It’s not uncommon for a driver to be unsure of his future but as per Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr. should announce his plans for the benefit of the team. Most rumors suggest that the 2017 Cup Series champion will retire at the end of the year but dragging out that announcement and keeping his team in the dark has not impressed the former Stewart-Haas Racing driver.
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On a recent episode of the Happy Hour podcast, Harvick explained that an early retirement announcement would give Truex and his team the chance to enjoy his final season and also have a clear vision of the future. That’s exactly what the 2014 Cup Series champion did during his final year at SHR. He also said that Truex’s delay in conveying what he wants to do next season has given rise to some tension within the team.
“Just feels like there’s a lot of tension. I don’t know, when you listen to the radio it just feels like there’s a lot of tension. I wish he would just say ‘I’m done. This is going to be my last year,’ so that we can celebrate Martin. I want the fans and the sport to be able to celebrate what Martin Truex has done in the sport,” he said.
"I wish he would just say, 'I'm done' … so that we can celebrate Martin." @KevinHarvick hopes MTJ just doesn't walk away like Carl Edwards.@MambaSmith34 | @KaitlynVincie | #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/uVFx4RlGqi
— HarvickHappyHour (@HarvickHappyPod) June 11, 2024
The situation is not ideal for Martin Truex Jr. either who revealed his reasons for not being able to decide on retiring or racing next year.
Martin Truex Jr. explains why he hasn’t decided on his future yet
Speaking to veteran motorsports journalist Claire Lang, Truex said that the lack of time in the sport and the fact that he has to look out for more people than him has left him in a gray with his plans for the future.
“It’s never enough time in this sport because you need to start planning for next year like now. It’s a tough situation to be in where I’m at right now, trying to figure out six, or eight months ahead of time. But it is what it is.”
Truex added that there were a lot of people that had to make plans and he did not want them to “mess them up.” The JGR veteran concluded that in circumstances like this one has to look out for everyone before making a call. Moving forward, it’ll be intriguing to see whether the 2017 Cup Series champion decides to give it one last shot next season or if this indeed is his swansong.
