The postseason has been one of disappointment and frustration for the 2023 regular season champion Martin Truex Jr. Heading into the first round of the playoffs, the JGR driver was well-positioned as a strong championship contender. However, as the races progressed his lack of performance during these crucial stages became a common sight. Infact, he would have been eliminated early if it were not for the points cushion.
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Now as we prepare ourselves to head into the first race of the round of eight this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the 2017 Cup champion driver spoke with the media and explained his confidence for the next three crucial races.
Martin Truex Jr. expects to run better in the round of eight
While speaking with WFXR News, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver mentioned, “Really the last two rounds, they both had some wildcard races, and some you know races there aren’t really standard. I think for us, especially as a team we looked at like Bristol, Talladega, the Roval as you know tracks that potentially could give us trouble and they did.”
He added, “So we’re definitely glad they’re over and feel really good about this round with going to Vegas and Homestead and Martinsville. All places where we’ve had a lot of success on races, and they’re kind of more straightforward.”
Additionally, he believes that at the upcoming races, the drivers have more control over their own fate. So he hoped that his team could improve their performance with the remaining races, as the playoffs have been challenging for them so far.
Can Truex Jr. make it to the championship four?
Judging by his previous races in the playoffs this season, it would be hard to back his chances of making the final race at Phoenix. Of course, his performance in the postseason has been relatively poor compared to his regular season. But in terms of points cushion, he currently sits second in the standings rights behind William Byron.
But if he wishes to get ahead, the only option here would be to either constantly be at the top of the field or win races. Also wrecking out of any of these three races would be catastrophic for the #19 driver. If he and his team are able to remain consistent in these three races, we could perhaps see Truex Jr. return to the championship finale to battle it out for his second title.
But again the competition in the round of eight is going to be really intense. We would have to wait and witness what he does in the Vegas race this Sunday to further build on his championship four chances.
