Martin Truex Jr Shares His Elation With the New Clash Format as He Prepares to Defend His Title

After a long off-season and days of merriment, the drivers are ready to hit the tracks of NASCAR for the 2024 season. Beginning the season with the non-point race Busch Clash on the iconic track of LA Coliseum, the drivers are ready to hit the accelerator. However, unlike the past years, the 2024 season brings new surprises for the Busch Clash. 

With just a handful of days left before the green flag flutters for the unofficial race of the season, NASCAR unveiled a new format for the heat and the qualifying session of the race. While there has been a mixed bag of reactions from NASCAR insiders, it seems that the defending job of the past year’s Clash Martin Truex Jr. The driver expressed his stance in his interview with FOX journalist Bob Pockrass.

Martin Truex Jr applauds NASCAR for increasing practice time

It was a rollercoaster ride for the veteran driver of Joe Gibbs Racing. After clinching three victories in the 2023 season, the driver capped off the season with the regular-season championship. However, it was not long before the driver was able to hold on to his high horses and had to bow out of the playoffs early. Nevertheless, Martin Truex Jr is ready to let go of his past season to start afresh in the 2024 season and defend his Clash title.

In the third edition of the Busch Clash, the NASCAR fandom waits with bated breath to witness who wears the new crown after Joey Logano and Martin Truex Jr. While numerous names seem to have cropped as the favorites for the upgraded Busch Clash, JGR’s Truex Jr’s prowess is not to be undermined as he hopes to earn the second title. Sharing his excitement about the new format, the driver expressed to Bob Pockrass, “Well, I am looking forward to defending the Clash victory and excited to get out there and see if we can do it again.”

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“I think I like the new format, not to have to qualify and go up on practice time, because last year we were really fast in practice. I think the fastest overall and then in qualifying we had to go out after one of those commercial breaks and the track cooled off. We qualified bad and had to start in a bad spot in the race. Overall I mean what we learned last year should really be helpful and hopefully can learn from there and go back it up.”

According to the Clash format that was announced by the authorities, the heats and the qualifying session are slated for Saturday. Moreover, three practice sessions are allocated for the three practice groups. The top five drivers from each session would be qualifying for the main event on Sunday. However, the final 75-lap qualifier would be held before the main Clash on Sunday.

Nonetheless, deviating from the past year’s structure, the 2024 season includes a single-lap qualifying and single shot at the Last Chance Qualifier instead of two and a 23-driver field instead of 27 drivers.

The Joe Gibbs Racing veteran unravels his plans for the 2024 season

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This new pattern is set to make the contention among the drivers more nerve-wracking as they pry for one common goal. Nevertheless, the former Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr has not shown any signs of slowing and hopes to clinch more titles in the 2024 season.

Speaking to NASCAR reporter Bob Pockrass, the JGR driver revealed his hopes for the 2024 season. Truex Jr stated, “You always look at everything. You look at the good and the bad, and you try to learn from everything and try to be better. Obviously, ‘22 to ‘23 was a huge step for us. And the playoffs — it was kind of interesting how it played out and some of it, I don’t really quite understand what happened.”

“And some of it, I do. We’re working hard to do better and be more consistent. That’s the name of the game with this car and everything just being so close now. Just being more consistent, making better decisions, less mistakes and having better speed everywhere, hopefully. We’ve just got to repeat the regular season and figure out how to turn it up in the playoffs like we used to.”

Having said that, the 2024 Cup Series would be a crucial year for the veteran driver. Will be able to  win a second championship? Will the season be a cakewalk or a daunting task?

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