It’s no secret that things have been a little slow in regards to Joe Gibbs Racing this season. Any passionate follower of the stock car racing sport would know that since their championship in 2023, Martin Truex Jr has been struggling over the final ten races and missed the Championship 4.
This raises questions about his future with the team and even brings out the question: Is the driver looking into retiring soon? Kevin Harvick talks about this on his podcast, claiming that this may put Joe Gibbs Racing in a tough spot.
Despite performing well this season, finishing his races in the top-five and top-ten positions, Martin Truex Jr has yet to win a race. The racer has experienced some frustrating endings to his races. From running out of gas to facing issues with the car, Truex Jr and his team have faced bad luck after bad luck.
Harvick believed that several aspects had led to this situation. While he did not mention anything specifically regarding Truex Jr’s driving, he says that the driver needs to be more clear about his decision. Stating that this is something that will eventually lead to problems for his team and its members.
“It stinks for Martin. I think it’s one of those scenarios where he had a good car, in contention to win,” Harvick said in a recent NASCAR on FOX video on YouTube. “They’ve had a few of those situations where they’ve run out of gas or had something go wrong with the strategy or the car or something as they get to the end of the race. It always seems like it unwinds for them at the end of these races and don’t get to Victory Lane.”
Among these, Harvick also mentions the most obvious clue, which is Truex Jr’s age. At the age of 43, he is one of the older drivers and is still competing full-time in the NASCAR series, which is something to take note of since most drivers hang their helmets by their 30s or early 40s. While we don’t have any confirmation from Joe Gibbs Racing itself, there are.
The clock is ticking for Martin Truex Jr
It may not be an easy decision to make, but it seems like Truex Jr is required to give his answer soon. The racer has expressed his uncertainty about his future in the racing scene. With the realization of shouldering the weight of not just his career, but also those on his team, Martin Truex Jr is making careful contemplation on his next steps. In an interview with Clair B. Lang, Truex Jr spoke out on the situation and his thoughts around it.
He said, “I don’t know yet. We’ll see. It’s never enough time in this sport because you need to start planning for next year like now. It’s a tough situation to be in where I’m at right now, trying to figure out six, or eight months ahead of time. But it is what it is. There’s a lot of people that have to make plans and you don’t want to mess them up. You gotta be looking out for everybody else in these situations.”
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