“I’m out of here. This racing is just ridiculous,” a dejected Martin Truex Jr. said after a disappointing finish (P20) at Watkins Glen. Although the veteran Joe Gibbs Racing driver has made the playoffs, it feels like he’s already accepted his fate and taken a back seat. It’s not because of the lack of speed, but mistakes and missed opportunities have stalled the progress of the #19 team.

This is Truex Jr.’s last playoffs run, and going by the current trajectory, a storied ending to his illustrious Cup career is looking out of reach. So, has the veteran driver given up hopes of making it to the next round? Or will the Bristol race prove to be the turning point for the #19 team?

Martin Truex Jr. will have the final throw of the dice at Bristol

The 44-year-old is practically in a must-win scenario going into the night race at the World’s Fastest Half-Mile. Sitting below the cutline with 14 points the difference between him and the cutline, Truex Jr. will need to hit his markers. And to make matters worse, the JGR driver has never won the iconic short track, which adds even more pressure on his shoulders.

So, it is indeed tough to be optimistic if you are a Martin Truex Jr. or JGR fan. While it is hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel, the driver isn’t losing all hope just yet. “The next 24 hours is going to be a lot to talk about, a lot to think about, a lot of guesswork as far as you know how do we approach the race. So we’ll just see, but I wouldn’t say I’m nervous. I’ve been doing this long enough that I just look forward to the opportunity. You just want to get over with it and see how it turns out.” Truex Jr. said ahead of the race.

Statistics and data aren’t a big help if you are going to dig through in trying to know about Truex’s chances. In fact, he has gone the last 16 consecutive races without a top 5 result, which is the worst among the playoff drivers. And that has seen him average only 15.5 points in the last 10 races. So, his strategy to bank on points certainly won’t work this time around. He will need to get the #19 Toyota Camry in the victory lane to keep his championship hopes alive.

“Everything’s okay in the world, and we’re gonna work on Bristol. It’s not going to be easy; we’re in quite a hole, but look forward to the opportunity and hope that nothing bad happens.” The driver added when asked if he’s lost hope for a revival and a shot at his second title. What’s more challenging for Martin Truex Jr. is that he will have to go through his own teammates this once to secure his qualification to the next round.

Joe Gibbs Racing drivers are in a tough spot

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If we are to exclude Christopher Bell and the #20 team, all three JGR drivers need a big result to ensure that they make it to the next round of playoffs. Denny Hamlin, after firing blanks and being on the receiving end of things in both playoff races, desperately needs a win. Meanwhile, Ty Gibbs is right on the bubble with a cushion of just 6 points. At this point in time, these drivers aren’t entirely in control of their own destinies, and a shuffle in the leaderboard is likely to affect their chances.

Ty Gibbs refuted the notion of being under pressure going into the race, “I really enjoy racing and try really best I can. Of course, we’d love to make it to the next round as best as we can.” Gibbs said this to Bob Pockrass. Meanwhile, Hamlin hopes to continue his dominance to help him get out of this sticky situation. The driver of the #11 is a back-to-back consecutive winner at the 0.533-mile short track. And if tire wear comes back into play for this race, he could be in the commanding position to churn out the desired results.

Many ifs and buts are involved when it comes to JGR driver’s continued run in the playoffs. However, as we have seen this year, all it takes is one race to overturn the fortunes of the drivers and teams. And this will be the strategy the JGR star will be banking on for the night race at Bristol.