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Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin talked about his teammate Martin Truex Jr.'s decision to retire at the end of the 2024 season. At 43 years old, Truex Jr. is currently the oldest full-time Cup Series driver, but with his retirement at the end of the season, he would pass on that baton to Hamlin.
Martin Truex Jr. announced his retirement on Friday, ahead of the inaugural Cup Series race at Iowa. The former Xfinity Series champion was rumored to have been in the process of making a decision which he has now confirmed. In an interview with Frontstretch, #11 driver and teammate Denny Hamlin was asked what he thought of Truex Jr.'s decision to retire, to which he said,
"Yeah you never know, maybe he was hoping that he would Mark Martin this thing. Maybe he still has a chance to do it, to bluff everyone, but you know, I think he's in a good place right now and certainly I think he covered his reasons why, which I thought was well stated, that he wants to make his own schedule for once. He hasn't been able to do it for 20 years. So certainly I think he is at peace with it." Hamlin said [00:50]
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Hamlin then shed light on what it has been like to have Truex Jr. as a teammate and also appreciated his racing skills, and his natural ability to drive fast.
"He's so respectful, he reminds me of Jimmie Johnson. I think he is so underrated as far as the natural ability to drive a car fast. I have to work week in week out to keep up with him." [02:53]
"He's always just done the right thing a 100% of the time and that's just something that's hard to do," he added [03:44].
Ahead of the race at Iowa Speedway, Martin Truex Jr. sits comfortably in P5 in the overall Cup Series standings with 508 points, 4 top-five finishes, and 7 top-ten finishes.
Denny Hamlin on Truex Jr. racing for 23XI next season
Martin Truex Jr.'s retirement from racing full-time in the Cup Series at the end of the 2024 season has left people wondering about his future. In his official announcement on Friday, Truex Jr. said he could still "be around".
23XI Racing co-owner, and fellow teammate Denny Hamlin, was asked whether he would let Truex Jr. drive part-time for his team, he said
"I told him that I will have his Daytona 500 car ready, immediately. I just explained that he's a great driver right, so why wouldn't I. Anytime that Martin gets bored and wants to run Cup, we would have a seat for him for sure." [at 03:56]
The #11 driver for Joe Gibbs Racing, Denny Hamlin, currently stands in P3 in the overall Cup Series standings with 535 points, 27 ahead of teammate Martin Truex Jr.
