Martin Truex Jr has suffered a tumultuous series of upsets so far in the 2024 season. The Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19 Toyota found speed throughout every race. Yet somehow, the final laps seem to elude Truex’s grasp. In a row of different short tracks, he came dangerously close to a win only to let a rival snatch his hard-earned position.

Yet that has not left a bitter taste in Truex’s mouth, as he is content with his performance. It is enough to call it a career after 19 long years in the NASCAR Cup Series. In his last days of glory, Truex admits to a tough season, which will hopefully favor him soon.

Martin Truex Jr is content despite a lagging season

Joe Gibbs’ eldest active driver has faltered due to his teammate a few times this year. Firstly, both Martin Truex Jr and Denny Hamlin led the field in speed at the tire-wear race in Bristol. Truex ended up finishing second to Hamlin. Although he was happy with the performance, Truex was furious at Richmond. Hamlin allegedly jumped the final restart and snatched the win from Truex, who dominated the race.

This final lap trouble repeated itself again last week at Sonoma Raceway. Martin Truex Jr fiercely raged to a solid podium finish before he ran out of gas on the final lap. As the No. 11 sputtered and slowed, Kyle Larson stole Truex’s glory. This debacle shaved off 25 points and relegated Truex to fifth place in the driver rankings, which he led not so long ago.

But these repeated upsets are not the reason for Martin Truex Jr’s retirement. He told the press that his love for racing is strong. “I mean we have had some disappointments this year for sure. But it’s not enough to make you stop doing what you want to. So yeah, totally not related to performance in any way, shape, or form.”

Instead, MTJ wanted some time for himself. Battling a 40-race schedule can be taxing, and Martin Truex Jr has missed numerous family weddings. So the veteran finally wants to leave his hectic career. “It just felt like the right time for me. Honestly, I thought about it a lot the past few seasons and just waited for that feeling in my mind to be positive. Like, ‘This is okay, I’m good. I want to do something else.’ Yeah, something just felt different this year for me…I felt like it was time to slow down and do something else.”

The No. 11 pit crew chief wholeheartedly respects Martin Truex Jr’s decision, while recollecting the great time working with him.

Truex’s racetrack colleague tips his hat

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James Small, the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing crew chief, has been around during Truex’s stellar years. Small took over in 2020 after having worked as the lead engineer for Martin Truex Jr’s cars before. The veteran clinched eight of his 34 career wins with Small atop the box. The 2021 Darlington race was a dominant triumph, as Truex led 248 of 293 laps in a flat-black car. Hence, Small wished for more of this success, saying, “We would have loved for him to keep going another year.” But then he is also content: “Ultimately, whatever makes him happy we support him.”

James Small further commended his driver at the Iowa track garage, “You know, he’s incredible.” Hailing Truex’s stellar achievements since 2016, Small also added what a humble personality he is. “He’s accomplished a lot, and he’s been very easy to work with from our standpoint. He leaves us alone, tells us what he needs and goes and does his thing, and puts his trust in us. So from that standpoint, he’s very different, but he’s been a great friend and a great driver to work with and he’s very humble.”

Hence, despite his final-lap woes during this season, Martin Truex Jr’s colleagues are proud of all that he has achieved so far.