“Not All Glitz and Glamour”: Martin Truex Jr Unmasks the Other Side of Being a NASCAR Driver

Who wouldn’t like to have a lifestyle where you race cars on weekends, make a buck load of money, and garner love and attention from the fans? It is a dream lifestyle in the eyes of many who view the sport from the outside. However, the reality of a racecar driver’s life is far from ideal. Going by Martin Truex Jr‘s words, it’s a rather stressful job and one that keeps them on the firing line every weekend.

Jeff Gluck comes up with this special interview segment of the same 12 questions for different drivers every week. And this time, the veteran driver from JGR made his appearance, sharing some key insights about his life and racing career.

Martin Truex Jr debunks the myths fans have about NASCAR drivers

More often than not, the drivers are under a scanner. Be it by the fans, experts, or even their very own racing organization. As NASCAR is a competitive sport, their every move is often dissected, studied, and many times questioned. Further, add on the pressure of delivering positive results; it is far from living an ideal life, isn’t it? This was further explained well by Truex Jr in an interview with Gluck.

Gluck asked the JGR driver, “What is an opinion you have about NASCAR that you don’t think is shared by the fans?” To this, he replied, “Something people don’t understand is it’s not all the glitz and glamour. And it’s not all as incredibly awesome as everybody thinks it is to be a driver. It’s a lot of work. It’s stressful. It’s tough. You’re under a microscope all the time.”

While it is indeed cool to drive a race car for a living and follow your dreams of competing every weekend, there is a fair share of challenges and added pressure, which Truex further touched upon. “Everyone’s like, “Oh man, it’s so awesome. You get to drive a race car every weekend for a living.” I’m like, “Yeah, well, there’s a lot more that goes into it than that.” So maybe just the misunderstanding about the job and how much it takes to do it and be good at it.”

With Martin Truex Jr turning 44 this year, it is an incredible feat on his part to still compete for wins and be hungry for more at this age. While the common idea is that as drivers grow older, they lose their peak performance. But in the case of the JGR driver, he feels like he’s still at his best.

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Truex Jr hints at a prolonged stay in NASCAR

There’s been a new trend in NASCAR racing, where the late 30s are considered to be the new retirement age for drivers. Going by the trend, the New Jersey native driver should be running his last laps in the Cup Series. However, he is not sold on such an idea, stating that he still feels as sharp as ever and is looking forward to competing in NASCAR for some more time.

“I’ve had a few issues over the years here and there, but generally speaking, I still feel great. When I get out after a race and I look at these young guys falling on the ground, I’m like, “I’m doing pretty good.” Never really had any issues, knock on wood again. I feel like I’m the best I’ve ever been — in the car, during the race, after the race, all the things it takes — and I feel like I’m as sharp as ever. They say you know when you lose a step, but hopefully, it’ll be a little while,” he shared.

As far as performance on the race track is concerned, the driver of the No. 19 JGR team isn’t showing signs of slowing down. Rather, he is fueling his title charge, placed second in the driver’s standings after ten starts.