Martin Truex Jr. spoke to renowned journalist Bob Pockrass following an early exit from Sunday's Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. The soon-to-retire, Joe Gibbs Racing driver said that wrecking the reigning Cup Series champion, Ryan Blaney, was a "stupid mistake".
Truex got loose on lap 3, which made him slide up the track into the left-rear tire of Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron's No. 24 Chevrolet. To avoid hitting Byron, Truex veered his car to the right. However, his No. 19 machine brushed against the outside wall, taking Blaney out with him.
"I was definitely surprised. Didn't drive into (turn) 1 that deep; I thought I was gonna be fine side by side," the 2017 Cup Series champion told Pockrass. "It just took off of me and I hit the 24 (William Byron). That's obviously on me. I hate it for my team members; you hate to make mistakes that early in a race. All my fault; I hate it for my teammates, for (Ryan) Blaney...apologize to his guys. Just a stupid mistake; inexcusable."
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While waiting at the infield care center, Truex Jr. wasn't sure if he should stay back till the end of the 367-lap event or if he should leave.
"I am not even sure honestly what I have to do. Just gonna go, (and) take a few minutes to think about it, I guess," he added.
Truex entered the race 14th in the Cup Series standings, 58 points above the provisional playoff cutline. Even though he got ousted from contention early, the 2023 regular season point champion made his career's last playoff rumble.
Stewart-Haas Racing's Chase Briscoe, who is expected to replace Truex Jr. in the No. 19 car next year, won the crown jewel race after holding off two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch over the concluding 17 laps. Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, Ross Chastain and Busch rounded up the top 5.
Ryan Blaney shares health update following his contact with Martin Truex Jr.
Ryan Blaney dropped a health update after being checked and released from the infield care center. While speaking to NBC during a post-race interview, the Team Penske driver said,
"I was hurt for a little bit, but I think I’ll be OK. I’m alright. I saw Martin get loose, and I thought he was going to spin to the bottom, so I kind of gassed up to get around him, but it was just terrible timing. He overcorrected, and we were just right there."
Blaney entered the race already locked in the playoffs. However, he had intended to gather as many points as he could to receive an edge over his fellow playoff contenders.
"I hate it, wreck on Lap 2. It’s one of those things, it’s like you think he’s going to spin to the bottom, his rear hooked up and he just came up. I hate it for everybody, Menards and Ford. I thought our car was great and just didn’t even get a run any laps. Hopefully, next week goes a little better," he added.
The NASCAR Cup Series is all set for the playoffs. The Round of 16 opener kicks off at Atlanta Motor Speedway on September 8, 3 PM ET onwards. Fans can watch the race live on USA and NBC Sports and listen to radio updates on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
