Tag: Martin Truex Jr.

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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NASCAR starting lineup for Xfinity 500 at Martinsville

Martin Truex Jr. will lead the NASCAR Cup Series field to the green flag on Sunday in the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway.

Martinsville Speedway represents the final race of the Round of 8 and the stakes are higher than ever. Moving forward, stage points will be very important, and [autotag]Martin Truex Jr.[/autotag] has the honor of leading the field to the green flag after winning the pole for the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville.

Truex’s fast time of 20.112 seconds beat Ty Gibbs by 0.008 seconds. Chase Briscoe will start third while Denny Hamlin rounds out the second row in fourth place.

As for the playoff drivers starting further in the field, William Byron will start 16th, Chris Buescher qualified 18th, and Tyler Reddick will start 19th.

The full starting lineup is available below.

Xfinity 500 starting lineup:

  1. No. 19 Martin Truex Jr.
  2. No. 54 Ty Gibbs
  3. No. 14 Chase Briscoe
  4. No. 11 Denny Hamlin
  5. No. 5 Kyle Larson
  6. No. 23 Bubba Wallace
  7. No. 20 Christopher Bell
  8. No. 4 Kevin Harvick
  9. No. 41 Ryan Preece
  10. No. 6 Brad Keselowski
  11. No. 12 Ryan Blaney
  12. No. 10 Aric Almirola
  13. No. 1 Ross Chastain
  14. No. 9 Chase Elliott
  15. No. 22 Joey Logano
  16. No. 24 William Byron
  17. No. 38 Todd Gilliland
  18. No. 17 Chris Buescher
  19. No. 45 Tyler Reddick
  20. No. 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
  21. No. 2 Austin Cindric
  22. No. 48 Alex Bowman
  23. No. 34 Michael McDowell
  24. No. 31 Justin Haley
  25. No. 16 A.J. Allmendinger
  26. No. 3 Austin Dillon
  27. No. 99 Daniel Suarez
  28. No. 21 Harrison Burton
  29. No. 43 Erik Jones
  30. No. 7 Corey LaJoie
  31. No. 8 Kyle Busch
  32. No. 42 Carson Hocevar
  33. No. 51 Ryan Newman
  34. No. 77 Ty Dillon
  35. No. 15 J.J. Yeley
  36. No. 78 B.J. McLeod

Joe Gibbs Racing reveals issues for Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr. at Homestead

Joe Gibbs Racing reveals what happened to Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr.’s cars at Homestead. Find out what Joe Gibbs Racing had to say!

[autotag]Joe Gibbs Racing[/autotag] saw both sides of success and failure at Homestead-Miami Speedway last weekend. While Christopher Bell pulled off an upset to win the event, [autotag]Denny Hamlin[/autotag] and [autotag]Martin Truex Jr.[/autotag] were out of the race within a five-minute timeframe due to issues with their cars. Well, members of the NASCAR team have revealed what went wrong for Hamlin and Truex.

According to RACER.com’s Kelly Crandall, Hamlin’s crew chief Chris Gabehart said there was an “acute power steering failure at exactly the time of the downshift where he only had one hand on the wheel, and the car was really loaded up.” This means Hamlin lost power steering in the corner and was unable to turn the No. 11 car with one hand. For Hamlin, it was just bad luck and timing.

For Truex, it was simply out of his control. According to Toyota Racing Development President David Wilson on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Truex lost an engine due to a valve spring failure. Wilson took accountability for the issue as it was nothing that Truex did wrong in the No. 19 car. It was a worst-case scenario for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver.

Now, Hamlin and Truex face 17-point deficits to the playoff cut-line with Ryan Blaney holding the final spot. Both drivers at Joe Gibbs Racing have seen plenty of success at Martinsville Speedway, the Round of 8 finale, but it may take a win if Blaney is good on Sunday afternoon. The NASCAR organization definitely hopes for Hamlin or Truex to make it to the Championship 4 following failures in their cars.

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NASCAR starting lineup for 4EVER 400 Presented by Mobil 1 at Homestead

Martin Truex Jr. will lead the NASCAR Cup Series field to the green flag on Sunday in the 4EVER 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Homestead-Miami Speedway represents the second race of the Round of 8 and the playoff grid is now tighter than ever. Moving forward, stage points will be very important and [autotag]Martin Truex Jr.[/autotag] has the honor of leading the field to the green flag after winning the pole for the 4EVER 400 Presented by Mobil 1 at Homestead.

