Another Bristol race, another Martin Truex Jr mishap. With 165 laps to go, the #19 team received a speeding penalty on pit road, on what could very well be its final stop of the 2024 Bass Pro Shops Night Race. Finishing 4th and 2nd in the first two stages, Truex appeared certain to overturn the 14-point handicap he started his race with. But with less than 150 to go, that deficit increased by six more points on the wrong side of the cutline.

The speeding penalty pushed Truex to the back of the pack. When NASCAR called it, the 44-year-old former Cup champ was jostling for the top spot running in second position. In journalist Bob Pockrass’s words, on his Twitter update, this signals a “Huge playoff impact,” all thanks to MTJ and the #19 crew.

The pressure seems to have caught up with the near-two-decade Cup Series veteran. Frustrated but not vain, he let out his dismay over the team radio, quote: “Son of a b-tch. Sorry, guys” after he found out about the speeding penalty.

His discontent was understandable after running an almost flawless race. Everything combined led Truex’s crew chief to give him some simple advice. “No option but to drive the piss out of it and be f–king aggressive,” said James Small, crew chief of the #19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry XSE.

As per another Bob Pockrass update, “Bowman has clinched a spot in the next round. Logano, Bell and Bowman have clinched. nine spots available rest of race.” Regardless, the discussions of the collective NASCAR community on a separate Pockrass Twitter post couldn’t reveal the story any better for Martin Truex Jr’s unlucky advances.

Speeding penalty shatters Martin Truex Jr’s Bristol dreams and Playoff hopes

If the New Jersey native does not win at Bristol, he will go 0-for-35 in what could very well be his last-ever race at the “World’s Fastest Half-Mile.” Hence, one MTJ fan replied to the Twitter post, writing, “This season couldn’t get worse for Truex fans like myself. 0 luck. 0 clutch. Oh and it’s the last ride man.” Others rhetorically opined, “Anything more inevitable than LaJoie ruining a good run and Truex ruining a good run?”

A notable few believed the #19 team was facing “Karma for passing the 12 under caution earlier” while some more diehards argued that “Josh Berry and Daniel Suarez need to be penalized,” as well. In between these discussions, one comment stood out above everyone else’s. As Twitter user @Talnite31 rightfully replied, “The downfall of this team needs to be studied.”

As it happened, Kyle Larson won the race. Denny Hamlin made it out of the bubble, finishing fourth in the race. Martin Truex Jr got knocked out of the running for the championship in his last season. Along with him, Ty Gibbs, Brad Keselowski, and Harrison Burton were also eliminated from the Round of 12.

The next round of the Playoffs will resume at Kansas Speedway on September 29th.