Truex wins another for Toyota
CONCORD, N.C. — Martin Truex Jr. gave Toyota yet another victory in NASCAR’s playoffs — the manufacturer is 4 for 4 so far — on a humid Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Truex has two wins in the playoffs, this one gets him an automatic berth into the next round, and it’s the first time in this format that Toyota has won a race in this round of postseason.
“Just a total team effort,” Truex said. “Every single guy, every guy on this team just did a perfect job today and I can’t be more proud of them and at this time of the year is just when you want it to
happen. You dream about days like today. I don’t know if we had the best car, but we damn sure go it in victory lane.”
Kyle Busch, winner of the last two playoff races, wrecked early in the race yet completed it in a damaged race car. Complaining most of the 500 miles of being overheated, he needed immediate medical attention when he climbed from his car.
Busch laid in the grass, packs of ice were placed on his chest, and a stretcher was brought to him. Once he felt strong enough, he stood and walked to an ambulance. He received oxygen to treat a high carbon monoxide level.
“I felt like I was having a heat stroke,” Busch said.
The humidity drained several drivers, including Truex, who had to catch his breath after taking his sixth victory of the season.
“Seeing him after the race, how whipped he was, was kind of a shock,” crew chief Cole Pearn said.
Truex has proven weekly he’s the driver to beat in this championship race, and did it again Sunday by working with his Furniture Row Racing team to steadily improve his car through the first two stages of the race. He wasn’t the strongest early — the first two stage victories went to Kevin Harvick, and Truex didn’t earn Stage 1 playoff points for the first time since July — but he was untouchable by the final segment.
He was at this point a year ago, too, but he had difficulties in the second round of the playoffs and was eliminated. Not this time. This statement victory ensured he’ll be in the third round of the playoffs. He choked back tears in victory lane in part because partner Sherry Pollex, who is battling ovarian cancer, was not
at the track. She’s has a chemotherapy session scheduled today.
But he was also overwhelmed at what an incredible season he’s had. Truex leads the series in wins, stage wins and playoff points — and, if he had some better luck, he figures he should have at least 10 wins already this season.
“It was everything. I couldn’t hold it in anymore,” Truex said. “I thought about Sherry. I thought about winning the first race of this round, I thought about a lot of
things, and I just lost it for a minute. It shows just how much this stuff means to us. We put everything into this, everything we have.”
Truex won in overtime after two late cautions created extra laps and forced Truex to hold off fellow Toyota driver Denny Hamlin on a pair of restarts.
Chase Elliott finished second for the second consecutive week and sixth time in his career. He nearly won for the first time in the Cup series a week ago, but
Martin Truex Jr. struggles to raise the trophy in Victory Lane after winning Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. Busch ran him down and passed him for the win with one lap to go.
Harvick was third and Hamlin finished fourth. Like his teammate Busch, Hamlin was drained after the race. His firesuit was soaked with sweat stains and he needed to eat a banana to recover.
“You usually can tell hydration level from my suit,” Hamlin said. “Any time it has white streaks all over it, I’m spent pretty good. I feel pretty bad, no doubt about it.”