RICHMOND, Va. — Stage master Martin Truex Jr. tallied his 53rd playoff point of the year in the second stage of Saturday night’s Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond Raceway, scoring his 18th stage win of the year.
Truex passed Kyle Busch on lap 154 and led the last 47 laps of the stage in the No. 78 Auto Owners Insurance Toyota.
Racing resumed following the first stage break at lap 110, when Kyle Busch blew past Ryan Newman for the lead, after Newman stayed out on older tires trying to recover from a speeding penalty in the opening stage.
That lead for Busch only lasted one lap, however, as Kyle Larson fired down to Busch’s inside in turns three and four and took the lead for the next 19 circuits.
Busch rallied back to Larson’s inside to retake the lead on lap 130 going through turns one and two, but all the while, Truex was lurking. He sat second to Busch on lap 150 and slid to Busch’s inside four laps later in turns three and four, assuming the lead and bringing Matt Kenseth with him.
Truex led Kenseth the remainder of the distance in the second stage, while a quiet and methodical surge by his Furniture Row Racing teammate Erik Jones saw Jones pass Joey Logano for third with 13 to go before the stage break and hold the position to the end.
Team Penske teammates Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski crossed fourth and fifth, respectively.
Kyle Larson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman and Kyle Busch completed the points-scoring drivers in the top 10 at the second stage break.
Danica Patrick made a strong case for herself with an 11th-place run in the second stage, while seven-time and defending series champion Jimmie Johnson was 13th.
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.
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