Despite the general flatness of the speedway, Mayetta-born and Southern Regional graduate Martin Truex Jr. faced an uphill battle to win the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship on Sunday in Homestead, Fla.

The media seemed to hype the 35-year-old Truex as NASCAR’s underdog. He was the sole car on his team, Furniture Row. The team also hails from Denver in a sport dominated by the South.