BROOKLYN, Mich. – Sunday brought an all-too-familiar story for Martin Truex Jr.
Fast car. Glitch on pit road. Disappointing finish.
On lap 58, Truex passed Kevin Harvick for the lead after advancing briskly from his 20th-place starting position. During a green-flag pit stop on Lap 65, however, the jack dropped before the rear tire changed had tightened the lug nuts, forcing Truex’s car to jack the car back up and finish the job.
In the process, the left rear quarter panel of Truex’s No. 78 Toyota was damaged, adversely affecting the aerodynamics of the car.
Truex finished a disappointing 20th in a car that could have contended for the victory.
“We were never the same after that pit stop,” Truex who has had a litany of difficulties on pit road this season. “We made a number of unscheduled stops to try to fix the problem, but the damage was just too severe to overcome.
“Let another strong performance slip away.”
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
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