Rumors of Martin Truex Jr.’s demise have been greatly exaggerated.
In 2022, the Mayetta, N.J. native missed NASCAR’s 16-man playoffs and did not win a single race. At age 43, not many were expecting Truex, the 2017 series champion, to bounce back with a title-caliber campaign — but that’s exactly what he’s done.
Truex came firing straight out of the gates in 2023 by winning the series’s exhibition opener at the L.A. Coliseum and then earned his first points-paying win of the year at Dover. He got his second at Sonoma on Sunday, and it was a dominant one.
After starting eighth, Truex drove straight to the front and stayed there for the rest of the race, as he led 51 of 110 laps and posted an average running position of second. The only times he lost the lead were when he had to make pit stops, and he quickly drove back to the top spot each time.
With the win, Truex moves into the regular season points lead by 13 markers over William Byron. The standings will be reset before the playoffs, and Byron and Kyle Busch are tied for the lead with 17 playoff points, but Truex’s long-term consistency is a more sustainable indicator of performance.
Additionally, Truex ranked third in the Cup Series in laps led entering Sonoma, behind only Byron and Kyle Larson. He also leads the field in green-flag passing differential, indicating that he’d be even more dominant if he wasn’t often faced with adverse track position due to external factors.
Truex has faced questions dating back to last year about a potential impending retirement, and he seemed to be lacking motivation at times. This season, though, he’s appeared revitalized both on and off the track, and has re-emerged as a top-tier championship contender.