“I Had to Hold Up My End of the Bargain”: Amid Uncertainty from Martin Truex Jr, Another Joe Gibbs Racing Driver Bags Record Fourth Win of the Season

As the 2023 season continues to march onward, some attention is turning toward the next season. As the community will bid farewell to Kevin Harvick as he hangs up his boots, naturally, the scanner is falling on some of the older drivers in the sport, to see when they would retire. One example is Aric Almirola, who announced his retirement last year but reversed the decision later on. Another person of interest is Joe Gibbs Racing veteran, Martin Truex Jr.

The 2017 Cup Series champion is just four years younger than Harvick, so there will be whispers about him as well. However, at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Truex Jr decided to play coy and he avoided the question entirely. Before Dover, one would have thought that the 43-year-old is past his prime and should consider retirement. However, his Cup Series wins at Dover and again at Sonoma, proved that there is still life in the old dog.

Joe Gibbs Racing junior drivers are already making a play for his seat

Whether he wants to return in 2024 or beyond, Joe Gibbs Racing is not making it easy, especially with the organization’s Xfinity Series drivers in red-hot form as of late.

If one is getting into specifics, one of the favorites for imminent graduation to the Cup Series is John Hunter Nemechek. In fact, he just racked up his fourth win of the season, which will do wonders to get him noticed.

What gave Nemechek a further leg up in the competition is the fact that this win was his second consecutive one. The driver managed to fend off rookie Chandler Smith to win at New Hampshire. He was so dominant that he lead 137 of 206 laps, and he now has the most wins this season. From a championship perspective, the triumph put the 26-year-old 33 points ahead of title rival Austin Hill.

As reported by the NASCAR official site, Nemechek mentioned post-race, “They’ve had dominant JGR Supras the last couple years and I had to hold up my end of the bargain. It’s nerve-wracking for sure [the final restart], so I’m so proud of this No. 20 team and everybody at Joe Gibbs Racing,” Nemechek added, “I think our first clean race of the year, and hats off to all our guys.”

READ MORE: After Martin Truex’s Frustrated Abuse, Joe Gibbs Racing Member Called Out “Moron” Driver For Pit Lane Fiasco

What does the NASCAR Cup Series future of Martin Truex Jr look like?

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As mentioned before, Truex Jr had not been achieving spectacular results in the 2023 season. However, all of that changed at the Cup Series race at the Dover International Speedway. Since then, he has firmly placed himself in championship contention and is hunting for his second title. Without a doubt, he will be keen to retain his #19 seat for 2024 and beyond.

Martin Truex Jr is fairly confident that he still has what it takes to win races—A claim that he materialized at New Hampshire Motor Speedway with a clean 3-stage win. If his three wins this year have anything to say about it, his current form backs up his feelings. However, he will have stiff competition from the likes of Nemechek, and even his own teammates, Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, and Ty Gibbs.

WATCH THIS STORY: Martin Truex Jr Blamed Denny Hamlin for Losing to Ross Chastain on the Radio