Photo Credit: Jamie Squire/Getty Images for NASCAR
The GoBowling 400 at Kansas Speedway goes from domination to devastation for Martin Truex Jr., driver of the No 78 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Boats Toyota Camry.
The New Jersey native started the weekend out amazingly capturing the pole position for the race and found himself in command of the race at the start, leading an impressive 172 laps before issues on pit road would ultimately cost him the win.
With 56 laps to go, the field would begin making green flag pit stops with Truex being one of the first to hit pit road. After his pit stop, he felt a vibration in the car as a result of a loose wheel and had to return to pit road for an unscheduled pit stop with 52 laps to go. With 37 laps to go, Tony Stewart came to pit road which then completed the pit cycle and gave Kyle Busch the lead.
Then the caution came out with 35 laps to go as Ricky Stenhouse got into the wall in turn three. Truex believed he was in position to get the lucky dog, but was wrong as Stewart had just made his way off pit road and was the first car one lap down. The frustration began to surface as Truex said on his radio “So they threw the caution for Tony? “That’s a little…”
At 26 laps to go, another caution would come out when Denny Hamlin squeezed between Kyle Larson and Brad Keselowski, with the air sucking both Kenselowski and Hamlin around. Keselowski spins as Hamlin backs into the wall and collects Joey Logano, with Larson making contact with the wall. Truex now was the lucky dog and would get back on the lead lap, and make his way up from 19th to finish in 14th position when the race ended.
“I couldn’t believe it,” he said. “Went around (Turns) one and two and I was like, ‘Wheels loose.’ I kept telling myself that maybe it’s not me, maybe it’s just shaking because it has tape on it or something stupid. It was loose and I knew it right away. Frustrating, but that’s how it goes.”
There have been many times he has been domiate with issues coming into play that lead to heartbreak including this year’s Daytona 500 which he was leading but crossed the finish line in second.
“We’re going to win races for sure-if we keep bringing cars like that, we’re going to win some,” he said. “It’s frustrating when you’ve had it happen so many times in your career.
“I swear, you watch guys win races that don’t have the fastest car or on fuel mileage and all this stuff and it’s like, ‘damn.’ Someday I’m going to get on one of those or on the other side of one of them. Usually you can dominate and win, but it’s tough and it happens. It’s part of racing.”
Up next is the AAA 400 Drive for Autism at Dover International Speedway, which is the Mayetta, New Jersey native home track. With 20 starts at the Monster Mile, he has had nine top-10’s and one top-five winning there in 2007. The race will be run on Sunday May 15th.
