It has been a stop-start kind of race at Sonoma, leading to multiple restarts, leaving drivers to fight aggressively to keep hold of their track position. Truex Jr, amid all this, is having a hard time trying to keep the aggressors at bay. Doing so, he even vented out his frustration on the radio, saying, “Turn 3 is such a stack up, you get run into by these f**king r*****s.”

This rant will most likely warrant a reaction from NASCAR, as has been seen in past incidents. Notably, back in 2021, Kyle Busch was also caught using the same word. The incident unfolded when the Richard Childress Racing driver had an on-track run-in with Brad Keselowski during the playoff race at Martinsville. Fuming over the contact, Busch decided to go all out on the RFK owner during the post-race interview.

“He drills my a** coming out of (turn) 4 for no reason. I mean, where was he going? What was he gonna do? Spin me out? He was trying to do a Harvick is what he was trying to do. For what? For second place? To do what, he wasn’t gonna transfer through with that. It’s frickin’ (r-word), man. So stupid. I don’t understand these guys. I should beat the s*** out of him right now, is what I should do. But, that doesn’t do me any good, either,” the #8 driver had said while criticizing Keselowski.

Later, he admitted his mistake by posting an apology on X, that read, “In one of my post-race interviews, I used a word I should never use and I want to apologize for it.” Despite coming clean, he was required to go through sensitivity training before the start of the 2022 season.

Similarly, Xfinity Series racer Hailee Deegan also had to undergo a sensitivity training program earlier that year for using the same word during a simulation race, airing on Twitch.

NASCAR drivers are known to have a short fuse and are let off the hook by the community many times, knowing those are heated moments. However, the fans weren’t considerate of the blatant use of cuss words by the JGR star and bashed him online on social media.

Fans unanimously approve of Truex Jr’s sensitivity training

Martin Truex Jr‘s choice of words soon came under the scrutiny of the fans, with one comment elaborating on the possible situation that the #19 driver will be subject to. “That’s a one-way ticket to sensitivity training. Doubt NASCAR will like that,” the comment read. Going by the organization’s track record, the racer may have to complete his training before the 2025 season.

Another user, as expected, didn’t forget the Kyle Busch debacle. “Is he gonna get sent to sensitivity training like @KyleBusch did?” they wrote. And not just Kyle Busch. Even NASCAR’s beloved racer, Dale Earnhardt Jr had to face NASCAR’s wrath for letting his mouth run!

In 2004, after Junior picked up his fifth career win at Talladega and his fifth win that year, he was asked by a reporter what it meant to him. “It don’t mean s**t right now. Daddy’s won here 10 times,” the retired veteran had retorted, earning himself a $10,000 fine and 25-point deduction, dropping him from first place in the Championship standings. Similarly, that same year, then-Busch Series driver Johnny Sauter was also fined the same amount and placed on probation for the rest of the season. He had used the same word as Junior during a post-race interview in Las Vegas.

In a day and age where NASCAR is trying to create an inclusive environment, drivers have to be careful about their choice of words. But clearly, MTJ has some work to do on that part as one fan pointed out, “That’s a no no in today’s world.”

Some even started contemplating retirement for the JGR driver on the back of his recent slip-up. “I have a feeling that retirement announcement is forthcoming…” But, it seems, for now, he’s still not sure.

There’s a possibility of Truex Jr hanging up his boots from racing at the end of this season. This allowed optimistic fans to start predicting the new face to the wheel of the #19 JGR car. “indefinitely suspended, sensitivity training, replaced by Corey Heim.”

To make matters worse, the 43-year-old couldn’t even finish the race strongly after contesting for the win with Kyle Larson. The #19 JGR car was out of fuel and had to crawl on the front stretch only to secure a P27 finish.