While the playoff action reaching its peak in Martinsville for the final race before the championship final, regular season champion, Martin Truex Jr is in dire straits with a 17-point deficit, hanging by the thread. Despite the tough luck he had in the playoff rounds, struggling to hold on and being on the verge of elimination, the veteran soldiered on claiming point after point to stay alive in the fray.

However, as we reach the 500-lap race in Martinsville, the Joe Gibbs Racing veteran needs a major turnaround to take home his 2nd title in the finale at Phoenix. Speaking about his chances, the veteran sat down to answer the media’s queries where he revealed the reason behind his retirement indecisiveness.

Martin Truex Jr opens up about retirement skepticism hours ahead of the decisive race in Martinsville

The 2017 Cup Series champion is arguably one of the best drivers in the schedule today. His ability to adapt to the changes, his will to take on adversity and the #19 Toyota’s consistency are truly unmatched in the Cup Series. Unlike an abysmal last season, 2023 started out strong for the 42-year-old who was quite skeptical about his retirement plans.

3 strong wins got the veteran a seat in the playoffs as he entered the playoff rounds winning the regular season. However, things went ice cold in the post-regular season rounds as the driver and his #19 JGR Toyota ran out of their luck. Rattled with misfortune and inconsistency, Truex Jr went from being the most consistent driver to being on the verge of elimination.

Entering Sunday’s race in Martinsville, he is currently tied up in points with his teammate Denny Hamlin, 17 points under the cutline. Despite acing the regular season, fate has the driver in such a precarious position over and over again, prompting a reporter to ask, “When you go through a stretch like this and obviously I know in one sense it’s a small period over a long season but when you go through something like that, does it make you regret the idea of coming back or how does it keep you going?”

Truex Jr in his typical manner said, “It’s funny it feels like that when it first happens.” The driver then added, “You know a few minutes later and then you come to your senses and you’re like, okay it’s all going to be okay, right? So you know, we could do something huge tomorrow and next week and you know we’re all going to forget about the last you know 9 races or 8 races whatever it is so, that’s what we’re here to do, that’s what we’re going to try to do, we still have a big opportunity ahead and you know hopefully try to seize the moment.”

WATCH THIS STORY: The unfortunate gamble: Martin Truex Jr’s NASCAR Cup playoff upset 

Truex Jr uncovers the team’s true weakness despite the “new opportunity”

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There is no question about the 42-year-old driver’s capabilities. He is one of those drivers who are unstoppable once they find their groove. Fans can relate to this picking up a few examples from the 2023 regular season where the #19 Toyota looked like was going straight for the title for the 2nd time.

But things quickly fell out of place as the regular season champion was staring down the barrel on the verge of being eliminated from the tournament all 3 times in the playoffs. Entering Sunday’s race, the driver is in a make-it-or-break-it kind of situation. However, the sun doesn’t shine bright on the driver, considering his dismal performance at the short track in the Next-Gen platform.

In the pre-race presser, the driver said, “It’s been really tough, and nothing has really gone right, I thought we were sitting in a really good position last week. Things were going pretty well, and then we pit and the bottom falls out. We will reset. We are ready to go again. This is a new week and a new opportunity, and we’ve been in this position before. Let’s just go see what we can do.”

READ MORE: Martin Truex Jr’s Abysmal Playoff Run Could End at Martinsville as He Looks to Upset NASCAR’s Villain