"I'm bored out here riding around 2 laps down" - Martin Truex Jr. explains reason behind helping struggling Bell at Gateway

Joe Gibbs Racing veteran Martin Truex Jr. displayed great camaraderie during NASCAR's visit to the World Wide Technology Raceway. The #19 Toyota driver assisted his teammate Christopher Bell by pushing him on the straightaways, helping Bell secure a top-10 finish.

Truex Jr's outing at Gateway was marred by a flat rear-left tire that put him several laps down. On the other hand, Bell was in contention for the race win but an issue with a valve spring halted his progress. He dropped out of the top 5 but was able to maintain speed.

Martin Truex Jr., who was in no man's land, decided to push the stricken #20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota on the straightaways, which was limping around the track. Truex Jr's efforts helped Christopher Bell to secure a seventh-placed result.

After the heartwarming incident gained attention, Truex Jr. elaborated on the incident. He revealed that he didn't receive any request or command over the radio to assist the #20 Toyota. He decided to help out simply because he was bored and not competing with any other drivers at that moment. In a recent interview with Davey Segal, Truex Jr. said,

"They were like, 'You're catching the #20 [Bell], he's limping around his engine's gone sour.' I just thought in my mind, 'Ok I'll just push him down the straightway.' I don't know it just happened, it was totally natural. They didn't say nothing about it, nobody asked for help. I was like 'Eh! I'm bored out here riding around two laps down, I'm not racing anyone. I'm just gonna push him, see if I can help him out.'"

The final lap incident was the only highlight for the #19 JGR team, leaving Gateway with a mere three points added to their tally, after being classified 34th.

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Martin Truex Jr. expects Christopher Bell to return the favor

After helping Christopher Bell finish the race at Gateway, Martin Truex Jr. hopes his teammate repays the favor. The NASCAR Cup champion will not be satisfied with a steak dinner, as he expects Bell to help him out on the track.

"I would expect a little more than a steak dinner, but at some point he'll have a chance to repay the favor. I'm talking about helping me on the race track a little bit. I can afford steak," he said in the aforementioned interview.

Bell's assistance might come in handy for the #19 Toyota driver, who is yet to make a trip to the victory lane this season. The poor outing at Gateway dropped Martin Truex Jr from second to fourth in the driver's standings, trailing leader Denny Hamlin by 44 points.