CONCORD, N.C. – Martin Truex, Jr. overcame a right-front tire puncture early in Sunday night’s Coca-Cola 600 to score his second career victory in the prestigious event and his third win of the season.
In his post-race media availability, Truex commented, “It was definitely a tough race, it was a heck of a battle. Early in the race we were real strong and were running away with the first stage then we blew a right front out of nowhere. We thought our race was over at that point.”
Truex continued, “We just never gave up on it and kept working and about lap 250 we got it dialed back in. I’m speechless, but thanks to my team for doing such a great job.”
Truex survived a myriad of issues that plagued the majority of his fellow Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota-affiliated teammates. Erik Jones, Matt DiBenedetto, Denny Hamlin, and Truex himself all encountered similar right-front tire issues throughout the night.
Although Kyle Busch was free from tire issues, his night was not flawless. The first issue was a bit of contact with Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. that sent the No. 17 Ford Mustang spinning through the infield turf. The second occurred later in the race after colliding with his brother, Kurt.
Joe Gibbs Racing should consider themselves fortunate that one of their cars was able to bring home the victory considering the similar issues across the board. Their cars were extremely quick, but a commonality in their setups, most likely an issue with low tire pressures not cooperating with their camber setting, presented problems for all their teams.
Fortunately for Truex, he was able to overcome the tire puncture and not have any further issues for the rest of the night.
The 600-mile race featured numerous “comers and goers.” Chief among them were Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin. Keselowski won the first two stages before eventually finishing 19th. Hamlin had tire issues on multiple occasions that hampered an evening on which he possessed a fast racecar.
Chase Elliott also turned in an excellent performance. His fourth-place finishing position is not necessarily indicative of how quick his car was throughout the evening. Teammates Alex Bowman, Jimmie Johnson, and William Byron all finished in the top-ten on an excellent night for Hendrick Motorsports.
In further celebration of the Memorial Day holiday, NASCAR brought the cars down pit road and held them for 30 seconds in a poignant tribute of the fallen members of our military.
All in all, the best car won. Truex and crew chief Cole Pearn continued their
magic from three years ago and brought home a hard fought victory. Truex had to
fight for track position during a late-race restart that jumbled up the field
and he emerged unscathed.
Now that the Coca-Cola 600 has come and gone, the NASCAR transitions into the summertime portion of its schedule. First up: a trip to the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania for the Pocono 400 next Sunday (2:00 EDT on FS1).
Written By Greg Atkins
