Watch: Martin Truex Jr. Earns Emotional Playoff Win At Kansas, Honors Late Team Member Jim Watson

Martin Truex Jr. earned his seventh Monster Energy Cup Series victory of the season at Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway on Sunday.

NASCAR Playoffs Round of 12 results, Martin Truex Jr.

Truex, 37 — who drives the No. 78 Toyota Camry for Furniture Row Racing — has now increased his NASCAR playoff point total to 69, and advances to the Round of 8.

Furniture Row Racing dedicated the win to former crew member Jim Watson, who died Saturday at age 55.

Truex’s longtime girlfriend and cancer fighter Sherry Pollex, who missed his last victory due to chemotherapy, attended Sunday’s race.

Joining Truex in the Round of 8 will be Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney and seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson. 

Crashes on Sunday led to the elimination of drivers Matt Kenseth, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Jamie McMurray. Meanwhile, Kyle Larson’s engine exploded early on in Stage 1.

During a restart in Stage 1, Truex went under the white line on the track and was forced to serve a pass-through penalty. Though the No. 78 was ahead at the time of the restart violation, Busch took over once Truex came down the pit road. Harvick was also below the line, but NASCAR explained that since the No. 4. followed leader Truex, he was not penalized.

Pollex expressed her discontent with the result on Twitter: “That makes ZERO sense,” she wrote.

The Round of 8 — the First Data 500 — will be held next Sunday at Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia.

1. Martin Truex Jr.
2. Kurt Busch
3. Ryan Blaney
4. Chase Elliott
5. Denny Hamlin
6. Chris Buescher
7. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
8. Kevin Harvick
9. Aric Almirola
10. Kyle Busch
11. Jimmie Johnson
12. Paul Menard
13. Brad Keselowski
14. Austin Dillon
15. Kasey Kahne
16. Ty Dillon
17. David Ragan
18. Michael McDowell
19. Clint Bowyer
20. Trevor Bayne
21. Joey Logano
22. Matt DiBenedetto
23. Landon Cassill
24. Cole Whitt
25. Reed Sorenson
26. Jeffrey Earnhardt
27. Corey LaJoie
28. Gray Gaulding
29. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (eliminated)
30. BJ McLeod
31. Brett Moffitt
32. AJ Allmendinger
33. Ryan Newman
34. Jamie McMurray (eliminated)
35. Erik Jones
36. Daniel Suarez
37. Matt Kenseth (eliminated)
38. Danica Patrick
39. Kyle Larson (eliminated)
40. Derrike Cope

KANSAS CITY, KS – OCTOBER 22: Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #78 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Toyota, celebrates with a burnout after winning the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway on October 22, 2017 in Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images)

Article by Pablo Mena

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