This weekend, in a matter of a few hours, the fate of the remaining 14 playoff drivers will be decided. After two weeks of exhibiting high-octane drama that broke out on the tracks of Darlington and Kansas, NASCAR has geared up to mark out the prowess of the drivers as they fly to Bristol. Amidst the conundrum, one driver who finds himself in a precarious position is none other than Joe Gibbs Racing driver Martin Truex Jr.

After clinching the regular-season championship, the driver has evidently lost his momentum as he deals with a series of misfortunes. While the No.19 driver has kept his hopes burning, Brad Keselowski’s emergent star seems to deliver the axe of the last shreds of hope.

RFK Racing star sends words of caution to Bristol hopeful drivers

Martin Truex Jr had entered the playoffs with a buffer in points, owing to him scoring the regular-season championship. However, the driver seemed to have lost the top spot after the culmination of two playoff races. After struggling in Darlington, Truex Jr had to be sidelined early from the Kansas race as well after he suffered a right rear puncture. As a result, the driver slammed into the outside wall before being towed away.

The JGR driver still has one race left to determine his playoff position and keep his championship hopes alive, as he currently stands outside the cutline for the round of 12. However, it would be a daunting task for the driver, given the form of the defending champion of Bristol, Chris Buescher. The RFK Racing driver in the ongoing season has netted three victories and also hopes to defend his 2022 Bristol crown.

In an interview with MRN Crew Call, Brad Keselowski’s star driver expressed, “I am sort of in a good spot, I don’t know about favorites, it’s hard to pick out favorites, especially last two years, we have just seen the seasons where you have that one or two teams that are in contention every week, and a couple of different winners that we had. I think it’s hard to just pick out a favorite.”

Buescher also in his conversation with Dillon Welch, asserted, “With that being said our recent momentum is obviously a factor. The fact that we won that race last year, is obviously our favorite, also the fact that Bristol was a very good track to me through the years, very competitive, and everybody’s equipment that I have driven. I like to think that we are definitely in the top couple there.”

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Steve Letarte spills the beans on Martin Truex Jr’s playoff position

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It is not just Chris Buescher that Martin Truex Jr. has to be on the lookout for, but also the retiring driver, Kevin Harvick. The Stewart-Haas Racing driver boasts of three victories on the track of Bristol. 

On account of this, NASCAR analyst Steve Letarte expressed on the Bristol contention for Martin Truex Jr, “He has to fight 7 points on Kevin Harvick. It would be way better if they were going to a high-speed track where Toyota’s dominate. They are going to Bristol, Kevin Harvick has great history there[…]”

“It is a daunting task. Now let me add in. Last year we saw chaos, we saw steering failures, we saw a lot of things with the new car and I’m not convinced that they’re gone,” Letarte added.

As things stand, Harvick and Truex are 12th and 13th in the standings with 2063 and 2056 points, respectively. Other than the 7-point difference, the only thing separating them is the round of 12 cutoff line in the middle.

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Given the history and statistics, Martin Truex Jr. surely has a stroke of tough luck when it comes to racing on the track of Bristol. With the hopes of earning a championship slowly fading, it is to be seen whether Truex Jr will be able to hang on to it till the last drop.