It's all looking up for Martin Truex Jr., the driver of the No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota. With three victories on the season and the points lead, he might be well on his way to a real chance at a second Cup championship.
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However, that isn't the biggest topic of discussion surrounding the Joe Gibbs Racing driver.
After yet another dominating performance Monday, which resulted in Truex grabbing the checkered flag at New Hampshire — and the famed Loudon the Lobster prize — the 43-year-old heard plenty of questions from the media about his future after this season.
Martin Truex Jr. Discusses Potential Retirement
Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
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Truex thinks the ultimate way to go out in NASCAR would be to win the championship and call it a career. He shared that sentiment as a guest on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
🗣️ “I think the ultimate thing ever would be to win the championship and walk off. I think we can do that this year, I think we can do that next year as well.” #NASCAR
🏁 Will @MartinTruex_Jr ride into the sunset as a Cup champion or return to @JoeGibbsRacing in 2024? ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/EV3DHmmVVP
— SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90) (@SiriusXMNASCAR) July 19, 2023
"I think the ultimate thing ever would be to win the championship and walk off," Truex said. "I think we can do that this year. I think we can do that next year as well."
His car owner, Joe Gibbs, is also wondering what 2024 will hold for Truex. Gibbs has had plenty of success with every driver who has driven for him, and he hopes he can keep Truex in the fold for one more season. Gibbs was asked by Dan Gelstonap of The Associated Press about where Truex stands.
"He tells me the same thing every year, that I'm right in the middle of trying to make this decision," Gibbs said. "I go, come on, what are you talking about, man? You're making money, you're having fun, you're driving race cars. Come on."
After winning the Crayon 301 on Monday, Truex remains pretty mum about what his future holds. But he made one thing clear: He isn't too good with important choices.
"I'm bad at making big decisions," Truex said in victory lane following Monday's win.
There is plenty of speculation that this year could be the last for Truex. He hasn't made a firm commitment one way or the other, but would it be shocking if he called it a career? He has never been one for doing things the normal way.
It wouldn't be the first time a driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Toyota retired suddenly following a season. Carl Edwards did just that following the 2016 season, which saw him win three times and reach the Championship 4 race.
Truex looks to be one of the top contenders for the 2023 championship and might be hitting his stride at the right time. He's raced a long time, and sometimes drivers hang it up earlier than expected.
Then again, this seems like something that has been coming for a while. While it's still all up in the air, a lot of younger drivers are waiting in the wings, and John Hunter Nemechek looks to be the next man up if 2023 is Truex's last year.
In reality, the only person who knows what they want to do is Truex, and he'd prefer to have more opportunity to decide — although he doesn't think he does.
"I wish I had more time to figure out what I want to do next year, but I don't," Truex said. "So I'll know soon, and you'll know soon."
That sure sounds as if he has his mind just about made up. Could this be it for the 2017 Cup champion?
