Jul 22, 2023; Long Pond, Pennsylvania, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Martin Truex Jr looks on during practice and qualifying for the HighPoint.com 400 at Pocono Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-USA TODAY Sports
If there was one place where Martin Truex Jr. could’ve made a comeback and kept his championship dreams alive, it was Bristol. The seasoned Joe Gibbs Racing driver had finished second behind his teammate Denny Hamlin during a tough tire-wear race at the 0.533-mile track earlier in March. However, his hopes of competing for the title were dashed after a pit road speeding violation.
Truex Jr. went from being in the top 5 to losing his shot at the championship. On lap 333 during the final stage, he was too eager to get back on track after a pit stop, speeding by just 0.9 mph over the limit, which earned him a pass-through penalty. With no cautions in the remaining 163 laps and minimal tire wear, it became impossible for him to regain lost positions, leaving the #19 car battling with mid-pack competitors.
This race did not showcase what NASCAR is meant to be. Despite the excitement and various tweaks, the solution for short-track racing remains elusive. Prominent journalist Jeff Gluck emphasized that NASCAR must resolve the issue before it becomes the norm.
In motorsports, new technology typically leads to improved performance, but NASCAR’s Next-Gen car has flipped the script. A major issue is the lack of passing opportunities on short tracks, which has led teams and drivers to demand more horsepower—something NASCAR has resisted. Instead, NASCAR experimented with different tire compounds, but these attempts have largely failed, as seen with both the spring race package and the red-option tires from the All-Star race.
After Sunday’s race, where drivers struggled with persistent short-track issues, Gluck criticized the performance, saying, “It’s an elimination race, but then you realize they can’t pass. Martin Truex Jr., running second, couldn’t even pass Kaulig or Rick Ware cars with his playoffs on the line.”
Gluck’s comments reflect concerns from both the Cup Series and Xfinity Series races. Even with Layne Riggs winning back-to-back for the first time in 2024, other drivers, like Dale Earnhardt Jr., struggled, battling Ryan Truex for fifth without success. The problem clearly extends beyond just one series, and Gluck warned that NASCAR needs to do more to fix the issue.
“You can suggest solutions, but ultimately, NASCAR cannot accept this as the standard for short-track racing,” Gluck insisted. “This cannot be the final outcome after trying a few things. That just cannot be the case.”
For Martin Truex Jr., the consequences were dire, as his championship run ended in the first round. Despite widespread criticism of the short-track package, Truex took responsibility for his playoff exit.
Everything seemed to be going well for Truex, who had collected stage points in the first two stages, narrowing the points gap and staying above the cutline. He appeared poised to move forward until his final pit stop turned the situation upside down.
Truex Jr. was in second behind race winner Kyle Larson, but a pit road speeding penalty dashed his hopes. Unable to recover, he finished 24th, falling short of the top 5 finish he needed to keep his Cup career alive.
Truex expressed regret after the race, saying, “It’s on me, obviously. My mistake. We were aiming for second or third to stay in the hunt. I don’t know if we could’ve done it, but it would’ve been nice to try. Just really tough for my guys—they work so hard. We had a strong car tonight. We got a lot of stage points, but I messed up. I wish we could’ve seen if we had a chance.”
Truex wasn’t the only driver facing heartbreak—others like Brad Keselowski, Ty Gibbs, and Harrison Burton also saw their playoff hopes crumble.
