"It's time to make a decision" - Kevin Harvick urges Martin Truex Jr. to decide future with JGR amid retirement talks

NASCAR veteran Kevin Harvick recently talked about how he wants Martin Truex Jr. to decide and end the speculation of the latter's future with Joe Gibbs Racing. The #19 Truex Jr. has been extending his one-year contract with JGR for the past two years.

In a recent conversation on the Happy Hour podcast, former Stewart-Haas Racing driver Harvick urged 2017 Cup Series champion Truex Jr. to make a firm decision on his future with the Joe Gibbs outfit. 43-year-old Truex Jr. has been considering retirement for the past three seasons.

Harvick said:

"I think it's time for Martin to make a decision. Does he want to race? Does he not want to race? And how long does Joe Gibbs just sit back and have that controversy of Truex trying to decide?"

"So where's that balance of, "okay, I'm Joe Gibbs Racing we just need to end this year-to-year stuff and start to build a stable program." I know Martin(Truex Jr.) is going to be consistent and run in the front and do the things that he needs to do but at some point you got to rebuild," Harvick added.

However, the New Jersey native Truex Jr. has performed consistently in the current NASCAR season. He is in fourth place in the overall points standings, with four top-five and seven top-ten finishes so far.

Harvick believes that if Truex Jr. clarifies his state with the JGR team, it might help the #19 Toyota team with a definitive program. If Truex Jr. decides to retire, Coach Gibbs can be on the lookout for a new driver as there are many drivers in the free agent market for the 2025 season.

"I think that it sounds like they're(JGR) putting more pressure on Martin this year to say okay earlier we got we got to we got to do something because we got to know what we're planning around here and move forward," Harvick said.

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Three drivers JGR could consider to replace Martin Truex Jr. with

With the possibility of Martin Truex Jr. considering his retirement post-2024 season, three drivers in the Cup Series could replace him in the #19 Toyota Camry.

2020 NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

NASCAR veteran Martin Truex Jr.'s decision to leave or retire after the current season is up in the air. However, in case JGR has to replace Truex Jr., Chase Briscoe, who currently drives for Stewart-Haas Racing, is a prime candidate.

With SHR's decision to close shops for the four-car charter team by the end of the 2024 season, their drivers are on the hunt for new homes. Another SHR driver Noah Gragson is also a candidate for the JGR because of his ties with Bass Pro Shops, the current sponsor for #19 Martin Truex Jr.

Meanwhile, Legacy Motor Club's driver Erik Jones could also return for the Joe Gibbs outfit. Jones secured his first career Cup Series win for JGR in 2018, piloting the #20 Toyota.