Tag: Martin Truex Jr.

2024 Cook Out 400 odds, picks and predictions

The best bets for Sunday’s 2024 Cook Out 400 from Martinsville Speedway, with NASCAR expert picks and predictions.

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The NASCAR Cup Series moves to Martinsville Speedway Sunday for the 2024 Cook Out 400. The green flag is scheduled to drop approximately at 3 p.m. ET (FS1). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the 2024 Cook Out 400 odds, and make our expert NASCAR picks and predictions.

2024 Cook Out 400: What you need to know

  • Penske Racing’s Ryan Blaney has a win, 8 top-5 finishes and 10 top-10 runs with 522 laps and a circuit-best 9.0 Average-Finish Position (AFP) in 16 career Cup starts at Martinsville
  • Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin, who won on the short track at Richmond last Saturday, leads all active drivers with 5 wins at Martinsville in 36 career Cup starts while posting 10.1 AFP
  • Penske’s Joey Logano has a win, 11 top-5 finishes and 18 top-10 runs with 1,123 laps led while posting a 10.9 AFP in 30 career Cup runs at the Paper Clip
  • JGR’s Martin Truex Jr. has won 3 Cup races at Martinsville, while turning in a 15.9 AFP in 36 starts with 1,063 laps led and 2 DNFs
  • Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch has racked up 2 wins, 17 top-5 finishes and 1,429 laps led with a 12.8 AFP in 37 Cup starts at Martinsville
  • JGR’s Christopher Bell doesn’t have as long of a history at Martinsville as his counterparts, but he has a win and 3 top-10 finishes with a 13.9 AFP in 8 Cup starts
  • Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman has a win at Martinsville in 15 Cup starts, but he has struggled over the years with a 19.6 AFP and just the single top-5 run and 4 top-10 finishes
  • Cup regular Michael McDowell has never finished higher than 14th in 26 Cup starts at Martinsville, posting a dismal 28.4 AFP
  • Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has 3 top-10 finishes in 22 Cup starts, but he has never led a lap at Martinsville, while posting a poor 24.0 AFP
  • Trackhouse Racing driver Daniel Suarez has managed a poor 22.9 AFP in 14 Cup starts with just 2 top-10 finishes and 7 laps led

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2024 Cook Out 400 – Expert pick

Odds provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Saturday at 8:04 p.m. ET.

MARTIN TRUEX JR. (+700) ran well at times at Richmond last weekend, and he is a much better value than his teammate Hamlin (+350). The Chesterfield, Va., native, who won at Richmond last week thanks to a great pit stop by his crew, will be hard-pressed to go back-to-back.

Truex has run well in recent seasons at Martinsville, posting a win and 3 top-5 finishes in his past 6 starts with a 10.3 AFP, which is 5th-best among all active drivers. His last win was the spring race in 2021.

As for Martinsville, don’t worry so much about starting position, which is important at a lot of tracks, including last week in Richmond. The past 3 winners have started 11th or higher, with 2 of the 3 winners going off 19th and 20th.

2024 Cook Out 400 – Contender

BRAD KESELOWSKI (+2000) has struggled in his time at RFK Racing, but he could have a breakthrough at Martinville.

The short track program for RFK Racing has been better than the intermediate and road course programs. Keselowski was 3rd at Bristol, and 8th last week at Richmond. Plus, he was 4th at the flat track in Phoenix, which runs like a short track. He should have some success at Martinsville, and a KESELOWSKI TOP-10 FINISH (-135) isn’t priced out of line, if you can’t trust him for the outright win.

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Martin Truex Jr. gives honest review of Sonoma’s new repave in 2024

Martin Truex Jr. gives a review of Sonoma Raceway’s new repave with little tire falloff during testing. What else did Truex have to say?

[autotag]Martin Truex Jr.[/autotag], the defending winner of the NASCAR Cup Series race at Sonoma Raceway, went to California for some testing on the track this weekend. Sonoma recently repaved its race surface for the 2024 season and beyond, providing different racing this summer. Truex was joined by Josh Berry and Ross Chastain on Tuesday.

