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Martin Truex Jr. 2019 season in review
By Sean Montgomery | Published: January 2, 2020 11
Matt Sullivan | Getty Images
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Matt Sullivan | Getty Images
In his first season wheeling the No. 19 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, Martin Truex Jr. finished runner-up in the NASCAR Cup Series standings. Scroll through the images to relive some of his key highlights in 2019.
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Matt Sullivan | Getty Images
Truex Jr. led the NASCAR Cup Series with seven of JGR's record-setting 19 wins this year. His seven trips to Victory Lane was the second-highest output of his career, only trailing his championship-winning season in 2017 (eight).
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Brian Lawdermilk | Getty Images
Truex Jr.'s consistently dominant performances throughout the year landed him 15 top fives, 24 top 10s, 1,371 laps led and a 9.8 average finish -- placing him within the top four in each statistical category. He now has four consecutive seasons with over 1,000 laps led.
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Matt Sullivan | Getty Images
The wins came early and often for the No. 19 team. After his first career win at Richmond in April, Truex Jr. and company took home the checkered flag in three of the next seven races. The Richmond win was especially sweet as it snapped a career 0-for-80 drought on short tracks.
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Brian Lawdermilk | Getty Images
The impressive run coincidentally included his third career victory at each of the tracks -- Dover, Charlotte and Sonoma.
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Matt Sullivan | Getty Images
Martin Truex Jr. made his milestone 500th start at Michigan International Speedway in August.
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Brian Lawdermilk | Getty Images
With four regular season wins and a trio of runner-up finishes, Truex Jr. entered the NASCAR Playoffs seeded just behind JGR teammates Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin.
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Jonathan Ferrey | Getty Images
Truex Jr. had instant playoff momentum, winning the NASCAR Playoffs opener at Las Vegas and adding another trip to Victory Lane the following week -- winning once again at Richmond.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
In one of the most dominant performances of his Cup Series career, Truex Jr. held off William Byron for the win at Martinsville after leading a career-best 464 laps at the south Virginia short track -- the most led in a win since Kyle Petty’s 484 at Rockingham in 1992.
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Jonathan Ferrey | Getty Images
Truex Jr.'s first-ever Round of 8 victory locked him into the Championship 4 race in Miami, ensuring him a chance at the title for the third consecutive season, fourth time in five years and the first time with his new team.
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Chris Graythen | Getty Images
A runner-up finish in the season finale at Homestead (for the second straight year) would mark Truex Jr.’s final race with long-time crew chief Cole Pearn. The duo’s 23 premier series wins since the start of 2016 led all driver-crew chief combos during that span. Together, the Pearn-Truex combo totaled 24 wins and one championship over five seasons together.