‘Hurt’ Martin Truex Jr Details the Strategic Fumble That Handed Denny Hamlin the Bristol Crown

Martin Truex Jr took his #19 JGR Toyota Camry XSE to a P2 podium finish at the Food City 500 in Bristol on Sunday. The iconic “Last Great Colosseum” was witness to another Joe Gibbs Racing masterclass, as his teammate Denny Hamlin beat MTJ in a race that saw Hamlin claim his second consecutive victory while MTJ turned his back-to-back P7 finishes into a commendable 1-2 sweep for Joe Gibbs’ 210th victory as a car owner in the NASCAR Cup Series.

Starting from green in the 11th spot, Martin Truex Jr was dedicated to showing the might of the veterans as he consistently ran in the top 10 with his race-winner teammate. However, their fortunes could have been different, if not for the close-combat racing that was on display, and almost a 1-second difference.

Martin Truex Jr Only A Second Late at Bristol

With just 17 laps to go, the #19 car seemed to make an advance on its #11 teammate as it seemed that MTJ could upset Hamlin, but that did not happen as Denny took home his 52nd checkered flag instead.

Speaking on pit lane after the race, MTJ told Speedway reporters about his strategic tire management in a race that saw plenty of fans calling it the “Bristol Tiregate” for its rubber-related infractions. 

“Well, apparently that’s what I need to have happened here at Bristol to be able to have a shot at winning. Really proud of my team, everybody on Auto Owners Camry, everybody, Bass Pro, TRD. all of our partners.” The Bristol race saw 5 out of the top 10 cars sport the iconic Japanese badge, with LMC’s John Hunter Nemechek joining the TRD contingent at P6.

Martin Truex Jr continued, “James (Small) and the guys did a great job this weekend… Yeah, I guess this tire management thing fit into my wheelhouse here at Bristol but man, the difference was just coming out of the pits so far behind Denny,” acknowledging his JGR teammate for a well-earned victory.

Nevertheless, the true NASCAR veteran that he is, MTJ also detailed his strategic miscalculations as he went on to explain: “You know, I used up mine (tires) more than him on the last run, and then for the last four or five laps of the race, my right rear was corded.”  He concluded, “We gave it a hell of an effort. Congrats to them, but man what a job by everybody at TRD, JGR and you know Toyotas… Wish we could have come up one spot short. A second always hurts a little but a really good run for us here. It’s been a great season so far.” 

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Brad Keselowski finished in third after Martin Truex Jr, marking back-to-back top 5s for the owner/driver of RFK Racing and following up on Hendrick Motorsports consistent outings in 2024, #48. Alex Bowman and #5 Kyle Larson rounded off the 4 and 5 spots, respectively. The race zoomed past the checkered, with only these five cars on the lead lap. MTJ and Denny Hamlin were strong throughout the 500 laps, and teammates Ty Gibbs led the most laps and finished 9th, while last week’s Phoenix victor Christopher Bell rounded off another top-10 sweep for Coach Gibbs’ organization.

With a podium sweep by all drivers 40 and older, this marks a landmark moment for Cup Series’ elder statesmen, as Denny Hamlin iterates, “That’s what I grew up here doing in the short tracks in the Mid-Atlantic, South Boston, Martinsville. Once it became a tire management race, I really liked our chances. Obviously the veteran in Martin, he knew how to do it as well. We just had a great car, a great team. The pit crew just did a phenomenal job all day. Can’t say enough about them.”

Joe Gibbs Racing has tied Hendrick Motorsports for two victories already this season with Hamlin’s triumph after Bell’s Phoenix victory, and MTJ now shares the lead with Hendrick talisman Kyle Larson at the top of the drivers’ table. The early season has turned out to be a JGR-HMS tug-of-war. Will it stay that way? We find out at Austin next week.

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