Truex, trailing Chase Elliott by a second with 10 laps to go, made the most of a restart on Lap 268 and overtook the rookie driver to win the 270-lap Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400 — the first leg of the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup.
MORE: Big win for Truex | 16 reasons to watch the Chase
With the win, his second in three races, Truex secured his place in the next round of NASCAR’s playoffs.
Joey Logano finished second. Elliott, non-Chase competitor Ryan Blaney and Brad Keselowski round out the top five.
Denny Hamlin, the defending race winner, finished sixth.
Chase drivers Kyle Larson and Kevin Harvick face elimination after poor races, finishing 18th and 20th, respectively. They have two races to atone — next week at New Hampshire, the following week at Dover. Four drivers will be eliminated after three races.
Jimmie Johnson led all drivers for a race-high 118 laps but fell to 12th after he was hit with a penalty for speeding on pit road late in the race.
Race results
- — Driver in the Chase for the Sprint Cup
