Despite coming up short of victory, Martin Truex Jr.'s  Richmond dominance proves veteran has plenty left in the tank

There's not much more that 43 year-old Martin Truex Jr. could've done on Sunday night at Richmond Raceway during the Toyota Owners 400. 

The Mayetta, New Jersey, native led 228 of the race's 407 laps, coming up half a lap and a pit stop short of his first win since New Hampshire last July. A spin from Kyle Larson brought out the yellow flag with two laps to go, leading to a final pit stop in which Denny Hamlin's pit crew barely edged out Truex's No. 19 team. On the ensuing overtime restart, Hamlin was clear of Truex coming to the white flag, with Truex eventually fading to fourth on the final lap. 

Despite his dominant performance and the fact that he leads the NASCAR Cup Series points standings after Richmond, Truex probably feels like the kid who failed to find the golden egg at the Easter Egg Hunt – his performance was solid, but not quite good enough to get the grand prize. 

However, Truex should feel quite the opposite leaving Richmond, considering Larson's spin and the ensuing pit stop were out of his control. While he could have overtaken Hamlin on the overtime restart, Hamlin had both the lane advantage and a tiny jump in the restart zone, two factors that made it very difficult for Truex to get around his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate. 

While Truex did admittedly show some unwarranted anger against both Hamlin and third-place finisher Larson, his fans should see that as a sign that rather than slowing down in his advancing age, Truex just seems to be getting feistier – and faster on the racetrack. 

No driver will ever look up at the scoring pylon after losing a race and pat themselves on the back, but it's hard to say Truex shouldn't do so on a night when he controlled what he could control to a tee, blowing the field out of the water from the start of stage two until a lap and a half to go. Circumstances ultimately decided the race and a veteran driver such as Truex knows it. 

Heading to Martinsville, a track where Truex has won multiple times in the past, his fans should feel plenty of optimism. Truex is still the series points leader after Richmond and Sunday's race shows that both Truex's cars and Truex himself have plenty of speed. 

Now, it's just a matter of luck being on the veteran's side – and Truex being opportunistic when the opportunities present themselves.