HMS' Chase Elliott uncertain about seeing Martin Truex Jr. after retirement - "I don't know that I'll see him there"

Several Cup Series drivers, including Chase Elliott, recently shared their takes on the prospect of Martin Truex Jr. hanging around the track after retirement. Truex Jr. previously hinted plans to run part-time but Elliott does not think they'll see each other next season.

In June, Truex Jr. announced his retirement full-time from NASCAR's premier division after this season. The 44-year-old clinched one Cup Series title and two regular season championships in his decade-long career. After finishing his full-time career, Truex Jr. is planning to compete in the Daytona 500 next season.

But the 2020 Cup Series champion Elliott does not expect to come across Truex Jr. in Daytona. Furthermore, he told Truex Jr. to enjoy his retirement. He said (via Bob Pockrass):

"Probably none. I think he's running the [Daytona] 500 but I don't know that I'll see him there. Zero percent. Which is good. That's what it should be. He should enjoy his time."

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"Definitely once, we'll see" - Martin Truex Jr. optimistic about racing part-time in NASCAR next year

Not just Chase Elliott, but Fox Sports' Bob Pockrass also asked the rest of the playoffs drivers about their expectations of seeing the 34-time Cup Series race winner Martin Truex Jr. next year.

His Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin gave an almost certain response and claimed that Truex would compete "three times." Moreover, when Pockrass chimed in and suggested that Hamlin "might see him more" in his shop. To this, the 23XI Racing co-owner replied and said:

"I see what you're doing there, Bob."

Meanwhile, when Pockrass asked the two-time Xfinity Series champion Martin Truex Jr. about his future, he said:

"I'm not sure either. I'm kind of looking at it still. Definitely once. And then from there, my guess would be five, six, seven times. So we'll see."

Here are a few more responses from Cup Series playoffs drivers on Truex Jr.'s NASCAR future:

Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman gave a heartwarming response to the question and said:

"As much as he wants us to see him. He's a champion of our sport and one of the good guys in the garage. He deserves to be here as much as he wants to be."

Meanwhile, 23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick believes Martin Truex Jr. would only be present if there was a lake on the racetrack so he could go fishing and continue his retirement. Reddick said:

"It would be cool if he was on Lake Lloyd [at Daytona International Speedway] fishing. Same thing for Homestead, but I don't know if there is a lot of fish in that pond. If there's a lake in the racetrack, maybe he'll be there. But other than that, I'm not really sure."