter.

The interior of the bus was also modified. By moving the fuel tank and modifying the rear suspension, seating capacity was increased from 39 to 42 (on the 40-foot model), with more forward-facing seats. To improve accessibility, the floor height was lowered to 14 inches (360 mm) with the ability to kneel down to 10 inches (250 mm), and the front entry door was widened, allowing a wider wheelchair ramp. To improve interior aesthetics, visible fasteners were eliminated and molded plastic surfaces were introduced. The utilitarian instrument panel was replaced with an automotive-style electronic dashboard.

The bus also had a redesigned front face, bumpers, and roof shrouds that also offered better aerodynamics and the front improved visibility for the driver.

At launch, the Xcelsior was only available in a 40-foot (12 m) length with power from the Cummins ISL 280 and a Allison B400 conventional transmission or the Allison EP-40 hybrid drive. Brampton Transit, serving Brampton, Ontario, was the first agency to order the Xcelsior.

The first trolleybus version of the Xcelsior was an XT40 built in 2014 for the Seattle trolleybus system, operated by King County Metro, the first unit of an order placed in 2013. King County Metro also purchased the XT60 (articulated trolleybus), and both XT40s and XT60s were subsequently purchased by the San Francisco Municipal Railway, for the San Francisco trolleybus system.

### Xcelsior CHARGE

The first Xcelsior battery electric buses (XE40) were built in 2014 and delivered to the Chicago Transit Authority and Winnipeg Transit. Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority was the lead agency for the XE60, ordered in January 2019 and placed into service on July 31, 2019. The Toronto Transit Commission operates 25 XE40 buses.

The first battery electric Xcelsior buses were a powertrain option within the regular Xcelsior line; development was announced in 2011, a prototype was shown in 2012, and regular production began in 2014. The original battery electric Xcelsior bus, offered as an XE40, used a permanent magnet traction motor built by Siemens. In October 2017, the Xcelsior CHARGE sub-line was introduced.

The Xcelsior CHARGE variant (XE nn) uses the Siemens ELFA2 electric drive system with different options for battery capacity, depending on the charging speed and range required. The traction motor used has an output of either 210 or 280 hp (213 or 284 PS; 157 or 209 kW) and 1,033 or 1,475 lb⋅ft (1,401 or 2,000 N⋅m; 143 or 204 kg⋅m). Batteries are supplied by XALT Energy or A123 Systems (XE60 long-range models and XHE nn fuel cell models). On-route rapid charging is provided through an overhead pantograph designed to be interoperable with the SAE J3105 standard supplying 300–450 kW. Shop or depot charging may be performed using SAE J3068 and J1772 connectors supplying up to 150 kW.

At Altoona, the as-tested empty weight of an XE40 was measured at 32,770 lb (14,860 kg) with a capacity of 76 (38 seated passengers + 37 standing passengers + 1 driver) for a total GVW of 43,550 lb (19,750 kg). It was equipped with 4 XALT Xsyst 7 (7 kWh) batteries and a SPHEROS fuel-fired heater. When accelerating from a constant speed, the bus emitted an average maximum noise level of 66.1 dB(A), considerably lower than the average maximum noise level of 70.4 dB(A) measured from a conventionally-powered XD40.

#### XE60

The articulated XE60 adds a second driven axle, using the ZF AxTrax AVE on the middle axle. The AxTrax AVE (formerly known as the AVE 130) uses two electric motors (one per wheel), each with a maximum continuous/peak output of 160 / 340 hp (162 / 345 PS; 119 / 254 kW) and maximum continuous/peak torque of 6,000 / 16,200 lb⋅ft (8,135 / 21,964 N⋅m; 830 / 2,240 kg⋅m). Each motor is an asynchronous three-phase AC motor operating on 650 VDC with an input current of 250 (continuous) to 340 (peak) amps, using a single-speed reduction gear ratio of 22.66:1. The complete axle assembly weighs 2,760 lb (1,250 kg)

The as-tested empty weight of an XE60 was 52,070 lb (23,620 kg) with a capacity of 120 (50 seated passengers + 69 standing passengers + 1 driver) for a total GVW of 70,170 lb (31,830 kg). Compared to the diesel-powered equivalent XD60, the XE60 is heavier (XD60 GVW is 58,600 lb (26,600 kg)) and holds slightly fewer people (XD60 capacity is 123 people: 49 seated, 73 standing, 1 driver). Depending on the driving route/style, the XE60 tested at Altoona had a predicted range of 145 to 246 miles (233 to 396 km).

The MBTA and NYMTA were the first to order the XE60, with the former ordering 5 and the latter ordering 15.

#### Xcelsior CHARGE NG

Xcelsior CHARGE NG is New Flyer's next generation battery electric, zero-emission bus. It is lighter, simpler and has longer range with better energy recovery. It has a capacity of 32-61 passengers with 2 wheelchair locations. It is available in 60-, and 62-foot configurations. It has a Siemens ELFA3 traction motor, Lithium Manganese Cobalt (NMC) batteries, and electric roof-mounted HVAC(s).

#### Xcelsior CHARGE H2

The CHARGE model can be equipped with a hydrogen fuel cell (model code XHE), which acts as an on-board charger to extend range. Earlier New Flyer fuel cell buses were based on the preceding Low Floor chassis, designated H40LFR, and integrated by an outside vendor. In 2016, New Flyer received an order for 25 XHE40 buses under the California Air Resources Board Air Quality Improvement Program (AQIP). The XHE40 uses a MAN SE model 1350 rear axle with a traction motor from Siemens; like the XE60, the XHE60 also uses a MAN 1350 rear axle as a pusher, but adds a ZF AxTrax AVE middle axle as a puller for traction-challenged conditions.

An XHE60 tested at Altoona weighed 49,890 lb (22,630 kg) empty; with a total capacity of 132 (1 driver, 50 seated, 81 standing), the estimated GVW was 69,750 lb (31,640 kg). The fuel cell was a Ballard HD85 with an 85 kW output.

Development of the electric fuel cell buses is centered in California, with AC Transit serving as the lead agency for one XHE60, and SunLine Transit Agency, AC Transit, and Orange County Transportation Authority testing several variants of XHE40.

### Xcelsior AV

New Flyer and Robotic Research announced a partnership in May 2019 to develop automated bus technology. In January 2021, New Flyer introduced the Xcelsior AV, New Flyer's first ever autonomous bus. New Flyer claims the AV meets the SAE J3016 Level 4 of autonomy. The AV is based on the XE40 chassis, and uses Robotic Research's AutoDrive suite of sensors and AutoDrive ByWire mechanical actuators. Project management was performed by The Center for Transportation and Environment (CTE) with support from the Federal Transit Administration, who provided a US$2 million grant under the Integrated Mobility Innovation Program.

