LONG POND - It seemed highly improbable that Pocono would see a victory more well-liked than the two by Dale Earnhardt Jr. last season.

Earnhardt, NASCAR's most popular driver for the last 12 seasons, stole the show with wins at "The Tricky Triangle" in both June and August of last year. The triumphs created quite a bit of buzz heading into Sunday's Axalta "We Paint Winners" 400, with fans hoping for a repeat performance from one of the sport's biggest stars.But another storyline took over as the race unfolded.Martin Truex, Jr., who has battled adversity both on and off the track for the past two seasons, did what he has done for the better part of the last month - dominate.For the fourth week in a row, Truex led the most laps, but this time, he closed the deal, winning his first race since June of 2013 when he took the checkered flag at Sonoma.But that victory came at a time when the landscape was much different for the New Jersey native.Driving for Michael Waltrip Racing, Truex was in the midst of what looked to be a potential breakout season.But an incident at Richmond International Speedway in September of that year where then-teammate Clint Bowyer was accused of spinning intentionally late in the race to bring out a caution cost Truex his spot in NASCAR's playoffs, the Chase for the Sprint Cup, and ultimately his ride with MWR and sponsor NAPA.Truex moved to Furniture Row Racing last season, a single car operation out of Denver, Colorado, far from the NASCAR hub of Charlotte, North Carolina, where most teams are based.After a breakthrough season with Kurt Busch in 2013, many thought Truex and Furniture Row would continue that success last season.It didn't happen, as Truex and the team endured a difficult season that saw the 34-year old lead just one lap and record one top five and five top 10's.It was also during this time that Truex's longtime girlfriend, Sherry Pollex, began a battle with ovarian cancer.The season ended with Pollex undergoing treatment and Truex finishing 24th in the final standings, his worst result since his first full time season in 2006.But this season has been better. Much better.Pollex's cancer is in remission and Truex and new crew chief Cole Pearn seem to have hit their stride, with Truex finishing in the top 10 in with Truex finishing in the top 10 in 12 of the season's first 13 races.The No. 78 has been especially formidable lately, though, leading the most laps on his way to finishes of ninth, fifth and sixth, respectively.But that first win didn't come until Sunday, when Truex broke through with another dominant performance, leading 97 laps en route to one of the biggest wins of his career, and one he could share with Pollex, who was in victory lane.One by one, from runner-up Kevin Harvick to third place finisher Jimmie Johnson, drivers came to the podium Sunday to praise Truex as a more than deserving winner after what he's been through both on and off the track."Obviously, you always want to win," said Harvick, "but when you can see something come full circle like their situation, it makes you proud to know them and be a part of the sport in general, to see how they've supported Sherry and all the things that they've gone through.""When you go back to the Richmond race and the challenges that he has had, he's had more to overcome personally and professionally than anybody sitting in a seat right now, and for him to still walk in the garage every week with a smile on his face, climb in the car, put in the effort, be the great guy that he is I think speaks volumes, and it's a very popular win for him," said Johnson. "I went into victory lane myself, gave him a fist bump and told him good job, as well, so it's a very popular win for sure."Earnahrdt also went into victory lane to congratulate Truex, dousing his former teammate and longtime friend with a healthy amount of Mountain Dew.The admiration meant a great deal to Truex, who knows life is about more than just racing."It means a lot, it really does, because there's going to come a time when racing and where you finish in races doesn't matter," he said. "What's going to matter is the kind of legacy you leave and how people look at the person you are. So that means a ton to me to have that respect, and honestly, it's kind of humbling. "It's really cool, especially after the last - the way the last year and a half or so has gone for me, up until this year, I think that people kind of got a little bit of an insight into what I'm made of and what kind of person I am, which is cool. (It) sucks I had to show it sometimes, but you know, just definitely a humbling feeling to have the respect of those guys because there's a lot of great people in the garage area."