[autotag]Martin Truex Jr.[/autotag] won the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series regular-season championship but that buffer in points has completely disappeared. Truex struggled at Darlington Raceway and has now crashed out of the race at Kansas Speedway. The driver of the No. 19 car only completed the first three laps of the event.
Truex will have to watch the rest of the race at Kansas from the sidelines as the remainder of the playoff drivers look to earn points during the day. As of now, Truex’s teammate Christopher Bell leads the race and currently sits just above the playoff cutline over Bubba Wallace.
Martin Truex Jr. HITS THE WALL!
The regular season champion is in #NASCARPlayoffs trouble early. pic.twitter.com/WuAaY5qDnf
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) September 10, 2023
Now, Truex will need to go into Bristol Motor Speedway, the final race of the Round of 16, and make sure that he is not one of the most shocking playoff eliminations in the history of the format.
[lawrence-related id=1123]