“I Was at the Bottom”: Martin Truex Jr.’s Candid Admission on NASCAR Season of Redemption

What a difference 12 months can make. Just ask Martin Truex Jr. The 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion had a dismal 2022 season, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2014, and looked completely out of sorts for most of the year. Fast forward to 2023, and Truex sits at the top of the standings, with three wins, and in a car where he is competing for wins almost every weekend.

Truex, who announced recently that he will be returning to Joe Gibbs Racing for the 2024 season as well, leads teammate Denny Hamlin by 57 points and looks set to clinch the regular season championship. But what changed from last year?

Martin Truex Jr. makes honest admission about his rebound season

Ahead of the Indiana race, Truex was asked how it felt to be the driver who was “on fire” according to Hamlin, and leading the standings entering the playoffs. The #19 driver said, “It’s a lot of fun. You know, it wasn’t that long ago, you know last year, I was the guy at the bottom. So, things change quickly in the sport, and certainly my team’s doing an amazing job, they have all year long and we are just clicking.”

“I think we took a lot of chances and did a lot of different things last year to try to learn, and those things are paying off this year. We’ve always been known to be aggressive as far as learning and car setups and just really pushing the envelope there, and it’s paying off this year.”

The results are clearly visible, with the former Furniture Row driver in fine form recently, grabbing two wins and five top 5s in his last 10 races, giving him just the momentum needed to make the push for his second Cup Series title.

Truex has a problem with people who undermine the importance of some races

During the session, a reporter mentioned to Truex the general fan sentiment of the races before the playoffs not being important for the drivers, especially those who have already sealed their spot in the last 16. The JGR driver dismissed the sentiment, saying, “You know, I mean every single race is important. I don’t know how anyone can say they don’t matter.”

Truex also stressed the fact that the regular season championship had plenty of bonus points at stake, something that matters a lot in the playoffs. The 2017 champion did sound a note of caution though, concluding, “Hopefully we haven’t peaked too soon and we can keep it going and be good throughout the playoffs.” 

Understandably, the driver is not taking it lightly, considering he has finished as the runner-up all three times he has made the Championship 4 in the last five years.