Truex’s fast time of 32.256 seconds beat Bubba Wallace by 0.057 seconds. Tyler Reddick will start third while Brad Keselowski rounds out the second row in fourth place.

As for the playoff drivers starting further in the field, Denny Hamlin will start 11th, Christopher Bell qualified 13th, and Chris Buescher will start 17th.

The full starting lineup is available below.

2023 4EVER 400 Presented by Mobil 1 starting lineup:

  1. No. 19 Martin Truex Jr.
  2. No. 23 Bubba Wallace
  3. No. 45 Tyler Reddick
  4. No. 6 Brad Keselowski
  5. No. 5 Kyle Larson
  6. No. 3 Austin Dillon
  7. No. 24 William Byron
  8. No. 1 Ross Chastain
  9. No. 54 Ty Gibbs
  10. No. 12 Ryan Blaney
  11. No. 11 Denny Hamlin
  12. No. 48 Alex Bowman
  13. No. 20 Christopher Bell
  14. No. 99 Daniel Suarez
  15. No. 34 Michael McDowell
  16. No. 9 Chase Elliott
  17. No. 17 Chris Buescher
  18. No. 8 Kyle Busch
  19. No. 43 Erik Jones
  20. No. 7 Corey LaJoie
  21. No. 14 Chase Briscoe
  22. No. 4 Kevin Harvick
  23. No. 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
  24. No. 42 John Hunter Nemechek
  25. No. 16 A.J. Allmendinger
  26. No. 2 Austin Cindric
  27. No. 31 Justin Haley
  28. No. 21 Harrison Burton
  29. No. 41 Ryan Preece
  30. No. 10 Aric Almirola
  31. No. 15 J.J. Yeley
  32. No. 32 Todd Gilliland
  33. No. 77 Ty Dillon
  34. No. 51 Ryan Newman
  35. No. 78 Josh Bilicki
  36. No. 22 Joey Logano

Martin Truex Jr.’s outlook for the Round of 12 during 2023 NASCAR season

Evaluating Martin Truex Jr.’s chances of advancing out of the Round of 12 in the 2023 NASCAR playoffs.

[autotag]Martin Truex Jr.[/autotag] faced the wrong side of history in the Round of 16 as he entered the final race below the playoff cut-line. Truex would have been the first regular season champion to be eliminated in the first round but barely advanced with finishes of 18th place at Darlington Raceway, 36th place at Kansas Speedway, and 19th place at Bristol Motor Speedway.

It was a downright horrible Round of 16 for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver but thanks to the playoff points he earned during the 2023 season, it was enough to give him another chance. So, how does the Round of 12 stack up for Truex as he tries to claim his second NASCAR Cup Series title? Let’s take a look at what tracks are coming up over the next three races.

The driver of the No. 19 car will take a 25-point advantage to the playoff cut-line and head to Texas Motor Speedway, which hasn’t produced great finishes with Joe Gibbs Racing. In Truex’s last six starts, he only has two top-10 finishes at the venue due to accidents. Still, the Toyota entries should be strong at Texas so despite his lack of results, Truex should have a good day.

Moving on to Talladega, Truex needs to hope he can survive the carnage. The 2017 Cup Series champion only has three top-20 finishes in his last nine starts. Truex struggles on superspeedway tracks and while some races produce a decent amount of stage points, most of them end up in disappointment. It is definitely Truex’s worst track of the Round of 12.

Finally, the Charlotte ROVAL has been solid to the driver of the No. 19 car as he has a best finish of seventh place in four starts. However, Truex only has a best finish of 17th place in his last two starts. Truex has a victory on a road course during the 2023 season so there shouldn’t be too much worry about his chances overall.

Truex needs to avoid mistakes and bad luck in the Round of 12 if he wants to advance. The 25-point cushion will certainly help but he needs to use this round to get back on track because the Round of 8 would be even tighter. Truex will be in a better spot of advancing if he has a strong day at Texas but as he found out, anything is possible in the NASCAR playoffs.

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Evaluating Martin Truex Jr.’s playoff situation going into Bristol

Evaluating Martin Truex Jr.’s playoff situation as he sits seven points below the cut-line going into the Round of 16 finale at Bristol.

