Watch: Engine failure kicks Martin Truex Jr. out of the Richmond battle, marks his first DNF in 2024

Martin Truex Jr. has succumbed to an engine failure during the final stage at Richmond Raceway. The #19 Toyota Camry had "no power" and the Joe Gibbs Racing driver couldn't help but see his return to NASCAR after the mid-season ending with a DNF.

Truex Jr. registered the second-fastest qualifying time and kicked off his Richmond run next to his teammate, Denny Hamlin. He recorded a third-place finish in Stage 1, but lost several track positions due to a slow pitstop with an issue on the left-rear wheel and rounded up in 11th in the second stage.

Shortly after the final stage restart was green-flagged, the JGR driver, on lap 249, radioed in about the engine "blowing up". At the moment, he was running 10th but had to pit to address the issue. However, the engine was blown beyond repair and NASCAR's 23rd Cup Series race marked Martin Truex Jr.'s first DNF this season.

Here's the video of the #19 Toyota Camry and the driver informing his team about "blowing up" and "no power" from the engine (via NASCAR on X).

The New Jersey native is currently the highest-placed winless driver in the playoff picture and despite his pre-mature exit from the race, he won't be dethroned from his spot.

"It hiccupped once going down the backstretch, and then it started missing"- Martin Truex Jr. details how his engine failed at Richmond

Martin Truex Jr. was running 10th with at least 150 laps to go before the checkered flag dropped. Thus, the JGR driver had a shot at churning a promising outcome. He has nine top-10s and four top-5s under his belt, with his last top-5 coming in 11 races before, at the Kansas Speedway.

Nonetheless, the New Jersey native's pursuit of finishing among the frontrunners didn't come to fruition as his engine progressively gave up and the hopeful day ended on a disappointing note.

“It hiccupped once going down the backstretch, and then it started missing. “It’s like it broke a valve spring or something and then it kind of self-disintegrated, self-destructed really quickly. I don’t know. One of them days,” Truex Jr. said via NASCAR.

Martin Truex Jr. suffered an early exit compared to the drivers ranked below him in the playoff picture- Ty Gibbs (14), Chris Buescher (15), and Ross Chastain (16). Still, the JGR driver won't be dethroned as the highest-ranked winless driver in the Playoff Picture, as neither of the drivers ranked below him secured a stage or a race win.

Moreover, the veteran driver entered the Richmond race with a comfortable 108-point surplus over the playoff cutline and led by 66, 91, and 101 points over Gibbs, Buescher, and Chastain, respectively.