Truex gained the 2023 common season championship and entered the 10-race playoffs because the No. 1 seed, was by no means in a position to capitalize on the pace his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota had proven all 12 months.
His staff appear to battle on pitroad, whether or not with penalties or sluggish stops or poor monitor place that received him caught up in on-track incidents. Actually, via 9 playoff races, Truex has completed within the top-10 solely as soon as – a ninth place effort at Las Vegas.
Sunday at Martinsville fared little higher.
Regardless of successful the pole and main the primary 47 laps, he received penalized for rushing on pit street and on his subsequent cease throughout the break between Levels 2 and three, he misplaced much more monitor place when his pit crew dropped his jack throughout the cease.
He tried to rally within the closing stage however may solely muster a twelfth place end. Truex ended up sixth within the playoff standings.
Photograph by: Gavin Baker / NKP / Motorsport Photographs
Martin Truex Jr, Joe Gibbs Racing, Auto-Homeowners Insurance coverage Toyota Camry
“If we couldn’t discover a approach to flip monitor place pit stop-wise, we have been by no means going to get (again to the entrance),” Truex stated. “Our automobile was good. The sector is so tight, so shut. Your automobile drives a lot worse in visitors.
“I felt like we did actually good to get again to the place we did. You simply burn the tires off a lot worse again there within the sizzling, soiled monitor, soiled air. You’re in additional rubber. It’s only a dogfight.”
Nonetheless loads to be pleased with
Truex stated he was nonetheless pleased with the work his staff put in attempting to assist him rebound from the Stage 2 points.
“We gave it a hell of an effort. I felt like we had a extremely sturdy automobile,” Truex stated. “I don’t assume we may have beat (Blaney) He was actually, actually sturdy. We have been positively shut.
“I imply, I believed I used to be effectively beneath pace leaving that field. Clearly, we have been rushing, so … clearly now we have one thing to have a look at there. It’s devastating. That’s racing.”
Truex stated the principle situation he believes he and his staff fought within the playoffs was execution – they merely couldn’t put stable races collectively like they’d a lot of the common season.
And within the playoffs, any mistake might be extraordinarily pricey.
“I simply really feel we couldn’t do something proper. If it was ever a 50/50 name, it all the time went in opposition to us,” he stated. “A blown engine, a flat tire, you title it. Drawback after drawback.
“Simply stored setting us again, and we couldn’t get any momentum. I feel we did an excellent job at the moment. It was a tiny little error, .2 miles an hour can smash your complete 12 months sadly.”
