Manahawkin Native Martin Truex Jr. Makes NASCAR Championship Race

MARTINSVILLE, VA — Manahawkin native Martin Truex Jr. won Saturday's NASCAR Cup playoff race, clinching a spot in the championship event for the third consecutive year. He's the first driver to claim one of four spots in the Nov. 17 title race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Truex, a 1998 Southern Regional graduate, led 464 of 500 laps at the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series First Data 500.

“We’re going to Homestead again, and that was what we tried to accomplish this weekend,” Truex told the Associated Press. “We don’t have to worry about points anymore. We can just get to work on our Homestead car.”

Truex won the 2017 NASCAR Cup championship and finished runner-up to Joey Logano last year. Saturday's victory represents redemption from a year ago at Martinsville, when Logano snatched the victory in the closing laps.

Here are the standings:

1. Truex Jr., 4102 points
2. Denny Hamlin, 4082
3. Kyle Busch, 4075
4. Logano, 4072
5. Harvick, 4058

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