The first three Xcelsior AV buses are scheduled to be tested by CTtransit in 2021 on the CTfastrak bus rapid transit (BRT) line, over a dedicated right-of-way 9 miles (14 km) long, connecting New Britain and Hartford, Connecticut. The deployment on a BRT line is anticipated to test the vehicles' ability to perform precision docking at station platforms and platooning multiple vehicles.


2024 Big 12 Conference football season

# 2024 Big 12 Conference football season

## Abstract

The 2024 Big 12 Conference football season will be the 29th season of the Big 12 Conference football taking place during the 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season.

The 2024 season is the first season for the Big 12 to have 16 members, with the departure of Oklahoma and Texas, the return of Colorado after a 13-season absence, and the addition of Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah.

The 2024 Big 12 Championship Game will be played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on December 7, 2024, between the two highest finishing teams in the conference.

## Background

### Previous season

The Texas Longhorns defeated the Oklahoma State Cowboys 49–21 in the Big 12 championship.

Nine teams participated in bowl games, finishing with a record of 5–4. Texas Tech defeated California 34–14 in the Independence Bowl. UCF lost to Georgia Tech 30–17 in the Gasparilla Bowl. Kansas defeated UNLV 49–36 in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl. West Virginia defeated North Carolina 30–10 in the Duke's Mayo Bowl. No. 20 Oklahoma State defeated Texas A&M 31–23 in the Texas Bowl. No. 25 Kansas State defeated No. 18 NC State 28–19 in the Pop-Tarts Bowl. No. 12 Oklahoma lost to No. 14 Arizona 38–24 in the Alamo Bowl. Iowa State lost to Memphis 36–26 in the Liberty Bowl. No. 3 Texas made the 2024 College Football Playoffs; they lost to No. 2 Washington 37–31 in the Sugar Bowl.

## Preseason

### Big 12 media days

The 2024 Big 12 media days are currently be held at Allegiant Stadium on July 9–10, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The teams and representatives in respective order were as follows:

Tuesday July 9

- Big 12 Commissioner – Brett Yormark

- Arizona State – Kenny Dillingham (HC), Xavion Alford (DB), Leif Fautanu (OL), Cameron Skattebo (RB) & Clayton Smith (DL)

- Cincinnati – Scott Satterfield (HC), Derrick Canteen (DB), Mason Fletcher (P), Corey Kiner (RB) & Luke Kandra (OL)

- Iowa State – Matt Campbell (HC), Beau Freyler (DB), Jayden Higgins (WR), Jaylin Noel (WR) & J.R. Singleton (DL)

- Kansas State – Chris Klieman (HC), Avery Johnson (QB), Hadley Panzer (OL), Austin Moore (LB), Brendan Mott (DE) & Marques Sigle (DB)

- Oklahoma State – Mike Gundy (HC), Alan Bowman (QB), Ollie Gordon II (RB), Nick Martin (LB) & Collin Oliver (LB)

- TCU – Sonny Dykes (HC), Jack Bech (WR), Caleb Fox (DL), Josh Hoover (QB), Mike Nichols (OL) & Namdi Obiazor (LB)

- Texas Tech – Joey McGuire (HC), Tahj Brooks (RB), Behren Morton (QB), Bryce Ramirez (LB), Jacob Rodriguez (LB) & Caleb Rodgers (OL)

- Utah – Kyle Whittingham (HC), Brant Kuithe (TE), Karene Reid (LB), Cameron Rising (QB) & Junior Fafuna (DT)

Wednesday July 10

- Big 12 Commissioner – Brett Yormark

- Arizona – Brent Brennan (HC), Noah Fifita (QB), Gunner Maldonado (DB), Jacob Manu (LB) & Tetairoa McMillan (WR)

- Baylor – Dave Aranda (HC), Ketron Jackson (WR), Matt Jones (LB), Richard Reese (RB), Keaton Thomas (LB) & Carl Williams IV (DB)

- BYU – Kalani Sitake (HC), Tyler Batty (DE), Connor Pay (OL), Jakob Robinson (DB), Darius Lassiter (WR) & Chase Roberts (WR)

- UCF – Gus Malzahn (HC), KJ Jefferson (QB), RJ Harvey (RB), Kobe Hudson (WR), Lee Hunter (DT) & Deshawn Pace (LB)

- Colorado – Deion Sanders (HC), Shedeur Sanders (QB), Shilo Sanders (DB), Travis Hunter (ATH) & Mark Vassett (P)

- Houston – Willie Fritz (HC), Tank Jenkins (OL), Latrell McCutchin Sr. (DB), Jamal Morris (LB) & Donovan Smith (QB)

- Kansas – Lance Leipold (HC), Jalon Daniels (QB), Mello Dotson (DB), Devin Neal (RB) & Jereme Robinson (DE)

- West Virginia – Neal Brown (HC), Aubrey Burks (DB), Garrett Greene (QB), Sean Martin (DL) & Wyatt Milum (OL)

### Preseason poll

The preseason poll was released on July 2, 2024.

- First place votes in ()

### Preseason awards

#### Individual awards

#### Preseason All-Big 12 teams

2024 Preseason All-Big 12

Source:

- Offensive Player of the Year: Ollie Gordon II, RB, Oklahoma State, Jr.

- Defensive Player of the Year: Travis Hunter, DB, Colorado, Jr.

- Newcomer of the Year: KJ Jefferson, QB, UCF, Sr.

## Head coaches

### Coaching changes

There were two coaching changes before the 2024 season. On December 3, 2023, Houston hired Tulane head coach Willie Fritz as the 16th head coach in Cougars history. Then, on January 14, 2024, Arizona head coach Jedd Fisch was announced as the new head coach at Washington, following Kalen DeBoer 's departure to replace the retiring Nick Saban at Alabama. Two days later, Arizona announced Brent Brennan, previously head coach at San Jose State, as the 31st head coach in school history.

### Coaches

Note: All stats current through the completion of the 2023 season

## Schedule

All times Central time.

† denotes Homecoming game

Rankings reflect those of the AP poll for weeks 1 through 9. Rankings from Week 10 until the end of the Season reflect those of the College Football Playoff Rankings.

### Regular season

#### Week Two

Notes: ‡ game is being played as a non-conference game and will not count towards conference standings

#### Week Three

Notes: ‡ game is being played as a non-conference game and will not count towards conference standings

## Postseason

### Bowl games

For the 2024 bowl cycle, The Big 12 has yet announce how bowl tie ins will work with conference expansion. The four former Pac-12 Conference teams: Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado & Utah will have previous conference tie-ins to the Alamo Bowl, Independence Bowl, Holiday Bowl, Las Vegas Bowl, LA Bowl and Sun Bowl.

Rankings are from CFP rankings. All times Central Time Zone. Big-12 teams shown in bold.

## Head to head matchups

Source:

Updated with the results of UCF at TCU (September 14).

Does not include Non-Conference matchups between Arizona vs. Kansas State and Baylor vs. Utah.

