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Truex takes emotional win for Furniture Row Racing at Kansas

Martin Truex Jr. made it a clean sweep at Kansas Speedway on Sunday.

Race winner Martin Truex Jr., Furniture Row Racing Toyota

Race winner Martin Truex Jr., Furniture Row Racing Toyota

Lesley Ann Miller / Motorsport Images

Martin Truex Jr., Furniture Row Racing Toyota, Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Martin Truex Jr., Furniture Row Racing Toyota
Martin Truex Jr., Furniture Row Racing Toyota
Martin Truex Jr., Furniture Row Racing Toyota

A loose wheel and penalty could not keep Truex from scoring his seventh Monster Energy Cup Series win of the season — including his second Kansas victory in 2017. 

“Fight, fight, baby. Never give up, this one is for Jim, looking out for us here,” said Truex as he dedicated the win to Jim Watson, the Furniture Row Racing crewmen who passed away on Saturday night.

Ryan Blaney finished third followed by Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, Chris Buescher, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick, Aric Almirola and Kyle Busch. Jimmie Johnson finished 11th. Keselowski came home 13th. 

Kyle Larson, Jamie McMurray, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Matt Kenseth failed to transfer to the Round of 8.

Harvick gained the lead for the final stage when Hamlin pitted on Lap 163. Kenseth ran second followed by Kyle Busch, Jones, McMurray, Blaney, Elliott, Dillon, Earnhardt Truex, Kurt Busch, Suarez, Kahne, Newman and Johnson when the race returned to green on Lap 167. Brad Keselowski and Stage 2 winner Denny Hamlin, both who were busted for speeding on pit road, restarted 25th and 26th, respectively. 

After three laps, Harvick held the point folllowed by Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Jones, Blaney, Truex, McMurray, Elliott, Suarez, Austin Dillon, Kurt Busch, Johnson, Kahne, Bowyer, Earnhardt, Almirola, Ty Dillon, Trevor Bayne, Joey Logano, Chris Buescher and Ryan Newman. Keselowski moved up to 22nd by Lap 172. Hamlin ran 23rd.

Stenhouse flirted with disaster on Lap 172 when he hit the Turn 2 wall but ignited the caution two laps later when he slapped the Turn 3 wall. He was running 22nd before coming to pit road.

Harvick continued to lead followed by Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Jones, Blaney, Truex, McMurray, Elliott, Suarez, Dillon, Kurt Busch, Johnson, Kahne Bowyer, Almirola, Earnhardt, Ty Dillon, Bayne, Logano and Buescher. Keselowski had advanced to 22nd, Hamlin 24th. 

Harvick remained on the track along with Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Blaney, Bowyer and Hamlin. Truex was the first lead lap driver out of the pits followed by Jones, McMurray, Suarez, Elliott, Austin Dillon, Johnson, Earnhardt, Kurt Busch, Kahne, Ty Dillon and Keselowski. Stenhouse restarted 31st, one lap down. 

Harvick led the field to the Lap 180 restart. After two laps, Harvick held a .641-second lead over Kyle Busch. Kenseth, Blaney, Jones, Truex, Bowyer, McMurray, Elliott and Johnson completed the top 10. 

Stenhouse returned to the pits on Lap 185. Harvick’s advantage extended to 1.471-seconds over Kyle Busch, Kenseth, Jones, Elliott, Blaney, Truex, McMurray, Bowyer and Johnson rounded out the top 10.

Johnson goes spinning 

Johnson lost control of his car coming out of Turn 4 and slid down the front stretch grass to trigger the seventh caution on Lap 186. Harvick remained on the track with Kyle Busch, Jones, Elliott, Bowyer, Kurt Busch, Suarez, Dillon, Almirola, Ty Dillon, Kahne and McDowell, Truex pitted along with Kenseth, Blaney, Hamlin, Earnhardt Keselowski, Buescher, Logano, Patrick, Bayne, Allmendinger, Newman and Johnson. 

“We have 75 laps to go, let’s get in this thing,” crew chief Chad Knaus told Johnson.

The field restarted on Lap 192 and Johnson failed to complete a lap before spinning out of Turn 3. 

“Flat tire,” Johnson said. “Got loose again.” 

Harvick held the point followed by Kyle Busch, Jones, Elliott, McMurray, Suarez, Truex, Bowyer, Kurt Busch, Blaney, Almirola, Ty Dillon, Kenseth, Earnhardt, Buescher, Hamlin, Ty Dillon, Patrick, Keselowski and Kahne. Johnson dropped to 27th, the last car on the lead lap. 

Race-halting crash

Harvick controlled the Lap 198 restart but Kyle Busch took the lead coming out of Turn 2. The field hadn’t cleared the backstretch when Erik Jones lost control of his car, over-corrected and came across the nose of McMurray. Kenseth, Logano, Newman, Bowyer, Almirola, Suarez, Bayne, Elliott, Austin Dillon and Earnhardt received damage in the wreck. Kenseth

NASCAR issued the red-flag for 10minute, 10-seconds. The race returned to yellow and finally went green on Lap 205 with Busch in the lead. Harvick, Truex, Elliott, Earnhardt, Blaney, Johnson, Buescher, Kurt Busch, Hamlin, Keselowski, Blaney, David Ragan, Almirola and Michael McDowell completed the top 15. 

Truex moved up to second on the next lap and set his sights on Busch. Harvick dropped to third followed by Elliott and Blaney. Kurt Busch, Keselowski, Earnhardt Hamlin and Johnson completed the top 10. Truex went underneath Busch for the lead in Turn 2 on Lap 211. Busch dropped .638-seconds behind after three-quarters of a lap. Elliott moved up to third and Harvick fell to fourth, complaining of a tight condition. Blaney ran fifth followed by Kurt Busch, Keselowski, Hamlin, Earnhardt and Johnson.

