Martin Truex Jr. isn’t the most outspoken driver in the field. He lets his car speak for itself. However, the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series winner made an unexpected comment on his future in NASCAR this weekend that went unnoticed. According to the 41-year-old, the Next Gen car, which will debut in 2022, will determine whether or not he continues racing beyond next season.
Martin Truex Jr. raced to Hall of Fame-worthy career
Martin Truex Jr. will be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame at some point in the future. That’s the kind of numbers he’s come up with.
Truex has won 30 races in the Cup Series in his 18-year career, including three times in 2021 at Phoenix, Martinsville, and Darlington.
Truex has unquestionably been one of the best drivers in the sport over the last five seasons. He won once last year and ended seventh in the standings. He was runner-up in 2018 and 2019, and he won his first championship in 2017.
Truex has won a total of 23 races since 2017, including eight during his championship season.
Truex admits Next Gen car might force him to walk away
Martin Truex Jr. turned 41 in June, but his three wins this season show that age isn’t an issue, as he’s been competitive at an elite level. In an interview with RacinBoys this weekend, Truex stated that the idea of him retiring from racing in the near future had nothing to do with age or desire, but rather unknowns. And there are plenty with the Next-Gen car.
When asked whether or not the Next Gen car might affect his longevity, the New Jersey-born driver offered a candid and surprising answer.
“I would say, yes it would. It will, I think, and that’s a fair question. I think, look at the new car, see what it’s like, go racing, hopefully, it’s fun,” Truex said. “Hopefully, I have as much fun as I have driving these things. I love working with my team. I still love racing, but for sure, that’s going to be a big deal. If it’s not fun, I won’t hang around too long. I don’t have to do this anymore. I’m still around because I really want to do this and continue winning races and hopefully more championships.”
In recent years, the racing landscape has changed considerably.
While Truex and the Cup Series drivers will have to adjust to the Next Gen car, he stated in March when he visited Circuit of the Americas for a tire test before to the inaugural race that another significant change in the garage in recent years is the drivers’ age.
“Our sport has really changed over the last handful of years, since I started Cup racing in ’06. And then it was all the veteran guys. We had a crop of young guys. I was part of that, but we weren’t as young as these kids are today. I think I was 26 when I went Cup racing, and I was considered fairly young at that point to go Cup racing. And now we’re racing with 18-year-old, 19-year-old, 20-year-old kids, and they’re really good. It’s been interesting how it’s changed. Really the last couple of years, we’ve got a lot of new young guys in there, making a name for themselves, and doing a good job. It’s been fun to race with them and carry the veteran cap around, I suppose.”
Just how much longer he is willing to carry around that veteran cap will be determined by the Next Gen car.
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