### Big 12 vs Power 5 matchups

This is a list of the Power Five conferences teams (ACC, Big Ten, Notre Dame Pac-12 and SEC).

### Big 12 vs Group of Five matchups

The following games include Big 12 teams competing against teams from The American, CUSA, MAC, Mountain West or Sun Belt.

### Big 12 vs FCS matchups

The Football Championship Subdivision comprises 13 conferences and two independent programs.

Note:† Denotes Neutral Site Game

### Big 12 vs other conferences

## Television Selections

The Big 12 Conference has television contracts with ESPN and FOX, which allow games to be broadcast across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, FOX, FS1 and FS2. Streaming broadcasts for games under Big 12 control are streamed on ESPN+. Games under the control of other conferences fall under the contracts of the opposing conference.

## Awards and honors

### Players of the week

### Big 12 individual awards

The following individuals received postseason honors as voted by the Big 12 Conference coaches at the end of the season.

### All-Americans

Currently, the NCAA compiles consensus all-America teams in the sports of Division I-FBS football and Division I men's basketball using a point system computed from All-America teams named by coaches associations or media sources. The system consists of three points for a first-team honor, two points for second-team honor, and one point for third-team honor. Honorable mention and fourth team or lower recognitions are not accorded any points. College Football All-American consensus teams are compiled by position and the player accumulating the most points at each position is named first team consensus all-American. Currently, the NCAA recognizes All-Americans selected by the AP, AFCA, FWAA, TSN, and the WCFF to determine Consensus and Unanimous All-Americans. Any player named to the First Team by all five of the NCAA-recognized selectors is deemed a Unanimous All-American.

#### List of All American Teams

- 2024 AFCA All-America Team

- 2024 Associated Press All-America Team

- 2024 CBS Sports All-America Team

- 2024 ESPN All-America Team

- 2024 FWAA All-America Team

- 2024 Fox Sports All-America Team

- 2024 The Athletic All-America Team

- Sporting News 2024 College Football All-America Team

- Sports Illustrated 2024 All-America Team

- USA Today 2024 All-America Team

- Walter Camp Football Foundation 2024 All-America Team

- 2024 PFF College All-America team

- 2024 Athlon Sports College Football's Postseason All-America Team

- 2024 Phil Steele’s Postseason All-America Team

- 2024 CFN All-American College Football Team and Individual Honors

### All-conference teams

The following players earned All-Big 12 honors. Any teams showing (_) following their name are indicating the number of All-Big 12 Conference Honors awarded to that university for 1st team and 2nd team respectively.

Source:

Notes:

- RS = Return Specialist

- AP/ST = All-Purpose/Special Teams Player (not a kicker or returner)

- † Two-time first team selection;

- ‡ Three-time first team selection

Honorable mentions

- Arizona:

- Arizona State:

- Baylor:

- BYU:

- Cincinnati:

- Colorado:

- Houston:

- Iowa State:

- Kansas:

- Kansas State:

- Oklahoma State:

- TCU:

- Texas Tech:

- UCF:

- Utah:

- West Virginia:


Stefan Mross

# Stefan Mross

## Abstract

Stefan Mross (born November 26, 1975) is a German trumpeter, singer,and television presenter. He is one of the most famous German folk musicians.

## Early life and education

Stefan Mross was born on November 26, 1975 in Traunstein, Upper Bavaria.

Mross completed his secondary education in his hometown. He took the entrance exam to the Mozarteum in Salzburg, but then concentrated on his musical career.

## Career

Since 2005, Mross has hosted the ARD (SWR) show Immer wieder sonntags live from Europa-Park in Rust. On August 10, 2014, Mross collapsed during a live broadcast of the show after eating a very hot currywurst and had to stop presenting. He was represented by Guido Cantz for the rest of the broadcast.

## Personal life

Mross was married to Stefanie Hertel from 2006 to 2012 and has a daughter with her in 2001. Three months after the couple announced their separation, Karl Moik claimed on December 6, 2011 on the ZDF show Markus Lanz that the partnership between his former Mross and Hertel had been arranged for the media.

Mross was married to production assistant Susanne Schmidt from 2013 to 2016. The marriage produced a daughter in 2013 and a son in 2015. The couple lived in Unterwössen, a municipality in the Traunstein district of Upper Bavaria, until their separation in autumn 2016.

Since December 2016, he has been in a relationship with singer Anna-Carina Woitschack, whom he met on his show Immer wieder sonntags in the summer of 2016. In the show Das Adventsfest der 100.000 Lichter he proposed to her on November 30, 2019. On June 6, 2020, the two got married live on television in the music show Schlagerlovestory.2020 with presenter Florian Silbereisen as witnesses. The couple lived in Windorf near Passau. In November 2022, they announced their separation. Mross has been in a relationship with Eva Luginger since March 2023.


Carrington Event

# Carrington Event

## Abstract

The Carrington Event was the most intense geomagnetic storm in recorded history, peaking on 1–2 September 1859 during solar cycle 10. It created strong auroral displays that were reported globally and caused sparking and even fires in telegraph stations. The geomagnetic storm was most likely the result of a coronal mass ejection (CME) from the Sun colliding with Earth's magnetosphere.

The geomagnetic storm was associated with a very bright solar flare on 1 September 1859. It was observed and recorded independently by British astronomers Richard Carrington and Richard Hodgson —the first records of a solar flare. A geomagnetic storm of this magnitude occurring today has the potential to cause widespread electrical disruptions, blackouts and damage due to extended cuts of the electrical power grid.

## History

### Geomagnetic storm

On 1 and 2 September 1859, one of the largest geomagnetic storms (as recorded by ground-based magnetometers) occurred. Estimates of the storm strength (Dst) range from −0.80 to −1.75 μT.

The geomagnetic storm is thought to have been caused by a big coronal mass ejection (CME) that traveled directly toward Earth, taking 17.6 hours to make the 150 × 10 km (93 × 10 mi) journey. Typical CMEs take several days to arrive at Earth, but it is believed that the relatively high speed of this CME was made possible by a prior CME, perhaps the cause of the large aurora event on 29 August that "cleared the way" of ambient solar wind plasma for the Carrington Event.

### Associated solar flare

Just before noon on 1 September 1859, the English amateur astronomers Richard Carrington and Richard Hodgson independently recorded the earliest observations of a solar flare. Carrington and Hodgson compiled independent reports which were published side by side in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society and exhibited their drawings of the event at the November 1859 meeting of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Because of a geomagnetic solar flare effect (a "magnetic crochet") observed in the Kew Observatory magnetometer record by Scottish physicist Balfour Stewart, and a geomagnetic storm observed the following day, Carrington suspected a solar–terrestrial connection. However, he was not sure if it could be a coincidence, writing that “one swallow does not make a summer”. Worldwide reports of the effects of the geomagnetic storm of 1859 were compiled and published by American mathematician Elias Loomis, which support the observations of Carrington and Stewart.

