"I don’t really have any feelings either way" - Martin Truex Jr. on his chances of entering playoffs after NASCAR Daytona race

The journey to the 2022 playoffs is already underway, and Martin Truex Jr. is among the veteran drivers who are still off the playoff grid. Currently, the 16-driver field is already occupied by 15 race winners and one winless driver sitting on points.

Last weekend, Kyle Larson eliminated the chances of NASCAR having 17 drivers in the playoffs after earning his second win of the season. Larson’s win, however, kept Ryan Blaney on the playoff list as a winless driver.

Having been knocked out of the playoff grid with three races remaining, Truex Jr. has already exhausted two shots after he failed to clinch a win at Richmond and Watkins Glen. He now has only one shot at Daytona this weekend, where NASCAR will wrap up the regular season.

With just one race remaining, Truex Jr. knows anything can happen. He might get a chance or not, and he’s well prepared for that. According to him, he doesn’t have any feelings, about whether he's winning or not.

In a media interview, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver spoke about his playoff chances and said:

“For us, we’re not in until it’s over tomorrow night. I don’t really have any feelings either way. We’re here to race and excited and two scenarios, one we get in on points, or we win the race. That will be optimum because of the points situations. But yeah, we’ll see. You know, we just kind of how it all plays out and we can make our own way in there.”

A few weeks back, Martin Truex Jr. and Ryan Blaney were the only two drivers who seemed to have a chance to get in on points. Truex Jr., however, was dropped off the list at Michigan following Kevin Harvick’s win leaving Blaney as the only winless driver on that list.

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Martin Truex Jr. will be out of the playoff hunt if NASCAR records a new winner at Daytona International Speedway

Being 25 points behind Ryan Blaney, who sits 16th in the playoff standings, Martin Truex Jr. still has a chance to enter the playoffs if he beats Blaney on points and NASCAR doesn’t record a new winner.

Martin Truex Jr., however, knows this option is a little delicate because even if he beats Ryan Blaney on points and NASCAR records a new winner, both of them will be out until next season. The only option to secure that spot is by placing his #19 Toyota Camry TRD for Joe Gibbs on the victory line.

Provided he takes a last-minute spot, Joe Gibbs Racing will have their full charter into the playoffs. Currently, three of Joe Gibbs’ cars have already booked their spot. Denny Hamlin already has two wins, while Christopher Bell and Kyle Busch hold one.