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2017 Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr. had a fantastic racing weekend in New Hampshire. He nailed his first pole position of the season and went ahead to wrap up the weekend with a P4 finish. Starting from pole, Truex Jr. seemed to have a solid day dominating the first two stages but faded on the final lap due to a pit stop.
Speaking in a post-race interview, Martin Truex Jr. outlined how his pit stop affected his #19 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry TRD for Joe Gibbs Racing in the final stage. He claimed that his biggest mistake of the day was when he opted to change two tires and got in the wrong spot on the restart, saying:
“Just put on two tires and got in a bad spot on the restart. I got put three-wide and the 22 (Joey Logano) didn’t get going and I was on the inside behind him. I tried to shove him to get him going and get us going and (Kevin) Harvick made it three-wide and put us in a bad spot. And just my car was terrible on two tires and couldn’t go anywhere. Just should have put four tires on I guess.”
In his final remarks concerning his experience at the Ambetter 301, Truex Jr. stated that he had the car to carry the win but ended up screwing it up.
The season has been rough for him, but the Ambetter 301 race was one of a kind. Along with scoring his first pole of the season, it was also one of the races where he led most laps after leading 172 laps more than any other driver.
How did Martin Truex Jr. perform at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2022 season?
After sweeping stages one and two, Martin Truex Jr. only needed to maintain pace and complete the assignment. Things started going south on lap 199, where he got to the right rare of Briscoe while defending his lead.
On Lap 205, Truex Jr. and other race leaders decided to take a pit stop. Following the pit stop, he restarted 4th and slowly started fading due to handling issues.
Following the struggles, Kurt Busch took the lead and Truex Jr. reclaimed one of the most challenging tasks. After a rough final stage, he secured his 8th top 10 finish, including three top five finishes. With a new winner in NASCAR’s record, his chances of getting to the 2022 playoffs are at risk.
He currently stands 4th in the drivers’ standings without a win. Fourteen drivers have already booked their spots through a single win. With 14 drivers on the list, only two winless drivers will be squeezed into the 2022 playoffs.
The two drivers are the ones with the most points, Chase Elliot and Ross Chastain are already at the top of the table, but they have already carried a win. Ryan Blaney stands third in the table, followed by Martin Truex Jr. He’s only left with six events to secure a spot if NASCAR doesn’t record two new winners.
