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  • Kelly Crandall

Sep 11, 2024, 09:44 AM ET

Dale Earnhardt Jr. recalled a day from many years ago when he saw Martin Truex Jr. in the garage. The latter, as Earnhardt describes, was bewildered and beside himself in frustration at how terribly things were going with his race team.

“I felt terrible for him because I knew he was wasted talent,” Earnhardt told ESPN. “I knew he was wasting his good years not being in a good situation.”

Earnhardt doesn’t believe Truex will ever talk about how he struggled with the combination of race teams and crew chiefs he once worked with. This particular time that Earnhardt revealed, Truex had gone from Dale Earnhardt Inc. to Michael Waltrip Racing, earning just two victories in his first eight seasons at the NASCAR Cup Series level.

Perhaps things would have been different, and maybe the Hall of Fame career Truex, 44, has since put together would have started sooner if Earnhardt had his way. Earnhardt once badly wanted Rick Hendrick to hire Truex. Having signed with Hendrick in 2008, Earnhardt tried to convince his new boss in those first few seasons to put Truex in his next available car.

“But you couldn’t convince anybody at that time that Martin had that kind of ability,” Earnhardt said.

Truex landed at Furniture Row Racing in 2014 and the rest, truly, is history. After a few building years together, aligning with Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing in 2016 changed the game. By 2017, Truex was a Cup Series champion and has been a perennial contender ever since. In five seasons driving for Barney Visser’s team, Truex won a championship and 17 races and had one finish outside the top 11 in the championship standings.

Joe Gibbs has been Truex’s team owner since 2019. He brought Truex in-house when Visser closed his doors.

Truex has won 15 more races in a Gibbs car and made the championship race twice.

“He had earned his way up in NASCAR, particularly at the Cup Series level, and really struggled through some years and paid a price,” Gibbs told ESPN. “To get him into our program as an alliance partner and see what he and Cole Pearn were able to do with the team they put together over there, it was great. So, to see someone who has paid a big price in the sport get to the top level and be a part of that, is a thrill for us.

“I think it says a lot about Martin. He paid a big price of struggling through some of the things drivers go through to get to the top level.”

Without family funding or corporate sponsors behind him early in his career, Truex got noticed by folks such as Earnhardt through his talent. It was a leap of faith for Truex to move to North Carolina, and when he did, Earnhardt put Truex in one of the Xfinity Series cars he co-owned in 2003. A year later, Truex was full time in the series and won the championship. He made it back-to-back titles in 2005.

When Truex moved to the Cup Series in 2006 with Dale Earnhardt Inc., though, the uphill battle began. There were more headlines for off-track moves than performance as the company encountered continuous turmoil around Truex. A family dispute led to Earnhardt’s departure before a short-lived merger with Bobby Ginn gave way to a merger with Chip Ganassi.

A tenure at Michael Waltrip Racing began in 2010, but Truex was still fighting for relevancy. It lasted four years before a race manipulation controversy involving the organization at Richmond Raceway in 2013 resulted in Truex being kicked out of the postseason and his sponsor, NAPA, leaving at season’s end. It culminated in the closure of Waltrip’s operation.

The silver lining was landing at Furniture Row. Soon, the sport would see what Earnhardt knew all along about Truex.

“If I were him, man, I would be so thankful that I was able to have that sort of part two or that second half of my career that was so exceptional,” Earnhardt said. “He could have easily been stuck in a sea of B-class rides his entire career.”

Once given the right car, Gibbs was unsurprised to see how Truex could dominate anywhere on the schedule. For example, Truex set a record in 2016 when he led 392 of 400 laps in the Coca-Cola 600. It was his first Crown Jewel win. He’d add the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway later that year.

In the first year that NASCAR introduced stage racing, 2017, a masterclass by Truex and his team taught the field how to accumulate points. He led the series in stage wins (19), race wins (eight) and laps led (2,253).

“He’s got real talent,” Gibbs proclaimed. With a laugh, however, Truex described his career as “stressful.”

“I don’t know that there’s one word,” he said. “There are so many different emotions and things I’ve been through over the years. It’s been a roller coaster, there’s no question.”

That career has now spanned 19 years. Set to retire after the season finale in November, Truex is tied for 20th on the all-time wins list with 34 victories. He is one of 36 drivers who has won a Cup Series championship.

On his way out, though, Truex could join a more elite group of drivers with multiple championships. It came down to the final race of the regular season, but after crashing out of the event on Lap 3 at Darlington Raceway, the points fell his way by six to clinch a spot in the postseason.

