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Thornton man's love of the #78 car fuels lifelong NASCAR passion

A Thornton NASCAR fanatic hopes Martin Truex Jr. - and his Denver-based racing team - can win the city its first championship of 2017.
Danny Reed shows off his basement. (Photo: 9NEWS)

During the fall and winter months in Denver, Sundays are typically reserved for the Broncos and, by extension number 58 - Von Miller.

At one home in Thornton, however, Sundays are reserved for NASCAR's number 78 - Martin Truex Jr.

“This is what we do you know,” said Danny Reed as he stood in his basement adorned with more sports memorabilia than his shelves could hold.

Reed was born and raised in Thornton, but he said that didn’t stop him from falling for a sport birthed halfway across the country.

“The love and the loyalty you should have in your family is in racing as well,” Reed said. “You know what I mean, it takes a team to put that car out there on the track.”

Reed said his love for racing started well before Furniture Row Racing formed in Colorado in 2005. He would spend weekends at the Colorado National Speedway, tending to cars until his adopted son Kyle began racing there.

“You feel like it's part of you,” Kyle said while wearing his Martin Truex Jr. shirt. “It’s a big deal.”

The family has spent years going to races as close as Kansas and as far as Massachusetts, amassing a wall full of memorabilia from miniature cars, to autographed photos.

“You know we switch [the TV] over [from Broncos games] and say, 'hey the race is on,' you know let's see whoever is driving the 78 at this point, let's see what they're doing,” Reed said.

Part of Danny Reed's memorabilia collection. (Photo: 9NEWS)

On Sunday, Reed’s family will gather at his home, as they usually do each Sunday, to watch Martin Truex Jr. race in the NASCAR Cup Series championship race at the Homestead Miami Speedway.

Truex Jr. has never won a championship, but that will change as long as he manages to finish ahead of drivers Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, and Brad Keselowski.

For Reed’s family, it would be a special moment. It would also be a special moment for Denver as it would be the city's first professional sports championship in 2017.

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