Martin Truex Jr. was understandably upset with the contact from Joey Logano on the last lap of Sunday’s First Data 500 at Martinsville Speedway.
Logano and Truex Jr. were locked in a torrid battle for the lead in the closing laps of Sunday’s first race in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 8 at Martinsville. On the final turn of the last lap the two made contact with Logano getting into the side of Truex Jr.’s car heading to the checkered flag.
The impact sent Truex Jr. sliding down the frontstretch while Logano went on to win the race and automatically advance into the Championship 4 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
“Yeah, he won the battle but he ain’t winning the damn war,” Truex Jr. said after the race giving a thumbs down to the crowd. “That’s it.
“I can promise you I won’t forget what he did.”
Truex Jr. did not appreciate the move and felt the contact by Logano was over the line.
“We should be in Victory Lane right now, but you know, it’s just the way it went today,” he said. “It didn’t work out,. But proud of my guys, proud of our team. Everybody said we were out, said we couldn’t run good at Martinsville, said we don’t run good at short tracks, said our team shut down so we can’t make it to the Championship 4. Yeah, I’m going to show everybody.
“I was next to him for six laps, I never knocked him out of the way. We’re were going to race hard for it in my book. And I cleared him fair and square. We weren’t even banging doors for me to pass him. He just knocked me out of the way so yeah, it short track racing, but what comes around goes around.”
Truex Jr. made a simple declaration that summed up his thoughts on the turn of events.
“I’m just not going to let him win it, I’m gonna win it,” Truex Jr. said of the championship.
