Martin Truex Jr.’s engine expired early in the Final Stage of Sunday evening’s Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway, bringing an end to the No. 19 driver’s day after completing 250 of 400 laps.
After starting on the front row for the 400-lapper around the Virginia short track, Truex scored much-needed stage points after the early exit with eight tallies in Stage 1.
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“It hiccupped once going down the backstretch, and then it started missing,” Truex said about any warning to his engine failure. “It’s like it broke a valve spring or something and then it kind of self-disintegrated, self-destructed really quickly. I don’t know. One of them days.”
A sour pit stop with an issue on the left-rear wheel in Stage 2 catalyzed the quick downward spiral for the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing team and Truex was unable to grab points in Stage 2 after a fierce battle with Chase Elliott.
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Truex entered Sunday’s race 13th in the playoff standings with a comfortable 108-point margin to the elimination line. Sunday’s 37th- and last-place finish marks Truex’s first DNF of 2024. The retiring 2017 Cup Series champion entered Richmond having completed 5,817 of 5,824 laps this season.
“I think James (Small, crew chief) had the right strategy to put the tires on when he did,” Truex said. We just had an issue on pit road with the left rear coming off. We went from being one of the fastest cars on the track to not having a very good car with a very small change. We just missed an adjustment race-track wise, but we were still going to be okay. It is a shame. Last race here full time and it would have been nice to get another win.”