SPARTA – Martin Truex Jr.’s trip to victory lane Saturday night was never really in doubt. That is, until Truex actually had to find that victory lane.

Truex dominated Saturday night’s Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway, leading 174 of 267 laps and picking up his fourth win of the season.

The defending NASCAR Cup Series champion Truex took the checkered flag by 1.901 seconds over Ryan Blaney, ran a victory lap and then performed a burnout in front of the grandstand. He hopped out of the car for a quick TV interview before climbing back in and heading toward victory lane – or so he thought.

Truex was led in the wrong direction by a NASCAR official and, with a foggy windshield, ended up circling around the infield hunting for the winner’s circle.

After taking a meandering route, Truex eventually piloted the winning car into victory lane, where his team was waiting.

“I finally made it here and man, what an awesome night,” Truex said when he finally joined the party there waiting on him.

Truex won at Kentucky for the second straight summer, picking up his fourth victory of the season and 19th of his career.

The driver of the No. 78 Toyota started on the pole and led the race’s first 37 laps. He regained the lead after a cycle of green-flag pit stops and claimed the race’s first 80-lap stage.

Truex then dominated the race’s second stage after taking the lead on lap 98, staying in command for the next 65 laps.

Brad Keselowski and his crew chief, Paul Wolfe, gambled on the next pit stop and chose track position over four fresh tires. They put just two new tires on his No. 2 Ford, and he gained the lead, which he held until Truex tracked him down on lap 201.

A caution for JJ Yeley’s blown engine on lap 208 brought everyone back to pit road. This time, it was Kurt Busch who tried the two-tire approach, and he restarted on lap 214 with the lead.

Truex was in striking range though, and he made the decisive pass going into Turn 1 with 43 laps to go. He sailed in from there and sealed a dominating victory.

Blaney finished second, followed by Keselowski, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Erik Jones, Aric Almirola, Kyle Larson and Joey Logano, who rounded out the top 10.

Larson had to start at the rear of the field as punishment for accidentally missing Saturday’s driver introductions. He climbed all the way to second at one point before battling issues with his car and falling out of the mix.

Stenhouse struggles after eventful week

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was in the center of the action July 7 at Daytona’s Coke Zero 400, making contact that triggered two multi-car wrecks. The second of those incidents spoiled a promising night for Kyle Busch.

The 2015 NASCAR Cup Series champ Busch said Friday that Stenhouse “wiped out half the field” in that race. He then quipped, when asked if the two would have further issues, that “I can’t worry about people that far back in the field.”

Stenhouse didn’t appreciate those comments. He told a TV reporter later Friday that Busch needed to stop “running his mouth” or that he’ll “stop it for him myself.”

There were no on-track fireworks between the two drivers Saturday at Kentucky. Busch ran near the front all night and finished fourth, while Stenhouse found trouble early and came home in 26th.

Stenhouse’s night was derailed in the first stage. He and Jamie McMurray made contact on the backstretch that cut Stenhouse’s back-left tire.

That collision led to two unscheduled green-flag pit stops, knocking Stenhouse off the lead lap and out of contention. He was the last car that finished one lap down.

Bowman endures costly night

Alex Bowman entered Saturday night in 16th place in the NASCAR Cup Series playoff points – right on the cutoff spot to qualify for the postseason.

Bowman took the worst possible result of the night, crashing early and finishing in last place – 39th. The No. 88 driver cut a right-front tire going into the speedway’s treacherous third turn and went straight into the wall.

The last-place finish dropped Bowman’s buffer over Stenhouse for that 16th spot from 19 points to just nine. There are seven more regular-season races before the series playoffs begin Sept. 16 at Las Vegas.{&end}