“Pretty stupid”: When frustrated Martin Truex Jr. blasted 7-time NASCAR Cup Series champion as ‘desperation’ cost potential win

In 2018, Martin Truex Jr. was chasing what could have been his final win of the Cup Series season. However, Jimmie Johnson's "desperation" to bag his maiden victory of the season proved costly for the then-Furniture Row Racing driver.

Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course hosted the Bank of America ROVAL 400. Ryan Blaney won as Johnson and Truex Jr.'s fierce battle for the lead propelled into a crash. With the checkered flag in sight, the seven-time Cup Series champion tried to lurch ahead of Truex Jr. but lost control of his #48 Chevy.

Johnson's spinning car cut through the chicane and intercepted the Furniture Row Racing driver's #78 Toyota. As a result, both high-octane machines lost control and spun, opening room for Blaney to park his Team Penske Ford in the victory lane.

The following video depicts the intense final lap battle between the championship contenders (via NASCAR on X).

Martin Truex Jr. was frustrated as his championship hopes suffered a big blow. He wasn't pleased with the Hendrick Motorsports driver's move as even a second-place finish would have kept the latter's title fight alive. After the race, the veteran driver slammed Johson's "desperation" and said (via Racer):

“He wasn’t ever going to make it through that corner whether I was there or not. Just desperation on his part and pretty stupid really, if you think about it because he was locked into the next round and now he’s out. I guess if there’s a silver lining, that’s it," Martin Truex Jr. said.

"It would have been really fun to take it to victory lane, but at the end of the day it wasn’t meant to be, and we’ll move on to the next one," he added.

Truex Jr. wrapped up his 109-lap run in 14th place while Johnson was way up in eighth.

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"I really felt like I could put some pressure": Jimmie Johnson on wrecking out Martin Truex Jr. at Charlotte

Jimmie Johnson stood sixth-fastest in the qualifying while the #78 Toyota rival was down in 13th. However, Martin Truex Jr. outperformed Johnson, finishing fourth in Stage 1, while the latter settled in sixth.

In the second stage, the tables turned to favor the HMS driver. Johnson regained momentum to surge past Truex Jr. to bag a second-place finish in Stage 2. On the contrary, the Furniture Row Racing driver couldn't keep his Toyota in the top 10.

But the battle took a drastic turn in the final stage. With five laps led, Truex Jr. led the deciding lap and gunned towards the checkered flag, with Johnson giving a hard challenge from behind, then both crashed. The latter felt that "pressuring" the race leader might open some room to overtake, but the move backfired.

"I really felt like I could put some pressure on them and take a shot at it. I just locked up the rears and couldn’t control my car and spun. I didn’t think that I initially got into him, but clearly, I did and spun him around. Took myself out of a shot at the championship and obviously affected their day which I feel bad about," Johnson said via USA Today.

Martin Truex Jr. stood second in the 2018 Cup Series rankings while Johnson wrapped up his season in 14th place.