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Martin Truex Jr. Clinches Monster Energy NASCAR Driver’s Title Ahead Of Larson, Busch

Furniture Row Racing driver Martin Truex Jr., pilot of the No. 78 Toyota Camry in the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series, managed to snatch the driver’s title at last weekend’s Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. With one race still left in the 2017 season, the battle for second is down to Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry driver Kyle Busch, and Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet SS driver Kyle Larson, who trails Busch by nine points.

Larson’s No. 42 Chevrolet SS featured a special red-and-blue “Silver Bullet” livery at Sunday’s race that was meant as an homage to retired NASCAR driver Kyle Petty – son of NASCAR great Richard Petty. Kyle Petty drove the No. 42 Pontiac for Felix Sabates from 1989 to 1996.

Unfortunately, the throwback paint scheme wasn’t enough to ensure a strong finish for Larson, who finished fourteenth at the Bojangles’ Southern 500 despite being the fastest in the opening practice session and leading the race for an impressive 124 laps – more than any other driver save for race winner Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota).

Chevrolet is currently in second in the manufacturer’s standings, trailing Toyota by one point. Chevy has nine race wins to its name this season to Ford and Toyota’s eight apiece.

Aaron Brzozowski is a writer and motoring enthusiast from Detroit with an affinity for '80s German steel. He is not active on the Twitter these days, but you may send him a courier pigeon.

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Comments

  1. MONSTER ENERGY CUP PLAYOFFS? “PLAYOFFS” ???

    Just make the Daytona 500 your “Super Bowl” already, and have a nice day. Motorsports > nascar!

    Reply
  2. Only regular season champion, still have playoffs to go, whatever that means. Googled it. I used to be addicted to Nascar as much as the next redneck, but they started to lose me with the commitment cone and now with stage racing, I am gone. I didn’t even bother to watch the Daytona 500 this year, the first one I have not watched in a very long time.

    Reply
  3. I no longer watch anymore either.

    I watched even as a kid in the late 60’s but no more.

    When the went to the chase they started to lose me and when Kyle Bush won a championship after sitting out half a year you can count me out,

    I go to the Xfinity race at Mid Ohio mostly to hang with the Trans Am teams and some friends who work for a couple teams. That is it.

    Jr hangs it up the last one out better shut off the light.

    They need to go back to their roots of more short tracks in the south and the guy who gets the most year long points wins.

    The Champion should be the driver that performs the best over a full year.

    They should give the winner more points but go back to the old plan. This fabricated BS is just killing the sport.

    I understand technology had rendered the use of stock cars out but they still could put on a good show with all the fake playoffs.

    Also run more road races and add a couple dirt races. That is what separates the great from the good.

    Reply

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