Here’s how Martin Truex Jr. lost his final shot to retire as a 2x NASCAR Cup champion

Despite keeping himself with the frontrunners for the first two stages, Martin Truex Jr. couldn't make his way past the playoff elimination line. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver was 3 points above the threshold after a second-place finish in Stage 2 but soon found himself in the rear of the pack after speeding in the pitlane by a minuscule 0.9 mph. Post that, the #19 Toyota Camry couldn't regain momentum, marking MTJ's final Cup race for Joe Gibbs.

The 2017 regular season champion entered the Bass Pro Shops Night Race with a 14-point deficit in the playoffs. However, after setting the fourth-fastest time in the qualifying and becoming the fastest JGR driver entering the playoff elimination race, odds were high that the veteran driver wouldn't fumble on the 'World's Fastest Half-Mile' oval.

Moreover, Truex Jr. matched the frontrunners' pace for over 300 of the 500 laps and didn't let his guard fall, finishing fourth in Stage 1 and second in Stage 2, behind Kyle Larson. The former tried to close in on the Hendrick Motorsports rival during the second stage but was less than a second short in his pursuit.

However, the playoff-eliminating incident transpired during the final stage pitstop under caution on Lap 332. The 34-time Cup race winner was caught speeding in the pitlane, and as a result, was slapped with a penalty. He entered the pits in second but exited outside the top 20. After that, Martin Truex Jr. couldn't revive from the blow and rounded up a 24th-place finish.

That said, the JGR driver lost his final opportunity to bag his second Cup Series championship since registering his first in 2017.

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Martin Truex Jr. "frustrated" after failing to promote his #19 team to the Round of 12

Back in June this year, Martin Truex Jr. announced his retirement from full-time Cup Series racing after the 2024 season. Since debuting in the Cup race in the 2004 Atlanta race, the JGR driver has amassed numerous achievements, including the 2017 Cup Series championship, two Coca-Cola 600 wins, and two Xfinity Series titles, to name a few.

However, since entering JGR's garage in 2019, Truex Jr. has failed to emerge as a Cup champion. Though he bagged the runner-up spots in his maiden year with the team, in 2021, he was yet to bring a trophy for Joe Gibbs. And the 2024 season was the last chance to materialize that.

But the pit road speeding penalty during the Round of 16 finale snatched the only opportunity at his disposal, leaving him "frustrated."

"It was 0.9 mph (overspeeding in the pitlane). Really frustrated, upset, hate it for my guys. They worked so hard and we got a shot at it tonight, it wasn't gonna be easy and there's no guarantee as we had to run second or third to make it through. It was gonna be tough, I don't know if we were quite good enough, but it would be nice to find out at least. Just hated that I screwed it up for everybody," Martin Truex Jr. said after the race via Dirty Mo Media on X.

While Martin Truex Jr. and Ty Gibbs failed to advance, Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell have locked their spot for the next race at Kansas Speedway.