MARTINSVILLE, Va: The Playoffs have been anything but Championship 4 worthy for Martin Truex and the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing team.
However, a solid regular season filled with Playoff points has kept Truex in the hunt for his second career NASCAR Cup Series championship, entering Sunday’s Xfinity 500 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.
With a best finish of ninth in the Round of 8 at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway earlier this month, Truex had a potential race-winning car last weekend at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway, after winning the pole and then midway through the race – his race, much like his Playoffs, went up in smoke – literally.
Truex finished 29th in South Florida after his engine expired and stands 17 points below the cutline entering Sunday afternoon’s penultimate Cup Series race.
On Saturday morning, Truex said his team is ready to reset and leave nothing on the table for 500 laps on Sunday.
“It’s been really tough, and nothing has really gone right (in the Playoffs),” said Truex. “I thought we were sitting in a really good position last week. Things were going pretty well, and then we pit and the bottom falls out. Lose two laps, we get them back, get back on the lead lap and then the things blows up. It’s been an uphill battle.
“We really haven’t had much to be excited about other than the guys preparing fast cars to bring to the track the last few weeks. We will reset. We are ready to go again. This is a new week and a new opportunity, and we’ve been in this position before. Let’s just go see what we can do.”
Despite the turbulent ride in the Playoffs, Truex said it’s his job to reset each week and go and do his job. Martinsville, despite what’s on the line, is no different.
“That’s my job – that’s what I’m supposed to do and be fully engaged and do the best job that I can do,” added Truex. “I’m ready to go. I’ve been talking to James (Small) the last couple of days. We have a good game plan, and I feel really good about things. You just have to forget about it – as hard as that sounds. That’s what you do, that’s at least what I do.
“That week is over, and we have a new opportunity. 500 laps is a long race, and a lot can happen. You have to stay focused, be ready to have a shot at this thing in the end.”
Truex also said he won’t be focused on how his competitors are doing
“Not really a whole lot,” he mentioned. Honestly, no matter what the situation is – I feel like if you have to get one point or you’re one point in – then maybe there is something you can do. But knowing who is running good and who is not, it really doesn’t matter.
“You are always going to be digging to get all that you can. I think just if it is really close, you need to know just in case you can do something crazy – Ross Chastain kind of move – if you are close. I don’t know if it’s really going to come into play with 17 points.”
While the misery of struggling throughout the first eight races of the Playoffs could take a toll on a driver – it would be easy for some just to throw in the towel and venture off into the sunset out of the race car.
Truex admitted that he has been in that headspace before – but he quickly snaps out of the fantasy land and back into the reality of doing what he loves for not only himself but his team and partners.
“It’s funny. It feels like that when it first happens, then a few minutes later you come to your senses – and you are like okay. It’s all going to be okay,” explained Truex.
“Again, we could do something huge tomorrow and next week and we are going to all forget about the next eight races. That is what we are going to try to do. We still have a big opportunity ahead, and hopefully try to seize the moment.”
With William Byron up thirty points to the cutline and without a disastrous race on Sunday, Truex could be battling his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Denny Hamlin, for the final slot in the Championship 4, the 2017 champion said his team’s approach to the race doesn’t change – even if it’s likely that just one of them will have a shot the Cup Series championship on Nov. 5.
“Nothing really changes. We race just like we do every other week. We will go with what got us here. Being in the Playoffs as teammates for so many years, we have that experience, and we know what got us here and things that make us strong as a group,” sounded Truex.
“Then you go on Sunday and race. You don’t hide things; you don’t try to do anything different. At least that has been my experience in the past on how we’ve handled it, and so far, nothing that I’ve seen has been different.”
On Saturday afternoon, Truex got his Martinsville weekend started on the right foot by winning his second consecutive NASCAR Cup Series pole and edging his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Ty Gibbs for the top starting position.
Truex’s third pole of 2023, also guarantees him a premium pit stall location for his most pivotal race of the season thus far.
Follow Chris Knight on X (Twitter) at @Knighter01 or email: [email protected]
