RICHMOND, Va. -- Martin Truex Jr. entered Sunday evening's race at Richmond with a 108-point cushion between him and the playoff cutline. This is no longer the case after he failed to finish the race.
Truex headed to pit road on Lap 249. He told his team over the radio that his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota was "blowing up." The team popped the hood as smoke billowed from the engine. The team made the decision to push Truex's car back to the garage, which officially ended his race.
I don't know," Truex said after exiting the race. "It started missing all of a sudden and losing power, so I came down pit road to check it out and it was on fire."
Engine issues for @MartinTruex_Jr!
The No. 19 has headed behind the wall. pic.twitter.com/MtEPxtS5i6
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) August 12, 2024
Sunday's race had run without any natural cautions before the final stage, so Truex left Richmond with a last-place finish. This was his worst finish of the season and the fourth time in the last five races in which he finished 24th or worse. The lone exception was an eighth-place finish at Pocono Raceway.
The engine issue was not the only problem for Truex, who scored eight stage points before the DNF. He also had a long pit stop during a green flag sequence in stage 2.
The team dropped the jack after changing tires, and Truex hit the gas. However, the car just began fishtailing in his pit stall. It did not move forward. The team had to jack the car back up and remount the left-rear tire.
While Truex dealt with multiple issues at Richmond Raceway, he will not fall out of contention for a playoff spot. He had a 66-point advantage over Ty Gibbs, a 91-point advantage over Chris Buescher, and a 101-point advantage over Ross Chastain.
It's impossible to lose this advantage in only one race, especially with Buescher only scoring three stage points. Gibbs and Chastain missed out on points in the first two stages.
The next opportunity for Truex to win his first race of the season is Aug. 18 at Michigan International Speedway. This is a track where he has 33 starts with 11 top-five finishes and 16 top-10s.