Martin Truex Jr. wins, then talks retirement, McDowell owns up, Bell, Gragson crash out
Beaming after a long-awaited win at his home track, Martin Truex Jr. sheepishly lamented his own decision making.
“I’m bad at making big decisions,” Truex said.
Good thing he’s much better at driving race cars, as Monday’s poundin’ at Loudon proved. Truex led 254 of 301 laps, swept both stages and stomped the field to earn his third win of the season. He also reclaimed the points lead from William Byron.
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Certainly, the spike in performance can’t be making the retirement quandary in front of the 43-year-old any easier, though when asked about retirement again on Monday in the postrace press conference, Truex admitted a second title would make for quite a storybook ending.
“It’d be pretty awesome to win the championship and walk off into the sunset, but I don’t know,” he said.
Yet, to hear him tell it, wins and speed aren’t factoring into his decision.
“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 want to make sure that if I come back, I’m willing to do that,” Truex said. “It takes a lot. It’s not just show up at the track, drive the car, go home.
“Takes a lot of commitment. It’s a lot of travel, a lot of missing things with family and friends and all of those things I’ve done for 25 years. Do I want to keep doing it and am I willing to sacrifice all of those things again for my team?
“That’s just what I’m thinking about. I don’t know that running good and winning makes a difference.”
No matter what happened during Monday’s race, Truex had an answer, yet that ability betrayed him once the retirement question came up again. His only response was that a response would come in the near future.
“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.”
Let’s go through the gears.
First gear: Michael McDowell claims responsibility for Ryan Preece dust up
Michael McDowell took full responsibility for a run-in with Ryan Preece.
Then he admitted his apology was likely irrelevant.
“It was a mistake but that doesn’t matter,” McDowell said. “Intent in our sport, even though it doesn’t matter in the moment, because he got a poor finish because I hit him. It’s 100% my fault.”
McDowell said the incident was the result of an poorly executed crossover move and downshift, leaving him loose and sending him up the track into Preece, who then hit the wall. Preece finished 28th while McDowell came home 13th.
The two were seen having a discussion on pit road with Preece looking none too happy. It wasn’t a surprise to McDowell.
“He has every right to be mad,” McDowell said. “I understand why he’s upset.”
Second gear: Christopher Bell and his terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day
While Truex felt joy and appreciation in Monday's aftermath, there were plenty of other drivers on the opposite end of the emotional spectrum.
Case in point? Christopher Bell, who sat on the pole and ran with Truex until a competition caution, a slow pit stop, a loose wheel, a questionable strategy call and a late crash derailed what looked like a sure-fire solid day.
Bell limped home 29th and was clearly peeved, left only to wonder what might have been.
“I was right there with him while we were up front,” Bell said of Truex. “I guess that’s all I know.”
Third gear: Noah Gragson and a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad season
It’s reaching cruel and unusual levels for the rookie as a loose right-front wheel fell off late in Monday’s race, bringing out a caution and sending Gragson to the garage.
Yet, it was business as usual as Gragson has now finished 30th or worse 10 times.
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“I don’t know what to do anymore,” he exasperatingly sighed.
As for suiting back up again for next week’s race at Pocono?
“Going to come as prepared as possible for my race team and do the absolute best job I can do,” he said.
Fourth gear: Pocono may make fans Happy
Over the last five races at Pocono, Kyle Larson has the best average finish at 5.3 but the driver with the most top 10s in that span? Kevin Harvick with four.
And if a win for Happy wouldn’t be sentimental enough, how about a Chase Elliott win? He is the event’s defending champion.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Martin Truex Jr. speaks on NASCAR retirement and McDowell vs. Preece
