Martin Truex Jr.’s Team Faces Penalty After Fontana Race

Getty Martin Truex Jr. lost a wheel at Auto Club Speedway.

The No. 19 team is about to receive a penalty from NASCAR. The Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry TRD lost a wheel at Auto Club Speedway while trying to make it back to pit road, and now two members of the team will prepare for a suspension.

The incident occurred early in Stage 2 after an incident involving Corey LaJoie and AJ Allmendinger led to the No. 16 hitting the wall hard. Martin Truex Jr. headed down pit road for four fresh tires, but the front of his No. 19 began pouring smoke as he made his way back onto the track.

The cameras revealed that there was an issue with the left, front tire. This was proven true as the wheel and tire came off of the No. 19 Toyota while Truex tried to limp his way back to his pit stall.

Under new rules from NASCAR, losing a wheel on the track while under caution meant that Truex had to spend extra time on pit road. Officials held him for two full laps, which dropped him to 34th overall. This lost wheel also meant that two members of his crew will receive a two-race suspension.

The Lost Wheel Rules Changed Over the Offseason

GettyMartin Truex Jr. races at Auto Club Speedway.

If this lost wheel had occurred during the 2022 Cup Series season, JGR would have headed toward Phoenix with the expectation that crew chief James Small and two crew members would all receive four-race suspensions.

The situation changed over the offseason. NASCAR issued an update to the Rule Book, which specifically focused on lost wheels during Cup Series races. This included the addition of different penalties for the location of the lost wheel.

If the entry loses a wheel on pit road, the driver will have to do a pass-through penalty when the race goes green. If the entry loses a wheel out on the track, the driver will receive a two-lap penalty. Two crew members will also receive two-race suspensions. Though the crew chief will not be included in this penalty.

Truex Partially Recovered From the Penalty

GettyNASCAR drivers conduct a five-wide salute at Auto Club Speedway.

The race at Auto Club Speedway started with Truex running inside of the top 10. He secured points during Stage 1, but he spent a significant portion of the race trying to get his spot back on the lead lap.

This was not a simple process for Truex. He needed to put himself in position for the free pass, and he needed multiple cautions to get back on the lead lap.

The first incident that helped him was a multi-car crash that collected nine cars on a restart. He received the free pass and went back to only one lap behind the leaders. The second incident was the final caution of the race, which was for Ty Dillon’s No. 77 stalling on the apron of the track.

Truex received the free pass and got back on the lead lap after Dillon’s issue, and then he began working his way through the field. He was able to move back up to 11th overall by the end of the race, which was a significant change from a disastrous turn of events. He salvaged his day, and now he will move forward with the rest of the Cup Series schedule.