(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)
By Aaron Bearden
Martin Truex Jr. has enjoyed a NASCAR Hall of Fame-caliber Cup career. He has 34 Cup Series wins, a 2017 title and marquee victories including the Coca-Cola 600 and Southern 500. It can take something significant for a win to stand out. Even Monday wins are nothing new.
But Sunday’s win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway was special, for a variety of reasons.
The first: A family connection. New Hampshire was a track where Truex’s father, Martin Truex Sr., found success. He triumphed in a Busch North Series race at the track in 1994. Before he was a Cup star, Truex has memories of lengthy drives from home to sit in the stands at New Hampshire.
Re: sitting in grandstands with little brother drinking from bottle pic.twitter.com/E1yZ3B0w43
— Ryan Truex (@Ryan_Truex) July 17, 2023
“Thinking back to when I was a kid coming here and watching that and watching him win here in ’94, just those were my heroes growing up, the guys he raced against, Kelly Warren and Dave Dion and all the Busch North guys back in the day that were legends of the northeast,” Truex said. “To watch him race with them, they were all my heroes, and then to start racing against them and win against them and move up and keep doing things, I just never would have thought.
“When I was a kid coming here watching, I didn’t even know I’d get to do that some day.”
Over time Truex’s heroes became his fellow competitors. Truex credits his dad’s faith in him in those early days – the emphasis on him, his father calling off his own Busch North effort in 2000 to give his son priority – for paving the way to his eventual rise.
“I owe a lot of this to him,” he said.
That alone would make a win memorable. But New Hampshire also meant more to Truex because of how many times he’d come close only to be denied in the past.
Truex had led over 100 laps on five prior occasions at the Magic Mile, including a race high 172 laps last year. He had an 11.7 average finish and eight top-fives. But he’d never finished better than third at the track in the Cup Series.
The urge to add to the Truex legacy fueled Martin at New Hampshire. That he’d been close so many times bolstered his desire to win.
It seemed like something might go wrong again Monday. Ryan Blaney threatened to chase Truex down at one point in the final stage. The Team Penske star fell from contention with a pit road penalty, but there were three cautions in the final 30 laps, opening the door for calamity on a restart.
None of it mattered. Truex was at his stoic, consistent best, leading 254 of 301 laps and retaining the lead at each time of asking.
He celebrated with a sizable burnout and a nibble on the lobster in victory lane – finally able to soak in a win that had eluded him in 29 prior attempts.
“I think it’s no secret that I’ve been after this one for a long time,” Truex said. “It’s always been one that I wanted so bad, and maybe I think too bad at times.
“But it was well worth the wait to be able to do it here today finally, take home the lobster and put another win at Loudon with the name Truex on it. Very special.”
The win comes at a key time for Truex. At 43 years old, the New Jersey native is in the twilight of his NASCAR career. While he announced last June that he’d be back for 2023, it’s still uncertain in mid-July if he’ll return for the 2024 season.
Asked about it Saturday, Truex just said “next question.”
After his win, he elaborated a bit more. “My team is amazing,” he said. “They deserve the very best driver, the guy that wants it more than anyone else, and I’ve been that guy.
“I want to 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. 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 want to keep doing it and am I willing to sacrifice all those things again for my team?
Team owner Joe Gibbs acknowledged the importance to put pressure on Truex to make a decision “because it’s pressure for all of us. It’s a huge deal for us.”
Gibbs also indicated that he’d like to have Truex back, saying “I really felt like he’s having such, I think, a great year, and I think he’s having fun, and so I’m hoping that we get a good answer for us here.”
A win in New Hampshire isn’t likely to have a huge effect on Truex’s decision. But it is a key victory checked off his list at a time when there might not be many cracks at it remaining.
The victory also continues a major turnaround for Truex’s No. 19 team. He now has three points-paying wins – Truex also won the year-opening Busch Light Clash – and leads the point standings with six races left in the regular season. A regular season title would be good for 15 playoff points, making Truex a favorite to make the Championship 4 in November.
If he does, would Truex come back to defend his crown?
Maybe not.
“I don’t know that running good and winning makes a difference,” Truex said. “It would be pretty awesome to win the championship and walk off into the sunset.”
