NASCAR CUP SERIES: CHAMPIONSHIP

November 7, 2021

Martin Truex

Pit Lane TV Quotes

An Interview with:

Q. He was probably the one that gave the biggest challenge to Kyle Larson there late, got so close in those waning laps. What more did you need to go and pass that 5?

MARTIN TRUEX JR.: I don't know, the clean air seemed to be a good bit of an advantage. Whoever got out front was good for 20, 30, 40 laps, and then the long run cars would start coming around.

I don't know, ultimately we needed to beat him off pit road. It's unfortunate, but we win and lose as a team. And really proud of our efforts this year. Just big thanks to everybody that makes it possible, Bass Pro Shops, Auto-Owners, Reser's Fine Foods, Toyota TRD, Sherwin-Williams, Oakley, Textron, Noble Aerospace, all our partners.

That's three times we've been second, and that sucks. Second hurts I'm not going to lie, especially with the car we had and the job the guys did.

That's racing, as they say, and sometimes you're just not on the right end of things. We were on the right end to things to get the lead there and weren't able to hold on to it. If we could have had the lead, I think it would have been over, but that's kind of how the 5 did it, too. So they had a hell of a season and congrats to them.

Gosh, second sucks. I hate it.

Q. I saw you take a moment there in the car and just sort of collect your thoughts. What was going through your mind when you pulled up here to a stop?

MARTIN TRUEX JR.: Just how close we were again, '18, '19, '21, three years we were right there. Had a car capable of winning, and just -- you know, for whatever reason, it didn't go the way we needed it to.

Then at the end there, not quite enough speed to get to the 5 and then around him. I thought if he'd have stayed on the bottom a little bit longer, I'd have had a shot. But he moved up, and I couldn't do anything on the bottom.

It is what it is. They did a great job, they had a great season, like I said, congrats to them, and come back and try next year.