Joe Gibbs Racing driver Martin Truex Jr. will be the first to tell you that his record on the 2.5-mile oval at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is far from exemplary.
In 16 starts on the big track, Truex has one top five and three top 10s to his credit. His average finish is a lackluster 22.4.
But the Brickyard 400 Truex remembers most vividly is the race in 2017, when he had a car capable of winning.
Kyle Busch had the dominant car that day, having led 87 of the first 102 laps, but Truex had taken the top spot from his fellow Toyota driver on Lap 103, before Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Jimmie Johnson crashed on the backstretch to cause the eighth caution of the afternoon.
As the leader, Truex chose the inside lane for the restart on Lap 111, with Busch to his outside. Their cars raced side-by-side toward Turn 1, with Busch pulling slightly ahead entering the corner.
That’s when Truex’s car lost grip and slid up the track into Busch’s Camry, wrecking both cars beyond repair.
“Yeah, that one definitely hurt,” Truex acknowledged. “This has never been what I’d consider one of my best tracks, and that year we had what we needed to win, and I made a dumb move.
“I wish I could redo that one, for sure, and see how the day would have played out.”
Sunday’s race may be Truex’s last chance for a victory at Indianapolis. In June, he announced his retirement from full-time, effective at the end of the season. If he does win it will be from the back of the field. After securing a 14th place starting spot, the team had to make an approved adjustment to the No. 19 Toyota. Car chief Chris Jones was ejected, the team lost their pit stall selection, and in addition to starting at the rear, will have to do a pass through after the start of the race Sunday.
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