Truex Triumphs

Martin Truex Jr. snaps an 81 short-track winless streak as he conquers Richmond Raceway

Richmond, Va. – April 13, 2019 – Anthony Holbrook – Bluegrass Sports Nation NASCAR Columnist

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 9^th race of the season rumbled into Richmond Raceway for TOYOTA OWNERS 400, Saturday, April 13th.

Originally when constructed as a half-mile track in 1953, Richmond Raceway hosted its first NASCAR race. 1988 introduced new track configuring, transforming into ¼ mile tri-oval with 14-degree banking.  Richmond Raceway has been known for running its events at night ever since lights were installed in the ‘90’s.

Driver of the Stuart-Haas No. 4 Ford Mustang – Kevin Harvick after suffering treacherous inspection penalties, previously at Thunder Valley;  Elevated the No.4 Team qualifying expectations by capturing the Pole for Saturday Nights TOYOTA OWNERS 400 Race.

Kevin Harvick brought out the green flag and set the pace for the field.  Joey Logano-Driver of the No.22 Penske Ford Mustang and Gibbs Racing Driver of the #18 Toyota Camry – Kyle Busch effectively chiseled the Pole Sitter lead and competed for the point.  Kyle Bush cruzed to a Stage 1 with effective track passing assisted by lap traffic utilization.

       STAGE 1 Results

1. Kyle Busch
2. Joey Logano
3. Martin Truex Jr.
4. Kevin Harvick
5. Clint Bowyer
6. Brad Keselowski
7. Kurt Busch
8. Chris Buescher
9. Paul Menard
10. Daniel Suarez

After dominating Stage 1 and continuing to maintain the lead early in Stage 2, Busch appeared to be poised for his fourth win.  On Lap 128, Drivers were forced to pit for a caution, Kyle Busch’s-No.18 was penalized for speeding on pit road and directed to the rear of the field, circulating the point to No. 19 Martin Truex Jr. and 2^nd to No. 22 Joey Logano for restart positioning. Rolling the outside lines, No. 22 Joey Logano gained momentum, capturing the lead over No. 19 Martin Truex Jr. and Win Stage 2.

        STAGE 2 Results

1. Joey Logano
2. Martin Truex Jr.
3. Kevin Harvick
4. Brad Keseloswki
5. Clint Bowyer
6. Daniel Suarez
7. Kurt Busch
8. Erik Jones
9. Chris Buescher
10. Paul Menard

Driver of the Stewart Hass No. 14 Ford Mustang-Clint Bowyer followed in 2^nd position for most of the last fifty laps in Stage 2.  With 15 circuits to go, in Stage 2, Bowyer drifted up the tack and scraped the fence, damaging his car and eventually passed by No. 22-Joey Logano.  Up next, Logano set his sights for Stage 2 leader Truex Jr.  While Martin Truex Jr. defended his late point position , a charging Joey Logano attempt to advance though cornering speed, was not enough real-estate owned by  Truex Jr., reflecting the race outcome.   As result, Martin Truex Jr. broke an 81  short-track winless streak to capture the TOYOTA OWNERS 500. This is Truex Jr. 1st victory of the 2019 Monster Energy Cup Series schedule.  Joe Gibbs Racing stables collected their 3^rd win in a row, 6 total victory in only 9 races in the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup season.

       TOYOTA OWNERS 400 Final Results

1. Martn Truex Jr.
2. Joey Logano (S1)
3. Clint Bowyer
4. Kevin Harvick (P)
5. Denny Hamlin
6. Austin Dillon
7. Brad Keselowski
8. Kyle Busch (1)
9. Ryan Newman
10. Paul Nemard
11. Kurt Busch
12. Jimmie Johnson
13. William Byron
14. Erik Jones
15. Chase Elliott
16. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
17. Alex Bowman
18. Daniel Suarez
19. Daniel Hemric
20. Ryan Preece
21. Ty Dillion
22. Chris Buescher
23. Aric Almirola
24. Matt Dibenedetto
25. Ryan Blaney
26. Corey LaJoie
27. Bubba Walace
28. David Ragan
29. Matt Tift
30. Ross Chastain
31. Jeb Burton
32. Bayley Currey
33. Joey Gase
34. Quin Houff
35. Landon Cassill
36. Michael McDowell
37. Kyle Larson

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Race No. 10 roars to Talladega Superspeedway, Sunday April 28^th for the GEICO 500 / 2:00 pm  FOX