## Impact

### Auroras

Auroras were seen around the world in the northern and southern hemispheres. The aurora borealis over the Rocky Mountains in the United States was so bright that the glow woke gold miners, who were reported to have begun to prepare breakfast because they thought it was morning. It was also reported that people in the north-eastern United States could read a newspaper by the aurora's light. The aurora was also visible from the poles to low latitude areas such as south-central Mexico, Cuba, Hawaii, Queensland, southern Japan and China, and even at lower latitudes very close to the equator, such as in Colombia.

On Saturday 3 September 1859, the Baltimore American and Commercial Advertiser reported that

Those who happened to be out late on Thursday night had an opportunity of witnessing another magnificent display of the auroral lights. The phenomenon was very similar to the display on Sunday night, though at times the light was, if possible, more brilliant, and the prismatic hues more varied and gorgeous. The light appeared to cover the whole firmament, apparently like a luminous cloud, through which the stars of the larger magnitude indistinctly shone. The light was greater than that of the moon at its full, but had an indescribable softness and delicacy that seemed to envelop everything upon which it rested. Between 12 and 1 o'clock, when the display was at its full brilliancy, the quiet streets of the city resting under this strange light, presented a beautiful as well as singular appearance.

In 1909, an Australian gold miner named C. F. Herbert retold his observations in a letter to the Daily News in Perth,

I was gold-digging at Rokewood, about four miles from Rokewood township (Victoria). Myself and two mates looking out of the tent saw a great reflection in the southern heavens at about 7 o'clock p.m., and in about half an hour, a scene of almost unspeakable beauty presented itself: Lights of every imaginable color were issuing from the southern heavens, one color fading away only to give place to another if possible more beautiful than the last, the streams mounting to the zenith, but always becoming a rich purple when reaching there, and always curling round, leaving a clear strip of sky, which may be described as four fingers held at arm's length. The northern side from the zenith was also illuminated with beautiful colors, always curling round at the zenith, but were considered to be merely a reproduction of the southern display, as all colors south and north always corresponded. It was a sight never to be forgotten, and was considered at the time to be the greatest aurora recorded. The rationalist and pantheist saw nature in her most exquisite robes, recognising, the divine immanence, immutable law, cause, and effect. The superstitious and the fanatical had dire forebodings, and thought it a foreshadowing of Armageddon and final dissolution.

### Telegraphs

Because of the geomagnetically induced current from the electromagnetic field, telegraph systems all over Europe and North America failed, in some cases giving their operators electric shocks. Telegraph pylons threw sparks. Some operators were able to continue to send and receive messages despite having disconnected their power supplies. The following conversation occurred between two operators of the American telegraph line between Boston, Massachusetts, and Portland, Maine, on the night of 2 September 1859 and reported in the Boston Evening Traveler:

Boston operator (to Portland operator): "Please cut off your battery entirely for fifteen minutes."

Portland operator: "Will do so. It is now disconnected."

Boston: "Mine is disconnected, and we are working with the auroral current. How do you receive my writing?"

Portland: "Better than with our batteries on. – Current comes and goes gradually."

Boston: "My current is very strong at times, and we can work better without the batteries, as the aurora seems to neutralize and augment our batteries alternately, making current too strong at times for our relay magnets. Suppose we work without batteries while we are affected by this trouble."

Portland: "Very well. Shall I go ahead with business?"

Boston: "Yes. Go ahead."

The conversation was carried on for around two hours using no battery power at all and working solely with the current induced by the aurora, the first time on record that more than a word or two was transmitted in such manner.

## Similar events

Another strong solar storm occurred in February 1872. Less severe storms also occurred in 1921 (this was comparable by some measures), 1938, 1941, 1958, 1959 and 1960, when widespread radio disruption was reported. The flares and CMEs of the August 1972 solar storms were similar to the Carrington event in size and magnitude; however, unlike the 1859 storms, they did not cause an extreme geomagnetic storm. The March 1989 geomagnetic storm knocked out power across large sections of Quebec, while the 2003 Halloween solar storms registered the most powerful solar explosions ever recorded. On 23 July 2012, a "Carrington-class" solar superstorm (solar flare, CME, solar electromagnetic pulse) was observed, but its trajectory narrowly missed Earth. During the May 2024 solar storms, the Aurora Borealis was sighted as far south as Puerto Rico.

In June 2013, a joint venture from researchers at Lloyd's of London and Atmospheric and Environmental Research (AER) in the US used data from the Carrington Event to estimate the cost of a similar event in the present to the US alone at US$ 600 billion to $2.6 trillion (equivalent to $ 774 billion to $ 3.35 trillion in 2023), which, at the time, equated to roughly 3.6 to 15.5 percent of annual GDP.

Other research has looked for signatures of large solar flares and CMEs in carbon-14 in tree rings and beryllium-10 (among other isotopes) in ice cores. The signature of a large solar storm has been found for the years 774–775 and 993–994. Carbon-14 levels stored in 775 suggest an event about 20 times the normal variation of the Sun's activity, and 10 or more times the size of the Carrington Event. An event in 7176 BCE may have exceeded even the 774–775 event based on this proxy data.

Whether the physics of solar flares is similar to that of even larger superflares is still unclear. The Sun may differ in important ways such as size and speed of rotation from the types of stars that are known to produce superflares.

## Other evidence

Ice cores containing thin nitrate -rich layers have been analysed to reconstruct a history of past solar storms predating reliable observations. This was based on the hypothesis that solar energetic particles would ionize nitrogen, leading to the production of nitric oxide and other oxidised nitrogen compounds, which would not be too diluted in the atmosphere before being deposited along with snow.

Beginning in 1986, some researchers claimed that data from Greenland ice cores showed evidence of individual solar particle events, including the Carrington Event. More recent ice core work, however, casts significant doubt on this interpretation and shows that nitrate spikes are likely not a result of solar energetic particle events but can be due to terrestrial events such as forest fires, and correlate with other chemical signatures of known forest fire plumes. Nitrate events in cores from Greenland and Antarctica do not align, so the hypothesis that they reflect proton events is now in significant doubt.

A 2024 study analysed digitized magnetogram readings from magnetic observatories at Kew and Greenwich. "Initial analysis suggests the rates of change of the field of over 700 nT/min exceeded the 1-in-100 years extreme value of 350–400 nT/min at this latitude based on digital-era records", indicating a far greater change rate than modern digital measurements.


Martin Truex Jr.

# Martin Truex Jr.

## Abstract

Martin Lee Truex Jr. (born June 29, 1980) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 19 Toyota Camry XSE for Joe Gibbs Racing. He is the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion and a two-time Xfinity Series champion, having won two consecutive championships in 2004 and 2005.

