Martin Truex Jr is back where it all started. The three-turn oval, known as the ‘tricky triangle’ was where the veteran won his third Cup Series race and the track where the NASCAR world took notice of his mercurial talent. The victory was a significant one, especially because it secured his playoff berth, and he went on to advance to Championship 4. Truex Jr may not have won, but his fourth-place finish that year was a career-best at that time.

He won at Pocono in 2018 once again, showing his mastery of what is one of the toughest tracks in the NASCAR calendar. This time, it was the Pocono’s turn to pay tribute to the 44-year-old, adding Martin Truex Jr’s name on the start-finish line in what will be his last race on the track. Wouldn’t it be phenomenal if he himself were to cross his name first?

Could Martin Truex Jr secure his first win of the season at Pocono?

Martin Truex Jr has a stellar record at Pocono Raceway. Apart from his two wins, he has finished in the top 5 seven times, and a staggering fifteen times in the top 10. In his 34 Cup Series starts, Truex Jr has led 257 laps on the 2.5-mile track, showing mastery over the different banking angles of the three turns while navigating through them at high speeds. Despite being 5th in the drivers’ standings, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver hasn’t won a race all season, and what better way to end that streak than at the HighPoint.Com 400?

Speaking ahead of the race with Speedway Digest, New Jersey native Martin Truex Jr said, “Really looking forward to going to Pocono this weekend in our Interstate Batteries car. It’s one of our home tracks as they say. I’ve won there a couple of times but really excited to be get back with fast cars [crew chief] James [Small] and all the 19 guys who have been around the track lately. We’re fired up and hope we can get another win at Pocono.”

With overtaking notoriously difficult at Pocono Raceway, Truex Jr knows better than most that finishing strongly in qualifying will be key to securing a win. Last year, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver qualified at P2 and finished the race in third place. The year before that, Truex Jr ended up in 8th place during qualifying and ended the race in P7. Finishing in one of the top 5 places will be key for Truex Jr to secure a win in his final race at Pocono if race wins from 2015 and 2018 are anything to go by.

As things stand, Martin Truex Jr is the highest-placed driver in the standings without a win in 20 races. He is also occupying one of the four remaining playoff spots on points, but the hope will be to secure a win before the end of the regular season. With the track adorning his name at the start-finish line, his history at Pocono, and the significance of getting his first win of the season, it’s fair to say that the stage is set for Truex Jr to finally get his first win of the season.

NASCAR fans have contrasting views about Pocono Raceway’s tribute

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As soon as images of the start-finish line at Pocono were released, the tribute to Martin Truex Jr instantly divided the NASCAR community. Featuring the name ‘Truex Jr’, several fans mocked that it could very easily be referring to his brother Ryan Truex. One fan wrote on X, “Front stretch is 900 feet wide, you’d think they could have fit his first name on there to differentiate it from his brother, RTJ.” Echoing that sentiment, another fan wrote, “Ryan is going to be so excited!”.

While races giving tribute to an iconic driver on the verge of retirement is nothing new, one fan believed that Pocono Raceway’s gesture for Martin Truex Jr was “Totally unnecessary”, while another fan went as far as to express his disgust at the heartfelt send-off, commenting “Yuck” under the images that were released.

However, some fans did feel that the gesture was a fantastic tribute to one of NASCAR’s most iconic drivers. Reminiscing about Martin Truex Jr’s race win in 2015, which led to a fourth-place finish that season, one fan wrote on X, “Considering this is where his career really started to explode, I’d say it’s an awesome way to send a driver off at such a monumental place for their career.”

Last year, in recognition of Kevin Harvick’s illustrious career, Charlotte Motor Speedway organized a series of events and displays for fans to enjoy during the Bank of America ROVAL 400. Impressed by how Pocono Raceway had executed Martin Truex Jr’s tribute, a fan wrote, “Honestly cooler than naming a corner or the event after the driver, no disrespect, I just like this execution.”

Fans attending the race on Sunday were eager to see the start-finish line in person, with one fan saying, “This will look awesome in person on Sunday.” Another fan referred to ‘The Mandalorian’, a popular Star Wars TV show by saying, “This is the way”, also referring to the direction cars will go during the start and end of the race.

Do you think Martin Truex Jr could win at Pocono Raceway? Let us know in the comments!