Had he won the race, Truex would have entered Chicagoland Speedway next Sunday with 2,058 points and a 30-point margin over second-seeded Larson. Instead, he carries 2,053 points into the ‘Windy City’ and only leads Larson by 20 markers.
Could those five points make a difference down the road? Perhaps, but Truex is hoping that potential scenario is a moot point.
“I hope we don’t need them,” Truex said of the playoff points. “Obviously I think it’s a good thing that we have them, and I think we could have used them last year … obviously, with the way the playoffs worked for us. But I think for us, just focusing on running as strong as we possibly can and keeping the momentum going that we’ve had here lately is key.”
“Our cars have been just lightning fast and the team’s been doing a great job. We’ve got a few little things we’ve got to work on, but all in all, I feel like we’re definitely one of the strongest teams. … It’s going to be nice to have (the cushion), though, that’s for sure.”
In light of everything that happened Saturday night, from a lap 258 ambulance incident that caused an accident entering pit road to the late-race turnaround that cost Truex the win in the Federated Auto Parts 400, he just wished he could have accepted the regular-season championship a week ago at Darlington Raceway — when he mathematically clinched the crown.
“I wish we could have got the trophy last weekend,” Truex lamented. “Tonight sucks, plain and simple, just the way it ended up. When you’re out there dominating like we were and you know your car is not very good on restarts for a couple laps … just to have a caution for a guy that shouldn’t even be out there is kind of ridiculous. I don’t really know what to say about all that. It’s just unfortunate the way the race ended.”
“I’m madder about the caution than I am about Denny getting into us,” he added. “We talked. I know he didn’t do it on purpose. He jumped on the brakes and got on the splitter. I gave him room, but he was aggressive on the brakes. That stuff happens. I’m really upset about the caution, though. (Three) to go, it sucks. Two weeks in a row … to be leading right at the end and lose it, it hurts. That’s the way it goes, though. That’s racing.”
Was there a ray of sunshine, though, amid the Richmond night and the shadows cast over the finish?
“The good news is we’re fast and we’re doing everything right,” Truex admitted. “We’ve got to work on our pit (stop speed) a little bit. The last couple weeks has been a little slow. It’s just tough to lose ’em like that.”
About the Writer
Jacob Seelman is the Managing Editor of Race Chaser Online and creator of the Motorsports Madness radio show, airing at 7 p.m. Eastern every Monday on the Performance Motorsports Network.
Seelman grew up in the sport, watching his grandparents co-own the RaDiUs Motorsports NASCAR Cup Series team in the 1990s.
The 23-year-old is currently studying Broadcast Journalism at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C., and is also serving as the full-time tour announcer for the Must See Racing Sprint Car Series.
Email Jacob at: speed77radio@gmail.com
Follow on Twitter: @Speed77Radio or @JacobSeelman77
Email Race Chaser Online: news@racechaseronline.com
Follow RCO on Twitter: @RaceChaserNews
