It was just days back when the atmosphere within Joe Gibbs Racing camp was overflowing with jubilation. Martin Truex Jr., the veteran driver of the team, overcame his past year’s slump with three clinical wins. He also clinched the regular-season title. However, since then the driver has transcended back into a slump as Darlington and Kansas turned out to be a curve ball. 

With just one race left, Truex Jr. faces an uphill task to mitigate the damages from the past two playoff races. While the probability of winning in Bristol runs slim, retiring icon Kevin Harvick apparently came to his rescue as the elimination pressure intensifies. 

Kevin Harvick comes to the rescue for Martin Truex Jr. as playoffs intensify

Both Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. stand in a precarious position on the points table. As NASCAR gears up for the final race of the Round of 16, the Stewart-Haas Racing driver stands just 7 points above the elimination cutline. Meanwhile, Truex Jr. stands 7 below the elimination line. Due to sustaining major on-track incidents, both veterans are on the verge of being eliminated from the Round of 12. 

Bristol promises to be unpredictable with its highly progressive banking. And the JGR driver has struggled to find traction on the track. To keep the hopes alight for the season finale championship, the driver has to deliver a strong finish in Bristol.

Owing to this, speculations ran high on whether Truex Jr. would crack the tough nut of Bristol. Will he move forward in the season? In the pre-race interview, Harvick talked about the current playoff standing.

Watch this Story: $3.6 Billion Tire Company’s Blunder Cost Martin Truex Jr. His Shot At Another Title

To this, Harvick expressed, “Well, it’s a tough scenario because it makes exciting stuff to talk about, and I think it’s even in the championship that I won, some of the ones that I have lost, it really does not represent your whole year. You get to the point of making it to the playoffs and trying to get through the rounds and doing the things that you do. But still not representative of what you had as a year.”

“I think you just go out and do what you can and put yourself in the best position. These things work in weird ways, and he probably hasn’t had that all year and then it happens in the first round of the playoffs, so it’s definitely frustrating when you are in that position. That group had a phenomenal year, one race, and then you have one moment where it dictates or could dictate your whole season,” he added.

Truex Jr reveals what lies ahead of him in Bristol

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No other driver is facing the playoff pressure as Martin Truex Jr. Saturday’s race is one last chance for the driver to alter the tidings of the race.

In his pre-race interview, the No.19 Toyota driver revealed, “The points situation is the same as every other race. This weekend, we just need to qualify the best we can, run up front, and hope for good things to happen, but we really just have to control what we can control.”

“Bristol hasn’t been my favorite place, but we’ve had some good runs there, too. I think we’ve been competitive there over the years. Hoping we can have a strong run there and get to the next round of the playoffs. We’ll see how it plays out.”

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As the race approaches, excitement and apprehension are running high among the fans and drivers alike. It is to be seen what is in store for these drivers. Will Harvick and Truex Jr. be able to carry forward their contention, or will they falter in the final race?