One of the biggest surprises in the 2023 NASCAR Playoffs has been Martin Truex Jr. After having performed immensely well in the regular season, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver struggled in the Round of 16. In fact, things only got worse for him in Stage 3 of the Bristol Motor Speedway.

Going into the race on Saturday, Truex Jr faced the massive task of staying above the cut-off line to qualify for the Round of 12. However, things didn’t quite go as expected for the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion, and NASCAR had a big role to play in it.

NASCAR’s questionable call piled up more problems for Martin Truex Jr at Bristol Motor Speedway

With three wins in the 2023 regular season, Martin Truex Jr entered the playoffs as one of the favorites to go all the way. While he not only drove aggressively, he also looked very confident with his approach. However, things changed drastically for him in the Round of 16.

Having finished 18th in the Darlington race, a lot was expected of him at Kansas. Unfortunately, an early wreck finished his race in the second race of the Round of 16. With him placed 13th in the table, the onus was on the JGR driver to secure his Round of 12 berth.

Safe to say, Truex Jr did not start well and struggled in the first two stages of the race at Bristol Motor Speedway. While he went full throttle in the final stage, things took a wild turn with over 130 laps left. He spun out right in front of the leaders as he went out of shape, resulting in a slight right rear damage.

Not only did he lose a lap in the process, but what came next was more annoying for Truex Jr. After witnessing the event, NASCAR almost instantly decided to issue a caution citing the presence of debris. In all honesty, the call looked premature given how quickly it came out after the #19 car hit the wall.

In fact, even Truex Jr was upset hearing it. Over the radio, the JGR driver said, “What was the caution for? Me?”

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While the 43-year-old was stunned hearing the decision, so were the NASCAR fans. Unsurprisingly, they were furious with the decision-making there.

NASCAR fans are left fuming as NASCAR calls out a caution for Martin Truex Jr at Bristol

On a day when Martin Truex Jr wanted luck to be on his side, it wasn’t going as planned. Given his need for points and his aspirations to qualify for the Round of 12, every small decision played a key role. Naturally, the caution did hamper his plans.

What was more frustrating for him and the fans was the timing of the caution. Unsurprisingly, many NASCAR faithful took to Twitter to express their dissatisfaction.

“What a joke”

“Hahaha. NASCAR called that caution before he was even passed by the cars right behind him. No spin, hardly touched the wall, no tire down. CONSISTENCY PLEASE!!!”

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“How can it be a debris caution when it came out before any debris stopped rolling?

“That was phantom caution, they threw it way too quickly! It was thrown before the commentaries could say he had a problem!

“They figured that out within .37 seconds of him hitting the wall.  Impressive.”

“Nah that was too quick of a caution”

Fortunately, Truex Jr was able to end the race well and qualify for the next round of the playoffs. Having said that, the caution could have cost him deeply. Not only does NASCAR need to be more consistent but also more vigilant with its decision-making.