2023 Season in Review: Martin Truex Jr.
CREW CHIEF: James Small
TEAM: Joe Gibbs Racing
POINTS: 11th in Cup Series
WINS: Three (Dover, Sonoma, Loudon)
LAPS LED: 899
TOP 5s: Nine
TOP 10s: 17
STARTS FROM POLE: Three (Darlington I, Homestead, Martinsville II)
WHAT WENT RIGHT: Truex went winless in 2022 but kicked off 2023 by winning the Clash exhibition race at the LA Memorial Coliseum. This was an indication that he would be a factor throughout the season.
Truex won his first points race of the Next Gen era on May 1. He won the rain-delayed race at Dover after leading 68 laps. This put him back in the playoffs after he missed out in 2022.
Truex's regular season continued with his fourth career win at Sonoma and his first career win at Loudon. He went on to win the regular-season championship.
Truex's three wins took him to 34 in his Cup career. He passed Dale Jarrett and Fireball Roberts before moving into a tie with Kurt Busch for 25th on the all-time wins list.
Truex won the pole three times and led 899 laps. These were his best marks of the Next Gen era.
WHAT WENT WRONG: Truex entered the playoffs as the regular-season champion and the second seed behind William Byron. He failed to reach the Championship 4 after struggling in the first nine races.
Truex finished 18th at Darlington after pitting for loose right rear wheel. He finished 36th at Kansas after losing a tire in Turn 3 on Lap 4. He spun from 19th on Lap 362 at Bristol and hit the wall. He finished 19th.
The issues continued as Truex finished 17th or worse in the three races making up the Round of 12. He still advanced to the Round of 8 with the bonus points gained by winning the regular-season championship.
Truex scored his first top-10 finish of playoffs in the Round of 8 opener at Las Vegas. The team left frustrated due to a decision to keep Truex out on track after the end of the first stage. Truex took the lead for the start of stage 2 but fell outside the top 10 on older tires. He missed out on points at the end of the stage despite having what crew chief James Small described as a "top-three car capable of winning."
The following week, Truex finished 29th at Homestead due to an engine failure. Truex started from pole at Martinsville but finished 12th after receiving a speeding penalty on Lap 219 and having a pit stop issue on Lap 265.
WHAT TO EXPECT IN 2024: Truex announced in August that he will be back in the No. 19 Toyota for the 2024 season. He will continue to work with Small as they pursue more wins. Truex will be in contention for multiple wins throughout the season. How he fares in the regular season and playoffs could depend on the team's ability to clean up mistakes on pit road, something Truex mentioned during the NASCAR Awards in Nashville.
