Mile High Sports Magazine has named Furniture Row Racing driver Martin Truex Jr. the 2015 Colorado Professional Athlete of the Year. Truex, who enjoyed his best season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, joins a list of famed athletes who previously received the Mile High Sports Magazine honor, including Peyton Manning (NFL Denver Broncos), Carmelo Anthony (NBA Denver Nuggets) and Joe Sakic (NHL Colorado Avalanche). Driving for the Denver-based single-car team headquartered 1500 miles from the racing hub in Charlotte, N.C., Truex defied the pundits by advancing to the final four in NASCAR’s Chase playoffs. His season statistics were highlighted with a victory at Pocono Raceway, eight top fives, 22 top 10s and 567 laps led. He was NASCAR’s biggest gainer in the point standings, vaulting from 24th in 2014 to fourth in 2015. “On Monday mornings in Colorado, you talk about how the Broncos played on Sunday. It’s just what you do. But this year, on more than one occasion, Monday morning included conversations about how well Furniture Row Racing and Martin Truex Jr. did over the weekend,” said Mile High Sports Magazine editor-in-chief Doug Ottewill. “The fact that this team got the general sports fan talking about, and interested in, motor sports is remarkable. Truex and his team put our state on the map in a sport where we’d previously had little, if any, representation. That’s a remarkable feat, and it’s exactly why we chose to honor him. Simply put, they were excellent all season long.”(Furniture Row Racing)(12-11-2015)