Many members of Truex Jr.'s family are current or retired NASCAR drivers. His younger brother Ryan competes part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for JGR, and is a two-time consecutive champion in what is now known as the ARCA Menards Series East. His father Martin Sr. competed full-time in the East Series in the 1990s. His uncle Barney competed part-time in the Whelen Modified Tour in the 1980s. His cousins, Curtis Truex Jr. and Tyler Truex, are late model racing drivers.

## Early career

The son of racer Martin Truex Sr., Martin Jr. began his racing career driving go-karts at the New Egypt Speedway, located in Ocean County, New Jersey when it was still a paved track (the track was later switched to dirt). Truex Jr. would make his move to the Modified division at Wall Stadium in 1998, as soon as he was old enough to race a car at the age of 18 (under New Jersey regulations).

In 2000, Truex moved south and rented a home from Dale Earnhardt Jr. in Mooresville, North Carolina, eventually purchasing his own home there. Following in his father's footsteps, he began racing in the Busch North Series. He ran three full seasons (2000 to 2002) and made limited starts in 2003. Truex claimed 13 poles and 5 wins driving his family-owned No. 56 SeaWatch Chevy.

## NASCAR

### 2001–2005: Busch Series

Truex made his first Busch Series start in 2001 at Dover International Speedway in his father's No. 56 Chevy. He started 19th but finished 38th after an early wreck. In 2002, Truex drove one race for Phoenix Racing at New Hampshire International Speedway, starting 13th and finishing 29th. He ran three races the rest of that season for his father, his best finish 17th at Dover.

In 2003, he began the season with his father's team, before he was hired by Dale Earnhardt Jr. to drive his No. 81 Chance 2 Motorsports Chevy. He made his debut with Chance 2 at Richmond International Raceway, where he qualified sixth and led 11 laps before transmission failure forced him to a 31st-place finish. He split time between Chance 2 and his father's team for the balance of the season, except at Dover, where he drove for Stanton Barrett. He had a sixth-place run at Bristol Motor Speedway, and ended the season with two consecutive second-place finishes. He ran a total of ten races that season.

Truex raced full-time for Chance 2 in 2004. At Bristol Motor Speedway, he would earn his first career victory, and he would later add three more victories over the next seven races. This would include a victory at Talladega Superspeedway which broke his car owner's streak of winning restrictor plate races in the Busch Series, and a victory at the final NASCAR event held at Nazareth Speedway. He took the lead in the championship after Nazareth but lost it to rookie Kyle Busch a few races later. However, a series of top-five and top-ten finishes in the second half of the season allowed Truex to pull away from Busch, clinching the Busch Series championship with a race to spare.

While on his way to that championship, Truex made an appearance in the Nextel Cup Series as a relief driver to Dale Earnhardt Jr., who had suffered burns in a sports car accident. Truex started his first career Cup race for Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (DEI) in the No. 1 at Atlanta Motor Speedway later that year, qualifying 33rd and finishing 37th.

Truex stayed in the Busch Series to defend his championship in 2005, winning the title for the second season in a row. He won the first Busch Series points race held outside the United States, in Mexico, as well as defending his wins at Talladega and Dover International Speedway. He took his first Daytona International Speedway win on July 1, 2005.

### 2006–2008: Dale Earnhardt, Inc.

In 2006, Truex moved to the No. 1 DEI Chevy full-time in the Nextel Cup Series. He had two Top 5 finishes and finished 19th in points. Truex got his first win of the 2007 season in the NASCAR Nextel All-Star Open, securing a spot in the 2007 Nextel All-Star Challenge, where he finished tenth.

A few weeks later, he won the Autism Speaks 400, scoring his first Sprint Cup Series win with an interval of seven seconds between pole-sitter Ryan Newman and himself, even though he led over half of the race—219 of the 400 laps.

This victory led to a jump in overall points advancing him to 13th, followed by a 3rd-place finish at Pocono Raceway and a second-place finish at Michigan. With a 15th-place finish in the Chevy Rock and Roll 400, Truex clinched a spot in his first Chase for the Sprint Cup and finished 11th in points at season's end. He did not go to victory lane in 2008, but he did have 11 Top 10's and finished 15th in the final points standings.

### 2009: Earnhardt Ganassi Racing

At the beginning of the 2009 season, Dale Earnhardt, Inc. merged into Chip Ganassi Racing and was renamed Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates. The move was in effect a closing of DEI, and Truex's No. 1 moved to Ganassi to replace the defunct No. 41 of Reed Sorenson. Truex began the year by winning the pole for the Daytona 500. Later in the season, Truex had claimed two more pole positions at Atlanta and Phoenix, following his first pole since 2007 at Texas.

2009 would be Truex Jr.'s lone season with Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, as he departed following the season and was replaced by Jamie McMurray.

### 2010–2013: Michael Waltrip Racing

#### 2010–2011

After the 2009 season, Truex left Earnhardt Ganassi Racing to drive the No. 56 Toyota Camry for Michael Waltrip Racing, receiving owner points from the No. 55 car formerly driven by Waltrip. The No. 56 was the number Martin's father drove in during his time in the Grand National Division and is considered the "family number". In his first race for Michael Waltrip Racing, Truex finished 6th in the Daytona 500.

After the series of setbacks the following three weeks with a blown engine and accidents, he fell back to 24th in the point standings, but in the next seven races after finishing in the Top 12 fives times and all Top 19 finishes, he would gain to 13th in the final point standings. At Dover, he earned his fifth career pole. Truex won the All-Star Showdown at Charlotte thereby earning the 1st transfer spot for the All-Star Race which he finished second in from a 19th (out of 21) starting spot. Truex would go on to finish the 2010 season 22nd in the point standings with one Top 5 finish and seven Top 10 finishes.

At Martinsville the following year in 2011, a stuck throttle caused Truex to make contact with Kasey Kahne, resulting in a large wreck; Truex hit the wall hard head-on and his car flew on fire for a few seconds as Kahne hit the wall in his car's rear. Truex climbed out instantly and went to check on Kahne who received a standing ovation as he climbed out uninjured. Truex then left with officials to the care center. He said the wreck was the hardest of his career and both Truex and Kahne were released with normal symptoms. The next week officials told him his wreck was the hardest crash at Martinsville. Truex won another pole at Dover International Raceway. Truex ran well in most of the races but often struggled to finish the races off. He was docked 25 points because of a windshield violation in the fall Talladega race. He ended the season 18th in points, with three Top 5's and 12 Top 10's.

#### 2012

Truex started 2012 well, winning a $200,000 bonus and finishing 7th in the Daytona 500. He finally hit his stride in Texas, winning the pole and leading 69 laps. The following week at Kansas he started 6th and flat-out dominated the race, leading 173 of 267 laps but falling short to Denny Hamlin. At Atlanta, he led 40 of the final 46 laps, but ultimately fell short to Hamlin again when he was forced to pit under a late-race caution for fuel, ending up fourth. Truex finished 21st, however, he had a spot clinched in the Chase, and ultimately made it in. He ended up 11th in the points, with zero wins, seven Top 5's, and 19 Top 10's.

