NASCAR: Martin Truex Jr.’s penalty could end up helping him
By Asher Fair
Martin Truex Jr.’s 20-point penalty ahead of the NASCAR Cup Series round of 8 playoff race at Texas Motor Speedway could end up helping him.
Prior to the round of 8 NASCAR Cup Series playoff race at Texas Motor Speedway, Martin Truex Jr. and the #19 Joe Gibbs Racing team were hit with a huge penalty due to a spoiler issue on their Toyota Camry.
Per section 20.4.12.b in the NASCAR Rule Book, the spoilers on the cars must remain in the condition as they were supplied by the manufacturer, and that was not the case on the #19 Toyota.
Truex, who was already set to enter the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 a total of 31 points below the Championship 4 cut line following the round of 8 opener at Kansas Speedway, was docked 21 points and dropped to a whopping 51 points below the cut line.
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While making up 51 points on competitors over a span of two races isn’t impossible, this penalty practically put Truex in a must-win situation.
That’s why the fact that crew chief James Small was ejected from the track as a result of this violation could be a blessing in disguise.
This race ended up not being completed until Wednesday evening after three straight days of rain postponements, and NASCAR is still planning to run the round of 8 finale this Sunday, November 1 at Martinsville Speedway.
While everybody else has been stuck at Texas Motor Speedway for three extra days, Small has had the opportunity to look ahead to Martinsville Speedway, a track where Truex has been dominant as of late and where a must-win situation could play to his advantage.
He is the two-time reigning winner at Martinsville Speedway, having won the round of 8 race there last year and the June race there this year leading 596 of the 1,000 laps in those two races.
But his success doesn’t stop there. He has finished in the top four in five of the last six races there without finishing lower than eighth place His average finish during this six-race span is 3.17.
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NBC is set to broadcast the Xfinity 500 live from Martinsville Speedway beginning at 2:00 p.m. ET this Sunday, November 1. Who will advance to the Championship 4 at Phoenix Raceway after this race?