NASCAR stars usually don’t get a break in the middle of a season but the Olympics have forced the organizers into giving them a couple of weeks off. The decision has been well received by everyone associated with the sport. After all, it’s not just the drivers that have to work every week. The crew members work even harder at times as their job runs through the entire week until the day of the race. They hardly get any time off and Martin Truex Jr. is happy that they can finally get some time to just relax.
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The Joe Gibbs Racing driver is also a veteran of the team so he surely has seen how the crews are getting on every week. The veteran understands the kind of pressure that’s on the crew members. Hendrick Motorsports star Alex Bowman had also advocated for a shortened season to help the road crew members who travel every week. The #19 driver believes that this break will rejuvenate the team and help them perform well ahead of the playoffs.
“Yeah, it’s going to be interesting. Not very often, we get two weeks off. It’s definitely great for the crew guys. They work so hard, so many hours, they just don’t stop. So it’s a grind and it’ll be good for them to spend a little time with their families. As a team, you kind of regroup, recharge with the Playoffs coming up,” he said.
The 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion has not won a race this season but is likely to compete in the final 16. A rejuvenated crew is exactly what he needs for the last stretch of the regular season and the playoffs. It is a much-needed break for him as well after which he can make a strong comeback.
William Byron echoes Truex’s sentiments
This two-week break concept might be new in NASCAR but in other motorsports, it’s the norm. Formula One, for example, mandates a two-week break every season where no one is allowed to work. The factories are monitored by the FIA and everyone gets to take a break from the grueling action of a season. As per William Byron, that’s exactly what NASCAR needs as well.
“It’s definitely a good, much needed, break for a lot of the teams. It gives people the chance to reset and there’s probably a little better product because everyone’s probably got a little more energy in their interviews and things like that as we go down the stretch,” he said.
It will be interesting to see how the teams and drivers come back from this gap in racing. There are several Cup Series drivers without a win so far this season and they will be looking to make a strong start.
