Truex ended the race one lap down in 24th after a pit road speeding penalty derailed what could have been a top-five finish. The mistake eliminated him from the playoffs in the first round, along with Brad Keselowski, Ty Gibbs, and Harrison Burton. Running strong inside the top five late in the race, Truex’s hopes unraveled when he was penalized under caution on lap 330, triggered by Corey LaJoie. The infraction dropped him to the back of the lead lap, and he couldn’t recover. Race winner Kyle Larson eventually lapped him, and with the final 163 laps going green, Truex never had a shot at redemption.
“It’s frustrating that 0.9 mph ruined our whole season,” Truex said. “I don’t even know how I was that close to the limit. I did the same thing I always do. Maybe I was just a foot off… but it’s my mistake.”
Truex, 44, previously announced that 2024 would be his final full-time season in NASCAR. While he entered the year aiming for a championship, the season has instead been plagued by poor results and bad breaks. Saturday marked his eighth consecutive finish outside the top 20. He hasn’t cracked the top 10 since Pocono in July or the top five since Kansas in May.
Despite showing strong speed in qualifying starting in the top five in three of the past four races, Truex and his Joe Gibbs Racing team have been marred by crashes and misfortune. Wrecks at Atlanta and Watkins Glen hurt his playoff push, and he crashed out on lap 2 of the regular-season finale at Daytona.
The 2017 Cup Series champion was one of two drivers to make the playoffs without a win in 2024 and hasn’t reached victory lane since New Hampshire in 2023. After winning three races last season, he also exited early in the playoffs due to a crash and subpar finishes. Now, just like last year, he’s left chasing checkered flags in the final stretch of his career hoping for one more moment of glory before retirement.
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