Martin Truex Jr. back on top, literally; Chase Elliott takes a step; NASCAR finishes Le Mans
After a race in which he did everything right, Martin Truex wasn’t about to get the postrace interview wrong.
“Got ‘em all in this time, last time I screwed up,” Truex said with a smile after successfully rattling off all of his sponsors.
Last season, Truex and his team had 99 problems, but a list (of sponsors) wasn’t one. Since, Truex has gone from contemplating the end to contending for wins and maybe, even more. Sunday was his second victory of 2023 after going winless a season ago, and it moved him ahead of William Byron for the points lead heading into the year's final off week.
“This is why you go through years like we had last year and you just keep fighting, you never give up on it,” Truex said. “We haven’t changed anything on our team other than parts and pieces and it’s just through a lot of hard work from a lot of people.”
SPEED FREAKS: Martin Truex didn't retire; no stage cautions; ARCA gets its shot!
NASCAR POLL: NBC vs. FOX broadcast booth, which network do you prefer? Vote!
It’s hard to imagine Truex is thinking much about the rocking chair now, not while in the catbird seat, and with every victory, he marches further up the mountain of NASCAR greats.
Sunday’s win gives him 33 for his career, breaking a tie with Joey Logano and Dale Jarrett and moving him into 26th all-time, a perch he shares with Fireball Roberts. Seven more would get him to a tie for 20th with Mark Martin and while that’s unlikely to happen this year, should he return for 2024, who’s to say?
Looking even further ahead, a second title this year would make him just the 18th driver to win more than one. And with his 43rd birthday looming this month, he’d be the fourth oldest to win one behind Bobby Allison (1983) and Lee Petty (1959), both of whom were 45, and Dale Earnhardt, who was 43 and a couple of more months in 1994.
But history can wait and likely, so too will retirement. Right now, the smile, the swagger and the speed are back in the 19 camp.
“(The team is) doing everything right, right now and it’s a lot of fun to drive these cars,” Truex beamed.
Let’s go through the gears.
First gear: In what place did the NASCAR Garage 56 entry finish in the 24 Hours of Le Mans?
Technically, 39th out of 62, but it was never really about that anyway.
In making 285 circuits around the 8.476-mile circuit in France, the team seemed to do exactly what it intended to do: Get NASCAR in front of an international audience.
“We’re thrilled," NASCAR CEO Jim France said via release. “I’m so proud of everybody. We came over here to make a good impression on the fans over here and I’m so proud we were able to run all the way. This is a big challenge and it’s gratifying to run the distance here."
Second gear: Chase Elliott takes a step forward
So, it wasn’t the win Chase Elliott needed to punch a ticket into the playoff field.
But maybe a fifth-place finish was a step in that direction.
At the very least, his run Sunday was quiet. Shoot, downright workmanlike. And for a driver that’s usually quite reserved, coming off of a highly publicized one-race suspension, his run was likely the next best thing to Victory Lane.
"Nice to get a top five no doubt,” Elliott said. “Looking forward to trying to build on that and hopefully contend for a win here before long. Definitely closer today.”
Third gear: Truex Jr. spearheaded massive road course turnaround for Toyota
What a difference a year can make, eh?
Last year, no Toyota driver finished higher than 18th at Sonoma. This year, four of them — including Truex, obviously — finished 18th or better with a fifth, Denny Hamlin, winning Stage 1 before crashing out to finish last.
“We got to do some work with NASCAR to redesign some stuff, everybody did, and (Toyota) did a good job there,” Truex said. “To be so bad here last year and to come back and do that with the same car, basically, is really unbelievable.”
Fourth gear: Frankie Muniz is in what place in the points standings?!
There are no races in the Cup, Xfinity or Craftsman Truck Series this week but the ARCA Menards Series soldiers on with an event at Berlin Raceway in Michigan. Green flag is scheduled for 8:20 p.m. on Saturday.
A quick check in on the points standings shows Jesse Love in first and then ... could it be? Yep, that's Frankie Muniz right behind him in second, just 13 points back.
The former sitcom star has been solid in his first season of full-time competition, picking up four top-10 finishes in five races. He’s also the only driver to complete all 519 laps.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Martin Truex Jr. is having fun and how did NASCAR finish in Le Mans?
