Cole Pearn returns to JGR No. 19 team as additional spotter for Truex at Roval
Martin Truex Jr. will be reunited with Cole Pearn for Sunday’s Bank of America Roval 400 (2 p.m. ET, NBC/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM), but with his longtime crew chief in a far different role.
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Pearn will serve as an additional spotter for the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota at the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course, supplementing the work of primary spotter Drew Herring. Pearn was listed on the NASCAR team rosters for the race, which is the Round of 12 finale in the Cup Series Playoffs.
A JGR spokesperson said that Pearn’s appearance is a one-off, but that he still works remotely with the organization in a consulting role.
“Oh, it’ll be interesting. I’m sure I’ll have some smart-ass comments at some point in time,” Truex said during an availability before Sunday’s race. “So, look forward to that, and it’s been fun to see him this week around the shop. He’s going to be hanging around with us a couple days, so it’s been fun so far.”
Pearn helped guide Truex to 24 of his 31 Cup Series wins during a successful span from 2015-19. That run included the pair’s lone Cup Series championship in 2017 with the former Furniture Row Racing No. 78 team.
Truex enters the elimination race sitting fifth in the standings and +20 on the elimination line.
