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2017 Cup champion Martin Truex Jr. is currently sitting in a tight spot. Before heading to Michigan last weekend, he was through to the playoffs entry on points. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver was one of the two who had a spot through points, meaning the chances of him being knocked out were high.
With Kevin Harvick winning the race and reclaiming his position back in the standings, Truex Jr., on the other hand, was dropped from the list, leaving Ryan Blaney as the only winless driver to sit in the playoffs.
Being one of the most notable drivers on the track and leading 27 laps, Martin Truex Jr. had the win in his sights, but he repeatedly lost track position on the restarts. These mistakes didn’t sit well with the driver, and things got heated in stage three between him and his crew chief. Truex Jr. thought the pitting was wasting his chances of getting to the playoffs and said:
“We can’t pit again. We keep f****** pitting, we ain’t going anywhere. And because it all went bad now you want to pit again and screw up the rest of the race. I’ve lost it where we’re at here. That’s all.”
Replying to the driver, his crew chief James Small said:
“We’re f****** bad on restarts. Everybody else on the same strategy manages to keep going forward and we go backward with every restart.”
Before the Michigan race, NASCAR had recorded 14 winners and Truex Jr. knew only a win could have cemented his space. He worked hard to win the race by all means and was among the notable drivers on the circuit. By the end of the day, however, Kevin Harvick, who had been sidelined from the playoff positions a few weeks ago, had won the race and reclaimed his position.
How Martin Truex Jr. performed in NASCAR Cup Series at Michigan International Speedway
Martin Truex Jr. has always been described as a calm driver but this time around it seems things were really out of hand. After a back-and-forth between him and his crew chief James Small, Truex Jr. eventually settled in the sixth position, which was a good finish, although he lost his playoff spot.
This wasn't the first time the 2017 Cup Series champion had victory lane in his sights, but couldn’t step on it. A few weeks ago in New Hampshire, Martin Truex Jr. had one of his best weekends after he secured the pole and went on to dominate the race but failed to deliver in the last minute. He had the Ambetter 301 under control, leading 172 laps, which was more than any other driver that day.
After having two successful stages, Truex Jr. made a costly pit mistake in the last stage after he decided to change only two tires instead of four. This slowed him in the final stage and he ended up finishing fourth.
After missing the win at Michigan, Truex Jr. only has three races to fight for his position in the playoffs. Failing to do that, he will be among the 20 drivers who won’t proceed to the next level.
