HOMESTEAD, FL - NOVEMBER 19: Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #78 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Toyota, celebrates with a burnout after winning the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 19, 2017 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Martin Truex Jr. thought he was going to choke to death after winning the championship


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When Martin Truex Jr. won his first championship on Sunday, he took his winning 78 car for a celebratory burnout.

Those burnouts usually result in a ridiculous amount of smoke that's usually white, but when Truex did his burnout, there was a strange greenish-yellow smoke that appeared from the car.

Related: Martin Truex Jr. had a lucky charm in his pocket during his championship race

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Truex was obviously in a great mood after his win, but he did get serious for a moment when discussing the smoke coming from his car. He was asked if he had spoken to team owner Barney Visser -- who couldn't attend the championship race since he had bypass surgery two weeks ago followed a heart attack -- and he told reporters he wasn't too keen on the added smoke.

"I talked to (Visser) as soon as I got done filling my lungs with purple or yellow -- whatever color paint that was -- on the front straightaway smoke," Truex said via For The Win. "Oh my god, I literally thought I was going to die getting out of the car. I couldn't get my radio unhooked and my helmet hose, and I'm like choking to death. So right after that. It was awful. I thought I was in a forest fire."

The smoke was pretty much the only thing that didn't go Truex's way on Sunday. He won his first career championship by holding off a late surge from Kyle Busch, and he capped off a dominant, eight-win season with the victory at Homestead.

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