Joe Gibbs Racing heads into the final elimination race of the NASCAR Cup Series postseason with two of its main players sitting on the outside looking in.
Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin are both 17 points below the cutline. The duo had non-related issues at seemingly the same time Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, both resulting in retirements from the race.
Truex finished 29th with what is suspected to be an engine issue. Under the lap 236 caution, Truex’s No. 19 Toyota began smoking out of the right side and after bringing it to the attention of his crew he was pushed behind the wall.
It had been a rough afternoon for Truex, who started from the pole. He had speed but again seemed to fight the handling of his car, particularly while in dirty air. The team was also bit by an untimely caution on lap 213 when the yellow flew after Truex had already made a pit stop.
The No. 19 was forced to take the wave around, which mired him deep in the field. Fortunately, a quick caution on the restart allowed him to rejoin the leaders. He was running 21st when the mechanical issue struck.
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Coincidentally, the caution where Truex exited the race was brought out by his teammate. Hamlin hit the wall in Turn 1 while running third. It was unclear in the immediate aftermath what caused the issue.
“We tried and it just didn’t work out,” Hamlin said of his day. “Unfortunate for this Sport Clips Toyota team. We really battled back well today – just a tough break.”
Hamlin led 31 laps. He had been battling Ryan Blaney for the lead on the lap 230 restart before falling to third when teammate Christopher Bell passed them both in a three-wide move in Turns 3 and 4.
Truex did not address the media.
“I think it shows you how hard our sport is,” Joe Gibbs said. “We had such a disappointment with the No. 11, Denny, cutting a tire down. I felt like he was fast. Martin qualified on the pole. I thought we had a chance with that car. But just a series of circumstances, then lose the motor. It shows you how hard our sport is because those were two cars that, for a while, for us, were up front.”
Bell was the only Joe Gibbs Racing driver who made the Championship 4 last season. Truex did not make the playoffs but rebounded and won the regular season championship this year. Hamlin was eliminated at Martinsville Speedway, where the series visits next.
Truex’s average finish in the postseason is 20.7. He’s made the Championship 4 on five occasions.
Hamlin’s average finish in the postseason is 14.1. Four times he’s been in the Championship 4.