RELATED: Results | Updated standings | Post-Charlotte Chase Grid
CONCORD, N.C. -- On a night where Martin Truex Jr. dominated the Coca-Cola 600 and shattered several NASCAR records in one of the Sprint Cup Series' most storied races, the rest of the field was left to tip its cap to a driver that has come oh-so-close to winning already in 2016.
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Truex led 392 of 400 laps (the most ever at Charlotte Motor Speedway) and his 588 miles led (of 600) was the most led in NASCAR history.
The performance was so stellar that Jimmie Johnson, who finished third, stopped mid-interview on pit road to congratulate and give Truex a high-five.
"He was too damn fast not to," Johnson joked afterward.
Race runner-up Kevin Harvick spent the latter part of the race trying to get to Truex but couldn't reel him in.
"I saw him for about 50 miles or 75 miles," Harvick said. "The rest of the night I never saw him."
Johnson led the second-most laps in the field at five and, at times, seemed to be close to making a move to get the lead. But the six-time Sprint Cup Series champion couldn't quite get there.
"I thought I had him clear twice and somehow he just drove by on the straightaway," Johnson said. "His car was just really strong and there were many times where I thought I'd get close and then he'd pick the pace up a couple tenths. I think he had plenty of speed on the side and could really control the race."
Johnson knows a little something about being dominant. In 2004, he led 334 laps en route to winning the Coca-Cola 600. He has also led 300 laps two other times, both coming at Martinsville in 2008 and 2013.
The fact that Truex and his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota have been so close to Victory Lane this season -- he led 141 laps at Texas and 172 laps at Kansas before late-race trouble found the 78 team in both instances -- was not lost on Johnson.
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"They've had a few runs where they've just been the class of the field and things have just kept them from Victory Lane," Johnson said. "Tonight, he wasn't going to be denied. There was no way around that."
Joey Logano started the race alongside Truex on the front row and spent some time chasing Truex from the front, as well. The Sprint All-Star Race winner summed up his pursuit succinctly.
"We didn't have anything for the 78," Logano said. "Martin Truex was on fire tonight and really all weekend. They had it figured out."
Like Johnson, Logano said he could stay close for a little bit, but was no match for the 78 on the long runs.
"There were times that we were racing him up front for the lead on restarts," Logano said. "We'd run with him for a while and then eventually on the long run he just took off. We had nothing for him, but at times I thought we were definitely a second-place car -- but unfortunately it's a distant second."
The win was a popular one in the garage with Johnson saying how well-liked Truex is by his fellow competitors. That sentiment was echoed by fifth-place finisher Brad Keselowski.
"You see a guy like Martin win and you can't help but feel good about it," Keselowski said. "He's a good person and he deserves all the success he gets."
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