Did You Notice? … 44-year-old Martin Truex, Jr. has now gone 44 races without a NASCAR Cup Series win?
Truex, retiring from full-time competition at the end of 2024, also sits on the outside looking in for the Round of 12. He’s 14 points behind the cut line with one race left to go, needing a Hail-Mary-type race at Bristol Motor Speedway to salvage his season.
It’s part of a summer slump that’s been one of his worst since moving over to Joe Gibbs Racing in 2019. Truex has three DNFs in his last six races and sits without a top-five finish since Kansas Speedway in May. It nearly cost him a playoff spot altogether after leading the standings as recently as Richmond Raceway in March.
That was the race where Truex saw a victory slip through his fingers, leading late until inexplicable contact between Kyle Larson and Bubba Wallace forced NASCAR overtime. Truex lost the lead on the ensuing pit stop then got burned by an A+ Denny Hamlin restart as he slid all the way to fourth at the finish.
The relationship between Truex and crew chief James Small hasn’t been the same this year. The confidence between them has eroded over a series of these close calls that didn’t work out. Add in a few tough breaks, getting caught up in other people’s messes and it’s clear Truex is ready to wave the white flag on his career.
That became especially clear after his top-five car finished 20th at Watkins Glen International following the carnage during the final laps.
“Just crazy that all these races always come down to this,” Truex told NBC Sports. “I just don’t really understand how guys can call themselves the best in the world when they just drive through everyone on restarts at the end of these races. It’s very frustrating, but it is what it is these days.
“I’m out of here.”
It’s not the way Truex wanted his final season to play out. But he’s also not alone. Retirement rarely happens when someone’s in position to go out on top.
In the past decade of Cup competition, Carl Edwards‘ retirement after making the Championship 4 in 2016 comes as the exception to the rule. Most future or current NASCAR Hall of Famers couldn’t wait to turn the page after a series of frustrating finishes that left them wondering, “Did I hang on too long?”
Even Jeff Gordon’s Championship 4 appearance in 2015 masked a final year that often fell short of expectations. The win at Martinsville Speedway that launched…
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