NASCAR: Martin Truex Jr. wins rain delayed Wurth 400 at Dover

Martin Truex Jr. won the Würth 400 NASCAR Cup Series race on a beautiful Monday May Day at Dover Motor Speedway.

It was the fourth Dover win for Truex, snapping a 54-race winless streak. He is the 10th driver to win four or more Cup Series races at the Monster Mile.

“It feels incredible,” Truex said. “When I saw the late caution, I thought what now. We made a great call to take two tires.”

The victory also completed a Truex-double for the weekend as his brother Ryan won the A-GAME 200 NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Saturday. Both brothers drive No. 19 Toyotas for Joe Gibbs Racing.

“This is a special day,” Truex said. “It was a big day for the family to see that on Saturday. We’ve given a few away here over the years. It’s always special to come here. It was good to get this hot rod out front.”

It was the fifth Monday Cup Series race out the 105 that Dover has hosted since 1969. The Monster Mile is one of 10 tracks across the United States that have hosted 100 or more NASCAR Cup Series events.

Ross Chastain finished second, half a second behind, with Ryan Blaney in third and William Byron in fourth.

“Gosh, so close,” Chastain said. “It’s surreal to continue to do this and race against my heroes.”

Three of Truex’s victories at Dover have come on a Monday.

Chastain came home as the runner-up in the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet. Ryan Blaney finished third, with William Byron fourth and Denny Hamlin closing the top five.

Byron led a race-high 193 laps before his fade. The event was pushed to a Monday start after steady rain on its scheduled Sunday date.

The outcome clinched a special family sweep for the Truex family; Ryan Truex secured his first Xfinity Series victory in Saturday’s 200-mile contest.

Kyle Busch started from the pole position but was penalized on Lap 22 for speeding during the first round of pit stops. After the team was sent to the back of the field, Busch’s No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet sustained front-end damage in a Lap 34 stack-up that eliminated the cars of Daniel Suárez and Ty Dillon. Busch ended up 21st in the 36-car field.

Pre-race favorite Kyle Larson sustained a hit to his chances in Monday’s NASCAR Cup Series race after a Stage 1 crash at Dover Motor Speedway.

Ross Chastain’s No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet made contact with the No. 15 Rick Ware Racing Ford of Brennan Poole on the 81st of a scheduled 400 laps in the Würth 400. The collision sent Poole’s car sliding into the path of Larson’s No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy alongside the outside retaining wall in Turns 1 and 2.

Larson continued with significant right-front damage that dropped him to the end of the lead lap. After meeting minimum speed to clear the Damaged Vehicle Policy clock, Larson took his No. 5 Chevrolet to the garage for further repairs.

Chastain continued and was the first driver off pit road in the ensuing round of pit stops.

“Ross flat-out wrecked the lapper, right?” Larson asked his No. 5 crew on the radio. “Yes, for no reason,” was the team’s reply.

Poole’s day ended with terminal damage to the No. 15 Mustang. After a quick evaluation at the infield care center, Poole expressed his frustration, saying that Chastain “probably needs to get his butt whupped.”

“I’m not exactly sure, but I feel like I just got ran over,” said Poole, an Xfinity Series regular making his first Cup Series start of the year. “As soon as he ran into me, I just kind of got shoved into the corner, like way too deep, and then I was just immediately turned around. So, I think it was the No. 1? Go figure. I mean, just a joke … 80-something laps into a race? No reason. I was side-by-side with the No. 3, just got to the outside, and it’s not like I can go anywhere or give him any more room than what I had. He just ran me over. So, it’s kind of pathetic. I don’t know. It seems to be something Ross does a lot recently. Just uncalled for. It was my first time in a new Cup car, and 80 laps out… for what?”

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