Fitting, isn’t it? From his career’s beginnings to how he will ride off into the sunset, there has never been any shortage of drama for Truex.

“I always dreamed I could, I always thought I could,” Truex said of his accomplishments. “But until you do it, it’s all just talk. It was fun to get it done a few times.”

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Iowa State loses pair of starting CBs for season

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3 hours ago

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October 1, 2025

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Iowa State loses pair of starting CBs for season

  • Associated Press

Oct 1, 2025, 10:42 AM ET

AMES, Iowa — No. 14 Iowa State‘s secondary will be without longtime starters Jontez Williams and Jeremiah Cooper for the rest of the season because of knee injuries.

Coach Matt Campbell announced Tuesday that Williams damaged the ACL in his right knee late in the Cyclones’ 39-14 win over Arizona on Saturday. Cooper tore his ACL in practice last week. The two have combined for 55 starts.

Williams, an Associated Press All-Big 12 second-team pick in 2024, had one interception and two pass breakups this season. He was hurt with three minutes left against Arizona as he dove in an attempt to knock a ball away from a receiver.

“So that’s a situation that really stinks for the kid,” Campbell said. “But man, just how he’s handled it has been uber impressive. And a great human. He’ll be back ready to rock and roll next year.”

Cooper has made 36 starts since 2022 and was an AP All-Big 12 first-team pick at safety in 2023. He switched to cornerback full time this season and had an interception and three pass breakups through four games.

Tre Bell, a transfer from Lindenwood, made his first start for the Cyclones in Cooper’s place against Arizona. Quentin Taylor Jr., who played 26 snaps against Arizona, would be in line to make his first start when the Cyclones (5-0, 2-0 Big 12) visit Cincinnati (3-1, 1-0) on Saturday.

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New Orleans back as CFP title host in Jan. 2028

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3 hours ago

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October 1, 2025

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New Orleans back as CFP title host in Jan. 2028

New Orleans will host the 2028 College Football Playoff National Championship at Caesars Superdome, the CFP announced Wednesday.

The 14th title game in the CFP era will be played Monday, Jan. 24, 2028, following the 2027 regular season and playoff rounds. New Orleans will become the third city to host the CFP title game for a second time. The game has also been to Atlanta twice (2018, 2025) and will make its second appearance (along with 2021) in South Florida this season Jan. 19 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.

“The College Football Playoff is thrilled to bring the national championship game back to New Orleans in 2028,” CFP executive director Rich Clark said in a statement. “Few cities embrace college football quite like New Orleans, with its unmatched hospitality, culture and passion for the game. We know fans, teams and the entire college football community will have an unforgettable experience in one of the sport’s most iconic destinations.”

The 2027 title game is set for Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

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Bottom 10: There’s no whitewashing Penn State’s latest big-game flop

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3 hours ago

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October 1, 2025

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Bottom 10: There's no whitewashing Penn State's latest big-game flop

  • Ryan McGee

Oct 1, 2025, 07:00 AM ET

Inspirational thought of the week:

I hear your laugh
And look up smiling at you
I run and run
Past the pumpkin patch
And the tractor rides

Look now, the sky is gold
I hug your legs
And fall asleep on the way home
I don’t know why all the trees change in the fall
But I know you’re not scared of anything at all

— “The Best Day,” Taylor Swift

Here at Bottom 10 Headquarters, located beneath the pile of regret RSVP cards at Rece Davis’ house because his daughter scheduled a fall wedding, now that October has arrived, we know exactly where you will all have been this week. Standing in line with us, waiting for the store to open at midnight Oct. 3 to sell us the first copies of Tay-Tay’s new album, “The Life of a Showgirl.”

Yes, this week the World’s Most Famous Chiefs Fan Not Named Ant-Man drops her new batch of songs, but we also know that as the Bottom 10 faithful camp out on the sidewalk, they will be listening to another playlist of sweet tunes. I’m speaking of the fight songs of Sam Houston, We Have a Problem on Thursday night. Then, the Charlotte 1-and-3’ers, San No-sé State and Colora-duh State on Friday night. All programs that are in their own “Era” of writing “Bottom 10’s Version” of their “Reputation” for “Evermore.”

And while we watch those games, at some point we will realize that it isn’t “1989” and we no longer have to be in line to buy a new record. Or buy records at all. We can download them to our phones. Or as we call them here in the B10CU, the Bottom 10 Cinematic Universe, our pocket computers.