#### 2013: Spingate incident

Truex had an up and down 2013 season. He had a few Top 5 finishes in the early races. His first best run of 2013 was Texas, when he led during the final 55 laps of the race but ended up losing to Kyle Busch. Truex also had low notes, including an accident at Martinsville and a blown engine at Dover. The highlight of the season was at Sonoma, when Truex broke a 218 race winless streak, starting 14th on the starting grid and working his way up to win by over eight seconds over Jeff Gordon. Truex's 218-race winless streak is second only to Bill Elliott, who went winless in 226 races between 1994 and 2001. It is only the second time a car numbered No. 56 won in NASCAR's highest division, the first being Jim Hurtubise in a 1966 Atlanta race.

Returning to Bristol, Truex was involved in a wreck on Lap 448 where his car hit an inside wall at an angle that he broke his right wrist; he continued racing despite wearing a cast on his right wrist. At Atlanta, despite nursing a broken wrist, Truex finished third to Kyle Busch and Joey Logano.

In the final regular-season race at Richmond, Truex was in the midst of a fierce battle for the final Wildcard spot, eventually coming out over Ryan Newman by a tiebreaker. As Newman and Truex each had one win, the Wildcard spot went to Truex, for having a better number of Top 5 finishes than Newman; however on Monday evening, it was announced that due to MWR having attempted to manipulate the results of the race, points penalties were assessed – 50 points for Truex, Clint Bowyer and Brian Vickers each – that resulted in Truex being bumped from the Chase and Newman and Jeff Gordon being added to the Chase field, as well as probation for all three crew chiefs, suspension of Ty Norris, and a $300,000 fine. In the final 10 races of the season, Truex had four top-10 finishes, which included a top-five run at Homestead.

### 2014–2018: Furniture Row Racing

#### 2014

On October 14, 2013, it was announced that Michael Waltrip Racing's No. 56 would become a research and development team in 2014, and later was spun off. Truex was told he could offer his services as a driver to other teams, and on October 17 it was confirmed that for the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season Truex would move to Furniture Row Racing and drive the No. 78 Chevrolet being vacated by Kurt Busch. When the deal was formally announced on November 1, 2013, before the Texas race, it was announced that Furniture Row had also signed on all of the members of Truex's MWR pit crew.

Truex's 2014 season started with an outside pole qualifying run for the Daytona 500, Furniture Row Racing's first front row start in the 500. However, Truex's engine failed on lap 31.

Truex did poorly in the spring but rebounded with four top-10s in the latter part of the season. He only led a single lap (at Talladega in the October race) and finished 24th in the final points standings.

#### 2015: First Championship Four appearance

Before the 2015 season, crew chief Todd Berrier was released and replaced with rookie crew chief Cole Pearn.

Truex's season began on a high note. He led the most laps of the Sprint Unlimited (28 of 75). He led late but after a late-race red flag period erased his 5-second lead on Joey Logano, Truex lost his rhythm and finished second to Matt Kenseth. In a post-race interview, an emotional Truex said "We needed this. The race was over once Kenseth pulled away from me. But we needed this. After the last year and a half that I've had this satisfies a lot."

Truex continued his good momentum, finishing in the Top 10 in 14 of the first 15 races including a runner-up at Las Vegas. His only poor finish during this period was a 29th-place finish at Bristol, seven laps down, after being swept up in a late-race accident. At Kansas, Truex led the most laps (95), but a late caution killed his chances as he slipped back to 9th on the last restart, and he was unable to make up enough ground to catch Jimmie Johnson.

At the Coca-Cola 600, Truex led the most laps (131 of 400), but with 20 laps to go, he had to make a late-race fuel stop and finished 5th. At Dover, Truex led the most laps again (131 of 405), but a poor restart caused him to slide back to 7th and cost him the race to Johnson.

At Pocono, Truex started third, and ran up front for most of the race, leading 97 of 160 laps. On the last restart, he managed to pull away to a 1.8-second lead on Kevin Harvick to take the checkered flag in 1st place. For Truex, this snapped a 69 race winless streak and was also the fourth straight points race in which he led the most laps. It was the second win for Furniture Row Racing and the first for crew chief Cole Pearn.

With a third-place finish in a rain-shortened Michigan race, Truex became the first driver since Richard Petty in 1969 to start a Cup season with 14 Top 10 finishes through the first 15 races. At Sonoma, Truex was running in the Top 20 until shortly after the first restart, when David Ragan turned him in the esses, which saw Truex crash into a jersey barrier, resulting in a 42nd-place finish. At Daytona, Truex was running up front until he was caught up in a crash on lap 106, relegating him to a 38th-place finish. Despite a string of bad races, Truex nonetheless made the Chase for the Sprint Cup and advanced through the first 2 rounds of the Chase. He also advanced to the final four at Homestead-Miami and went on to finish 4th in the final point standings, a then-career best for both him and FRR.

#### 2016

Prior to the season, Furniture Row switched manufacturers from Chevrolet to Toyota. Bass Pro Shops signed on as an associate sponsor to the No. 78, reuniting with Truex for the first time since Truex's time with DEI. Truex started the 2016 season qualifying 28th for the Daytona 500 and ran up front for most of the day. On the last lap of the Daytona 500, he was positioned behind race leader Matt Kenseth. Heading into turn 3 Denny Hamlin got a big run on Kenseth and tried to pass him but Matt went up to block Hamlin but nearly wrecked in the process and ended up losing the draft leaving Truex as the leading car. After a ferocious race to the finish line, Truex lost by 0.010 seconds to Denny Hamlin in the closest Daytona 500 finish in history.

Truex dominated at Texas, leading 141 of 334 laps but lost after not making a pit stop with less than 39 laps to go. At Kansas in May, Truex won his first pole of the year and first pole in 147 races in Sprint Cup for the running of the Go Bowling 400. Truex led a race-high 172 laps but a loose wheel relegated him to a 14th-place finish. He won his second pole of the season for the Coca-Cola 600. On May 29—Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, 2016—Truex dominated, leading a record 392 of 400 laps in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, surpassing the old record of 335 laps set by Jim Paschal in 1967. The win was Truex's first of 2016, clinching a place in the Chase for the Sprint Cup at the end-of-season. He led the race for 588 miles, the most miles led by any driver in any NASCAR race ever.

On September 4, in the Bojangles' Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, Truex won his second race of the year. With 20 laps to go Truex Jr. was on point with Kevin Harvick and Kyle Larson chasing from behind. With 19 laps to go Harvick and Larson found themselves five seconds behind the leader when a caution came out for a hard wreck by Aric Almirola in the No. 43 machine. With 17 laps to go the field hit pit road for the final time with Truex Jr. winning the battle off pit road. The final restart came with 12 laps to go and immediately Harvick and Larson battled quickly before Harvick eventually took second and then set sail to catch Truex. Luckily For Truex, however, Harvick could not match the number 78 car and Truex would go on to win the Southern 500.

