No wonder NASCAR Cup Series driver Martin Truex Jr. was so upset following Sunday night’s Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway. His defeat developed as easy as 1-2-3.
Two crowded laps from ending his 22-race winless streak, Truex suffered three setbacks, leading to Denny Hamlin’s visit to Victory Lane.
The first bump happened when Bubba Wallace bumped Kyle Larson, causing the 2021 Cup champion to spin out without striking the wall and forcing overtime.
Truex’s second setback occurred when Hamlin’s pit crew beat his team by over a second, giving the Virginia native the top restart position.
The third and final frustration came when Hamlin made a NASCAR-approved rolling OT re-start, although Truex didn’t see it the same way, indicating Hamlin jumped the start.
After the finish, Truex rode up to Hamlin’s machine and rear-ended his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate several times, attempting to send a message.
Truex, who led a race-high 228 laps, was not pleased with his P4.
“You know, lead the whole race and then some stupid, some dumb&$$ move brings out a caution coming to the white flag and ruins our whole night, so it was unfortunate,” Truex said as reported by NASCAR.com. “I just, I felt like the 11 (Hamlin) used me up down there in Turn 1, and I didn’t really appreciate a teammate racing me like that.”
Truex, the defending regular-season titleholder, maintained his lead in the points standings, leading Larson by 14 points.
“[Denny Hamlin] jumped the start and then just used me up in Turn 1.”
Everything unraveled late for Martin Truex Jr. in Richmond.@JamieLittleTV | https://t.co/XUF5a2ZHos pic.twitter.com/FKBXLSmL0I
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) April 1, 2024
NASCAR National Series Weekend Schedule
Here is a list of NASCAR national series events this weekend at Martinsville Speedway (All Times ET):
Friday
- 3:05 p.m.: Truck Series practice
- 3:40 p.m.: Truck Series qualifying
- 5:05 p.m.: Xfinity Series practice
- 5:40 p.m.: Xfinity Series qualifying
- 7:30 p.m.: Truck Series Long John Silver’s 200 race
Saturday
- 4:35 p.m.: Cup Series practice
- 5:20 p.m.: Cup Series qualifying
- 7:30 p.m.: Xfinity Series DUDE Wipes 250 race
Sunday
- 3 p.m.: Cup Series Cook Out 400 race
It’s race week, and we can’t wait to go racing with y’all!
Check out the fan guide 👇
— Martinsville Speedway (@MartinsvilleSwy) April 1, 2024
NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 400 Entry List
Entry, Driver, Team, Car No.
- 1, Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing, No. 1 Chevrolet
- 2, Austin Cindric, Team Penske, No. 2 Ford
- 3, Austin Dillon, Richard Childress Racing, No. 3 Chevrolet
- 4, Josh Berry, Stewart-Haas Racing, No. 4 Ford
- 5, Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports, No. 5 Chevrolet
- 6, Brad Keselowski, RFK Racing, No. 6 Ford
- 7, Corey LaJoie, Spire Motorsports, No. 7 Chevrolet
- 8, Kyle Busch, Richard Childress Racing, No. 8 Chevrolet
- 9, Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports, No. 9 Chevrolet
- 10, Noah Gragson, Stewart-Haas Racing, No. 10 Ford
- 11, Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing, No. 11 Toyota
- 12, Ryan Blaney, Team Penske, No. 12 Ford
- 13, Chase Briscoe, Stewart-Haas Racing, No. 14 Ford
- 14, Kaz Grala, Rick Ware Racing, No. 15 Ford
- 15, Josh Williams, Kaulig Racing, No. 16 Chevrolet
- 16, Chris Buescher, RFK Racing, No. 17 Ford
- 17, Martin Truex Jr., Joe Gibbs Racing, No. 19 Toyota
- 18, Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing, No. 20 Toyota
- 19, Harrison Burton, Wood Brothers Racing, No. 21 Ford
- 20, Joey Logano, Team Penske, No. 22 Ford
- 21, Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing, No. 23 Toyota
- 22, William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports, No. 24 Chevrolet
- 23, Daniel Hemric, Kaulig Racing, No. 31 Chevrolet
- 24, Michael McDowell, Front Row Motorsports, 34 Ford
- 25, Todd Gilliland, Front Row Motorsports, No. 38 Ford
- 26, Ryan Preece, Stewart-Haas Racing, No. 41 Ford
- 27, John Hunter Nemechek, Legacy Motor Club, No. 42 Chevrolet
- 28, Erik Jones, Legacy Motor Club, No. 43 Chevrolet
- 29, Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing, No.45 Toyota
- 30, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., JTG Daugherty Racing, No. 47 Chevrolet
- 31, Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports, No. 48 Chevrolet
- 32, Justin Haley, Rick Ware Racing, No. 51 Ford
- 33, Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing, No. 54 Toyota
- 34, TBA, Power Source, No. 66 Ford
- 35, Zane Smith, Spire Motorsports, No. 71 Chevrolet
- 36, Carson Hocevar, Spire Motorsports, No. 77 Chevrolet
- 37, Daniel Suárez, Trackhouse Racing, No. 99 Chevrolet
We are honored to announce that Geoff Bodine and @JeffGordonWeb will be Co-Grand Marshal’s for the #MVSCookOut400 on April 7th! pic.twitter.com/ustO3yTGFU
— Martinsville Speedway (@MartinsvilleSwy) March 28, 2024
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