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Truex showed strength early in the race, driving up inside the top-five.
The 2023 Clash at the L.A. Coliseum winner hasn’t won a points race since Richmond in September, 2021. Unfortunately, issues on pit road derailed any chance he had of visiting Victory Lane this past weekend.
During the first stop of the race, Truex was sent o the rear of the field for equipment interference, due to a tire rolling into a rival team’s pit box. He was running fourth. He drove back to the top-ten, only to encounter a bigger issue.
Later on, the left-front wheel wasn’t tight and eventually separated from the car on the backstretch after Truex left pit road. The result was a two-lap penalty. Impressively, he got both laps back and salvaged an eleventh-place finish.
The penalties do not end there, however. Per the NASCAR rule book, two crew members have also been suspended for the next two races. Previously, the crew chief would be suspended for four races, but NASCAR elected to adjust the penalty ahead of the 2023 season.
Those suspended are tire changer Danny Olszowy and jackman Kellen Mills.
There were no other penalties following the Cup and Xfinity Series races at Fontana.