{"id":229279,"date":"2025-10-21T12:01:08","date_gmt":"2025-10-21T12:01:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/229279\/"},"modified":"2025-10-21T12:01:08","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T12:01:08","slug":"nascar-shrapnel-for-martin-truex-talladega-winner-revives-the-no-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/229279\/","title":{"rendered":"NASCAR shrapnel for Martin Truex? Talladega winner revives the No. 19"},"content":{"rendered":"

One Chase will chase a championship <\/a>in two weeks while the other Chase is down to his last chip this coming week at Martinsville.<\/p>\n

A clear dividing line has been drawn between the top four and the next four, Talladega once again shook things up<\/a>, the final stage will be set in a fitting manner \u2014 at one of stock-car racing\u2019s historic half-mile artifacts \u2014 so what\u2019s left to discuss at this point?<\/p>\n

Well, we could dump on Martin Truex.<\/p>\n

Huh? You\u2019re dragging a highly respected and recently retired racer into our weekly gathering just to throw stones? How dare you?<\/p>\n

Good point, that wouldn\u2019t be proper. However, it\u2019s worth pointing out the difference that can be made by the cockpit and its current occupant.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The occupant of the No. 19 Toyota last year \u2014 the aforementioned Mr. Truex \u2014 spent much of the 2024 season with one foot out the door.\u00a0<\/p>\n

After a downturn in the second half of 2023, he was winless throughout 2024, and after some quality points-gathering through the first third of the season, he slid dramatically the rest of the way as the retirement rumors eventually became fact.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s rarely any outward appearance of a lack of desire, and probably not even any internal beliefs that a driver\u2019s give-a-damn has taken a downturn. But boy oh boy, those cars sure seem capable of feeling it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It all ended last fall with a quick bounce from the playoffs, cruise-control to the final checkers in Phoenix, then a handing of the keys to Chase Briscoe, which is where we\u2019ll begin our climb through the gear box \u2026<\/p>\n

First Gear: Joe Gibbs’ No. 19 team a NASCAR contender again<\/p>\n

The No. 19 team \u2014 a perennial championship threat and part of the Joe Gibbs racing family \u2014 managed just five top-fives during its winless 2024 and just 11 top-10s. This year, with hungry young hands on the wheel, there\u2019s been three wins, 15 top-fives and 19 top-10s.\u00a0<\/p>\n

With two races remaining and a potential championship.<\/p>\n

That championship opportunity was clinched Sunday when Briscoe won at Talladega in his 10th career Cup start there. Truex, strangely for a past champ and future Hall of Famer, was 0-for-40 at Talladega (and Daytona, by the way).<\/p>\n

Carl Edwards got the No. 19 off to a running start in 2015 but retired after the next year. Daniel Suarez served as caretaker for two seasons before Truex took over in 2019 and won seven races while falling one spot short of the championship.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Truex reestablished the No. 19 team but eventually focused on the exit ramp, and Briscoe has shown us what happens when a quality racer is plucked from a tough situation and given a new lease on his blossoming career.<\/p>\n

Drivers who have won 3+ races in their first full-time season for Joe Gibbs Racing:<\/p>\n

Bobby Labonte
Tony Stewart
Kyle Busch
Matt Kenseth
Martin Truex Jr.<\/p>\n

and now, Chase Briscoe pic.twitter.com\/tcFFJ1avR7<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Daniel C\u00e9spedes (@_DanielCespedes) October 19, 2025<\/a>Second Gear: Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe await two more<\/p>\n

Well, the situation is about as clear as it could be.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Two racers \u2014 Denny Hamlin and Briscoe \u2014 have each won Round of 8 races and earned a championship attempt at Phoenix.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Two others \u2014 Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson \u2014 sit within a point of each other in the third and fourth spots, laps ahead of the four current outsiders: William Byron (36 points behind Larson), Joey Logano (-38), Ryan Blaney (-47), and Chase Elliott (-62 after crashing into a last-place finish Sunday).<\/p>\n

So there will realistically be just one points battle to watch at Martinsville, and even that one might not matter. If one of the bottom four is threatening to win, Bell and Larson will then be locked into a two-man race to see who gets the final Phoenix spot on points.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the Next Gen era, which began in 2022, three of the current outsiders (Blaney, Logano and Elliott) are among the top four in best average finishes at Martinsville. Blaney and Byron each have two wins there over the past four seasons.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Third Gear: NASCAR can be dangerous, remember?<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve become so accustomed to the Big One at Talladega (and Daytona) that we sometimes fail to appreciate the fact there are humans inside those tossing and turning hunks of steel frames.<\/p>\n

All three days of racing this past weekend brought a reminder that, yep, it\u2019s still dangerous out there.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Friday, Norm Benning was damn near seared when his truck caught fire after a blown engine \u2014 \u201cI couldn\u2019t breathe at all,\u201d he said. Benning is 73 and seems to be following in the tire tracks of Herschel McGriff, James Hylton and Morgan Shepherd, racing at an age when most men are only driving to the nearest pharmacy or pickleball court.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

But he\u2019s gonna keep strapping in, he said over the weekend \u2014 \u201cwhy quit now?\u201d he asked. Well, I don\u2019t know, but since the dawn of time, flames have been a universal symbol of sorts.<\/p>\n

The next day, William Sawalich joined an Xfinity-sanctioned Big One. He was banged up enough for a trip to the hospital. He was released overnight and went home, where he reported being \u201ca little sore.\u201d No kidding.<\/p>\n

And Sunday, it was AJ Allmendinger\u2019s turn to battle the SAFER Barrier and come away much better than he might\u2019ve in earlier times. Still, he had the wind knocked out of him and had to ignore that to escape his smoking cockpit and collapse on the asphalt, where he waited a little too long, it seemed, for safety personnel to arrive.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He, too, was sore but said, \u201cAt the end of the day I get to kiss Tara and Aero.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s right, his son is named Aero. His first name is Aero and his initials, like his dad\u2019s, are AJ. You think he\u2019s destined to race?<\/p>\n

Fourth Gear: Kyle Busch, Butterbean Queen set for 2026<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s review a pair of personnel moves from the past week \u2014 both of which, we hope, turn out well.<\/p>\n

Kyle Busch is getting a new crew chief<\/a>, Jim Pohlman, who\u2019s nearing the end of three productive years with Xfinity driver Justin Allgaier and JR Motorsports. Might help, might not. At this stage, though, it sure can\u2019t hurt.<\/p>\n

Also, the Butterbean is getting a truck ride. Brenden \u201cButterbean\u201d Queen was announced as the first of five racers who will pilot Dodge Rams in that manufacturer\u2019s return to the Truck Series next year.<\/p>\n

The \u2019Bean is both an old-school throwback and a product of modern branding. He quickly worked his way through the short-track route before winning this year\u2019s ARCA championship at age 27 \u2014 all after working a real job (longshoreman!).<\/p>\n

But he\u2019s also parlayed the longtime nickname, a throwback mullet hairstyle, and penchant for post-victory Waffle House visits into quite a social media following.\u00a0Marketing remains a big deal, maybe bigger than ever, and he’s a refreshing natural.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Email Ken Willis at ken.willis@news-jrnl.com\u00a0<\/p>\n