Late-race issues plague three playoff drivers
FORT WORTH, TEXAS –Sunday’s Autotrader Echo Park Automotive 500 at Texas Motor Speedway was a relatively quiet race for the eight remaining NASCAR Cup Series playoff drivers – until Lap 300.
Four cautions flew from Lap 300 onward in Sunday’s race, beginning with a Lap 300 caution for Joey Logano blowing an engine.
Logano’s engine failure was the first he encountered this season. Before the failure, he ran inside the Top 10 throughout the day.
On Lap 315, Denny Hamlin encountered a flat left-rear tire and spin after making contact with Ryan Blaney. Hamlin pitted for the flat tire and damage and continued.
On Lap 329, Chris Buescher spun into Hamlin exiting turn two, causing damage to Hamlin’s front end. His team repaired the car and Hamlin continued.
Between the two Hamlin-involved cautions, fellow playoff driver Martin Truex Jr. was tapped by Daniel Suarez in turn 3 on Lap 321. Truex spun and hit the outside wall hard, causing him to fall out of the race.
Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr. and Joey Logano finished 11th, 25th and 30th, respectively. Hamlin is nine points ahead of the cutline, while Truex Jr. and Logano are 22 and 43 points below the cutline, respectively.
The next race for the NASCAR Cup Series is the October 24 Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway (3 p.m. ET; TV: NBCSN; Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
SOURCES:
NASCAR
Racing-Reference.Info
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com