Going into Monday’s race, Martin Truex Jr. had led an astonishing 916 laps over 29 races in New Hampshire without registering a single win in his career. After qualifying second, Truex was confident this could finally be the year he reaches Victory Lane, and it was. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver dominated pretty much the whole race and romped to an impressive victory in his 30th outing here. After the win though, inevitably, the conversation shifted to Truex’s retirement speculation.
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In the post-race presser, the 2017 Cup champion spoke at length about the difficulty in making that decision, and how there are more aspects than just winning races to be kept in mind while deciding his retirement.
Martin Truex Jr. thinks his retirement decision hinges on many things
After losing one veteran last year in the form of Kyle Busch, Joe Gibbs will certainly look to retain Truex’s services for atleast one more year for the Cup Series. But in the end, the decision is for the #19 driver to make. And it is certainly not an easy one.
After the race, Truex opened up on this, saying, “It takes a big commitment. Um, my team is amazing, they deserve the very best driver, the guy that wants it more than anyone else. And I have been that guy and I want to make sure that if I come back, I’m willing to do that. It takes a lot, it’s not just show up the track, drive, go home.”
“Take a lot, a lot of commitment, a lot of travel, a lot of time missing things with family and friends, and all those things that I’ve done for, you know, 25 years. Do I want to keep doing it? And am I willing to sacrifice all those things again for my team? So that’s just what I’m thinking about.”
Martin Truex Jr. said he’s not good at making big decisions quickly. What he said about why he hasn’t decided yet about 2024: pic.twitter.com/uM6uKB1JOl
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) July 17, 2023
Truex Jr. will let others “know soon” about his final call
After a disappointing season in 2022, not many expected Truex to do what he has been doing in 2023. And will his newly-found form be a factor in him considering staying longer in the sport? Truex doesn’t think so.
“I don’t know that running good and winning makes a difference. It’d be pretty awesome to win the championship and walk off into the sunset. But, I don’t, I just don’t really know. I really don’t know. I’m bad at making big decisions.”
Closing out the topic in a way NASCAR fans have been used to for quite some time now, Truex finally added, “I wish I had more time to figure out what I want to do next year. But I don’t, so I’ll know soon, and you’ll know soon.”
