Martin Truex Jr. expressed his frustration dramatically after his defeat in Richmond.
During the Toyota Owner’s 400 in Martinsville, Martin Truex Jr. experienced a tough moment in his career. The former Cup champion was defeated by his teammate Denny Hamlin in overtime, leaving him extremely irritated. Truex Jr. had been leading for over 200 laps and was on the verge of securing his first win of 2024 when NASCAR called for caution on lap 399.
After the race, Martin Truex Jr. did not hold back his thoughts. He was quick to criticize the caution call and accused Denny Hamlin of jumping the start. The driver of the No. 19 Toyota even accused Hamlin of using overly aggressive moves against him. However, a former NASCAR driver spoke out to challenge Truex Jr.’s claims, reminding him that he had done the same during the race.
Regardless of how worked up Martin Truex Jr. was, the son of a NASCAR legend was not impressed with his approach to the situation. He believes that the incident was not as serious as Truex Jr. described it in his post-race interview, and that Hamlin’s moves were something many Cup grid drivers have been doing for a long time.
One of the main controversies of last week was Denny Hamlin’s alleged jump start. Television replays clearly showed Hamlin moving early in the designated zone. The three-time Daytona 500 winner defended himself, stating that he moved within the zone as he should have. NASCAR also reviewed the situation and cleared him of any wrongdoing, stating that it was a close call but not illegal.
Addressing all the drama, Kyle Petty told Martin Truex Jr. that he should have been more cautious during the restart, especially considering he had been beaten in the pit stop. The former driver believes that the driver of the #19 Camry should have prepared better to make the first move when approaching the green-white-checkered.
The controversies surrounding the early start will likely continue to be discussed by NASCAR fans, as it involved Hamlin, a very hated driver, going against Truex Jr., a very loved driver. However, at the end of the day, the drivers moved on and shifted their focus to the upcoming events.
