DOVER, Del. — At the NASCAR Cup Series track closest to Philadelphia, Dover Motor Speedway held a weekend of brotherly love.
Martin Truex Jr. won the Cup race Monday, two days after his younger brother, Ryan, won the Xfinity Series race.
They were both significant wins. Martin Truex Jr. won for the 32nd time in his Cup career, but the first time in his last 55 races. Ryan Truex won his first national series race in 190 starts in what has been a roller-coaster career.
“It’s super awesome, honestly,” Martin Truex Jr. said. “It’s very special. I’m happy my dad was here for that — it’s just really cool.”
Takeaways from the race at Dover, ran a day later than scheduled after a rainy Sunday and where Truex was followed across the finish line by Ross Chastain, Ryan Blaney, William Byron and Denny Hamlin:
Truex Snaps Skid
Truex barely missed the playoffs in 2022 and arguably had the best regular season ever of a winless driver to not make the postseason. There were many races where he was close to winning only to see them slip through his hands.
So to prevail in a race that came down to a pit stop (Truex was among three drivers who took two tires) and then a seven-lap green-flag dash to the finish gave Truex even more of a feeling of accomplishment.
“You never know when your last win is going to be or what’s going to happen,” Truex said. “Certainly in those 54 races, there’s certainly a bunch of them that we probably should have won or had the best car.
“I think as tough as that is to swallow, when those heartbreaking races happen, it keeps you motivated.”
Truex is on a year-to-year deal at Joe Gibbs Racing. He decided in June last year to return for 2023. So did the win make it worth it?
Truex breaks winless skid
Martin Truex Jr. spoke about his first-place finish in the Würth 400 at Dover. “We have to keep doing what we’re doing and not overthink it.”
“It’s been worth it the whole time,” Truex said. “I feel good about our team, where we’re at and what’s going on. I’m still having fun.
“Winning doesn’t hurt, that’s for sure. It feels great. It’s always good to win. This is the best feeling you can have in racing.”
Team owner Joe Gibbs said he hopes the win convinces Truex to remain in 2024.
“We are constantly talking to Martin about next year,” Gibbs said. “We want him to stay with us as long as we can convince him to do that.
“I think the best way of doing that is winning races or have a chance to win a championship. I think that’s the best sales job we can do.”
Chastain Mistakes Frustrate Victims
Ross Chastain turned Brennan Poole on Lap 80 and Poole then collected Kyle Larson, who had one of the best cars in the field.
Chastain said afterward that he would try to make it right with Rick Ware Racing, which fielded the car for Poole.
“I first have to say I’m sorry to Brennan at everybody at Rick Ware’s team,” Chastain said. “I owe a big apology and a bit more.”
Larson, who finished 41 laps down after repairs, was obviously frustrated with Chastain and held up Chastain as Chastain tried to race down Truex for the lead in the waning laps.
“You can take it for whatever you think it might be,” Larson said about his blocks. “But just a long, frustrating day for me and another day I get caught up in something that’s not my fault.”
‘Hopefully our luck turns around quick’
Kyle Larson expressed his frustration after wrecking in Stage 1 at Dover.
Larson felt he had a race-winning car.
“It seemed like Ross just got in a hurry there,” Larson said. “I don’t know if he was frustrated with [Poole] or just got in a hurry and made a mistake.”
Poole probably didn’t have a race-winning car but was flabbergasted at what happened.
“Just a joke — 80-something laps into a race?” Poole said. “No reason. I was side-by-side with the [Austin Dillon], just got to the outside and it’s not like I can go anywhere or give him any more room than what I had.
“He just ran me over. So, it’s kind of pathetic.”
Just A Little Short
Two of the fastest drivers had to settle for top-5 finishes. William Byron led 193 laps and was fourth as his car didn’t seem to handle long runs well.
“Just the first 35 laps were great for us, but after that we’d just get loose,” Byron said.
Würth 400 highlights
Martin Truex Jr. earned his fourth career win at Dover, while Ross Chastain came in second and Ryan Blaney finished third.
And Hamlin felt he had a fast car but was stymied by slow pit stops. JGR has returned to the “old style” of pit stops after trying a different choreography over the last year — one that was arguably faster when executed perfectly but seemingly more prone to mistakes. The organization returned to the traditional choreography earlier this year.
“We’re a year or so behind … going back to the old style,” Hamlin said. “But that’s not what’s causing our 20-second pit stop at Richmond when you’re leading, a 20-second at the end here.
“All those just add up and you can’t win races that way.”
Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including the past 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass, and sign up for the FOX Sports NASCAR Newsletter with Bob Pockrass.
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