The 2019 edition of the Texas Motor Speedway was filled with upsets and dramatic finishes. The biggest story coming out of the game was Joey Logano trading paint with Travis Pastrňa. This resulted in a crazy battle that ended in tears for both crews. Another story is Martin Truex Jr. driving a car with a broken front end to an unexpected victory.
Here’s a full recap of the top stories and results from today’s race:
Joey Logano And Travis Pastrňa Go At It In A Brawl For The Ages
The two most talked-about drivers in NASCAR made history on Lap 1 of today’s Cup race when they hooked up in a brawl that raged for several hundred yards. The two were involved in a multi-car pile-up that brought out the red flag and halted the action for several minutes. After the race was resumed, both drivers kept their helmets on and continued battling it out. At one point, they were side-by-side and almost came to blows, before pulling apart and shaking hands. It was an incredible display of courage and competitiveness, and it earned them a place in the record books.
This was the most intense battle since the Great Race Of 2018, and it made for compelling television. While we were distracted by the intensity of the battle, we were also reminded of how fierce these two drivers are in competition. They are both absolute monsters on the race track. The entire incident was caught on camera and will be available for all to see. This one is going down in history as one of the greatest battles in motorsport history.
Pastrňa Wins, But Does He Have What It Takes To Win The Championship?
Pastrňa became the first Portuguese-speaking driver to win a NASCAR race when he took the checkered flag at the end of the first of two 75-lap feature events. He started from the pole and led from lap 1 to 22. He stayed ahead of Austin Dillon until lap 42, when the two collided. Dillon hit the wall hard, bringing out the caution. On the same lap, Dillon and Denny Hamlin tangled, causing Hamlin to spin out. This promoted Pastrňa to the lead, and he picked up where he left off before the caution flag was even brought out. He led for the rest of the race and finished 48 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Kyle Busch.
With just two races remaining, Pastrňa is in a good position to win the championship. He needs just one more victory to tie Kevin Harvick for the most victories in the Cup series. Harvick has five wins this season compared to Pastrňa’s four, and it’s been a battle for the championship all year long. We will find out in the next two races whether Pastrňa is the real deal or just another flash in the pan. The one thing we know for sure is that his name will be among the greats of NASCAR for decades to come.
Hamlin Falls Short Of Crown
The battle for the title was not settled today as Kyle Busch claimed the flag on the final lap of the second race to win his second straight championship. Busch started on the pole and led for most of the race, until Hamlin retook the lead on lap 49. The two swapped the lead multiple times. In the end, the margin of victory was just 4.5 seconds as Hamlin crossed the line after the caution was flown for a multi-car crash on the final lap. He finished 29 seconds ahead of third-place finisher Denny Hamlin. Kyle Busch claimed his first championship in just his second season, and it’s the most dominant performance we’ve ever seen from the 2018 rookie of the year. He won every single race, including the season-opener and the prestigious Daytona 500, to secure the title. We saw flashes of brilliance from Busch back in 2018, but this season has been an all-out assault on the record books. If there’s one word to describe his amazing season, it’s “inevitable.” As for Hamlin, he had a historic season and still has a chance to add another championship to his resume. He’s still got plenty of racing left, and we’ll have to wait and see if he can add another banner to his laundry list of achievements.
Truex Takes The Cake, But Has It All Been A Fluke?
On the same day that Kyle Busch won the title, his teammate, Martin Truex Jr., picked up where he left off last year and won the final two races of the season to take the checkered flag once more. The driver of the No. 19 Furniture Row team was the best of a very weak field in the last race of the season, and he finished 5.3 seconds ahead of second place. He started the final race of the season from the pole position, but a late-race accident relegated him to third place. He had the opportunity to win the title one last time, but he dropped back to fourth place after the race was called. His championship window, which has been open for a while, might have closed with this year’s version of the Chase being so strong this year. It’s also possible that teams might have figured out how to beat him. He won’t go down in history as one of the greatest drivers of all time, but this year has been a real career resurgence for the popular veteran. He won’t be able to end his 20-year career empty-handed.
All in all, it was an extremely exciting day at Texas Motor Speedway. We saw many firsts and will see more as a result of the new format changes. The fans, the competitors, and the media were all buzzing about how historic this day was going to be. We’ll have to wait a little while before we know if all that activity had any effect on the outcome of the day’s racing. One thing is for sure, tomorrow is another chapter in the already storied history of Texas Motor Speedway.