By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher
DOVER — Mayetta, New Jersey is just a two-plus hour drive from Dover Motor Speedway in Dover, Delaware. But this Dover weekend was very special for the Truex family.
Former NASCAR Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr. won on Monday in the Wurth 400 following the postponement of Sunday’s race. This was the fourth time that he claimed the Monster Mile.
“It’s just special,” Truex said. “It was such a big day for our family to see Ryan do that on Saturday.”
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Three of the 42-year-old’s four wins at his home track have come on a Monday. The win also snapped a 54-race regular season winless streak. Truex Jr. now has 32 career NASCAR Cup Series wins.
Truex Jr.’s crew chief James Small took a gamble late in the race. Following a Joey Logano crash, Small decided to get fuel and two tires on a pit stop.
“Man, it feels incredible,” Truex Jr. said. “It felt like we’ve been close a bunch of times, and we gave some away, that’s for sure. Thought today, man, late caution, what’s going to happen here? But just a great call by James (crew chief James Small) to take two and then was able to get a pretty good restart and get (Ryan) Blaney there. He raced me hard but clean. I’m out of breath, I’m breathing so much Goodyear rubber. Thanks to everybody that stuck with us, all our fans, Bass Pro Shops, Auto Owners, Reser’s, Toyota, TRD, (and) all my personal sponsors. We know we could do this. We’ve showed it. We’ve led laps.
“We’ve dominated races, and it just would never all come together. I kept saying that we’ve got to just keep doing what we’re doing and not overthink it. Tough day today with a few pit stops early and then obviously the guys got it going at the end, so really psyched and happy for everybody. Just thanks to everybody at JGR, as well. Awesome job.”
Ross Chastain and his team decided to go ahead with four tires and fuel. These seconds gave Truex Jr. the opportunity to come out of pit row first.
He chose the outside lane on the restart. Truex Jr. was then able to get past Chastain and the pack to get the win.
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Chastain finished second. Ryan Blaney finished third.
“Whoever got in the lead was going to have a shot at it,” Chastain said. “First, I want to say so sorry to Brennan Poole and everybody at Rick Ware Racing. I owe them a big apology and a bit more. I’ll head over there tomorrow and talk to those guys, and make some of that right. We were just so close again for our No. 1 Jockey Chevy team and everybody at Trackhouse Racing, Advent Health, Moose Fraternity, (and) Worldwide Express.
“It’s surreal to continue to do this and get to race against my heroes. I guess I told him (Truex Jr.) too many of my secrets last year after we went fishing.”
Chastain caused Poole to crash earlier in the race. The Watermelon man led Poole to spin out and go up the track backwards, before eventually crashing into Kyle Larson.
On Saturday, Truex Jr.’s brother Ryan won the Xfinity Series race in the A Game 200. Following the win, he proclaimed that he belonged here and is hoping for a full-time ride in 2024.
It was the younger Truex’s first win in 188 NASCAR events.
According to Dover Motor Speedway, the Truex brothers are just the second set of brothers to sweep a weekend in the First State. In 1994, Rusty Wallace and his brother Kenny Wallace swept the Dover weekend races.
The Truex brothers are also the fifth set of brothers to win a weekend in NASCAR history.
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