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Ragan says Truex 'did me wrong,' blames him for wreck

A lot of push and shove ended with Martin Truex Jr. buried into a tire barrier yesterday.

David Ragan, Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota

David Ragan, Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota

Action Sports Photography

David Ragan, Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota
David Ragan, Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota
David Ragan, Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota
Martin Truex Jr., Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet
Martin Truex Jr., Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet
Martin Truex Jr., Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet
David Ragan, Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota

On an early restart at Sonoma Sunday, contact was made between Martin Truex Jr. and David Ragan, culminating with Truex nose-first into a tire barrier. Upon reviewing the replay, it appears the contact may not have been purely incidental.

Martin (Truex Jr.) would probably not do that again if he had the opportunity to.

David Ragan 

On the 30th lap of 110 scheduled, Truex ran Ragan off the road out of Turn 7 and the two went side-by-side through the esses. Ragan did not back down as he got into the left rear of the No. 78, pushing him sideways and into the tire barrier that lined the track (Crash Video). The wreck ended his impressive streak of seven straight top ten finishes.

He just wrecked you,” spotter Clayton Hughes commented over the radio. “Damn it, we’re killed.”

Ragan 'just dumped me'

"When you start around 20th on those restarts it is just a recipe for disaster," said Truex after leaving the infield care center. "I was trying to be aggressive, make some moves, I had a couple cars passed and then the lane I was in jammed up and the guys I passed got back by me, and you just get frustrated, you lose patience. 

"I got into the 55's door a little bit in Turn 7, and I guess he didn't like it and he figured he would just dump me, so he's probably got one coming. But other than that it was just part of the restart deal, and I hate that I got my guys' car tore up."

Ragan responds

Ragan later crashed out himself after contact with Carl Edwards at the same section of the race track.

"I didn’t get together with the 78 (Truex), the 78 ran me off the racetrack, just body-slammed me," he explained in his defense. "I was just trying to get back on the racetrack. That's a great instance where the 78 just absolutely did me wrong and I'm trying to get back on the racetrack. That's unfortunate for him.

"It's never good to see anybody tear up their race car, but Martin would probably not do that again if he had the opportunity to."

The duo posted DNFs, finishing 39th and 42nd.

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