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Breaking: Buescher laments crash that derailed Truex’s Atlanta performance
Chris Buescher has reflected on his Playoff-opener mistake that collected Ryan Blaney and Martin Truex Jr. While Blaney’s #12 Ford survived the run-in, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver’s #19 Toyota’s day turned from bad to worse.
Truex Jr. was the top-seeded winless playoff driver at the Quaker State 400. However, he was slow during the qualifying and started 22nd at the Atlanta. Moreover, a post-qualifying plug wire change sent him and his teammate, Denny Hamlin, to the rear.Nonetheless, Truex Jr. rose to a ninth-place finish in the first stage.In the second stage, the #19 Toyota driver lost multiple track positions and settled in 18th. But on Lap 205, Chris Buescher got loose while exiting Turn 2 and rammed into Blaney. The #12 Ford’s right rear screeched on the outside wall before it crashed into Truex Jr.’s Toyota. Buescher’s day was finished with a DNF while the other two pitted under the yellow flag and returned to the field.
Blaney finished his 367-lap run in third and helped his teammate Joey Logano etch the win. MTJ, on the other hand, was suspended from the race on 254 after the team reported the damage was more than anticipated and the car was unfit for racing.Buescher was disappointed for screwing up at Lap 205 and jeopardizing the JGR rival’s advancement to the Round of 12. During a conversation with Frontstretch, the RFK Racing driver expanded on the unfortunate crash and said:
“Not how we wanted to go out. Definitely disappointed, screwed up there. Got a really good run at the bottom, we were keeping really good pace at the bottom, and then just caught bump and stepped out and crashed. Disappointed with myself at that one.”
Winners and losers from the Atlanta Cup Series playoff race feat. Joey Logano
“Proud”: Gianna Tulio reacts to NASCAR champion Ryan Blaney’s incredible comeback in the Atlanta playoff race
The Atlanta race marked the second and third DNF for Chris Buescher and Martin Truex Jr., respectively.
Chris Buescher’s wreck led Martin Truex Jr. into the Playoff bubble
Despite having an unwanted start to the first playoff race, Truex Jr. inched closer to posting a top-10 finish. After gaining and losing in both stages, the #19 JGR driver caught up with the front pack and ran 12th when tragedy struck and his downfall ensued.
Had Truex Jr. not gotten collected in Chris Buescher’s wreck, he could have bagged a top-10 finish and kept himself in the safe zone. Denny Hamlin and Ty Gibbs are placed 11th and 12th, respectively. Gibbs finished 17th and Hamlin came 24th. Thus, MTJ would’ve landed above the cutline. However, he is ranked 15th and is 19 points shy of the threshold.A few hours after the race, Buescher publicly showed remorse for his critical error. He reposted NASCAR on NBC’s video which exhibited the incident’s clip and wrote:
“Driver error. Caught a bump and the car stepped out… disappointed in myself for that one.”
Martin Truex Jr. is the only Toyota driver in the playoffs whose Round of 12 at Kansas Speedway is in jeopardy.
