(Photo: Dylan Nadwodny | The Podium Finish)
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Two Toyota playoff contenders, one similar problem.
Both Martin Truex Jr. and Bubba Wallace suffered tire failures in the early part of Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 playoff race at Kansas Speedway, finishing outside the top 30 and falling well below the cutline.
The failure served as extra detrimental for Truex, the regular-season champion. Just four laps into the race, Truex unexpectedly slid up into the wall and suffered heavy right-side damage. He couldn’t move his No. 19 Camry and a tow truck took him to the garage, ending his day.
Truex started third and had dropped to outside the top 15 at the time of the crash.
“Just unfortunate and very unlucky. I took off really tight and I knew something was up, and then cut a right rear,” Truex said at the infield care center. “Not really sure what happened, obviously, but it blew in the worst place possible. I hate it for my guys. We had an awesome Bass Pro Toyota Camry. We were going to have a great day, just not sure what we need to do to get some luck here.
“I knew something was up for sure, just didn’t realize it was going to blow the tire out. I felt like the right rear was soft. I was hoping it was going to go down on the straightaway, not going into Turn 3. Really unfortunate. In hindsight, I guess I should have just pitted, but at that point in time, you just don’t know if the car is just really tight or what’s going on. It’s a real shame.”
Here is the tire that shortened @MartinTruex_Jr's day at Kansas Speedway yesterday. pic.twitter.com/awhXOv8zg4
— Joe Gibbs Racing (@JoeGibbsRacing) September 11, 2023
According to reporters at the track, Goodyear stated that the result of the crash came from a puncture on the right-rear tire.
After struggling in the Round of 16 opener and finishing 16th at Darlington Raceway, Truex had needed a solid run to keep his legs underneath him before the first elimination race at Bristol Motor Speedway. He had a cushion by recieving the 15 additional playoff points for winning the regular-season title, plus 15 for his three race wins and six for his six stage wins.
Truex went winless and missed the playoffs last season despite finishing fourth in regular-season points. He’s searching for his second Cup Series championship.
Wallace blew a tire from the second position on Lap 108, effectively ending his chances of winning the race. Should he have maintained his position, Wallace likely would’ve seen his No. 23 car above the playoff cutline.
Instead, Wallace finsished 32nd, four laps down. His teammate, Tyler Reddick, won.
“Hard to hang your head with a rocket,” Wallace posted on X after the race. “All ya can do is laugh and keep on keeping on.”
Truex is seven points below and Wallace is 19 points below the cutline ahead of the first elimination race.