[autotag]Martin Truex Jr.[/autotag] enters the final race of the Round of 16 at Bristol Motor Speedway with a seven-point deficit to the playoff cut-line. This is not something that many could have predicted a few weeks ago; however, this is now Truex’s reality for the next few days. So, let’s evaluate Truex’s chances of advancing to the Round of 12 at Bristol.

The past statistics at Bristol do not work in Truex’s favor. With Joe Gibbs Racing, the driver of the No. 19 car has a best finish of seventh place and only two top-10 finishes in seven races. Over that same period of time, Truex ranks as the 16th-highest driver in terms of earned points, which does not bode well for his chances on Saturday night.

In fact, Truex has only earned 14 stage points in seven races at Bristol. This includes only 57 led laps with 52 of those laps coming in the night race in 2019. Needless to say, Truex will need to have a significant uptick in performance if he wants to make it on points alone. However, this is not the only factor for Truex as other playoff drivers can struggle too.

For drivers above Truex on the playoff cut-line, this is how they are ranked in terms of total points earned in the last seven races at Bristol. Harvick is third, Logano is sixth, Buescher is 12th, Bell is 18th, and Chastain is 24th. Granted, Bell and Chastain, the two drivers lower than Truex, have competed in less than seven races and they haven’t all been in quality equipment

Truthfully, Bristol is not one of Truex’s best tracks and that is something that he admitted this week. It is going to take a major increase in performance or trouble from other playoff drivers to make sure he makes the Round of 12. If not, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver will be facing the wrong side of history as the 2023 NASCAR regular season champion.

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Martin Truex Jr. faces the wrong side of history at Bristol in the 2023 playoffs

Martin Truex Jr. could be on the wrong side of history at Bristol. Find out what record Truex might break during the 2023 playoffs!

[autotag]Martin Truex Jr.[/autotag] entered the 2023 NASCAR playoffs as one of the championship favorites and had a healthy gap to the playoff cut-line. Fast forward two weeks and Truex sits seven points out of the Round of 12 with one more race to go at Bristol Motor Speedway. Instead of an easy path to the next round, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver faces the wrong side of history.

If Truex fails to advance at Bristol this weekend, he will become the first NASCAR regular season champion to be eliminated in the Round of 16. No one could have predicted this possibility a few weeks ago but it now sets up to be a realistic outcome. The driver of the No. 19 car also doesn’t have much success in the past at Bristol, which creates some worries overall.

Truex only has two top-10 finishes in his seven races at Bristol with Joe Gibbs Racing. That may not be good enough to make the Round of 12 and it would represent a shocking end for the No. 19 team. It is going to take a lot of effort from Truex to make sure he earns enough points or a victory to still have a chance at his second Cup Series championship.

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Martin Truex Jr. discusses his crash at Kansas, playoff situation at Bristol

Martin Truex Jr. talks about his crash at Kansas Speedway and briefly addresses the playoff situation heading into Bristol Motor Speedway.

[autotag]Martin Truex Jr.[/autotag] did not have a good opening playoff race at Darlington Raceway after earning zero stage points and an 18th-place finish. Unfortunately for Truex, this carried over into the second race of the Round of 16 at Kansas Speedway. The driver of the No. 19 car only lasted three laps before crashing out for a last-place finish due to a punctured tire.

Now, Truex sits a surprising seven points below the playoff cut-line entering the final race of the Round of 16 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Following the wreck, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver talked about the incident and what it meant for the playoff situation. Obviously, there wasn’t any way of knowing Truex would be seven points back at the time.

“Just unfortunate and very unlucky,” Truex said. “I took off really tight and I knew something was up, and then cut a right rear. Not really sure what happened, obviously, but it blew in the worst place possible. I hate it for my guys.”

“We will find out when today’s over,” he said about the playoff situation. “There is not a thing we can do about it right now.”

Now, Truex must find his way back into the playoff picture unless he wants to go down in history as one of the most shocking playoff eliminations in recent memory. It will be tough but nothing that is impossible due to Truex’s speed throughout the 2023 season.

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Martin Truex Jr. crashes early at Kansas, hurts playoff situation

Martin Truex Jr. crashes out of the NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway and hurts his playoff hopes in the Round of 16.

[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.

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.

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