Over weekend at ROAD AMERICA NASCAR Cup Series 2017 champion Martin Truex Jr. made a shocking remark about his future in NASCAR.
Truex Jr. said his decision on whether or not he continues racing past next season all depends on the newly introduce Next Gen car, which is set to debuts in 2022 Cup Series season.
Next Gen debut could hasten the retirement tour of Cup veteran Martin Truex Jr. https://t.co/gdc40WbXRY @MartinTruex_Jr @JoeGibbsRacing @ToyotaRacing @roadamerica #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/ahubAwgSkp
— RacinBoys (@RacinBoys) July 3, 2021
When questioned if NASCAR Next Gen car might have impact on his continuance in racing, the 41-y-o driver replied was surprising.
Related: Kyle Busch to finally call it quits – “Finish out this year and peace out.”
“I would say, yes it would. It will, I think, and that’s a fair question. I think, look at the new car, see what it’s like, go racing, hopefully, it’s fun,” Truex said. “Hopefully, I have as much fun as I have driving these things. I love working with my team. I still love racing, but for sure, that’s going to be a big deal. If it’s not fun, I won’t hang around too long. I don’t have to do this anymore. I’m still around because I really want to do this and continue winning races and hopefully more championships.”
“Our sport has really changed over the last handful of years, since I started Cup racing in ’06. And then it was all the veteran guys. We had a crop of young guys. I was part of that, but we weren’t as young as these kids are today. I think I was 26 when I went Cup racing, and I was considered fairly young at that point to go Cup racing. And now we’re racing with 18-year-old, 19-year-old, 20-year-old kids, and they’re really good. It’s been interesting how it’s changed. Really the last couple of years, we’ve got a lot of new young guys in there, making a name for themselves, and doing a good job. It’s been fun to race with them and carry the veteran cap around, I suppose.”