Skip to main content
NASCAR Logo

Martin Truex Jr. unloads on pit crew on radio amid car trouble at Texas

JHby:Jonathan Howard09/24/23

Jondean25

Martin Truex Jr. playoffs
Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

With a lot of struggles throughout the afternoon, Martin Truex Jr. likely felt like he was at wit’s end as he fought with his car. Having bad balance at Texas is scary. This track eats up tires and can send you spinning at any moment, one of the toughest in NASCAR.

When Martin Truex Jr. hopped on his radio to talk with his crew, he was not holding back. The veteran driver spun around at one point after Stage 1 came to an end. He’s been fighting his car for most of the race, that is enough to cause emotions to fly.

It doesn’t help that the cars are about 120 degrees inside in the Texas heat.

“Fix my f***ing car, please,” he said on the radio according to Toby Christie.

There really isn’t one thing that has caused Truex Jr. to have a bad day. It’s been multiple things. From the start of the race, he didn’t have a great car. After the first round of stops, it still wasn’t great. He was able to make the most of it in Stage 1, since then it has been a struggle throughout the afternoon.

Whatever the reason is for the bad balance, this didn’t help.

Martin Truex Jr. trying to avoid disaster again

In the Round of 16, Martin Truex Jr. was almost eliminated. He had to race for his playoff life at Bristol and was able to make the transfer. Right now, it feels like the Round of 12 is going the same way as the previous one.

Top 10

  1. 1

    Kiffin trolls Napier

    Ole Miss HC texts Kirk Herbstreit to fire shot

  2. 2

    Curt Cignetti

    'They can stick it up their you know what'

  3. 3

    Tim Tebow

    DJ Lagway reason for Ole Miss nerves

  4. 4

    Tom Brady helped land QB

    Michigan got assist on Underwood

  5. 5

    MSU TE hospitalized

    Jack Velling injured on first possession

View All

Really, if Truex Jr. pulls off a top-15 day, it will be a success given what he has been through. Drivers like Bubba Wallace, Ryan Blaney, and Brad Keselowski, all below the cutline, have crept up on Truex Jr.

The good news, Truex is still in this race. The same can’t be said for Kyle Busch or others on the day. Busch, as far as playoff drivers go, is in a bad spot. He is going to fall below the line and will have to fight for his playoff hopes as well in the next two weeks.

With Talladega and the Roval up on the schedule next, it could be improbable for Busch to make it to the next round. However, Martin Truex Jr. might be able to save himself if he is able to turn things around in the closing laps of this race.