Truex Dominates at New Hampshire for Third Victory of the Season
Martin Truex Jr. secured his long-awaited victory at New Hampshire Motor Speedway during the rain-delayed Crayon 301. Truex dominated the race, leading 254 of the 301 laps. This triumph marked his third win of the season and established him as the current NASCAR Cup Series points leader, ahead of Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron by 17 points.
Truex’s convincing performance not only earned him his first win at the 1.058-mile oval but also catapulted him to the championship lead. The 42-year-old New Jersey native acknowledged that winning at New Hampshire was a special achievement after having led more than 900 laps in 29 previous starts without a victory.
Truex led a remarkable 163 of the opening 185 laps, capturing both Stage 1 and Stage 2 wins to triple his season total. He had to fend off challenges from drivers like Ryan Blaney, Kyle Larson, and Joey Logano during the race.
Logano, a local favorite from Connecticut, expressed his disappointment at finishing second at his home track. Larson, a four-time New Hampshire Motor Speedway race winner, came in third, followed by Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski.
Tyler Reddick of 23XI Racing finished sixth, while Denny Hamlin and Bubba Wallace followed suit. Austin Dillon of Richard Childress Racing and Chase Briscoe of Stewart-Haas Racing rounded out the top 10.
Chase Elliott, who is aiming to secure a 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff position after missing six races this season, struggled during the race but managed to finish 12th. He now stands 23rd in the standings, just 60 points behind 16th place.
Kyle Busch faced challenges, spinning the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in qualifying and later making contact with the wall during the race. He was unable to recover and finished last in the 36-car field. Truex’s win propelled him to the championship lead, with Busch dropping to fifth place.
The next NASCAR Cup Series event will take place at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway in the HighPoint.com 400.
