Martin Truex Jr. entered Sunday night's Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway with a 58-point cushion to the cutline. His playoff chances were in doubt after a stunning early crash, but he has since clinched a spot in the 16-driver field.
UPDATE: Chris Buescher did not score enough points during the first two stages at Darlington to pass Truex in points. The RFK Racing driver finished the second stage outside of the top 10, which ensured Truex would chase a championship in his final season.
🔒 into the #NASCARPlayoffs !!!@MartinTruex_Jr will chase a Cup Series championship one last time 🏆 pic.twitter.com/wB8cLWZbmz
— Joe Gibbs Racing (@JoeGibbsRacing) September 2, 2024
Original story: The 2017 Cup Series champion lined up fifth for the crown jewel race. He continued to race inside the top 10 in the first two laps. However, he made a rare mistake at a track where he had previously celebrated wins. Truex made slight contact with William Byron and then he started to lose control of the No. 19 Toyota.
Truex went to correct his car, but he went too far and spun back toward the outside wall. He slammed into the No. 12 of Ryan Blaney and then the outside wall. This destroyed both cars.
Another look at the incident in the opening laps. pic.twitter.com/1AJgR8938j
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) September 1, 2024
"It was all my fault, all my doing," Truex told NBC Sports after exiting the infield care center. "I got a run on the 24 and went to the inside and thought everything was going fine and the car just took off and I ran into him.
"Obviously, that was on me. I hate it for my guys, Bass Pro Shops, Toyota, everybody. We had a phenomenal race car, and I know this is like the longest race of the year -- just a dumb mistake on my part."
The DNF immediately changed Truex's night. Instead of having his cushion to the cutline, the NBC Sports ticker showed Truex falling below the cutline. He hovered between being in a tie with Buescher and being three points behind the RFK Racing driver.
Of course, the points at the time were based on Bubba Wallace leading the race from below the cutline. Having Wallace penciled in as the potential winner moved the cutline up and erased Truex's points cushion.
Having a past winner at the front of the pack gave Truex back some of his cushion, but the wreck still created doubt about his playoff chances.
This race at Darlington was Truex's final opportunity to make the playoffs in his last full-time Cup Series season. He has already announced that he will retire from Cup Series competition after the season finale at Phoenix Raceway.
Truex will remain an ambassador for Joe Gibbs Racing while making part-time starts in Xfinity and potentially Cup. He will just no longer be eligible to compete for a Cup Series championship.