NASCAR Builds Forney Gift Guide

BY BLAIR WEILNAU

(ITEM# 271) This multi-

process unit allows you to MIG, TIG, Stick and Flux-core (no gas required) weld all with the same machine. It can weld up to ¼” and runs off standard 120V power. Perfect for beginners, metal fabrication and more.

(ITEM# 42300) No shielding

gas required for this wire! This self-fluxcore welding wire is ideal for all position welding on mild steel. It is best suited for single pass applications with high travel speed.

(ITEM# 71923, 71924, 71925)

Complete two process applications such as grinding and finishing using one disc. Available in 40/40 grits, 40/80 grits and 60/120 grits.

(ITEM# 251)

lightweight plasma cutter is generator friendly, cuts up to 1/4”, and runs off a standard 120V outlet. Ideal for sheet metal to thin plate cutting, auto body, metal art and do-it-yourself projects.

(ITEM# 52755)

use wheeled battery charger is powerful enough to bring cars, large SUVs and small trucks back to life! It can charge both a 6-volt and/or a 12-volt battery.

(ITEM# 55857, 55858, 55859, 55860, 55861, 55862)

welding helmets feature HD optical clarity with true color technology that allows you to clearly see what you’re doing, resulting in clear and precise welds. Easy to use and comes in a variety of styles.

At Forney Industries, it is imperative that each product we engineer is of superior quality; and the line of Forney Easy Weld® machines is no exception.

Engineered to take the fear out of welding, all the machines in this line are user-friendly, portable and ready to weld or cut right out of the box. The simplicity and intuitiveness of these machines are unmatched, making them perfect for a wide range of metalworkers. From those just learning to weld, to weekend warriors knee-deep in DIY projects, there’s something for everyone.

With the holidays right around the corner, the gift of a Forney Easy Weld machine will be one that keeps on giving for years to come. The gift of a Forney Easy Weld is a chance at a new hobby, maybe even a new career- the possibilities are endless with one of these machines in hand.

In the words of Jason Mahugh, Director of Engineering & Technical Services at Forney Industries; “Arc welding may seem intimidating with the sparks and arcs, but it can be a fun hobby and skill to have. Most people can learn the basics of plasma cutting in 10 minutes, MIG welding in 30 minutes and Stick welding in about an hour. Getting started welding is fairly easy and fun but true welding mastery will take a lifetime.”

Learn more about the Forney Easy Weld line of machines at forneyind.com, or a dealer near you.

One of the most prolific performers in the NASCAR Cup Series for the last several years, Martin Truex Jr. has reached a place in his career that many drivers never do. It’s a place where he no longer sweats or fumes over temporary setbacks.

The things Truex has accomplished, coupled with the opportunity to compete for Joe Gibbs Racing – one of the sport’s elite organizations – have made him as chill as it’s humanly possible for someone who drives 200 mph to be.

“I’m at the point in my career where I want to be having fun,” Truex said in an exclusive interview with NASCAR Pole Position. “I want to enjoy going to the race track every weekend. I don’t want to do it just to have a job. I could find something else to do if I felt that way. Right now, I still love racing. I’m still committed and still winning.

“That’s what matters, and as long as that keeps happening and I keep having fun, I’ll keep rolling.”

Of the 30 Cup Series wins on Truex’s résumé at press time, all but two had come since the beginning of 2015. That was his second season at the now-extinct Furniture Row Racing organization, but his first season alongside crew chief Cole Pearn – with whom he went on to win 24 races and the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series championship. Over an incredible three-year stretch from 2017-2019, Truex not only captured the title but also rang up 19 victories and finished second in the standings in the two years following his championship run.

When Furniture Row disbanded at the end of 2018, it was no surprise that Joe Gibbs Racing came calling. It also wasn’t surprising that Truex, who is now in this third season with JGR, picked up right where he left off at Furniture Row.

“I think it’s kind of neat to be at the point of your career where I am,” the Mayetta, New Jersey, native said. “You know, you’re not always looking over your shoulder wondering if your job is secure, what are you going to do next year, and worrying about those things. Back in the day when I was struggling, it was a constant concern like, ‘Man, this isn’t going well. What’s going to happen next? What am I going to do?’ I was always stressed out. You live week to week on the edge of being miserable.”

Truex, who began his Cup Series career at Dale Earnhardt Inc. and later joined Michael Waltrip Racing, went to Victory Lane just once with each organization and endured a painful 218-race drought between his first two wins. But even before leaving MWR for Furniture Row and becoming a consistent frontrunner, Truex had flipped a page in his own mind.

“Really since 2013, I have been having so much fun,” he said. “And now with the success I’ve been fortunate enough to have, I’m in the spot where things don’t bother me anymore. I focus on the car, I focus on winning, but I know if I have a bad week, I can turn it up next week. It’s not going to end anything. It’s a lot more of a fun place to be in as a race car driver. So, hopefully, that sticks around, and if it does, I’ll stick around.”

Of course, Truex is keenly aware that none of his success would be possible without partners such as Auto-Owners

BY JARED TURNER

Insurance – a primary sponsor on his race cars going all the way back to 2016.

“They’ve been incredible – a lot of fun at the race track,” Truex said of the mutual insurance company that provides life, home, car and business insurance in more than half of all U.S. states. “They’re a really exciting sponsor. I’m excited about the program and Auto-Owners Insurance being on the race car. They do lots of things around racing partner events and are huge supporters of the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation as well. They’re really just the best we could ever ask for in a partner. I love their passion and dedication to what they do, and they in turn feel the same way about our racing program and my foundation, so it’s been a great partnership.”

Truex has enjoyed a similarly fruitful partnership with second-year crew chief James Small, who replaced Pearn atop Truex’s No. 19 pit box when Pearn decided to walk away from the sport at the end of the 2019 season. Truex – who celebrated four victories with Small by the midway point of the 2021 season – has been particularly impressed by how the former JGR engineer has adapted to the change NASCAR made in early 2020 to eliminate practices and qualifying on all but a select few race weekends. NASCAR made this procedural adjustment to limit drivers’ and teams’ at-track time in an effort to curb the potential spread of COVID-19.

“Right from the get-go, I feel like James and I had the communication part of it, the understanding-each-other-part, because we worked together before (when Small was an engineer),” Truex said. “I think the biggest thing is that he was really thrown into that crew chief role in a really tough time. We started off in 2020 and were really strong right out of the gate, and then we had COVID. I will say that all of his work since then has been on … how we show up and have the car right without practice. That’s been a huge challenge.

“A lot of the way we used to do things changed, and that was really all on him. So a lot of pressure, a lot on his shoulders to figure out, and I feel like our biggest progress has been in that department, and that’s been all on him. He’s doing a great job with it.”

With Small as a crew chief, three-time Super Bowl-winning NFL coach Joe Gibbs as a team owner and Auto-Owners Insurance as a primary sponsor, Truex – who turned 41 years old on June 29 – hopes to achieve at least one more major goal before hanging up his driving helmet.

“I definitely would love to win another championship,” he said. “Finishing second in the standings two years in a row was pretty tough to swallow. Hopefully, we can get back to that Championship 4 and have another crack at it. It’s really tough to get to that Championship 4 and even have a shot at it. And to be the best out of that four is really challenging. Hopefully, we can do that again. That’s really at the top of the list … and just continuing to have fun.”