Martin Truex Jr. finally closed out a NASCAR Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, thoroughly dominating the postponed Crayon 301 in Loudon, N.H., on Monday for his first win at the flat oval.
Starting outside of polesitter Christopher Bell, Truex was the class of the field, putting his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota at the point and cruising around the 1.058-mile layout.
However, Truex, 43, had to win a nine-lap shootout over Joey Logano and Kyle Larson following the event’s eighth caution period after Bell wrecked. Truex bested Logano by 0.394 seconds.
In his third win this season and 34th of his career, the Mayetta, N.J., native led 254 laps.
The 2017 champion won for the second time in three Monday makeup races thus far. He was triumphant at Dover Motor Speedway on May 1.
The 300-lapper at the Magic Mile was postponed Sunday morning for rain. That left defending winner Bell and Truex up front for the noon Monday start.
Entering the race, Truex’s 916 laps led at Loudon were the most by any winless driver at NHMS, but he drove flawlessly despite slightly losing the handle late in the race.
Larson took third followed by Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski.
Without a victory and 26th in points, 2020 title winner Chase Elliott took a hit in the standings by coming home 12th.
Third in points as the race started, Kyle Busch crashed out of the event on Lap 70 — his fourth DNF — and finished last in the 36-car field.
Truex had to pass William Byron and easily won Stage 1 by two seconds, while Busch came to the line with serious right-side damage after slamming the Turn 4 wall.
Following the third caution period, Aric Almirola, Larson, Logano and Harvick all restarted in the top two rows due to changing two tires instead of four, while Truex was fifth.
But Almirola crashed hard on the restart, and Truex eventually again drove to another stage victory by beating Larson to the stripe by nearly a second on Lap 185.
–Field Level Media