Getty Martin Truex Jr. reacts after finishing 11th at Richmond Raceway.
Following the Cup Series race at Richmond, a radio disagreement between Martin Truex Jr. and crew chief James Small became public. Kyle Petty has since weighed in and predicted that Joe Gibbs Racing will have a different driver-crew chief partnership.
The driver-turned-analyst made the comments on April 4 and said that there “are a lot of layers to this onion.” He said that every friendship has a line that works for both people involved. If it moves past that line, it’s time to consider making a change.
“That’s going to be the interesting thing to see — who walks away?” Petty said. “Who makes a change? Does Gibbs and those guys step in to make Martin happy, to make James Small happy? I think we are getting to a point where this is not a viable option.
Tough finish for Team Truex Jr.
“When the day goes away like that, you’ve just got to pick up the pieces and go to the next race. Martin wants to seem to blame James for everything that goes on, for everything that has happened. That’s part of the game, man. Live as a team, die as a team. That’s the way it is.
“And when it becomes an individual sport, then the game needs to be played with a different group of players. So I think we’re really close to that. I think we’re really close to that, and I think we’re seeing the beginning of the end in this situation for these two guys.”
The Disagreement Centered Around Tires
GettyMartin Truex Jr. drives at Richmond Raceway.
The radio communication between Truex and Small took place after the No. 19 Toyota Camry TRD crossed the finish line 11th overall. Truex had previously been in a position to win his first race since Richmond in 2021, but he lost several positions to drivers with better tires.
Truex called the situation a nightmare and expressed the opinion that his tires were flat. Small responded and said that he was on seven-lap scuffs and that they had messed up by taking a set during Stage 1. He did not tell Truex that they had put scuffs on because they were in trouble either way.
The frustration was evident on Truex’s face as he climbed out of his No. 19 Toyota after the Cup Series race. He had been in a position to snap a winless streak lasting more than one season and reach the playoffs. Instead, he left Richmond Raceway ninth in the points with work to do.
This post-race discussion was a far cry from how Truex and Small kicked off the year. They won the Busch Light Clash at the LA Memorial Coliseum and showed a considerable amount of confidence.
It appeared that Truex and Small would follow up the exhibition race with several other trips to Victory Lane. Now, however, there are conversations taking place in the industry focusing on a public disagreement.
The No. 19 Team Can Change the Conversation
The trip to Richmond did not play out as the No. 19 team planned. Truex missed out on a win while the radio communication put extra attention on the chemistry in the building.
There are more opportunities for Truex and Small to snap that winless streak. The opportunities include a trip to Martinsville Speedway on April 16 where he has three trips to Victory Lane. Though they will first go to Bristol Motor Speedway where Truex has two starts on the dirt surface with an average finish of 20.0.
“We’ve had some really great runs, and I feel like every time I’m running inside the top-five, something happens,” Truex said about Bristol in a release from Joe Gibbs Racing. “I’ve had so many loose wheels and so many flat tires and so many things happen there over the years, it’s just been crazy.
“I think it’s one of my worst racetracks as far as average finish. It’s definitely one of my better tracks as far as average running position, though. Hopefully this year we can get that turned around and get that first win there, either on dirt this weekend or on the concrete in the fall.”