Finally, NASCAR fans were treated to a glimpse of the real Martin Truex Jr. in Las Vegas. The track is known for favoring the JGR driver with an impressive 10.0 average from 23 races. The races include an outstanding record of six consecutive top-10 finishes and notable victories in 2017 and 2019. The Las Vegas race reignited the spark that seemed to have dimmed during the regular season.

Even though most of the laps proved to be a challenge for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver, thanks to the usual pit stop issues, Truex Jr. managed to secure a top-10 finish. Impressively, he even took the lead for a brief period before relinquishing that position. Amidst all the on-track drama and pit road incidents, Martin Truex Jr. stood firmly behind his crew chief, offering his support and praising the team’s efforts in general.

Martin Truex Jr. doesn’t lay the blame on his crew chief for slipping from the top spot

During stage 2, around lap 83, while it seemed like everyone else was heading into the pits, Martin Truex Jr., positioned 4th alongside JJ Yeley and Brennan Poole, made a daring decision to stay out on the track. In fact, on the 87th lap, Truex Jr. led the pack to the green flag from the inside, with Denny Hamlin on the outside, firmly maintaining his lead. However, as the race progressed, #8 inexplicably slipped to 6th place and eventually found himself in 11th.

The strategy, while showing promise, ultimately couldn’t help him hold onto his position. When a reporter inquired about the gamble during the post-race interview, Martin Truex Jr. disclosed that he had initially considered pitting but followed his crew chief’s instructions to stay out, despite having qualms about it.

He explained, “He told me that pretty late around the corner in 3 or 4, and my gut reaction was, don’t do it, don’t stay out. And I like to listen to my crew chief (James Small) and do whatever they say, no matter what because they know more of what’s going on than you do. And usually, the drivers are 90% of the time wrong if they make their own decisions or go against the crew chief. […] We had the lead for whatever a few laps. But once I got back to 3rd or 4th, it just dropped like a rock.”

Furthermore, Martin Truex Jr. also touched on some non-racing points that may have played a role in his performance improvement- maybe some more strategic moves.

Watch This Story: Martin Truex Jr’s Playoff Hopes Dim as Joe Gibbs Racing Struggles

#8 reveals a condition that could have transformed the race

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Truex Jr. has consistently maintained a reputation as one of the fairest competitors, refraining from any unethical maneuvers to secure a victory. Thus, there’s nothing to suggest that he would resort to forceful passes on the track.

However, during his post-race interview, he did hint at a potential strategy that might have yielded a more favorable outcome, while mentioning that he believed his Toyota was probably a “third-place car.” He explained, “If we could have gotten a quick caution, it would have worked out great.”

“Knock on Wood”- Martin Truex Jr Sticks by Goodyear Amidst HMS’ Worsening Misery

With Martin Truex Jr. steadily regaining his momentum, there’s hope that he can achieve a top-5 finish or even secure a victory, thereby earning a coveted spot in the Championship 4.