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Martin Truex Jr. was one of the few drivers who got lost and confused during the practice session in Phoenix. Several drivers struggled to make their way from the garage area out onto the race track during the first NASCAR Cup Series practice at Phoenix Raceway on Friday.
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Martin Truex Jr. and AJ Allmendinger were among the drivers who had to circle around while looking for the correct gate that led out to the racetrack. Kyle Larson set the pace during Friday's extra 50 minutes of practice, which was introduced to help drivers and teams become used to the new short-track aerodynamic package, which is anticipated to lower downforce by about 30 to 40%.
Martin Truex Jr. explained to Fox's Bob Pockrass about the confusion during the session. He said:
"Oh the track workers were confused. They had the cones set up and they made us turn right. We were supposed to turn left, I think we were all like 'what are we doing here' there's no way to get to the track there. So yeah, very confusing."
With the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, Kyle Larson set the fastest time during Friday's NASCAR Cup Series practice at Phoenix Raceway, clocking in at 131.258 mph. At 131.105 mph, Ryan Blaney driving the No. 12 Team Penske Ford was not far behind.
Following them in the top five were Chase Briscoe in the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford, Joey Logano in the No. 22 Team Penske Ford, and Alex Bowman in the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy. Ross Chastain, who now leads the series in points, was 26th-fastest in the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet with a speed of 128.315 mph.
In Friday's warm-up, Fords excelled in single-lap pace, placing seven of the manufacturer's competitors inside the top 10, including Brad Keselowski of RFK Racing in sixth, Harrison Burton of Wood Brothers Racing in eighth, and teammates Kevin Harvick and Aric Almirola of SHR in ninth and tenth.
Toyota, on the other hand, failed to place the car among the top 15 in a single lap. Bubba Wallace, who was in 16th place, drove the No. 23 23XI Racing Camry around the course at 129.413 mph, making him the fastest of the six Toyota vehicles.
At 129.311 mph on average over the course of ten laps, Larson finished ahead of William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports, Blaney, Logano, and Harvick. In comparison to Briscoe, Stenhouse, Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin, and Tyler Reddick of 23XI Racing, Wallace had the sixth-fastest 10-lap average.
After a late strategic gamble, Martin Truex Jr. fades and finishes seventh in Vegas
In the most stereotypical Las Vegas fashion possible, Martin Truex Jr. came close to achieving his first NASCAR Cup Series victory in over a year and a half.
When the Pennzoil 400 entered overtime with a late-race warning period on Sunday afternoon at Las Vegas International Speedway, Martin Truex Jr. appeared to be headed for a top-five finish. However, a risky pit strategy decision left his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota a tenuous hold on the lead.
Although he subsequently slipped to a seventh-place finish, Martin Truex Jr. commended crew chief James Small's choice to stay out on the older tires, which advanced him from fourth to first for the final restart.
As a result, Martin Truex Jr. finished in the top 10 for the sixth time in a row at the 1.5-mile Nevada track. His allusion to last year's result was the No. 19 team's decision to use four fresh tires on the last pit stop of the race when the majority of his rivals used only two.
