Truex and Larson taken out early due to tire failures
Martin Truex Jr. hasn't had a DNF at a 1.5 mile track since the 2016 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Martin Truex Jr., Furniture Row Racing, Toyota Camry Bass Pro Shops/5-hour ENERGY
Matthew T. Thacker / NKP / Motorsport Images
But his luck ran out Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway. Truex was running second 80 laps into the 334-lap race. With just a few laps to go in the first stage, Truex slammed the Turn 4 wall with a right front tire failure.
"That hurt," he radioed to the team.
Truex will finish 37th, ending a streak of top-five finishes that dates back to the second race of the season in Atlanta.
“We hadn’t had any problems all weekend,” Truex told Fox Sports 1 after emerging from the infield care center. “The first set of tires looked good. I don’t know if I run something over or what it was. Just one of them deals. We had a good car. We were going to be right there all day long I feel like. Still had some room to make it better too. I wish we could have seen, but that's how it goes sometimes."
46 laps later halfway through the second stage, the same fate befell Kyle Larson. After starting from the rear of the field, he charged up to fourth before a right front tire failure sent him careening into the Turn 2 wall. His day was also over.
"Yeah, I'm okay," Larson said after being checked and released from the infield care center. "Thanks NASCAR for their safety because that was a huge hit. I hate that I blew a right front there. I was pretty tight, but I didn't really expect to blow a right front.
"I felt like I was one of the faster cars out there, felt like I could have had a shot at the end of the race but it was cut short."
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