Truex was available to the media in between runs and talked to FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass about the repave. The 2017 Cup Series champion gave an honest review of the surface at Sonoma and discussed how drivers must adapt in the summer.

“So far, it’s a lot faster,” Truex said. “I mean, we’re running faster than track record in race trim for 12 laps…Unbelievably faster. It feels like a different place. It feels even narrower than it used to feel because of the speed. It’s gonna be totally different than ever.”

“Usually, you attack all of the corners the same, you’re just doing it a lot faster. A lot more on throttle time, forward drive is a non-issue. It’s all about how deep can you get in the corner, how fast can you get it rotated, and get back wide open. Not a whole lot of finesse and being smooth with the pedals like we used to have to do here.”

Also, Truex said there hasn’t been tire falloff, but there is time to fix that ahead of the June race. The track record speeds are not surprising, and Sonoma could be one of the fastest road courses on NASCAR’s schedule now. It will be fascinating to see how the June race goes and how NASCAR adapts from the March testing.

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Martin Truex Jr. talks about second-place finish at Bristol in 2024

Martin Truex Jr. talks about his second-place finish at Bristol Motor Speedway. Find out what Truex had to say about coming up short!

Before the weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway, [autotag]Martin Truex Jr.[/autotag]’s last top-5 finish came at Michigan International Speedway in August 2023. It was a rough stretch of events for Truex, who won the 2023 NASCAR regular-season championship and struggled in the playoffs. However, that streak ended at Bristol on Sunday with a second-place finish to Denny Hamlin.

Following the event, Truex talked about the tire management needed due to the extreme wear at Bristol and finishing in second place. While it was disappointing to come up short, the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion was upbeat about his No. 19 Toyota.

“Apparently that’s what I needed to have happen here at Bristol to have a shot at winning,” Truex said. “Yeah, I don’t know. Just really proud of our team, everybody on our Auto Owners Camry, Bass Pro, TRD, all of our partners. [crew chief James Small] and the guys did a great job this weekend, Jazzy, having a plan coming here.  Yeah, I guess this tire management thing fit into my wheelhouse here at Bristol.”

“Man, the difference was just coming out of the pits so far behind [Denny Hamlin]. I had to use mine up more on the last run. The last four, five laps of the race, was cord. I gave it a hell of an effort. Congrats to them…Our Toyotas are working really well right now. Had a lot of fun today. Wish we could have come up one spot. Short on second. Good run for us. It’s been a great season for us.”

Truex registered his best finish of the 2024 NASCAR season, and if the Toyota camp continues to have this success, he will have plenty more good finishes. In fact, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Joe Gibbs Racing driver win his race of the season soon, with Richmond and Martinsville coming soon. Truex needed that result to carry momentum as he pushes for a victory.

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Martin Truex Jr. criticizes NextGen car during Cup Series race at Phoenix in 2024

Martin Truex Jr. criticizes the NextGen car during the NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway. What did Truex say about the NextGen car?

[autotag]Martin Truex Jr.[/autotag] led at the final restart and pulled away to a five-second lead with around 50 laps to go at Phoenix Raceway. However, Truex needed to pit for fuel and fresh tires with 40 laps to go in an effort to preserve a good finish. The driver of the No. 19 car didn’t have a good enough Toyota to hold off teammate Christopher Bell, but he did rebound for a seventh-place finish.

During the race at Phoenix, Truex still wasn’t having fun with his No. 19 car. According to SiriusXM NASCAR Radio’s Davey Segal, Truex said, “We can’t [expletive] pass with these cars.” The racing at Phoenix hasn’t been great, even before the NextGen car, and the hope was that NASCAR’s new short-track package helped the on-track product.

The package did slightly work, but not enough to the drivers’ liking. NASCAR will get a better look at the new package at Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend, as the NextGen cars have struggled on short tracks. If it doesn’t improve at Bristol, NASCAR could have an issue on its hands that is unsolvable without more horsepower.

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Martin Truex Jr. addresses potential retirement ahead of 2024 NASCAR season

Martin Truex Jr. addresses his potential retirement ahead of the 2024 NASCAR season. Find out what Truex briefly said about the subject!

