“He’s still on top of his game”: Denny Hamlin confident about Martin Truex Jr. perfectly signing off from NASCAR

Denny Hamlin believes that Martin Truex Jr. is performing well even in his last season and might have the potential to win the championship. He also hailed the 43-year-old's off-track demeanor, noting his efforts to avoid any kind of controversy.

Martin Truex Jr. announced his retirement last week ahead of the Iowa Corn 350 race, claiming that he would end his racing career after the 2024 season.

In the ongoing Cup Series season, Truex Jr. has been among the top drivers on the short tracks. Out of 17 races so far, the JGR driver has amassed four top-5 finishes and seven in the top-10. He is currently fifth in the Cup Series standings with 530 points. While he has not won any races so far in 2024, Denny Hamlin believes that Martin Truex Jr. is at the peak of his career.

"I definitely am happy for Martin. And it's certainly one of those drivers that you think has a chance to... win a championship and then peace out. He's still on top of his game enough to do it," Denny Hamlin said on the latest episode of his podcast- Actions Detrimental via X. [0:25-0:39]

Furthermore, admiring the off-track behavior of Martin Truex Jr., Hamlin noted that since the #19 driver does not involve himself in any controversy, there is usually no news about him outside the racetrack. He said:

"You don't read much off-track news from Martin Truex. That's just the way he is and the way he carries himself. But you never questioned his god-given talent because he just was so good." [0:01-0:12]

But setting his off-track demeanor aside, the #19 has not ruled out the possibility of driving in a few more races after his retirement. And interestingly, he already has an open offer from Joe Gibbs and Denny Hamlin.

---

Martin Truex Jr. has offers from Joe Gibbs and Denny Hamlin to race for their teams

Although Martin Truex Jr. has announced his retirement from a full-time role, he has not dismissed the possibility of racing more if the opportunity arises. He said:

"I've already talked to Coach about wanting to run some Xfinity races or something. So I don't know, just ready to go and have some fun, and do something with a little less commitment and pressure." [at 1:17] via Nascar.com.

While he has the option to continue driving for JGR some more, Denny Hamlin has also made an offer, asserting that if the #19 JGR driver wants to drive a 23XI Racing car at the next Daytona 500, Hamlin would get it ready.

It seems that after Truex Jr.'s retirement, he has more options to explore without being tied down by a contract.