Martin Truex Jr. hit the wall on the final lap of the DuraMAX Drydene 400 Cup Series race on May 2, taking away an opportunity to secure a strong finish. He confronted Ross Chastain after the incident, but neither driver shared what they said.
Truex was in position for a top-five finish at The Monster Mile, but he lost control and hit the wall on the final lap. The replays showed that he had attempted to pass Chastain, but the driver of the No. 1 moved up and blocked him. The two cars made contact before the No. 19 got loose and went into the inside wall. The officials scored Truex as the 12th-place finisher.
Oh to be a 🪰 on a race car for this @RossChastain and @MartinTruex_Jr conversation.
Truex went over to Chastain after the incident, where the two took part in a serious conversation. Media members were told to keep their cameras and microphones away from the discussion, but it lasted for a significant amount of time. FOX Sports reporters Bob Pockrass and Jamie Little both attempted to track down Truex after the exchange, but he quickly left the track.
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Chastain Shied Away From Providing Commentary
Ross Chastain vs. Martin Truex Jr. on the final lap in Dover 👀
While Truex was not around to provide more information about the discussion, Chastain had media obligations. He had to speak to multiple reporters after finishing third overall at The Monster Mile. However, he just relied on one specific statement.
“We were talking about where we were going to go fishing next week,” Chastain told Little after exiting his stock car. “No, super proud of this effort. I thought we were a fifth-place car. A couple guys had misfortune with the cautions coming out. That cycled us to the lead. Pit crew was incredible today. They were just picking up spots every stop, got us the lead. I’m racing with champions and I got beat.”
There were multiple other reporters that continued to ask Chastain about the confrontation on pit road, but he mentioned again that they were talking about where to go fishing. Though Chastain also acknowledged that he had crowded Truex and that he “should have left him a lane.”
A Strong Finish Would Have Helped Truex
GettyMartin Truex Jr. (bottom) has 2 previous wins at Darlington.
The third-place finish benefited Chastain. He moved to sixth overall in the championship standings. Though he is a lock to reach the playoffs after winning races at Circuit of the Americas and Talladega Superspeedway.
Truex faces a very different situation. He is still inside the top 10 in the championship standings after five top-10 finishes and two top-fives, but he has not reached Victory Lane. He does not have a secure spot in the playoffs yet, so another top five would have significantly helped him considering that he also secured points in the first two stages.
Truex will now pursue a win at a track where he has previous success. The next race on the schedule is the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway on May 8. Truex won the 2021 iteration after leading 248 of the 293 laps. This was his second trip to Victory Lane at The Lady in Black.
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Martin Truex Jr. Confronts Ross Chastain After Final Lap Incident