2016 became the first multi-win season of his career. Truex would advance to the next round of the Chase at Chicagoland. Truex led 32 of the final 50 laps and appeared set to finish second behind Chase Elliott. After a caution with 10 laps left erased Elliott's 3-second lead, Truex and Elliott pitted. Truex used the advantage of his fresh tires and got by rookie Ryan Blaney on the final restart, winning the race, his third win of the season. At New Hampshire, Truex had a great car all day and would lead the most laps but towards the end, his tires would wear, and a few late-race cautions came out so he would lose the lead, eventually, Kevin Harvick would win and Truex would finish 7th.

The next week, coming back to Dover, Truex would once again have a great car and would lead the most laps, and would get his fourth win of the season and seventh win of his career after the other dominant driver Jimmie Johnson had a pit road mistake and would be advanced into round 2 of the Chase after his Chicagoland win. He would eventually get eliminated in the Round of 12 after his engine blew up in the elimination race at Talladega and some poor performances in the Round of 12.

#### 2017: Championship year

Truex started the 2017 season off by winning the Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This was Toyota's first win of the season with the new 2018 Camry and Truex's first career win at Las Vegas. He also became the first driver to win all three stages of the new stage format that was introduced for 2017.

At Kansas in May 2017, Truex started 4th. The race was primarily a duel between him and Ryan Blaney. Truex held off Blaney, Kevin Harvick, and a hard-charging Brad Keselowski on three restarts to win the race. At Charlotte, he led the most laps once again, becoming only the second man to lead the most laps in three straight Coca-Cola 600 races, yet only winning one. He tied Darrell Waltrip 's record. At Michigan, he won two more stage wins, becoming the first and fastest person to ever win 10 stage wins, where nobody else has won more than four, or any other team's combined stage wins. In July, Truex captured his third win of the season, dominating the Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway. He again won all three stages, leading 152 of 267 laps. With two laps to go, Truex had a 14-second lead before a late caution set up an overtime finish. Despite each of the other seven cars behind him pitting during the caution, Truex held off Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson on older tires before a wreck behind the lead pack brought out another yellow flag, this one ending the race.

Truex took home his fourth win of the season in August winning the I Love New York 355 at The Glen, capturing his first win at Watkins Glen International Speedway. After finishing 2nd in the first two segments of the race, Truex took the lead with 36 laps to go from Brad Keselowski but relinquished the top two spots to Keselowski and Ryan Blaney to save fuel. The strategy paid off, as Keselowski went to pit road with five laps remaining, while Blaney went one lap later, giving Truex the lead. He was able to make it to the finish, holding off Matt Kenseth as he was running out of fuel for his second career road course victory. It was an emotional win for the #78 team, as Pollex returned to victory lane with Truex after missing the Kentucky win due to a cancer recurrence, while his crew chief Cole Pearn helped earn the win while coping with the loss of his best friend, Jacob Damen.

Two races later at the 2017 Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, Truex had a chance to clinch the first regular-season title in NASCAR history if he left with a points lead of 120 points or greater. However, Truex struggled during the early stages of the race and finished 21st

Following an off-week, Truex raced in the Bojangles Southern 500 at Darlington with another chance to wrap up the regular season crown a week before the finale at Richmond. In stage one, Truex ran down Kyle Larson with under a lap to go to win his 16th stage of the year. The exciting finish earned him his 35th playoff point of the season. After being behind both Larson and Denny Hamlin early in the second stage, Truex was able to find the lead and took the stage victory under caution after an accident occurred with three laps to go. The stage win also clinched Truex the regular-season championship and the additional 15 playoff points that go with the title. Truex seemed to have optimal timing again near the finish, springing to the lead shortly after the final exchange of pit stops in the closing 102-lap run of green-flag racing. However, Denny Hamlin gradually chopped into the lead, setting up a potential classic contest for the lead. With three laps to go, Truex's tire gave way, allowing Hamlin to scoot by and grab his second win of the season. Despite this, Truex clinched the regular-season championship.

Before being awarded the regular-season championship at Richmond, Truex dominated the Federated Auto Parts 400 leading 50% of the race. However, his race derailed when Denny Hamlin wrecked him on the final restart. Truex, though clinching the regular-season championship, expressed discontent with the 1990 Daytona 500 champion, Derrike Cope who caused a caution that changed the outcome of the race, leading up to the wreck. The regular-season championship was Truex's first top-level championship in his Cup Series career.

Truex started the playoffs on a high note, winning the first race of the playoffs, and his fifth win of the season at Chicagoland Speedway despite a pit road speeding penalty early in the race. That win, allowed Truex to secure a spot for the Round of 12. He later earned himself a 5th-place finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, although being involved in an eight-car pileup with minor damage midway through the race.

To start the Round of 12, Truex scored his sixth win of the season at Charlotte after leading 91 out of 334 laps to secure a spot for the Round of 8. Just two weeks later, he scored another win at Kansas despite having a restart violation early in the race, that win extends his active win streak in 1.5-mile tracks to 4, a NASCAR record. The next week, Truex came second to Kevin Harvick in Texas Fall race, snapping the streak at the final 1.5. mile track race in the season. After the Texas Chase race, Truex made the final four in the playoffs by points. He ultimately won the final race at Miami, becoming the 2017 champion, and won 19 of 108 stages, capping off one of the most dominant seasons in recent history.

#### 2018: Final year at Furniture Row

Truex started off the season with an 18th-place finish at the 2018 Daytona 500, after being caught up in a late-race wreck. For the next few weeks, Truex picked up Top 5 finishes for the next five straight races, including two poles, and a win at California. He continued this consistency with wins at Pocono, Sonoma, and Kentucky and 15 Top 5's during the regular season. Truex added four Top 5 finishes during the Playoffs and made the Championship 4 for the second year in a row. He finished 2nd at Homestead to Joey Logano and in the final points standings.

On September 4, 2018, it was announced that Furniture Row Racing will be folding the No. 78 team following the conclusion of the 2018 season. On November 7, 2018, with Furniture Row Racing closing at the end of 2018, it was announced Truex and crew chief Cole Pearn signed a deal with Joe Gibbs Racing to drive the No. 19 starting in the 2019 season, replacing Daniel Suárez and crew chief Dave Rogers.

