Martin Truex Jr. gets first short track win at Richmond Raceway
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| Carol D'Agostino for Skirts and Scuffs |
Rain, pollen, and penalties were top of mind this weekend as
Richmond Raceway hosted a twin bill of NASCAR’s two premier series – the
Xfinity Series last night and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Toyota Owners 400 this evening.
Mother Nature definitely had the upper hand on the weather
and the pollen, but when it came to penalties, especially penalties due to
pre-race tech inspections, NASCAR definitely was calling the shots. A total of
seven teams failed inspections prior to this evening’s race, sending Erik
Jones, Chase Elliott, Daniel Suarez, Jimmie Johnson, Aric Almirola, Denny
Hamlin, and Matt Tifft to the back of the field and moving Kurt Busch to the
front row.
But as the laps ticked off, the Richmond elites made their
way to the front of field for a race that starred Penske and Gibbs drivers with
Kevin Harvick spoiling the party, leading a total of 30 laps. Kyle Busch led
101 laps after starting in fourth. He won Stage One and then was penalized for
speeding on pit road and had to work his way back from the 24th position. He
finished the race in eighth place. Joey Logano won Stage 2, led a total of 52
laps and finished in second. His teammate Brad Keselowski lead 31 laps and
finished in seventh place.
When the checkered flew, it was Martin Truex Jr. who held off a late-race charge by Joey Logano and drove the No. 19 Auto Owners Insurance Toyota into Victory Lane. This was Truex Jr.’s first short track win, his first win and 10th top-10 finish in 27 races at Richmond Raceway and his 20th victory in 486 Monster Energy Cup Series starts. This is his first win and sixth top-10 finish this year and his first win with Joe Gibbs Racing. Truex Jr. led the most laps with 186.
Maintaining track position and not making mistakes was important for Truex Jr.
“Being out front was really the key, and just trying to do all I could to not screw up and hold those guys off, but it was definitely really, really difficult,” Truex Jr. said in Victory Lane. “It feels really good to get the win. Tonight things came out the way we needed it to. We didn’t have the best car, but it worked out for us,” he said.
When the checkered flew, it was Martin Truex Jr. who held off a late-race charge by Joey Logano and drove the No. 19 Auto Owners Insurance Toyota into Victory Lane. This was Truex Jr.’s first short track win, his first win and 10th top-10 finish in 27 races at Richmond Raceway and his 20th victory in 486 Monster Energy Cup Series starts. This is his first win and sixth top-10 finish this year and his first win with Joe Gibbs Racing. Truex Jr. led the most laps with 186.
Maintaining track position and not making mistakes was important for Truex Jr.
“Being out front was really the key, and just trying to do all I could to not screw up and hold those guys off, but it was definitely really, really difficult,” Truex Jr. said in Victory Lane. “It feels really good to get the win. Tonight things came out the way we needed it to. We didn’t have the best car, but it worked out for us,” he said.
Martin Truex Jr. gets first short track win at Richmond Raceway
Reviewed by Carol D'Agostino
on
Sunday, April 14, 2019
Rating:
Reviewed by Carol D'Agostino
on
Sunday, April 14, 2019
Rating:
