The EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix was a clean race for the most part, with few clashes. Drivers were primarily focused on avoiding the pavements due to strict pass-through penalties enforced by NASCAR. Yet the few conflicts that arose elicited dramatic reactions from the drivers entangled in them. Martin Truex Jr happened to be one of them. 

Christopher Bell spun around two Kyles, and one of them stormed at him after the race. As Kyle ‘Rowdy’ Busch threatened Bell, his former JGR teammate also fumed. But apparently, Truex Jr was upset with not one but several drivers.

Martin Truex Jr didn’t have the best time during the race at COTA

Kyle Busch has established a penchant for topping the short-tempered charts. But it was Truex Jr who was quite vocal on his radio throughout the race. What was an eventful day at COTA for the JGR driver started with an opening lap collision with Corey LaJoie and Bubba Wallace. With substantial damage to this left front wheel, Truex Jr trudged back to the pits, absolutely furious. “I don’t understand it. The first lap man,” he exclaimed. But that wasn’t the end of it.

Although he recovered after that incident to finish 10th – and coming off the weekend as the Cup Series points leader – it wasn’t without another outburst. With 22 laps to go, Martin Truex Jr raged on the radio. He hollered, “Shouldn’t even be racing these f**king clowns. F**king tired of this s**t!” Then Truex Jr, indirectly addressing his team owner, said in a fierce rant, “Find a new f*kinig driver!”

Martin Truex Jr is currently in his fifth year racing for Joe Gibbs Racing. Since 2019, he has amassed 17 Cup wins. However, this is not the first time he publicly lashed out at JGR. In the 2023 Texas race, Brad Keselowski spun him around at the end of Stage 1. As a result, Truex Jr’s right rear tire got flat. 

Quite similar to COTA, he launched a diatribe at JGR. “There is no f***ing reason we should be back there. 20-second pit stops and a sh**ty car.” He added, “We are pathetic”.

Coming back to the COTA race. While Martin Truex Jr had short-tempered reactions during the race, his former teammate Kyle Busch had one right after. After Bell spun him around on Lap 40, he waited patiently until the race ended. While Bell was basking in his runner-up glory, his bliss was snapped short when Busch strode towards him. But between the chequered flag and this outburst, Truex Jr showed his camaraderie with Busch.

After his ninth-place finish, Busch’s car ran out of fuel and couldn’t make it back to the pits. However, Truex Jr came to the rescue as he gave Busch’s car a few bumps to help him return to the pitlane.

All the drama in COTA aside, Martin Truex Jr is gearing up for a grand showdown this weekend. At Richmond Raceway, his fortunes have played great in the past.

MTJ is heading into the Richmond race in high spirits

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As NASCAR prepares for the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway, Martin Truex Jr reminisced about his sweet times there. He holds 3 wins, 9 top-5 finishes, and 17 top-10s in the 35 starts he has made in Richmond. Having led the most laps of 1,359, Truex Jr is excited to head back to America’s Premier Short Track.

He said recently to Speedway Digest: “I love the track. It’s great. Been very successful there, especially lately with our Auto Owners Insurance Camry. Been lucky enough to win some races there. I really enjoy the track because it’s kind of unique. It’s a short track but it races like a bigger track than it is. You can really move around there the way the tires wear out and the track is really slippery. That makes it fun and a challenge and always a good race for fans.”

It seems that MTJ’s past bliss in Richmond is the only thing that has lifted his spirits after the dampener at COTA.

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