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Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr Top Five at Talladega

(Photo: Ryan Daley | The Podium Finish)

TALLADEGA, Ala. — Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. aren’t usually known as the strongest superspeedway racers in the NASCAR Cup Series. But, on Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway, they both showed their veteran wits en route to top-five finishes.

Busch, last week’s winner at Bristol, started the GEICO 500 from 12th. He dropped one spot and finished 13th in Stage 1 after narrowly avoiding a crash involving Chris Buescher and Chase Briscoe.

By the end of Stage 2, Busch worked himself up to sixth place. He remained in the top 10 for the majority of the final stage, excluding the pit cycle, to finish third after a last-lap crash slowed some contenders.

With only a few fellow Toyotas to draft with, Busch found it difficult to pass and make progress in the pack.

“It was just really hard to pass all day,” Busch said. “If two lanes were formed and they were pushing, there wasn’t really enough for a third lane to form to get any speed going. It was just kind of a stuck in line.

“We got up front, we got shucked out of line. That was frustrating. Thankfully we were able to salvage and get back some of those guys that were getting a little bit squirrely at the end.”

Truex Jr. assisted a 1-2 JGR qualifying effort by putting his car opposite Christopher Bell on the front row to start second. Alongside other Toyotas, Truex Jr. ran much of the first stage in the top 10 and finished fifth. He finished Stage 2 in fourth place while sandwiched between Hendrick cars, who all finished in the top-five of the stage.

In the final stage, most of the Toyotas were broken up during the final pit cycle. Bubba Wallace dropped from the lead, while Denny Hamlin also fell. Truex Jr. was left with just Busch and he finished fifth despite the last-lap chaos.

“It got a little hairy there at the end. Guys just made bonsai moves, coming from everywhere,” Truex Jr. said. “We ran up front all day. We are just outnumbered. We get outnumbered. You get up there and run with 10 Chevys and you are the lone Toyota, you can’t do anything. You are stuck.

“We have had a tough couple of weeks, so we needed that, but you always want to win.”

The NASCAR Cup Series returns to action Sunday, May 1 at Dover Motor Speedway.

 

Nathan Solomon serves as the managing editor of The Podium Finish. He has been part of the team since 2021 and is accredited by the National Motorsports Press Association. Solomon is a senior in the Jandoli School of Communication at St. Bonaventure University. Contact him at NSolly02@Yahoo.com.

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