Martin Truex Jr. on Bubba Wallace’s “stupid dumba** move” that caused JGR driver’s overtime defeat in Richmond

Martin Truex Jr. was left seething at Bubba Wallace following the conclusion of the recent NASCAR Cup race at Richmond Raceway.

As the NASCAR Cup Series Toyota Owners 400 race drew close to its conclusion, Martin Truex Jr. appeared to be on his way to a comfortable win. However, a 398th-lap contact between Kyle Larson and 23XI Racing star Bubba Wallace caused the former to spin and signal the caution flag.

The race was restarted and sent into overtime, where Truex, who had led 228 laps at the time, lost his spot to teammate Denny Hamlin during the pit stop ahead of the restart. The 2017 Cup Series champion was also overtaken by Joey Logano and subsequently, Kyle Larson. Martin Truex Jr. had to settle for a fourth-place finish.

Speaking to Frontstretch after the race, the 43-year-old driver expressed his frustration with Bubba Wallace's maneuver and the subsequent chaos that ensued, which caused him to lose his spot.

"Unfortunately, it’s happened to us a few times at Richmond here," Truex said. "You know, lead the whole race and some stupid, dumba** move brings out a caution coming to the white flag and ruins our whole night. It was unfortunate, but an awesome job by my team."

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Joe Gibbs addresses Martin Truex Jr.'s frustration with Denny Hamlin

Truex, who was cruising to his first victory of the season, was visibly upset with teammate Denny Hamlin after the race. Letting his frustrations be known, the No. 19 Toyota driver bumped his vehicle into Hamlin's No. 11 Toyota when the latter was driving into the victory lane.

In a post-race interview with Fox Sports' Jamie Little, MTJ even accused Hamlin of jumping the restart, showing signs of a potential rift between the two JGR veterans.

Addressing the situation after the race, team owner Joe Gibbs acknowledged the magnitude of disappointment experienced by his driver. He stated in the post-race press conference:

"These guys put so much into this. When you have an experience the way Martin did tonight... it was devastating.

“Happy for Denny, certainly. But then, you see that in Martin, how hard he fought for this and how much you wanted it. You really feel for (the drivers) when they go through a night like Martin went through this night."

After seven races in the season, Martin Truex Jr. leads the NASCAR Cup Series standings with 270 points to his name. Meanwhile, Denny Hamlin finds himself third in the standings with two wins and 252 points.