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Truex defends team after LIS failure, clears the air with Harvick

Martin Truex Jr.’s win at Chicagoland Speedway last Sunday was far from drama free.

Race winner Martin Truex Jr., Furniture Row Racing Toyota

Race winner Martin Truex Jr., Furniture Row Racing Toyota

NASCAR Media

Race winner Martin Truex Jr., Furniture Row Racing Toyota
Martin Truex Jr., Furniture Row Racing Toyota takes the checkered flag
Race winner Martin Truex Jr., Furniture Row Racing Toyota
NASCAR Official
Race winner Martin Truex Jr., Furniture Row Racing Toyota
Martin Truex Jr., Furniture Row Racing Toyota
Race winner Martin Truex Jr., Furniture Row Racing Toyota
The Chase for the Sprint Cup field of drivers: Brad Keselowski, Team Penske Ford, Tony Stewart, Stewart-Haas Racing, Kurt Busch, Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet, Joey Logano, Team Penske Ford, Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, Carl Edwards, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet, Matt Kenseth, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, Chris Buescher, Front Row Motorsports Ford, Martin Truex Jr., Furniture Row Racing Toyota, Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, Kyle Larson, Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet, Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, Austin Dillon, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, Jamie McMurray, Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
Kyle Larson, Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet inspection
Toyota Chase drivers: Martin Truex Jr., Furniture Row Racing, Kyle Busch, Joe Gibbs Racing, Carl Edwards, Joe Gibbs Racing, Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing, Matt Kenseth, Joe Gibbs Racing
Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota of Matt Kenseth at tech inspection
Kevin Harvick and crew chief Rodney Childers, Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet
Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet and Martin Truex Jr., Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet
Martin Truex Jr., Furniture Row Racing Toyota

Truex had to battle with 15 other Chase for the Sprint Cup contenders, fend off attacks from Kevin Harvick and then wonder what penalty — if any — would be coming from the sanctioning body after the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota failed post-race inspection on Sunday.

NASCAR elected not to sanction Truex’s team over the infraction with the car’s rear axle alignment. Consequently, the sanctioning body has increased the tolerances of the Laser Inspection Station (LIS) in an effort to keep the focus on competition rather than dwell on minor infractions. 

Dealing with fallout from LIS failure

When the dust cleared, Truex felt more vindicated than relieved. He believes any hint of impropriety puts a black eye on the sport and a team’s performance.

“Obviously, it didn’t affect us much,” Truex said. “I looked at it more from the outside perspective of it kind of taints your win. You don’t want people to think you’re winning races by what they call cheating. You get people on social media, and they get upset about it.

“It was such a little thing. It so easily could have went the other way, that it’s frustrating that it kind of taints your win a little bit, honestly. That’s the biggest part for me and my guys. I don’t want people to look at them as cheaters or look at us as cheaters and say, ‘Oh, the only reason they’re there is because they’re cheating for 10,000ths of an inch, which is really nothing. Yes, it was the rule. That’s the way it was, but I think going forward, everyone realized we don’t need to be talking about that after a great race.” 

Truex is grateful that he won’t have to worry about the LIS being an issue in the future. He said the No. 78 team — which failed the LIS the previous week at Richmond International Raceway and cost crew chief Cole Pearn $15,000 and the team 10 championship owner and driver points — did everything in its power throughout the weekend to avoid being busted again. 

“I understand how the procedure works and how things are and what we did to be on the safe side,” Truex said. “We couldn’t believe it happened. Cole was dumbfounded. So that was frustrating from his side. 

“From my side, it’s frustrating because people say, ‘Their car was illegal.’ That could mean a million things. It could have been something that was worth three-tenths of a second or it could be something that means absolutely nothing. But a lot of people don’t understand that. It’s hard to explain that. People get a bad taste in their mouths when you win a race and someone says your car is illegal.”

Not a supporter of putting all Chasers through LIS post-race

On Tuesday, NASCAR announced all 16 Chase cars will be subject to post-race LIS trip. Truex is not a fan of the procedure.

“I know a lot of people don’t understand it,” Truex said. “Sprint Cup cars have a solid rear axle. Both wheels can’t move independently. Let’s say you go over the laser before the race and your right is 40,000ths to the good and your left rear is 40,000ths to the good. Go race. All of the sudden after the race, your right rear is still 40,000ths to the good and your left rear is 10,000ths to the bad. How did one side move and the other side stay in the same place? A solid rear axle? The rear end housing is not going to bend during the race, am I right? 

“So if the laser platform, in my opinion, was consistent, both wheels should have been off the same amount as they were before the race — not just one. You can’t move one independently. They’re connected.”

No bad blood between Harvick and Truex

As for his run in with Kevin Harvick, Truex said the drivers are "good to go” for the remaining nine races in the Chase. 

“We talked about what our perspectives were on it and we agreed that it’s over, it’s done with,” Truex said. “We’ll move on and race like we always have which is very hard but always clean. We agreed that it was a racing deal and we’ll move forward. (It’s) heat of the battle stuff. I was mad then and I didn’t know that he was mad also. He thought I ran into him. 

“I’m not sure (what his motive was), honestly. I really don’t care at this point because we went on and won the race (laughs). And we’re going to move on. In the heat of the battle, I just thought he was mad. He knew we were going to be one of the guys to beat and he was trying to do something to possibly take it away from us. But, that’s the heat of the battle stuff. Luckily, we got through it. The tire rub didn’t cause any issue because that could have been ugly.”

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