Martin Truex Jr. Remains Snakebitten After Tire Failure While Running Second
6 months agoMartin Truex Jr. has long been NASCAR's unluckiest superstar, particularly in the years since James Small took over as crew chief. While Truex still ranks third in speed this year with a speed percentile of 82.69, he has no wins to show for it, and Gateway might have been his biggest miss of the season. Although Truex wasn't as fast as his teammate, Christopher Bell, he quickly sliced through the field from 19th to second after taking two tires on the Stage 1 caution and led one lap before cutting a tire soon afterward, which ultimately trapped Truex three laps down. He very easily could have been in position to inherit the lead when Bell's engine went sour without the tire failure, but it's still promising he had the speed to drive through the field when it was so difficult to pass.
Source: Racing Reference
Source: Racing Reference