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Martin Truex Jr. on postrace contact at Richmond: ‘I lost my cool’

Originally posted on 5 GOATs | By Jonathan Howard | Last updated 4/7/24

After losing out on the win at Richmond, Martin Truex Jr. took out his frustrations on the bumper of Denny Hamlin and door of Kyle Larson. NASCAR fans understood the Hamlin part of that equation, but not the Larson stuff as much.

A few days removed from the situation, Martin Truex Jr. had time to reflect. Between losing a race he led more than 200 laps in, getting beat on a jumped restart, his teammate winning with his old pit crew – it all just added up.

It was enough to make Truex lose it. Larson just barely made contact with him and it was gloves off after that. The 19 started to slam into the side of the 5 and then found the back of Hamlin’s car soon after.

“[Larson] was in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Truex told media at Martinsville, laughing. “I mean, he slid up into me and I mean barely, barely got me in the side in one and two and my – the lid popped off.”

Martin Truex Jr. even admitted that Hamlin didn’t do anything wrong. No hard feelings, just frustration boiling over.

“It was fine he [Hamlin] didn’t do anything wrong. Like I said, it all just piled on very quickly and I lost my cool. It happens.”

Martin Truex Jr. on why he was angry at Kyle Larson at the end of the Richmond race and also the fact that it was his former pit crew (that now pits Denny Hamlin) that prevailed with the quick pit stop. pic.twitter.com/HI1Tkq5Kni
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) April 7, 2024

This week, Martin Truex Jr. will be in contention again. Martinsville is a little trickier than Richmond, as we saw in the Xfinity Series race last night. Things can go from good to bad in a hurry.

Truex has the speed in his car. He qualified P4 yesterday. He is the fastest Joe Gibbs Racing driver, but Bubba Wallace is the top Toyota, firing off P2. Kyle Larson leads the field to green with his second consecutive pole this season.

Martin Truex Jr. has a chance to bounce back

Martinsville gives this 19 team a great chance to get their redemption. Richmond showed the short track speed in this JGR program. Truex feels most comfortable on these tracks. It would not be shocking to see him take the lead and run away with this race.

The weather in Martinsville is going to be great for this afternoon. The sun will be beating down on the track, heating up these tires and making the surface slick. If there is a short track that can produce a good race in this package, it’s Martinsville.

Martin Truex Jr. will be one to watch. However, the Hendrick Motorsports crew has a lot to race for as well. Larson, Chase Elliott, and Alex Bowman all qualified in the top-10. Elliott fires off P3, Bowman P10. This could be the race Elliott finally gets back to victory lane.

Other drivers to watch for: Chase Briscoe (P5), Joey Logano (P6), and Josh Berry (P7). Those Fords were quick in practice and qualifying. All three could use a win for different reasons. Especially those Stewart-Haas cars.

This article first appeared on 5 GOATs and was syndicated with permission.

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