This weekend the Cup Series heads to the backyard of Dale Earnhardt Inc.'s No. 1 Bass Pro Shops team.  Although based out of Mooresville, NC, both driver Martin Truex Jr. and crew chief Kevin 'Bono' Manion call the northeast home (Truex is originally from Mayetta, N.J., while Manion is from Boylston, Mass.) and have a horde of loyal fans in the area. Both Manion and Truex grew up racing in the northeast and have a lot of memories at the one-mile track.

"To win at New Hampshire would be right there with [winning at Dover]," Truex explained.  "Growing up, racing there, watching my dad win races. He won his first Busch North race back in the day at that track...It would definitely mean a lot. It would be right up there with the first one, I think."

Struggling a bit up to this point in the season, Truex and Manion hope some of that hometown magic rubs off this weekend as they search for their first victory of the year.  An up-and-down season has left the No. 1 DEI team 17th in the series standings entering the ten-race Race to the Chase, 107 marks out of 12th.  Truex reached as high as 8th in the standings after Las Vegas, but good runs have been offset by poor finishes.  Despite having one top-5 and four top-10s, Truex also has three finishes of 34th or worse.

"We need to be aggressive, we need to get all we can we really dug ourselves hole up to this point," Truex said of the team's situation. "We had a lot of good runs early part of the season that slipped away for whatever reason. We had a lot of bad luck, we made some mistakes, we had some problems with our cars as far as engine failures and things of that nature.  We really dug ourselves a pretty big hole that I don't feel like as a race team we should be in.  I've got a great team and I think we're more than capable of being in the Chase, but it's all about results and we haven't gotten them.  We need to go out and get them now."

Hopes for this team were high as they returned to Dover in June; however a sixth-place finish left them a bit disappointed.  Heading to New Hampshire, the team's other home track - perhaps no other team has more home tracks than this one - again the team is hopeful.  Truex Jr. scored a top-5 finish in both races at the Magic Mile last year and was a serious contender for the win last July. 

Truex admits he kind of enjoys the idea of being the underdog when it comes to making this year's Chase. One thing that sets this team apart from others outside the top-12 - and is definitely an advantage in Truex's mind - is the relationship between driver and crew chief. 

"The biggest thing that me and Bono have going for us is confidence in each other," Truex explained. "That's a big part of what we do. You know, communication between driver and crew chief, not just communications, but the trust and the confidence knowing that you can know that they're doing their very best for you. They believe in you and they think you're the best there is. I feel that way about Bono, and I think he feels the same way about me."

Since taking over the number one spot at DEI, Truex has seen more responsibility and accepted a sort of leadership role. Although he claims he still goes about his business the same, he says the team has put a lot more on his shoulders - something he willingly accepted. Now seen as the team's lead driver, he has felt the pressure from all around him.

"DEI being Dale Earnhardt Inc. has always been under a tough microscope, whether it was before Dale Jr. or after Dale Jr. it's always been that way.  I think a lot of people are harsh in their opinions of DEI, what they are, the jobs they're able to do.  I think the perception of DEI is not as good as it what it really is."  Truex admitted sticking up for his team has always been a "weird situation", but has never let those opinions and comments affect his performance on the track. 

This team is walking a fine line as the season enters the Race to the Chase.  In 17th-place and 107 points from the final cut-off spot for the Chase, Truex needs to be able to run consistently up front and avoid the poor finishes that plagued him earlier in the year.  For the driver celebrating his 28th birthday Sunday, confidence is key, and heading into New Hampshire there seems to be no lack of confidence.

"I think we're going to win a race in the next couple of weeks. I really feel good about this weekend," Truex said. "In just a couple of weeks a lot of things could change. We'll just have to wait and see what happens."