[autotag]Martin Truex Jr.[/autotag] returns for another season with Joe Gibbs Racing, hoping to repeat the regular season success from 2023. Truex won the regular season championship but failed to do much in the playoffs after struggling in the speed department. Over the last two years, Truex has toyed with the idea of retirement, and it is already a conversation for 2024.

During Daytona 500 media day, Truex was asked if this would be another year where he drags out a retirement decision. It was a short but notable answer that puts a timeline on a potential decision.

“Yeah, probably,” Truex said with laughter, “I have no idea what I’m doing next year.”

In 2023, Kevin Harvick announced that he would retire at the conclusion of the year, which put him in a retirement tour-type season. It doesn’t appear that Truex wants such a situation, and the pressure isn’t on him to decide yet. According to Truex, Joe Gibbs hasn’t asked about his plans for the 2025 season. Obviously, the focus should be on the new campaign.

The question of whether Truex retires at the end of the year will be relevant all season long. If the driver of the No. 19 car struggles, it will only ramp up the speculation. It may take Truex until the summer to decide, but it’s clear that it will be a yearly situation at this point. For now, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver hopes to have a good start to the 2024 NASCAR season.

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Bass Pro Shops reveals schedule for Austin Dillon, Martin Truex Jr. in 2024

Bass Pro Shops reveals its race schedule for Austin Dillon and Martin Truex Jr. in 2024. Check out the company’s current NASCAR schedule!

Bass Pro Shops has been a major presence for [autotag]Austin Dillon[/autotag] and [autotag]Martin Truex Jr.[/autotag] over the years. The company has seen victory lane on several occasions and in 2024, they will have a great chance of doing it again. On its website, Bass Pro Shops revealed its sponsorship schedule for Dillon and Truex during the 2024 NASCAR season.

Truex will be sponsored by Bass Pro Shops in 25 races, including the Busch Light Clash last weekend and All-Star Race, while Dillon has 12 races. Most notably, Truex will be sponsored by Bass Pro Shops at the 2024 Daytona 500 this weekend. For Dillon, his most notable race with the company will be the Daytona 500 as well.

Dillon and Truex have proven their ability to win NASCAR’s biggest races. The driver of the No. 3 car has won the Daytona 500 in the past, so it wouldn’t be shocking to see him back in victory lane. Meanwhile, Truex is a Cup Series champion, so Bass Pro Shops has a lot to look forward to with its drivers for the 2024 season.

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Joe Gibbs Racing reveals Martin Truex Jr.’s new Bass Pro Shops paint scheme

Joe Gibbs Racing has revealed Martin Truex Jr.’s new Bass Pro Shops paint scheme for the 2024 NASCAR season. Check out the new look!

[autotag]Joe Gibbs Racing[/autotag] has begun the process of revealing paint schemes and sponsorship schedules for the 2024 NASCAR season. At this point, Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell have been the most popular drivers when it comes to announcements. However, another Joe Gibbs Racing driver can now be added to the list.

On Monday afternoon, Joe Gibbs Racing revealed [autotag]Martin Truex Jr.[/autotag]’s new Bass Pro Shops paint scheme for the 2024 NASCAR season. Based on the initial render, Truex’s new No. 19 car features more orange at the front of the vehicle. This comes as Toyota Racing developed a new stock car that will compete in the NASCAR Cup Series this season.

Bass Pro Shops hopes this new paint scheme represents a restart for Truex, who struggled during the 2023 playoffs. The driver of the No. 19 car won the 2023 Cup Series regular season title but failed to make the Championship 4. To turn it around, Truex will need to have a hot start, and it begins with Bass Pro Shops support along the way.

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Martin Truex Jr.’s 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season in review

Martin Truex Jr. had an improved year with Joe Gibbs Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series. Here, you can check out Truex’s 2023 season in review!

[autotag]Martin Truex Jr.[/autotag] won the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series regular season championship and while it didn’t end with a title, it was still a very successful year. Truex ended the season with three wins, nine top-5 finishes, and 17 top-10 finishes. Unfortunately for the driver of the No. 19 car, he failed to advance out of the Round of 8 at Martinsville Speedway.