### 2019–2024: Joe Gibbs Racing

#### 2019

Truex started his first season with JGR with a 35th-place finish at the 2019 Daytona 500, but he made up for that loss with five straight Top 10s and two Top 20s before scoring four wins at Richmond (his first Cup win on a short track), Dover, Charlotte, and Sonoma. He began the 2019 playoffs by winning the first two races at Las Vegas and Richmond (his first back-to-back career victories and season "sweep" at Richmond) and advancing to the Round of 12 after finishing seventh at the Charlotte Roval. During the Round of 8, Truex won at Martinsville to secure his position in the Championship 4. At the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Truex dominated the first half of the race, winning the first stage and leading into green flag pit stops at the midpoint of stage 2. However, the race and championship hope unraveled due to a miscue during the pit stop, in which the left and right front tires were switched around, and installed to the incorrect sides. The pit road error forced an unscheduled stop and rendered Truex a lap down for much of the second stage. He recovered and began to rally back through the field, but could not overcome the loss of track position, ultimately finishing 2nd in the race to teammate Kyle Busch and the final championship standings for the second season in a row. Truex led the series in victories with seven. Truex was also the first driver to lead the series in wins after switching to a new team since Matt Kenseth in 2013, who also did it with Joe Gibbs Racing.

On December 9, after serving as Truex's crew chief for six seasons, Pearn announced he has parted ways with JGR to pursue opportunities outside the sport.

#### 2020

At Martinsville in June, Truex controlled the final 100 laps and won his only race of the season after early-race damage to the front of his car prevented the right-front tire and brake pads from overheating. Truex dominated the final laps of the race at Kentucky but was the victim of a last-lap pass by Cole Custer, the second time in three years that Truex was passed on the final lap by a driver in their first career win. Truex missed the Championship 4 for the first time since 2016 and finished 7th in points.

#### 2021

Despite only scoring one win in their first season paired together, Truex remained with crew chief James Small, even amidst a crew chief shakeup at JGR that year. He won his first race of the season at Phoenix in March, which was his first victory at the track.

In March, Truex made his return to both the Xfinity Series and the Truck Series. He drove JGR's No. 54 at Atlanta in March for his first Xfinity start since 2010 when he drove multiple races for MWR in their No. 00 and No. 99 cars. Truex drove in the Truck Series' Bristol dirt race in the No. 51 for Kyle Busch Motorsports in preparation for the Cup Series race on the same track, new to the schedule, that weekend. It was his first Truck start since 2006, coincidentally also in the No. 51, but he ran for Billy Ballew Motorsports in 2006. He won the race for his first truck series win, becoming the 36th driver to win in all three top NASCAR Series. Despite leading the most laps (122) at the Cup event, Truex would finish 19th after a cut tire with two laps to go while running in 3rd.

Two weeks later, Truex won at Martinsville for the third time in his career, his sixth win on a short track, and became the first driver to win multiple races in 2021.

On May 9, Truex dominated and won the Goodyear 400 at Darlington, earning his 30th career victory, and his second at the famed track.

At New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Truex was running second when the rain hit the track causing Truex, Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin to crash. He soon rebounded to finish 12th in the same race, which was shortened due to darkness.

During the rest of the season, he would continue to perform to the best of his ability for the next three races after that, earning a 3rd-place finish at Watkins Glen International. Truex was involved in a wreck at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course late in the race, but managed to finish 15th. He also scored a Top 10 at Michigan International Speedway.

Truex was involved in the big one at the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway, resulting in a 29th-place finish. When the Playoffs started, he scored one win at Richmond Raceway, a Top 5 at Darlington Raceway, and a Top 10 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

In the second round of the playoffs, he would finish 4th at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, 12th at Talladega Superspeedway, and 29th at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval.

In the final round of the playoffs at Texas Motor Speedway, Truex got loose in turns 3 and 4, snapping the car around and causing him to slam into the outside wall. He would be scored 25th as a result of said crash. However, he would gather enough points and positions in the next two races at Kansas Speedway and Martinsville Speedway, finishing 7th and 4th respectively, giving him just enough points to advance into the Championship 4.

In the Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway, Truex would be in 1st-place for a small portion of the end of the race, looking to secure a second title. With just under 30 laps to go, the caution came out because of David Starr putting debris on the racetrack after cutting a tire. Truex tried his best to overtake the top contender, Kyle Larson, as the laps kept winding down, but ultimately finished 2nd in points after coming up just short of winning. This was the third time in Truex's NASCAR Cup Series career that he has finished 2nd in points.

#### 2022: Championship 4 to missing the playoffs

Truex started the 2022 season with a 13th-place finish at the 2022 Daytona 500. He was winless through the regular season, but he stayed consistent with three Top 5's and 12 Top 10 finishes. In June, Truex expressed uncertainty about his future in the NASCAR Cup Series with him debating over if he would retire or stay with JGR. He would ultimately choose to stay with JGR and run the 2023 season. Despite leading the season in stage wins (7) and being fourth in the regular season standings at the conclusion of the August Daytona race, Truex missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014 after finishing eighth, three points behind Ryan Blaney for the 16th and final playoff spot as Austin Dillon won the race to become the 16th different race winner of the season. Truex went winless and finished 17th in the final standings.

#### 2023: Return to form

Truex began the 2023 season by winning the 2023 Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum. He broke a 54-race winless streak at Dover to make the playoffs. Truex also scored wins at Sonoma and New Hampshire. At the conclusion of the Daytona night race, he clinched the regular season championship. On the second playoff race at Kansas, Truex experienced a puncture on his right rear tire and crashed on the third lap, finishing in last place and dropping him below the cutoff line. However, the following week at Bristol, he was able to salvage a bad night and finish 19th two laps down, going above the cutoff line by five points after Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick had issues late in the race.

#### 2024: Final full-time season

On August 5, 2023, Truex announced that he had signed a contract extension to remain with JGR through the 2024 season. On June 14, 2024, Truex announced he would retire from full-time racing at the end of the season. Despite not winning a race during the regular season, he stayed consistent enough to make the playoffs.

## Personal life

Truex was born in Trenton, New Jersey, and grew up in the Mayetta section of Stafford Township, New Jersey. He graduated from Southern Regional High School in 1998. His father, Martin Truex Sr., was a former race winner in the Busch North Series. His younger brother, Ryan, is a former champion in the K&N Pro Series East, and was a contender for 2014 Rookie of the Year in Sprint Cup.

Truex and his ex-girlfriend Sherry Pollex were together from 2005–2023. In 2007, they started the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation to support children with pediatric cancer. In 2014, Pollex was diagnosed with Stage III ovarian cancer. Truex announced that he and Pollex had ended their relationship on January 27, 2023. They continued to remain close friends post-breakup up until Pollex's death on September 17, 2023.

Truex is an avid fan of the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League and the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League.

In 2019, Truex's holding company, which holds a small aircraft fleet, entered the human organ transport business.

## Motorsports career results

### NASCAR

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led. ** – All laps led.)

#### Cup Series

#### Camping World Truck Series

Season still in progress Ineligible for series points

### International Race of Champions

(key) (Bold – Pole position. * – Most laps led.)