“We Are Definitely Outnumbered”- Martin Truex Jr. Unveils Flimsy Talladega Strategy as Manufacturer Racing Hogs Limelight

For the regular season champion Martin Truex Jr. this Cup Series season has not been in his favour. The driver of the #19 Joe Gibbs Racing car has not finished in the top 10 in any of the playoff races this season. Even though Truex Jr. might be 19 points ahead of the cutline, races at the track like Talladega are unpredictable.

Martin Truex Jr. found himself in a do-or-die situation in the final race of the round of 16 at Bristol, falling below the cutline back then and having to scrape through narrowly to the round of 12. After Saturday’s qualifying, the 43-year-old was only fast enough for 16th place. Truex Jr. is hopeful that his heavily outnumbered Toyota teammates can work with each other so that they all finish in decent positions ahead of the Chevys and the Fords.

Martin Truex Jr. reveals Toyota’s strong suit ahead of Talladega

The last three races at the iconic superspeedway were won by three different Chevrolet drivers: Ross Chastain, Chase Elliott, and Kyle Busch. The last time NASCAR raced at a superspeedway, Ford drivers Chris Buescher and Brad Keselowski stole the show with a 1-2 finish at Daytona for RFK Racing. The Toyotas will certainly hope that it is their time to shine at the track despite having the least cars.

There are only two Toyota teams – 23XI Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing. As JGR driver Denny Hamlin is a co-owner of 23XI, there is no doubt that the two will work together throughout the race. Toyota cars have won two of the last four races and they will be hoping to keep this run going. They say that teamwork makes the dream work and that is exactly what Truex will be putting his hopes on on Sunday as he looks for that elusive win at Talladega. Adding along the same lines, in an interview with Frontstretch Martin Truex Jr. said, 

“Yeah I mean, we put a lot of effort in, watching the videos and looking at all the stuff our engineers give us at Toyota and JGR, and all the drivers. You know, we all work together really well and look back at past races and things so…I feel we have a good group of guys and you know, we’re definitely outnumbered Toyota-wise and you know, this racing has become manufacturer racing but at certain times it works well for us because we are so committed.”

“We’re basically on the same team. Where other guys are, you know, they might be a Chevrolet but they might be with different teams or having beef or something, when it comes down to the end they leave each other hanging, so if we can all make it to the end and be together, we can have a very good shot at one of us winning,” he added.

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The 43-year-old JGR driver might be one of the seasoned veterans on the grid but the one that he has not been able to do is win a race at the Talladega Superspeedway. To be honest, his record at the track is worrying. The veteran must finish in a decent position on Sunday or he will find himself exactly in the same situation as he did in the round of 16.

Truex Jr. will be hoping to break his career-long Talladega curse

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Martin Truex Jr. has taken part in 37 races so far at the iconic superspeedway and has never won once. In his last five races at Talladega, Truex has finished 27th, 26th, 5th, 12th and 31st. While there is a top-five result in there, the level of inconsistency is far too high when it comes to a seasoned veteran like him. The JGR driver has always had trouble on the superspeedway’s asphalt but there is no time like right now for him to break that curse and roar into the title picture.

Talladega is not one of his strong tracks. But it’s not just his performance that has been, quite frankly, poor at the superspeedway. Truex has also suffered a number of mechanical failures at Talladega over the years. However, ahead of the race on Sunday, the veteran sounded apprehensive.

“Talladega is a lot different than normal weeks, It’s a lot of strategy and a lot of talk with my teammates and trying to plan to work to get to the end of that thing […],” he had said in a pre-race interview.

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The 43-year-old will be hoping and praying that his career-long string of poor performances at Talladega comes to an end on Sunday. Whether it is with help from his teammates or if he drives one of the best races of his life, it is crucial for him to score good points so that he does not find himself in the same situation as he did going into the last race of the previous round.