Truex held a two-second lead over Busch on Lap 215. Elliott, Blaney, Harvick, Kurt Busch, Keselowski, Hamlin, Earnhardt and Johnson completed the top 10. 

Harvick pitted from sixth-place on Lap 221. Earnhardt moved up to sixth followed by Hamlin, Keselowski, Almirola and Buescher. Johnson ran 11th. Harvick dropped to 22nd, one lap down. 

Truex held a five-second lead over Kyle Busch by Lap 230. Busch pit two laps later. Elliott moved up to second followed by Blaney, Kurt Busch, Earnhardt, Hamlin, Keselowski, Buescher Almirola and Johnson.

Allmendinger spun off of Turn 4 on Lap 235 to trigger the 10th caution. Truex led followed by Elliott, Blaney, Kurt Busch, Earnhardt, Hamlin, Keselowski, Buescher, Almirola and Johnson. Harvick was the second car, one lap down in 21st. Kyle Busch ran 22nd.

Pit road finally opened on Lap 239. Keselowski was busted for speeding in Section 8 and was sent to the tail of the field. He exited 12th and restarted 22nd

“There’s no way,” Keselowski said.

Bayne, who was 20th, took the wave around. Harvick and Busch cycled back to the lead lap in 20th and 21st, respectively. 

Final run

Truex led the field to green on Lap 243 followed by Kurt Busch, Hamlin, Blaney, Elliott, Earnhardt, Buescher, Almirola, Johnson, Austin Dillon and Ragan. Blaney passed Hamlin for third on Lap 245. Elliott remained fifth followed by Buescher, Johnson, Earnhardt, Ragan and Almirola. 

With 20 laps remaining, Truex’s lead was .682-seconds over Kurt Busch. Harvick moved up to 16th, Busch 18th and Keselowski 20th. Harvick moved up to 14th on Lap 249. 

Kurt Busch trailed Truex by 1.038-seconds with 10 laps to decide the race. Blaney ran second followed by Elliott, Hamlin, Buescher, Earnhardt, Almirola, Johnson and Harvick. Kyle Busch recovered to 12th with Keselowski in 15th-place. 

"I can't say enough about all these guys on the Furniture Row/Bass Pro Toyota, I'm just really proud of them," said Truex. "Our great friend Jim Watson, losing him last night, I want to send condolences to his family. He was a heck of a guy and a great worker and helped put a lot of speed in these Furniture Row Toyotas."

"I'm excited to get this one at Kansas. It feels really awesome. It's really Furniture Row's home track. It feels really good to win here. In the spring it was heartbreak and then today it looked like it wasn't going to happen and we persevered.

"I was definitely thinking about Jim and his family. It's crazy how things all work out."

Cla#DriverManufacturerLapsTimeLaps Led
1 78 united_states Martin Truex Jr.  Toyota 267   89
2 41 united_states Kurt Busch  Ford 267 2.284  
3 21 united_states Ryan Blaney  Ford 267 3.945 2
4 24 united_states Chase Elliott  Chevrolet 267 5.362  
5 11 united_states Denny Hamlin  Toyota 267 8.542 4
6 37 united_states Chris Buescher  Chevrolet 267 11.051  
7 88 united_states Dale Earnhardt Jr.  Chevrolet 267 11.895  
8 4 united_states Kevin Harvick  Ford 267 12.356 36
9 43 united_states Aric Almirola  Ford 267 14.207  
10 18 united_states Kyle Busch  Toyota 267 15.046 107
11 48 united_states Jimmie Johnson  Chevrolet 267 16.748  
12 27 united_states Paul Menard  Chevrolet 267 17.489  
13 2 united_states Brad Keselowski  Ford 267 17.530 16
14 3 united_states Austin Dillon  Chevrolet 267 18.017  
15 5 united_states Kasey Kahne  Chevrolet 267 19.357  
16 13 united_states Ty Dillon  Chevrolet 267 20.273  
17 38 united_states David Ragan  Ford 267 20.534  
18 95 united_states Michael McDowell  Chevrolet 267 21.152  
19 14 united_states Clint Bowyer  Ford 267 22.841  
20 6 united_states Trevor Bayne  Ford 267 23.589  
21 22 united_states Joey Logano  Ford 267 23.795  
22 32 united_states Matt DiBenedetto  Ford 267 24.593  
23 34 united_states Landon Cassill  Ford 265 2 laps  
24 72 united_states Cole Whitt  Chevrolet 263 4 laps  
25 15 united_states Reed Sorenson  Chevrolet 263 4 laps  
26 33 united_states Jeffrey Earnhardt  Chevrolet 261 6 laps  
27 23 united_states Corey Lajoie  Toyota 261 6 laps  
28 55 united_states Gray Gaulding  Toyota 259 7 laps  
29 17 united_states Ricky Stenhouse Jr.  Ford 256 10 laps  
30 51 united_states B.J. McLeod  Chevrolet 254 13 laps  
31 83 united_states Brett Moffitt  Toyota 238 29 laps  
32 47 united_states A.J. Allmendinger  Chevrolet 232 35 laps  
33 31 united_states Ryan Newman  Chevrolet 203 64 laps  
34 1 united_states Jamie McMurray  Chevrolet 198 69 laps 1
35 77 united_states Erik Jones  Toyota 197 70 laps  
36 19 mexico Daniel Suarez  Toyota 197 70 laps  
37 20 united_states Matt Kenseth  Toyota 197 70 laps  
38 10 united_states Danica Patrick  Ford 197 70 laps  
39 42 united_states Kyle Larson  Chevrolet 73 194 laps  
40 00 united_states Derrike Cope  Chevrolet 35 232 laps

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