With apologies to the Taylor University Trojans, former Nebraska wide receiver Nate Swift and Steve Harvey, here are the post-Week 5 Bottom 10 rankings.

The Bearkats kruised through their skheduled open date and now koncentrate on krossing the Rio Grande for a kontest kounter to New Mexiko State, who were just konquered by New Mexiko in Albukuerkue.

Have you seen that meme of Cookie Monster drumming his fingers on the table, impatiently waiting to go bonkers on a yet-to-arrive tray of cookies? Yeah, that’s us, waiting for the Oct. 11 Pillow Fight of the Week of the Year of the Century Mega Bowl, when the Minutemen travel to face State of Kent, who are 1-3 after taking the week off. But before that, UMass hosts Western Not Eastern Michigan, while Kent will be getting run over by the Sooner Schooner like a snake trying to cross an Oklahoma freeway.

In Westwood, they said bye to their coach, then they had a bye week, then they lost at Bottom 10 Wait Listers Northworstern, then they raced USC back to Los Angeles, both wondering why they said bye to having all those games closer to home in the league they said bye to too.

Speaking of the Artist Formerly Known But Soon To Be Known Again As The Pac-12, the Beavers became the nation’s first five-loss team after a near-win over undefeated Houston Not Sam Houston. Now they travel east to face Appalachian State in Boone, North Carolina, where I once camped with the Boy Scouts and had all of our food stolen by actual beavers.

There are those who might try to convince you that Penn State’s White Out didn’t work the night they played Oregon, but it did. Watch James Franklin’s postgame news conference when he was asked about his record against top-10 teams. He totally used virtual Wite-Out to paint over the word “narrative” and change it to “factual.”

I was roasted over mesquite, and rightfully so, for omitting Oklahoma State from these rankings one week ago after it lost to Living On Tulsa Time at home and then fired Mike “I’m a man! I’m 58!” Gundy. It was a mistake. I was in denial. But I was snapped out of that trance of disbelief by all of the DMs and texts from Stillwater phone numbers saying that I had to have Oklahoma State in here this week or lose all credibility, including one from what my caller ID listed as “Gundy, M.”

The Spartans Not Trojans are one of a whopping four Mountain West teams stuck at 1-3, but won, er, lost out for this spot over the other three because: A. They actually played a game last weekend; 3. They lost the Pillow Fight of the Week to neighbor and fellow Bottom 10 Waiting Lister Stanfird by one point; and fifthly, they can probably sneak up on New Mexico this weekend because the Lobos have spent all week with upset tummies after spending a week eating from college football’s new greatest rivalry trophy, the Chile Roaster.

The Other Other Huskies are one of a whopping six #MACtion team stuck at 1-and-something, but won, er, lost out for this spot over the other five because: 1. They actually played a game last weekend; C. They lost to San Diego State, which isn’t terrible, but the final score of the game was 6-3; and secondly, we wanted a chance to hype this week’s Pillow Fight of the Week, when they host My Hammy of Ohio, which is now 1-3 after beating Lindenwood, a school you’ve never heard of unless you are a big Pierre Desir fan.

The Red Wolves are one of a not-as-whopping but still not small three Fun Belt teams stuck at 1-and-something, but won, er, lost out for this spot over the other two because: I. They actually played last weekend; IV. They lost to our old friends and former Bottom 10 stalwart ULM (pronounced “uhlm”); and XL. That Week 2 loss to now-head coach-less Arkansaw by 42 points is aging about as well as that bottle of gas station chardonnay that I accidentally left under the seat of my truck all summer.

My hometown team is one of a totally-not-whopping-but-still-seems-like-a-lot-for-one-conference-after-only-one-month-of-football three Just American teams stuck at 1-and-something, but won, er … OK, yeah … I’m tired of this bit too. Almost as tired as the Niners fans will be of watching US(not C)F run up and down the field on Friday night. The good news? Shortly after the game ends, they can ease their pain by listening to Tay’s new album.

Waiting list: State of Kent, UTEPid, Muddled Tennessee State, Northworstern, FA(not I)U, Bah-stan Cawledge, Clempson, Flori-duh, Georgia State Not Southern, Colora-duh State, No-vada, Stanfird, My Hammy of Ohio, South Alabama Redundancies, Give Me Liberty Or Give Me 1-4, Akronmonious, Baller State, a college football world without Sam Pittman in it.

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