Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin have been rivals on track for years now, but besides that, they are also teammates. Denny Hamlin has confirmed that Martin Truex Jr. is unlikely to make a comeback to full-time racing in the NASCAR Cup Series after his planned retirement at the end of this season and expressed that Truex seems confident in his decision to step away from full-time competition and would like to give him the farewell he deserves.

Truex, who won the Cup Series championship in 2017, has enjoyed a successful career with 34 wins and 23 pole positions since he started racing full-time in 2006. Despite rumors and speculations about a possible return, it was officially announced in June that Truex would retire from full-time racing after the 2024 season.

With Martin Truex Jr. set to retire from full-time racing at the end of the 2024 season, Denny Hamlin mentioned that he is ready to help his teammate through the season. So what does Hamlin have in mind?

As of now, Martin Truex Jr. has not secured his spot in the playoffs. And it looks like Denny Hamlin has taken up the assignment for his teammate. According to a post on X by Peter Stratta, Denny Hamlin before the race said, Tell Martin if he wants to work together; I’ll push him by the 24; if he runs low, just wait till I get close enough.” 

This plan was to be able to get Martin Truex Jr. ahead of William Byron, which would be crucial for him to score enough points to make it to the playoffs.

But what happened in the race? A different Truex was heard as he spoke to his crew about his car being slow. “This thing is so f*cking slow on the straightaway,” Truex said on the radio, per Stephen Stumpf of Frontstretch. “Junk. F*cking junk.” And, as a result, a stage win for the JGR driver, and a P8 finish at Pocono. It’s clear that he has high expectations for himself as he competes in his final full-time Cup Series season.

While winning a race would have been the most optimal result, the team has managed to get into the top 5 on 4 occasions so far. Being a farewell season for the driver’s Hamlin means making sure that, as a teammate, he does everything he can to help the team score better results. And, with both teammates finishing in the top 10 this weekend at the Pocono Raceway, one thing is clear, teamwork or no teamwork, both drivers are driven and fast with their cars.

After Pocono, Martin Truex Jr. is P6 in the standings with 640 points. To keep his lead, Truex needs to finish better than William Byron, who is at 646 points, just 4 points ahead. As Denny Hamlin is ready to help him, it looks like Truex Jr. with just a little push, could soon be in the top 5.

This being his last season, it’s only fair that he leaves the sport on a high, and the bare minimum he would need for that is to get into the playoffs. So let’s take a look at what Martin Truex Jr. had to say about his current performance.

Martin Truex Jr. opens up about his slump

Martin Truex Jr. has recently reflected on his performance slump in NASCAR. He acknowledged a challenging stretch since his strong showings at Dover and Kansas in May, where he secured successive top-5 finishes. Since then, he has struggled to replicate that success, with his best result during this period being a 9th-place finish at New Hampshire.

MTJ explained that his difficulties are due to a combination of factors, as he stated, “

After saying that he feels good about it, we might just see Truex Jr, make it in the top 5. For this race, the priority is on beating Byron to keep his lead on the charts, and with the help of Denny Hamlin, hopefully, that is possible. With that said, do you think Martin Truex Jr. will make it to the playoffs this season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.