Getty Martin Truex Jr. has snapped his winless streak.
The Truex sweep is complete at Dover Motor Speedway. Ryan Truex captured the Xfinity Series race on Saturday, April 29, and then Martin Truex Jr. won the rain-postponed Cup Series race on Monday, May 1.
The driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry had an interesting day. There was a tense exchange over the radio with crew chief James Small after an early pit stop, but the team recovered when it mattered. Truex led 68 of the final 69 laps, and he held off Ross Chastain and Ryan Blaney on the final restart.
MONDAY MARTIN MAGIC!
@MartinTruex_Jr breaks his 54-race winless streak to complete the Truex brothers sweep at the @MonsterMile
“This is such a special place, and it was such a big day for our family to see Ryan do that on Saturday,” Truex told FOX Sports’ Regan Smith after winning the Wurth 400. “He’s worked so hard for so long to get good opportunities, and it was awesome to see him take advantage of that.
“And then for us, we’ve given away a few here over the years, and it feels nice to get one to come around our way for once. Just excited and this thing was a hot road. Just had to get it up front.”
With help from @TreyRyan99, I THINK that @MartinTruex_Jr & @Ryan_Truex are just the 5th set of brothers to sweep a @NASCAR race weekend.
They join @KurtBusch & @KyleBusch, @RustyWallace & @Kenny_Wallace, Rusty and Mike Wallace, @AllWaltrip & @MW55.
The Truex brothers joined another racing family by sweeping the weekend at Dover Motor Speedway. Back in 1994, Mike Wallace won the Xfinity Series race at the Monster Mile. One day later, Rusty Wallace won the Cup Series race.
Wallace, who joined the FOX Sports booth for the 2023 Wurth 400, went on to win the second Cup Series race at Dover while securing his own season sweep.
Trued Snapped a Winless Streak Dating Back to 2021
GettyMartin Truex Jr. celebrates a win at Dover Motor Speedway.
Joining the Wallace family by completing the Dover sweep was significant for the Truex brothers. However, the wins were more important for other reasons. For example, Ryan’s win was his first in a national NASCAR series.
The Cup Series win was very important for the elder Truex. He entered the Dover weekend with 31 career wins at the top level of NASCAR, but he was also on a 54-race winless streak.
The last time Truex celebrated after a Cup Series race was during the 2021 playoffs. He won the Round of 16 race at Richmond, which was his fourth trip to Victory Lane that season. Truex then went on to finish second in the championship standings behind Kyle Larson.
The 2022 season was a letdown for Truex and the No. 19 team. The 2017 champion was one of the most consistent drivers in the Cup Series, and he was fourth in the points throughout the regular season. However, he went winless and missed the playoffs. This dropped him to 17th in the standings at the end of the season.
Truex kicked off the 2023 season by winning the Busch Light Clash at the LA Memorial Coliseum. This was an exhibition event so it didn’t matter in the standings, but it proved to the team that it was still capable.
Truex Moved Into a Tie With Another Active Champion
Truex first won in the Cup Series during the 2007 season. He captured a rain-postponed race at Dover Motor Speedway while driving for Dale Earnhardt Inc. He has since gone on to add another 31 wins while capturing a championship in the process.
Truex is currently in a tie for 27th on the all-time wins list with two other NASCAR champions. Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett has 32 career wins, as does two-time champion Joey Logano. Truex has now joined them after winning his fourth career race at Dover Motor Speedway.
Truex now has his first win since the fall of 2021, and he has a spot in the playoffs. Now, he can move forward with the goal of adding to his win total and returning to the championship four.
“It feels great. After last year, such a disappointing year with not being able to win and all of the disappointing races where we felt like we had the best car, and it just wouldn’t come together,” Truex said after the race, per Toyota Racing Development. “Things just kept happening and happening. We just kept talking about it. We’re not doing anything wrong.
“We just had to tighten up a couple loose ends here and there and keep our heads down and keep working hard, and that’s what all of these guys have done. Just really proud to be here today, and love this race track. Love all of the fans up here. We have a lot of friends and family up this way. It is always so special to win at this place.”
Comments
The 2017 NASCAR Champion Completes ‘Special’ Truex Sweep