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Truex Jr. after New Hampshire: “It’s the Loudon curse”

(Photo: Josh Jones | The Podium Finish)

LOUDON, N.H. — Martin Truex Jr. is known to have bad luck at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. In 2017, Truex Jr. blew a tire and finished third. In 2020, he finished third behind Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin.

But, it seemed Truex Jr.’s bad luck at New Hampshire was bound to change on Sunday in the Ambetter 301. He started the race his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota from the pole and led 163 of the first 188 laps, including two stage victories.

Ultimately, a late call to take two tires sealed Truex Jr.’s fate as he finished fourth on Sunday.

“It’s the Loudon curse for me, I guess,” Truex Jr. told reporters after the race. “I don’t know how many times this is going to happen. We lead all day and we get beat on strategy.”

After Truex Jr. dominated the beginning of the race, several teams opted to stay out in a series of cautions to retain track position. At the end of Stage 2, Chase Briscoe stayed out after spinning shortly before and led six laps in Stage 3 before Truex Jr. passed him.

On Lap 206, Todd Gilliland spun to bring out the ninth caution of the day. Most teams pitted, but Kurt Busch, Joey Logano and Cole Custer stayed out. Truex Jr. opted for just two tires while most other contenders took four. He fell back on the Lap 209 restart and dropped as low as 11th.

“The 4 made us three wide and I got in a bad spot and lost a few spots,” Truex Jr. said. “We recovered from that and just didn’t have anything to go forward on two tires. The car absolutely hated it.

“I did have a feeling at the time… It all started with us getting messed up on the restart.”

Truex Jr. gained a few positions later in the run while Busch, Logano and Custer eventually pitted for fuel. A late restart could have given Truex Jr. an opportunity to win, but the race ended on a 92-lap run.

While he did record 53 points, teammate Christopher Bell won his first race of the season. That puts Truex Jr. on the playoff cutline with six races remaining in the regular season, despite sitting fourth in driver’s points. Truex Jr. is winless along with Ryan Blaney, Kevin Harvick and Aric Almirola — three other playoff contenders.

“It is what it is. If another guy wins, we’re out,” Truex Jr. said. “We race every week, we do the best we can, we try to win races. And obviously, lately, we’ve been capable. We’ve had cars capable of winning this year. I think we have the most stage wins of anybody and we haven’t won a race yet.

“For whatever reason, that third stage, we just muck it up.”

The NASCAR Cup Series returns next weekend at Pocono Raceway for the M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400. The race is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET on USA Network.

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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