It is natural to assume that drivers who share the same team would cooperate and go easy on each other. However, the reality is a little more intricate. While there might be a sense of camaraderie and collaboration within the team, the competitive drive inherent in racing often takes precedence. Racing teammates, just like any other drivers, strive for personal success, and this pursuit can lead to intense on-track battles where friendship off the track temporarily takes a backseat. This is exactly what seems to be going on in the Joe Gibbs Racing camp right now.
Martin Truex Jr has made a few uncomfortable comments about his teammates in two successive races. Does this give us a hint that something is going on within the team between the drivers?
Martin Truex Jr took a jab at Christopher Bell on the team radio while he was leading the race at New Hampshire and eventually won. Although he didn’t win at Pocono, he didn’t shy away from taking another jab at his teammate. This time it was the race winner, Denny Hamlin.
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Martin Truex Jr calls out Denny Hamlin for his supposed “dirty” move on Kyle Larson
Truex Jr is currently leading both the regular and playoff standings thanks to his 3 wins. While he was leading the race at New Hampshire and the win was in sight, a late caution came out due to his teammate Christopher Bell. This triggered Truex Jr and he burst out on the team radio with a frustrated message. “Jesus, man. C’mon people. We should have a company policy that says when one of your teammates is leading, don’t crash by yourself.”
Pocono also looked quite promising as he started from the front row beside William Byron. Although he had a good race car underneath him, he was unable to get to the lead. Kyle Dalton shared a tweet where Martin Truex Jr was in conversation with Claire B Lang after Pocono. He didn’t hesitate to call out Denny Hamlin’s move on the HMS driver Kyle Larson as dirty.
“I don’t know for whatever reason, we couldn’t get the push we needed on the front row,” said Truex Jr. “But we pushed a lot of guys today forward. Whoever was the leader, if they were in front of me, they were gonna keep the lead, you know what I mean.”
“So, I am not sure exactly what that was all about,” he continued. “But I felt like I picked the right lanes and you know I did exactly what Denny did other than pushing the #5 car too deep in the corner and then just run him in the fence off of [turn] 2. He kinda took it that extra little bit, I guess, to make it a little bit dirty. And you know, I didn’t. So you know maybe that’s the difference why he won and I didn’t.”
@MartinTruex_Jr talked with @ClaireBLang after Pocono and didn't hesitate to call out JGR teammate @dennyhamlin for his "dirty" move on @KyleLarsonRacin. pic.twitter.com/1FdkYxE7mG
— Kyle Dalton (@kdsportswriter) July 24, 2023
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Despite not getting the desired result at Pocono, Truex Jr seemed quite content with the 3rd place and praised his team for putting a racey Toyota Camry underneath him.
Truex Jr compliments Joe Gibbs Racing for giving him a fast racecar at Pocono
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The championship leader started a strong P2 but found it difficult to get past the leaders despite having a good car underneath him. Speaking to Frontstretch after the race, he explained how his race panned out.
“When I was running 3rd, I picked the outside behind the #5 and it got me to 2nd,” said Truex Jr. “I felt like if I just did that again, I was just gonna run 2nd to him. So I picked the front row and I didn’t get the push I needed and I fell back again, and I had to fight my way back.”
“At least on the last one, I was able to pull the #4 (Kevin Harvick) off the #11 (Denny Hamlin) and get to second, just impossible to pass the leader. Our car was so fast, but the guy out front would get clean air and be gone. All-in-all great day, track position was king.”
He also appreciated the team for a good strategy and for giving him a good car. “Great day, a great race car, our Interstate Camry was a rocket,” he said. “We fought track position all day and finally got it, and drove away from the field until strategy got us back a few spots. All in all, really good speed, good day. I just couldn’t get the push from the front row to get the lead back.”
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READ MORE: “They Screwed Up” – Martin Truex Jr. Revealed an Unfortunate Family Situation Amid His Big Win
Do you think there’s something cooking inside the JGR camp? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.