Imagine you are working the last few days of your job after letting your employer know that you quit. Martin Truex Jr is exactly in that situation and this will be his last full-time season before he retires from the Cup Series. On his way out, we expect him to have a great run before he passes on the mantle. Although that’s the ideal case scenario, Truex Jr had a poor start to the playoffs.

From starting the race at the back of the grid to finishing 35th, and everything that happened during the race, it’s clear that Atlanta was not the night for him. Martin Truex Jr caught up quite a few positions during the race, but that all changed towards the last stage, where chaos led him to fall to the back of the grid. Reflecting on Truex Jr’s race, Kevin Harvick discusses the state of mind of the retiring driver at the first race of the playoffs.

Kevin Harvick understands the position Martin Truex Jr is in

Once the race started, Truex Jr made his way across the track, leaving several drivers behind him. Unfortunately for him, his car started to malfunction, which led him to make multiple pit stops, losing the positions he had gained during the race.

A crash with Ryan Blaney did not help either, as that added to the time damages that he had to face. Starting at the back of the pack, he still managed to finish 9th in stage 1. That lead did not last too long, as he fell to 35th by the end of stage 3.

There were quite a few disappointed cries on the radio, and the frustration was clearly visible after a point. Truex Jr still completed the race, but he was not happy with the result. Kevin Harvick and his podcast team discussed the Joe Gibbs Racing driver’s experience, and it’s safe to say that the race was a disaster.

On the Kevin Harvick Happy Hour podcast, co-host Kaitlyn Vincie brought up Martin Truex Jr’s experience on the track, saying, “He [Truex Jr] said the car was sh-t, didn’t have any speed. He is not happy right now, this man.”

Being a driver who has been on the crossroads of retirement himself, Harvick shared his perspective when it came to Truex Jr’s last race, saying, “Well, it’s unfortunate—you want to enjoy the, you know, the end of your career and the things that are happening. And he is definitely cranky on the radio, that’s for sure.”

Adding on to what Harvick understood from Truex Jr’s mood, the 2014 Cup Series champion continued to explain, “I don’t think that’s anything new, but he has definitely been cranky lately. Unfortunately for him, he is 18 points below the line.” This is not a position that any driver wants to be in before they retire, and here is what Truex Jr had to say about the race.

Truex Jr’s take from the Atlanta race

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Following such a devastating race for Truex Jr, everyone wanted to know what was going on in his mind. Truex spoke to the media and mentioned, “You always look back at what you wish you did better. The three second-place championship finishes still hurt. I feel like I probably should have three championships, not one. I’d say four.”

The ambition with which Truex races is visible in his statement, and despite being just a 1-time Cup Series Champion, he believes that he deserves more. This will be his last shot at becoming a two-time Cup Series champion, and starting off with an 18-point lag makes that dream a lot more difficult.

For now, Truex Jr is hanging on and trying to make it into the Top 12, and with the way the season is planned, that might be a possibility. It’s only fair for Truex Jr to want a joyous farewell, and with 2 more races for him to get into the top 12, who is to say that the driver who reached P9 starting from the back cannot make it to the next round of the playoffs?

With that said, do you think Martin Truex Jr still has a chance to win the Cup Series Championship? Share your thoughts in the comments below.