Truex thankful Chase win no longer tainted by penalty
LOUDON, N.H. >> Martin Truex Jr. felt a bit uneasy as he settled into a seat in the NASCAR hauler where officials summon drivers accused of rules infractions, bruised from fistfights or found guilty of general poor decorum.
“Anyone feel like they’re in trouble for being here?” he asked.
The setting was a bit unfamiliar for one of NASCAR’s more popular drivers around the garage, but he was here for a chat not because he was in trouble. With a smile, Truex insisted he’s been a stock car model citizen through 396 career races where not one has ended with him being called to the sport’s version of the principal’s office.
“It’s a good record,” he said, laughing.
But Truex — or at least his teams through the years — have been unable to completely steer clear of NASCAR violations. Truex’s win Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway in the Chase opener came under scrutiny when the No. 78 Toyota failed the post-race laser inspection. His car was tagged with infractions that should have drawn a 10-point penalty. Jimmie Johnson’s No. 48 Chevrolet failed the same inspection and was subject to the same penalty — until NASCAR decided not to punish the drivers.
Free from any penalty, Truex said he hoped he could escape the accusation the Furniture Row Racing team had cheated its way to victory lane.
“You don’t want people to think you’re winning races by what they call ‘cheating,’” he said Friday. “You have people on social media and they get upset about it. It was such a little thing. It so easily could have went the other way. It’s frustrating that it kind of taints your win a little bit.”
Truex would have kept his win and advanced to the second round of the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship even if NASCAR decided to levy a points fine. NASCAR did make one change for Sunday’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway — all 16 Chase cars will go through laser inspection after only nine were picked after the Chase opener. The laser inspection station takes a precise look — down to about 1/1000th of an inch — to find any potential violation.