Take 5: Five Thoughts Leaving Atlanta

Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

How about Martin Truex Jr.?

Heading into Las Vegas Truex Jr. is now fifth in the point standings. How many of you out there thought that he would be in the top-five after two races?

Truex Jr. followed up his eighth-place finish in the Daytona 500 with a sixth-place finish this past weekend in Atlanta. The driver of the No. 78 car has had speed and consistency since the start of Speedweeks and there is little reason to believe that it’s going to disappear anytime soon. After turning a lot of heads with his second-place run in the Sprint Unlimted, Truex Jr. has yet to look back.

Obviously he isn’t going to run inside of the top-10 all season but while he is it’s making other folks take notice. I don’t know if Truex Jr. will win a race this season but I do think that he will be consistent enough to make a run at the chase. If he gets himself into the chase who knows what might happen, just look at Ryan Newman last season.