Martin Truex Jr., James Small move forward from Richmond tension

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Martin Truex Jr. left no doubts Saturday -- there are no issues between him and crew chief James Small after their heated post-race radio communications one week ago at Richmond Raceway. The animated discussion sparked after the checkered flag when Small apologized for running Truex out of fresh tires before the final pit stop of the race. When everyone darted to pit road for the day's last stops, the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing team only had worn, scuffed tires to put on the car instead of fresh Goodyears. Truex plummeted from third to 11th on the final run -- unaware of the tire deficit since Small didn't tell him previously. MORE: Gordon, Letarte examine the call | Cup Series standings A pit stop at Lap 72 ultimately doomed the team's strategy -- but that visit down pit road was the result of a mistake all along. "The decision to pit in the first stage was radio issues," Truex said Saturday at Bristol Motor Speedway. "And that comes back to haunt us at the end of the race. He made the right decision. It just never got to me or my spotter because of a radio issue." Small confirmed his message was simply never heard on Sunday afternoon ahead of the Food City Dirt Race (7 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). “We had kind of talked about maybe we were going to come or whatnot,” Small told NASCAR.com of the Lap 72 decision. “And then when it was evident that no one was coming at all, I told him to stay out, and he never heard it. You know, the guys even got off the wall. “And then all of a sudden (spotter) Drew (Herring) is calling 10 (stalls) away and the car's coming, and we're like, 'oh, (expletive).' So yeah, unfortunate timing. Not sure why. It's on all our recordings all of that, but yeah. (Expletive) happens.” As for any animosity between the 2017 series champion and his crew chief? None. Any frustration was put to bed minutes after the race. "I mean, you have to move past it," Truex said. "Obviously, James and I have worked together for a while and we have a great relationship. And he gets fired up. I get fired up sometimes, not very often, you know, and those things happen. Like I said, heat of the moment. We were all just mad and you know, 30 minutes later, we were talking on the phone like everything was fine. So it's just part of what you do here. It's intense, intense competition." Three-plus seasons into a crew chief-driver dynamic, their relationship is “good as gold,” Small said. “We're disappointed and you know, we both got emotional at the time. And we just want to do our best and win. And you’d hate it if he wasn't mad, you know? I was more mad than him probably. So, you know, we're good and we’re ready to go.” Truex and Small have worked together as crew chief and driver since 2020, but their familiarity dates back to 2017, when Small joined Furniture Row Racing as an engineer. In Small's time as crew chief, the duo has won five points-paying races -- highlighted by a four-win campaign in 2021 -- in addition to a victory in February's exhibition Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. But after leading 56 laps at Richmond, their winless streak in points races extended to 51 races, a drought that features Truex's 2022 absence from the playoffs, his first miss since 2014. The anger that burst through the radio after last week's race was the culmination of those losses. "I mean, we're working hard, doing all we know how to do, and it's just like, you know, what's gonna happen next?" Truex said.  "It's a shame. ... It just builds up. Frustration builds up and things like that happen and it ends up costing you at the end of the day when it was a decision, you know, three hours ago." Despite the zero that sits in the win column dating back to September 2021, the No. 19 team has had numerous near misses, including Las Vegas and Nashville a season ago ahead of their Richmond errors. “It's frustrating for sure,” Small said. “We've been close so many times, like you said, but you’ve got to draw the positives from it. The guys on pit road, they had an awesome day (at Richmond), you know, tremendous. We had a small issue you're on the last stop with a wheel nut, but it just gives everybody faith in our process. “You've seen it time and time again with the 19 team. Like if we stick to our process, do all the things right, we can contend for wins and have days where we’re dominant, and it's just eventually it's gonna go our way. You know, you can't keep being that fast and continually having everything turn to (crap).” Ultimately, Small chose not to relay information of the tire deficit to Truex, noting on the radio their chances to win were doomed anyway. But Truex admitted having more context about his circumstances may have helped in the final run to the checkered flag. "I wouldn't have been so just surprised and frustrated," Truex said. "You know, I just didn't know. So it was like a surprise to me. I would have been more prepared I guess. ... We didn't really talk about why he didn't tell me. I guess he was hoping I would do something magical. But it was really out of my hands at that point. "So I was just confused at first obviously because I didn't know, and then just (ticked) off because, you know, feel like we had the race won and then all that happens. It's been like that for a while. Just ready for things to turn and hopefully go our way one of these days." After winning the Clash back in February, Small said Truex was “a different person right now” and cited a heightened motivation. That rings true two months later, Small said, with their relationship “better than ever” and talking more often than any season prior. “I think he's just more determined than ever,” Small said. “You know, we came off a year last year where we obviously didn't win a race, for whatever reason and we all have a point to prove. “We feel like if everything goes right, we can win a championship again. You know, we've been close before. We were super close in ’21. And that's the game. And we just keep battling all year and get there at the end.”