Truex won at Dover Motor Speedway, Sonoma Raceway, and New Hampshire Motor Speedway. This came after winning zero races and missing the playoffs in 2022. Truex closed out the 2023 campaign with 889 laps led (fourth best) and a 13.3 average finishing position (sixth best); however, why did he finish in 11th place in the point standings?

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver really struggled over the 10-race playoff. Truex only had three top-15 finishes and they all came in the last four races. He started out the playoffs with a best finish of 17th place through six events and was mired back in the point standings after being eliminated. It was a dreadful playoff run for the regular season champion for a second straight year.

Still, it was a bounce-back campaign for Truex overall. He failed to make the playoffs in 2022, and turning it around in the way he did was pretty impressive. Sure, Truex wishes he could have won his second Cup Series championship but it was positive to return to winning ways. Now, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver must knock off the end-of-the-year struggles.

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Joe Gibbs Racing reveals if the No. 19 team will have changes for 2024

Joe Gibbs Racing revealed whether the No. 19 Cup team will have changes for the 2024 NASCAR season. Find out what Joe Gibbs had to say!

[autotag]Martin Truex Jr.[/autotag] and the No. 19 team won the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series regular season championship and it appeared that a run at a second title was on the way. Unfortunately for Truex, he failed to put together a good playoff run and was eliminated in the Round of 8 with only one top-10 finish in the last 10 races.

Ahead of Championship Weekend at Phoenix Raceway, [autotag]Joe Gibbs Racing[/autotag] owner Joe Gibbs talked about Truex and the No. 19 team. Gibbs was asked whether the No. 19 team would receive any changes for the 2024 NASCAR season after a rough playoff run and gave an honest answer.

“No, I think the thing about [Martin Truex Jr.], if you’re going to normally have issues and want changes, it would have started last year when we don’t win a race,” Gibbs said. “Martin, I tell you, that guy comes every single week, he never second-guesses stuff. He’ll be mad during the race, like anybody would be. He’s got a temper, all of that plays out.”

“Honestly, during the weeks after that, some of the toughest things for that guy to have experienced in a race car, he does such a great job of keeping his balance with it. He never really, that I’ve heard it, second-guesses things.”

Many people have listened to the exchanges between Truex and crew chief James Small on the radio, and wonder why changes aren’t made. That is how the Joe Gibbs Racing duo operates. Overall, it was a good bounce-back year for the driver of the No. 19 car and the goal for the 2024 NASCAR season will be to keep the momentum going into the playoffs.

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Martin Truex Jr. talks about his elimination from the 2023 NASCAR playoffs

Martin Truex Jr. discusses his elimination from the 2023 NASCAR playoffs following the Round of 8 finale at Martinsville Speedway.

[autotag]Martin Truex Jr.[/autotag] won the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series regular-season championship at Daytona International Speedway but the next nine races didn’t go to plan. Truex only had one top-10 finish and a 19.8 average finishing position before being eliminated in the Round of 8 finale at Martinsville Speedway.

It was an incredibly disappointing postseason run for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver as he failed to replicate any success from the previous 26 races. Following the event at Martinsville, Truex talked about being eliminated from the 2023 NASCAR playoffs.

“Man, I think it just shows how tough this sport is,” Truex said, “Anybody that races here and guys that have raced here that do the broadcasts, they’ll tell you. It’s this close, man. You find this little bit, and suddenly you look like a hero. Some other guys find some stuff, suddenly you’re not. We’ve been fast at times, but execution hasn’t been solid, hasn’t been consistent. We’ve had some bad luck. We’ve had a little bit of everything.”

“Like I said, some years it feels like it’s your year, some years it feels like it’s not. I just feel we couldn’t do anything right. If it was ever a 50/50 call, it always went against us. A blown engine, a flat tire, you name it. Problem after problem. Just kept setting us back, and we couldn’t get no momentum. I think we did a great job today. It was a tiny little error, .2 miles an hour can ruin your whole year, unfortunately.”

Truex had optimism entering the 2023 playoffs but it was quickly thrown out of the window. Now, the No. 19 team will push forward and look to end the year on a positive note with the 2024 Daytona 500 being the next points ace on the schedule after Phoenix Raceway.

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