Can you believe it? Martin Truex Jr. has never won a Cup race at Bristol in his 34 prior appearances on the racetrack. Now, as the Jersey native prepares to run what could very well be his last race at the ‘Last Great Colosseum’, his #19 Toyota Camry XSE starts fourth. 

Lingering 14 points off the Round of 12 cutline, Truex (15th) will have to run up-front all day to overturn his deficit. But in his way stands RFK owner-driver Brad Keselowski (14th), behind Denny Hamlin (13th) and Ty Gibbs (12th). Theoretically, either of those three Joe Gibbs drivers might get knocked out of the next round. Not to mention Keselowski, or Harrison Burton, who’s currently dead last in the ‘Playoff Picture’.

Indeed, it will be a sad finale for some under the Tennessee night sky. But even more for Truex, if he can’t find his bargaining chip with the World’s Fastest Half-Mile.

A winless streak for Martin Truex Jr. at the ‘Last Great Colosseum’

It’s no secret that Martin Truex Jr. has not been too happy with how fate has treated him in NASCAR lately. A DNF at Atlanta, followed by flaring tensions after a caution-affected 20th-place finish in Watkins Glen, forced the veteran to call out what he sees. In his own words, “This racing is just ridiculous… But it is what it is these days…” 

He could do well to channel that frustration into his advances for the Bristol Night Race. After all, it appeared he had the strategy calls already ironed out during that Food City 500 back in March where the #19 finished second. That could have been a Martin Truex W, had it not been for his teammate Denny Hamlin. The #11 driver made it two-in-a-row at Bristol with a twelve-car-length advantage over Truex in that race. That win had effectively locked Hamlin into the Playoffs. Truex, who went winless for the rest of the year, made it into the Round of 16 under much different circumstances.

He entered the postseason in the final sixteenth spot out of all drivers. Then, after dismal performances in the first two races, he finds himself under the lights at Bristol. As mentioned above, the 44-year-old is 0-for-34 in Thunder Valley. So when PRN’s Brad Gillie asked Truex about his chances of making it to the next round from “the outside looking in,” on a racetrack he’s still unproven at, the man replied, “It would be incredible, this is a special place to win… I really enjoy racing here.” However, he ominously concluded his answer, saying, “It’s just not been too good to me over the years.”

In hindsight, Only Michael McDowell has more DNFs (8) at a Cup race in Bristol than Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch (5 each). Those two alone have tangled more than a few times on Bristol’s relentless concrete. Hence, Truex admitted to Jeff Birchfield of the Johnson City Press, “It’s never been my best track… I don’t go there beaming with confidence, but over the years I’ve had a few opportunities.” Regardless, this looks set to be his last opportunity.

Coincidentally, his close friend, Dale Earnhardt Jr. might’ve also run his last-ever NASCAR race under the lights on Friday. The Food City 300 Xfinity race witnessed a top-10 from our favorite racing legend, that looks set to be his last in the #88 Chevy. Now, we’re aware Truex is potentially looking forward to a one-off Daytona 500 entry with 23XI Racing the following year. But his admissions after Dale Jr.’s farewell race stirred up plenty of optimism in the collective NASCAR community.

A potential Xfinity Series return with Dale Jr.

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As Jr seemed to round off his annual Xfinity appearances with a hard-fought P7 behind his JRM driver Brandon Jones, and Ryan Truex, the latter’s elder brother revealed to the media in Bristol, “I told him [Dale], ‘Can you just do one more year in the Xfinity Series so that we can race together one last time?’”

Thanks to that statement, Truex will now have to deal with a Pandora’s box of questions. For starters, does he make this assumed Xfinity start with a JRM car in the future? Maybe driving one of the other three cars as the #88 reserves itself for Dale Jr.? Does it mean Martin Truex Jr. will not disappear into the wilderness completely after retirement? Whatever the concerns, these are incredibly positive admissions from a beloved member of the NASCAR nation.

That being said, are you rooting for the #19 Bass Pro Shops Camry to make its last stand at the Bass Pro Shops Night Race in Bristol this Saturday? Let us know in the comments below.