NASCAR: Winners And Losers From Texas
By Cole Mentzel
Loser: Leading 100+ Laps
Carl Edwards and Martin Truex Jr. dominated the first two-thirds of the Duck Commander 500. Edwards led a total of 124 laps while Truex Jr. led 141.
On Lap 224, Edwards had to come down pit road just one lap after the race had re-started. His incredible early performance was derailed by a loose wheel, dropping him from first to 19th and one lap down.
For Truex Jr., it wasn’t an issue that caused him to slide down, it was the decision to stay out on two different occasions instead of pitting late. Though he stayed near the front of the pack, older tires led to his downfall, as drivers like Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Joey Logano capitalized on his disadvantage.
While they were owning the top two positions on the track, the duo of Truex Jr. and Edwards were obviously the best cars on the track, and had it not been for an issue and a risky call, one of those two drivers would’ve made it to Victory Lane.
In the end, we were robbed of what would’ve been an awesome Truex Jr./Edwards battle to end the race, but battling back for 6th and 7th-place finishes respectively, provided each driver with a nice rebound.
Next: Nice Driving