Surely, Martin Truex Jr. lost his usual mojo last year after the regular season ended. But that certainly cannot belittle the fact that this modern NASCAR legend has had a pretty solid last few years, something that is reflected in the fact that he tops the list of drivers to have led the highest number of laps in a race since 2019. On that note, not far behind is the Hendrick Motorsports duo: Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson.
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The JGR icon’s driving prowess dominated the First Data 500 at Martinsville Speedway back in 2019 when he led 92.80% of the 500-lap-long race. With a decisive victory in this race where he led a career-best 464 laps, the #19 pilot punched his ticket into Championship 4.
In the same year, Brad Keselowski also led 89.20% of the total laps at Martinsville.
Most dominated races in the Cup Series since 2019 (last 5 seasons) pic.twitter.com/Z5sFcoADGR
— Trey Ryan (@TreyRyan99) January 6, 2024
Just a few months back, Chase Elliott had put up a solid dash for the cash against Truex Jr. at the Go Bowling at The Glen. The #9 driver controlled a lion-share of the race, leading 80 of the total 90 laps, and finally, won it. And that places Elliott in P3 on the list of most-dominated races in the last five seasons.
Next to Chase Elliott and in P4 is none other than Kyle ‘Yung Money’ Larson.
Looking at the list of most dominated laps, Martin Truex Jr. has three races to his name (Martinsville 2019, Darlington 2021, and Loudon 2023) out of the top 6 whereas, Larson has been the best at four races at Nashville, Atlanta, Charlotte, and Texas Motor Speedway in the top-10, all in 2021.
Can Martin Truex Jr. beat Jeff Gordon’s NASCAR record?
Despite a lackluster season, Martin Truex Jr. is in a position to achieve greatness that perhaps nobody can. Interestingly, it includes snapping a record that is currently held by Hendrick Motorsports VC and 4X Cup Series champion, Jeff Gordon.
From November 15, 1992, to November 22, 2015, the HMS legend made 797 Cup starts. The 2017 champ is not far behind as he is on a streak of 649 consecutive starts. Just 149 starts more and he will break Gordon’s record.
However, that would mean that Truex Jr. has to be around the sport for at least another 5 complete seasons. And because he is 43 already, that might be a bit tricky.
But again, Stewart-Haas Racing legend Kevin Harvick drove his Cup Series machine till the age of 48, so why can’t Martin Truex Jr.? But will he do that?
Only time will tell.
