Martin Truex Jr. reveals the SECRET behind his 2023 success after a disappointing run last year
Martin Truex Jr. is one of the front runners for the 2023 Cup Title.
Follow Us
Martin Truyex Jr. (Credits: @NASCAR/Twitter)
Joe Gibbs Racing veteran Martin Truex Jr. has been one of the most consistent drivers of the 2023 season. He has already secured his spot in the playoff alongside his JGR teammates Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin. Truex Jr., who was winless last season, secured two Cup race wins on the way to the playoff. He was also the 2023 LA Clash winner.
The 2017 Cup champion missed out on the playoff last season for the first time in seven years due to his winless streak. Martin Truex Jr., who is closing in on his retirement, put him in the championship conversation again. He has finished inside the Top 10 in nine out of 18 races this season and hopes to secure some playoff points.
While talking about what has changed for him so far in 2023 that has made him successful, the No:19 Toyota Camry driver has pointed out that better cars and a better understanding of the tracks are the secrets behind his success. He said the 15-minute practices last season weren’t enough for his team to decide on the direction to go in the race, and it cost them in some races.
“I think just better cars, in general. Better cars, a better understanding of what we need on the racetracks. Last year was a big learning curve. We were trying to figure out what direction we needed to go at races with this car and having 15-minute practices where you opt-in on what you show up with; there is no real-time to recover if you show up with some bad ideas or things that didn’t work,” Truex Jr. said.
In case you missed it: “Took a serious step backwards,” Joey Logano calls out NASCAR for slow response safety issues which are HURTING Cup drivers
TRD has a better platform to work, aiming for success in 2023
Truex Jr. said that figuring out tracks and their mistakes was a big factor in their preparation for the 2023 season. He hinted that the team was ready to tackle all the tracks with the data they were able to collect last season.
“You have to wait till you go back to that track again. Just all of that learning process and figuring things out has been a big factor for us. I think our cars are better this year, as well,” Truex said.
He admitted that Toyota Racing Development and JGR did a lot of work in the off-season to put every piece together. This gave them a better platform to understand the cars and track ahead of this season, unlike in 2022, where everything was a mystery.
With three of the four drivers securing the playoffs, as the only championship-winning driver in the team, he and veteran Hamlin need to help their rookie teammate Ty Gibbs. The 2022 Xfinity Series champion is yet to have a race where he left a mark though he had a couple of solid runs. Joe Gibbs’ grandson can bank on his teammate to guide him to the right track.
Discover more:
Stay Updated!
Justin P Joy
(4859 Articles Published)