The NASCAR Xfinity Series closed out the month of April with two surprise winners. One week after Jeb Burton took the checkers at Talladega Superspeedway, Ryan Truex won at Dover Motor Speedway, scoring his first ever win in one of NASCAR’s three national touring series.
Truex wore out the competition in Saturday’s (April 29) race, leading 124 laps to avenge a narrow loss at Dover 11 years ago. Competing part-time in the Xfinity Series for Joe Gibbs Racing, Truex’s win could be the catalyst for a full-time ride with JGR.
Truex landing a full-time JGR Xfinity seat in 2024 would defy the typical career path for drivers of his generation. Ever since NASCAR’s second-tier division took on its identity as the developmental level for the Cup Series, young drivers in fast cars have been expected to perform immediately. Those who do not win right away get shoved aside, either for the next prospect in line or anyone else who is able to write a bigger check.
Truex learned this the hard way during his previous part-time stint with JGR from 2011-2012. The first 2012 Dover race, where he lost the lead six laps from the finish after getting hung up in traffic, was the only time in 13 starts where he led more than a lap or two. He did earn eight top 10s in those races, not bad considering that he was only 20 during the 2012 season. But when wins and sponsorship didn’t materialize for more seat time, Truex and Gibbs parted ways.
Ever since, it feels like Truex’s NASCAR career has been in survival mode. His only attempt at full-time Cup racing to date was with BK Racing in 2014. That arrangement didn’t work out, and Truex was replaced three quarters of the way through the season.
He was then left to cobble together a series of races across the Xfinity and Truck Series before coming back to JGR for select events last year. Truex did run some full-time campaigns in that intermediary period, but he could never secure a deal with any team for multiple seasons. It seemed like Truex was destined to slowly fade away.
However, maybe Truex’s win is the light at the end of the tunnel. His victory is going to give Joe Gibbs and the other team owners some cause for thought. Perhaps Truex was a late bloomer after all, and might be able to compete for a Xfinity championship if paired with the right team.
It certainly wouldn’t be the first time a Truex took a while to find his groove in NASCAR. Remember that Martin Truex Jr., Ryan’s…
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