Martin Truex Jr. fuels retirement speculation with post-race comments after win in Crayon 301

Will Martin Truex Jr. retire after 2023 season?

“I don’t know. I’m not sure,” Truex Jr. said, via Daniel McFadin of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. “You know, I was talking out there to Claire, and I was like, this sport isn’t exactly what it appears to be sometimes. It takes a big commitment. 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. 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? So that’s just what I’m thinking about. I don’t know that running good and winning makes a difference. It would be pretty awesome to win the championship and walk off into the sunset.

“I just don’t really know. I don’t really know. I’m bad at making big decisions. I told somebody out there, I was like, I’ve been looking at salt water boats for five, six years. Love to fish, spend a lot of time on the water, and I haven’t pulled the trigger on a boat because I just can’t make up my mind on what I want. I’m just bad at big decisions. I finally am about to buy one maybe this week. I wish I had more time to figure out what I want to do next year, but I don’t, so I’ll know soon and you’ll know soon.”

Martin Truex Jr. dominates Crayon 301 at New Hampshire for third win of the season

With another victory, Truex Jr. sits atop the Cup Series points standings, primed to make a run for a second championship. Truex Jr. won in dominating fashion, leading 254-of-301 laps, including 163 of the opening 185 laps.

“What we’ve been able to do here over the years was pretty remarkable, and to not win was really getting frustrating,” Truex Jr. said after the race, via NASCAR.com. “[Crew chief] James [Small] and I have talked about it many times and talked with [teammate] Christopher [Bell] before the race, and he said, ‘You’ve led more laps here than I’ve even run here in the Cup Series.’

“Just really awesome job by everybody. What a race car we had here today. Just proud of the whole team. Pit stops were flawless. The car was unbelievable. We had some challenges throughout the race, and the car was a handful at times, but we put our heads down and just kept digging.”