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Martin Truex Jr. led 254 of a possible 301 laps during Monday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
He won both stages en route to his third victory of the year that also put him atop the series points standings.
Truex Jr. is now unquestionably the favorite to lift his second career Cup Series championship at the end of the year in Phoenix.
And yet, he still hasn’t decided if he’s going to retire or not.
Truex Jr. is currently on a one-year deal with Joe Gibbs Racing after opting to forgo retirement last season and return for the 2023 season.
That’s proved a fruitful decision and he and crew chief James Small have morphed into one of the series’ most dynamic duos.
Yet, even still and even after Monday’s win, retirement still weighs heavily on his mind. Truex opened up about why that’s the case following the victory.
“This sport isn’t exactly what it appears to be sometimes,” Truex Jr. said post-race via The Teardown podcast. “It takes a big commitment. My team is amazing. They deserve the very best driver, the guy that wants it more than anyone else. And I’ve been that guy, and I wanna make sure that if I come back I’m willing to do that. It takes a lot. It’s not just show up at the track, drive the car, go home…
“It takes a lot of commitment. It’s a lot of travel. A lot of time missing things with family and friends and all those things that I’ve done for 25 years. Do I wanna keep doing it and am I willing to sacrifice all those things again for my team? So that’s just what I’m thinking about. I don’t know that running good and winning makes a difference.”
That sure sounds like the words of a man who is seriously considering walking away come November. But who knows, maybe he stays? Or maybe he’ll get the chance to walk out on top like everybody dreams of doing?