“It’s Killed, Dude”: Joe Gibbs Remains Shrouded in Playoff Misery as Martin Truex Jr Succumbs to Tricky Kansas

It was in a flash that Joe Gibbs Racing veteran, Martin Truex Jr’s Kansas run ended. With the playoff action reaching the 1.5-mile intermediate track in Kansas, all eyes were on the consistent JGR Toyotas that were on the prowl but fate played a different ball game when the 42-year-old veteran ended his end in the opening laps of the race.

Much like his former rival and teammate, Kyle Busch who ended Saturday’s practice on a bitter note, Truex Jr. also tasted bitterness early on Sunday’s race.

Martin Truex Jr. shares his frustration as his Kansas run comes to an early stop despite the favorable odds

The sun did not shine bright on JGR’s veteran, Truex Jr. as he had to go out in the worst way possible. The regular season champion who, alongside teammates Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell, was a favorite for the Kansas race until things took a turn for the worse in the opening lap(4th lap) down quickly when the #19 Toyota developed issues.

The #19 Toyota looked seemingly off as NASCAR commentator and MTJ’s good friend in the booth Dale Earnhardt Jr. took notice of it. Dale Jr. called it out during the broadcast as the car lost momentum with a punctured tire dragging it behind. Disappointed at the unfortunate ending, he said, “Man I hate it for my guys and we had an awesome race car.”

The driver relayed the concern on his team radio that something was off with the car. Struggling to find traction, the #19 hit the outer wall on turn 3, taking major damages to the suspension, and was deemed out of contention. While the culprit is seemingly a puncture on the right rear tire of the JGR Toyota, the veteran’s dance with bad luck continues, ending his day on just the 4th lap of the race.

Not only did the wreck bring out the first caution of the day, but the 2017 Cup Series champion who looked like he was on a roll this season will have things narrowed down to next week’s race in Bristol in order to make the round of 12. His frustration with the unfortunate exit was evident as he relayed it to his crew chief, James Small.

WATCH THIS STORY: Martin Truex Jr fails to imitate Chase Elliott’s strategy and loses his chance to join HMS elite 

Truex Jr.’s dance with bad luck continues with one remaining race

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While “The Lady in Black” tested every driver on the field with the track’s treachery, the 1.5-mile tri-oval also had a few tricks up its sleeve. During testing several drivers developed issues, including HMS’ pride, William Byron who had a faulty suspension component on his #24 car.

Whereas both Kyle Busch and Ty Gibbs like Truex Jr got their tires cut. Even though the driver was among the favorites to ace the track, considering his track record at the venue with 2 wins, fate had other plans when it ended his day in a flash. Senior NASCAR journalist updated the community on what went wrong in the #19 car.

Pointing out Goodyear’s report, he tweeted that it was a right rear puncture that got the veteran into the wall, ending his day miserably. Now with a veteran out of the race, Joe Gibbs has to rely on the rest of 3 drivers to work their magic in Kansas.

Even if the car was brought to the team garage, the kiss with the outer wall did some major damage to the #19 car. A control arm in the car was sheared and even if the crew brought it to the garage, it would still be an impossibility to rework the car said Bob Pockrass in a tweet.

Prominent NASCAR enthusiast and journalist also relayed the veteran’s radio message to his team fearing the impossible, saying, “It’s killed, dude.” 

READ MORE: NASCAR Insider Fuels Denny Hamlin’s Playoff Misery as Scary Kansas Stats Come to Light

And just like that one of the 6 Toyotas has lost its way in Kansas with a veteran taken out, will his fellow teammate wash away the misery and bring the team a win?