Martin Truex Jr. takes Ally 400 lead after wild three-wide battle for multiple laps
Put this one in the highlights folder. Martin Truex Jr. showed out in a three-wide battle for the lead at the NASCAR Ally 400. Nashville Superspeedway allows for racing all over the track. Truex Jr. took the grip on the bottom of the track and used it to his advantage.
Coming out of Stage 1 and into Stage 2, Martin Truex Jr. found himself competing very well on the restart. He fired off side-by-side with William Byron who was side-by-side with Ross Chastain. Three-wide for the lead and all of that clean air.
This is a showcase of what makes NASCAR so great. You get three-wide racing for the lead. Not just for one lap, not two, but for three laps around the track.
Then you see a veteran move from Truex Jr. to hit the bottom of the track coming out of Turn 4 to take the lead.
This was a display of great driving from all three of these Cup Series winners. However, the 19 of Truex was just a little bit stronger and had a little bit better grip on the bottom of the track. He didn’t give up an inch as he stormed to the lead.
Martin Truex Jr. continued to lead in Stage 2 for many laps. However, a battle has formed with his teammate Denny Hamlin that will challenge him likely to the end of this race.
Martin Truex Jr. challenging for the win
This is shaping up to be a very interesting race between Joe Gibbs Racing teammates. Between the two of them, they have almost 80 wins in the Cup Series and a ton of great moments in between. The Coach is probably happy to see two of his cars up front, but Martin Truex Jr. is looking for his third win on the year.
As for Hamlin, it is a matter of getting back to your own standard. With the win at Kansas and solid results before and after the race, the No. 11 is trying to prove he’s a championship contender. There is a handful of Toytas fighting in the top-10 including Christopher Bell, Bubba Wallace, and for a time Tyler Reddick.
Martin Truex Jr. tends to stink up races when he wins them, leading for large chunks at a time. Right now, the race is exciting and provided plenty of drama. Truex has proved already he isn’t afraid of anything on this track. So, will we see him and Hamlin go at each other to the end?