Analysis: Martin Truex Jr., No. 19 team need cleaner pit stops

Martin Truex Jr.’s pit-stop woes started back in 2019, the last race of last season. On Lap 120 of 267 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Truex pitted his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota from the lead under green. It was a routine stop at that point. When Truex returned to the track in third place, though, there was something wrong: The left and right tires had been swapped, forcing Truex to pit a second time on Lap 122 so his team could fix the error. That placed him 13th and a lap down. [ndmsvideo vid="237011" play="false"] It's unfair to say the mistake cost Truex the championship since he still finished second in his race -- as Kyle Busch claimed his second title -- but it surely didn't help the 2017 champion's cause. Truex ultimately came home second in the final standings for the second year in a row. RELATED: NASCAR moving to single lug-nut design Now, three races into the 2020 season, Truex sits 13th in the standings and pit-stop agony continues to haunt the No. 19 team. -- Daytona International Speedway, Lap 132 of 209: Truex's car hit a gas can on pit road from Chase Elliott's stall, resulting in his return to pit lane on the next lap to check the damage on the No. 19's front end. Truex finished 32nd (crash). [ndmsvideo vid="251772" play="false"] -- Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Lap 164 of 267: Truex took the lead after a round of pit stops but had to immediately bring the No. 19 back for a loose left-side lug nut. Truex finished 20th. -- Auto Club Speedway, Lap 159 of 200: Truex pitted from second place, running 1.588 seconds behind the leader, and his No. 19 team had a long lug-nut issue when the tire changer's wrist and hand appeared to cramp up. Truex finished 14th. [ndmsvideo vid="255682" play="false"] Here is a deeper look at Truex's pit stops at Auto Club last weekend:

PIT STOP	FLAG IN	FLAG OUT	TIME	TIRES	RANK IN	RANK OUT	GAIN/LOSS
1	Green	Green	46.16	4	17	32	-15
2	Yellow	Yellow	45.12	4	12	13	-1
3	Green	Green	43.02	4	4	6	-2
4	Yellow	Yellow	42.86	4	5	4	+1
5	Green	Green	55.79	4	3	16	-13

(Data provided by Racing Insights.) The last time Truex opened a season with three straight finishes outside the top 10 was 2014. Another thing the 2014 and 2020 seasons have in common already: Cole Pearn is not Truex's crew chief. Pearn worked with Truex from 2015-19. James Small now stands atop the No. 19 pit box. This could all just be a series of unfortunate events Truex puts to an end this Sunday at Phoenix Raceway in the FanShield 500 (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). He's definitely going to need his team's help to capture his first win at the 1-mile track in Arizona, though. In 28 starts, Truex has just four top-five and 11 top-10 performances at Phoenix. He averages a 15.5 finish after a 12.1 average start. Last year saw him come in second (spring) and sixth (fall). Phoenix will host two events yet again this season, and the second is the title race -- just like the one that sparked these pit-stop concerns.