EditorsNote: Adds quotes throughout
After being crashed out of the lead by Joey Logano and robbed of a potential victory on the final turn of last year's October race at Martinsville Speedway, Martin Truex Jr. got out of his car spitting fire and issuing threats.
After dominating the field and getting the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory on Sunday in Martinsville, Va., Truex got out of his Joe Gibbs Racing car saying only nice things.
"We've wanted to win here for a long time," Truex said. "I used to just be terrible here. Just an awesome bunch of guys (on his team). What can I say?"
Did it make up for last year's finish?
"I'll let you know in a few weeks." he said.
The victory in the First Data 500 was the series-best seventh of the season for Truex and makes him the first driver to earn a berth in the playoffs' four-driver championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway in three weeks.
He led 464 of 500 laps Sunday, which was the most the 2017 Cup champ has led in a race. It gave him a third 2019 victory at a short-track -- the kind of track where he used to struggle.
"We don't have to worry about points any more. We can just get to work on our Homestead car," Truex said.
Finishing second was Hendrick Motorsports' 21-year-old William Byron, a non-playoffs driver who was attempting to win his first-ever Cup race. The margin of victory was .37 seconds.
"He was really strong," Byron said of Truex. "I could work my brake bias a little bit in the car and gain a little bit, and I'd get to him and ... I'd fall back. He was super strong.
"Overall it was a really good day. This isn't a place that I've loved coming to, and it just clicked this weekend."
Byron got to rear bumper of Truex's car several times. Would he have wrecked the leader to get the win?
"I wouldn't race him dirty, but I'm really hungry for my first win, so whatever it takes," he said.
Third was Brad Keselowski of Team Penske -- also a non-playoff driver.
Playoff contenders Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing, and Team Penske's Ryan Blaney rounded out the top five.
And Logano, who went on to win the championship last year? He was pushed into the wall by Hamlin with 42 laps to go while running fourth. That blew a tire on Logano's car and cost him a shot at the win. He wound up eighth.
After the race, Logano and Hamlin brawled on pit road and had to be separated by their crews.
"We were having a discussion there and everything was civil," Hamlin said. "And like Joey does, he gives a little push and runs away. That's Joey. He said, 'Do you want to go?' I said, 'Yes, I'm here' but then he runs away."
Logano said, "I just wanted to talk to him about it. Ruined our day. Shot the win for sure. We probably weren't going to beat the 19, but we had a top-five for sure coming our way ... maybe I shouldn't have shoved him at the end."
Hendrick Motorsports' Chase Elliott, who had to claw his way into the Round of 8 by finishing second at Kansas a week ago, had his ugly weekend get uglier on Sunday. Having to start from the rear of the field because of an engine change on Saturday, fan-fave Elliott's car suffered a broken axel during a Stage 2 pit stop.
That damage sent Elliott to the garages; he finished 36th.
--Field Level Media
