Martin Truex Jr. may have one last shot at a NASCAR Cup Series title this 12 months, but a mistake early within the Southern 500 made him imagine he had just thrown all of it away. He lost control on Lap 3 and slammed into the wall, helplessly watching as a 58-point Series points lead evaporated. Still, he barely made it and is now considered one of two drivers to advance to the playoffs on points alone.
“It was pretty crazy, to be honest,” Truex said during interviews at Media Day. “I wanted to leave Darlington, dig a hole and crawl in for a few days. It was a horrible feeling. I felt like it was the biggest mistake I’d ever made in my racing career, which was pretty bad considering what the day was like and what was at stake… I thought I’d just ruined my whole season and the next 10 weeks were going to stink. Now we have a chance to make the next 10 weeks not stink and it’s going to be fun.”
Martin Truex Jr, Joe Gibbs Racing, Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry
Photo: Danny Hansen / NKP / Motorsport Images
Truex couldn’t sit still on the track and quickly left because the race went on without him. While confident within the speed of his race cars, Truex noted that “we’ve got a lot of work to do” because he and teammate Ty Gibbs have fewer playoff points than the remainder of the sector. He starts the playoffs at the underside of the standings, already within the elimination zone. It’s a very different story than last 12 months, when Truex entered the postseason because the regular-season champion. What followed was a disastrous run, ending no higher than 18th in the primary six races. He made it to the Round of 8 only on bonus points, where he was ultimately eliminated. He doesn’t have that advantage this 12 months, so one mistake will mean the tip of his campaign to change into a two-time Cup champion.
“With the format and the way it is, and no bonus points per se, it’s a reminder that you have to be there,” Truex said. “No mistakes. One mistake and you’re probably done. Yeah, we’ll see.”
At the underside of the table
While playoff points remain essential, Ryan Blaney won the 2023 title because the twelfth seed. Truex is sixteenth of 16 and said a win from there’s “definitely possible. You win one race in the first two rounds, that’s a good chunk of points. You know, the confidence and momentum that comes with that is totally doable. We’re going to have to win. I don’t think we’re going to be able to point the way to the Final Four from where we are. We’re going to have to win a few races.”
It’s been greater than a 12 months since Truex’s last Cup Series victory, which got here in July 2023 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. He has been runner-up 3 times since being crowned champion in 2017. After announcing his plans to retire from full-time competition, this will likely be his last likelihood to affix the exclusive list of Cup drivers with multiple titles and just the third to win a couple of within the volatile format.
“I think (we can win) at any track, any weekend,” said the Joe Gibbs Racing driver, who has led more laps this 12 months than every other driver and not using a win (489). “I know people probably think I’m crazy for saying that because of how we’ve been lately, but we’ve had the speed to win a lot of races this year, and if we can do all the little things right, all the hard things right, we’ll have the speed to win.”
A former champion with no wins, a slim playoff lead and one final likelihood to win the Cup, Truex will definitely be someone to observe over the following ten races.
