It was enough for Truex to go on to win the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400 and for Elliott to later shrug his shoulders helplessly.
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(AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh). “My approach to how I dealt with those things changed and I think made me a better driver”.
With all but three of the lead-lap cars pitting, Truex restarted fourth and easily snagged the lead from Ryan Blaney for the triumph, his third of the season.
It was quite a comeback for Truex, who had his own tire issue while running second on Lap 69.
Truex mentioned immediately after the race that Harvick ran into him during the race, causing damage to the No. 78 vehicle. In the second round, the Chase decreases from 16 drivers to 12. He can’t win without thinking about what he has been through the last two years, with longtime girlfriend Sherry Pollex battling ovarian cancer. “It’s on us to be able to go out there and race and get the same or better results than they can”.
She has been cancer free for several months, and she has worked as a strong advocate for ovarian cancer research. We are proud of the run we had today.
Elliott, a rookie, finished third, followed by Blaney and Chase driver Brad Keselowski of Rochester Hills, who sits second in points.
“On pure performance this year, except four or five weeks, I feel like our performance has been pretty good”, Kenseth said of the No. 20 Toyota Camry team.
“Being hurt, being on the sidelines gave me a little different perspective of what life is outside of racing”, Busch said.
“So more so than just having the fastest cars – which nothing is going to say we’re going to have the fastest cars this weekend or moving forward – you’ve still got to turn them into finishes every week, you know?” Jimmie Johnson, a six-time series champion, has yet to be in contention going into the final race. Speeding penalty on pit road doomed his chances, then he fails post-race inspection. Penalties for cars that fail inspection could cost a driver the title.
We’ll know exactly how many Tuesday or Wednesday when NASCAR announces its decision. Trapped a lap down, Truex began his steady ascent back through the field. But Johnson appeared to be in good shape before the penalty on pit road, drawing a “no way!” from the driver on his radio when he was told of the punishment. And Martin Truex Jr., whose team is aligned with Gibbs, is considered a contender. Toyotas are too fast.
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Tony Stewart was 16th, while Harvick faced multiple problems while finishing 20th. Four will be eliminated after each of 3 three-race rounds, leaving the final four drivers to settle the championship November 20 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Florida. Typically it’s real easy not to run into somebody’s left rear on the straightaway. “As far as I can tell he did it on objective and all I can do is assume that until he tells me otherwise”.
