For the second weekend in a row, Martin Truex Jr reminded everyone of his talents as he suits up to bid farewell to NASCAR.
The 2017 Cup Series champion will start Sunday’s Championship 4 race from pole position – his final race before retirement.
He announced his decision to step back from driving earlier in the year and vacate the #19 Joe Gibbs Racing machine after the season’s end.
Truex Jr will be joined by his close family in Phoenix for the last race of his career, his 682nd in 20 years since 2004.
Martin Truex Jr says NASCAR retirement hasn’t ‘sunk in’
Fairytale endings don’t come around very often in motorsport, but Truex Jr has one final chance at a teary goodbye.
His last win came last year at the Crayon 301, but with nothing to lose, he has a serious chance of reaching the top step again.
Speaking after securing pole position for the Championship race, he mentioned how retirement hasn’t quite hit him yet.
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“I don’t really know the significance of it,” Truex Jr told RACER. “I guess it hasn’t really sunk in yet, but I’m excited for the weekend. I had good practice yesterday and as far as preparation, it’s been same as usual.
“We’ll see how it goes. I’m not sure really of the emotions. I’m not super-emotional, I guess. We’ll see what happens after the race, but looking forward to having a fun weekend and hopefully a great day tomorrow.”
Why Truex Jr might have to tiptoe around his rivals
Sunday’s race will mark the culmination of the season for four drivers all gunning for the Cup Series championship.
Joey Logano, William Byron, Tyler Reddick and Ryan Blaney are all aiming to be crowned the champion of 2024.
Between the four, just two have been crowned winners before, while Byron heads into the race as the series’ in-form driver.
His last six races have all yielded top-six finishes, leading to him sitting top of NASCAR’s power rankings – he will start from eighth in the Championship race.
It’s going to be an exciting encounter, and expect to see chaos and drivers with nothing to lose giving their all in the most anticipated race of the year.