via Getty
DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 08: Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #19 SiriusXM Toyota, stands in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Cup Series Busch Clash at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)
via Getty
DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 08: Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #19 SiriusXM Toyota, stands in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Cup Series Busch Clash at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)
Earlier this year, Hendrick Motorsports legend Steve Letarte made a bold prediction for the Cup Series.
He observed that many of the younger drivers could really be a threat this year. When all was said and done, it could result in Martin Truex Jr missing out on the Playoffs.
Back in February, @SteveLetarte said youth in the sport are going to be attacking, and that Martin Truex Jr. could be a surprise driver missing the #NASCARPlayoffs.
He was right. Of the 16 different winners this year, 11 were the age of 30 or younger. pic.twitter.com/8qipwCtBZh
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) August 28, 2022
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Several races later, the prediction has come true, to Truex Jr’s dismay.
Earlier at Darlington, he opened up on his race and overall season in an emotional interview.
Speaking after the Darlington race, he said, “I lost power steering, it started overheating real quick and losing power. So, I don’t know, kicked some belts off for sure.”
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“Thanks to all my guys and everybody at JGR, TRD, Johnny, Bass Pro, everybody for supporting us all year.”
“It’s been tough and this is another tough night for sure. But, come back next week and fight again.”
What else did a devastated Martin Truex Jr say?
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver came ever so close to qualifying for the Playoffs in 2022. In the buildup to the regular season finale, it was down to Ryan Blaney and Truex Jr, fighting for one spot.
Then a life-line opened when Kurt Busch vacated his Playoff spot, and hope bloomed once again. Sadly, those hopes were dashed, all thanks to Austin Dillon, who won at Daytona and bagged one spot, and the other went to Blaney.
USA Today via Reuters
Aug 7, 2022; Brooklyn, Michigan, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Martin Truex Jr. (19) is introduced before the race at Michigan International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
Truex Jr. continued, “Just mad, upset, angry. We deserve better and this year, no matter what we do, it seems wrong. When we run good, stuff goes wrong, and when we run bad, nothing bad happens.”
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“Just one of those years where we can’t get anything going our way. It’s about the fifth time I should have won this race and I’ve only done it once, so pretty p***ed off.”
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Now, all that the #19 driver can do is sit and rue what could have been. For the remainder of the season, his role will now be to try to help teammates Kyle Busch, Christopher Bell, and Denny Hamlin.
Those three Joe Gibbs Racing drivers still have a shot at winning the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series title. For Truex Jr’s own peace of mind, he will definitely want to close out the difficult year with at least one win.
