Martin Truex Jr. led 254 of 301 laps at the New Hampshire Motorspeedway and clinched victory at the same track where his dad won in 1994. This is Truex's third victory of the 2023 season.
Martin Truex Jr. held on to the win despite three restarts in the closing 23 laps. On the final restart with only nine laps remaining, Truex Jr. passed Joey Logano and won the race by 0.394 seconds. Truex has led 1,022 laps in his previous ten races at New Hampshire.
Fans took to social media to react to Martin Turex Jr.'s nail-biting victory at the Crayon 301. Here are some reactions:
Kyle Larson finished third, Kevin Harvick finished fourth, and Brad Keselowski finished fifth. Tyler Reddick, Denny Hamlin, Bubba Wallace, Austin Dillon, and Chase Briscoe rounded out the top ten.
Truex is putting together a strong case for the inclusion into the Hall of Fame with 34 victories, a championship, and three season runner-up places.
Martin Truex Jr. comments on potential retirement plans
Martin Truex Jr. had previously flirted with the idea of retirement last year, only to be persuaded to remain for another season in the No. 19 Toyota.
Last year in June, Martin Truex Jr. announced that he would be returning to NASCAR Cup Series with Joe Gibbs Racing for the 2023 season. Truex Jr. is back on track with three victories under his belt after missing the playoffs with the team last season.
The 2017 NASCAR champion has not officially decided whether he would finally retire full-time or continue in the sport with another team.
“I think about it a lot during the week but not at the racetrack, that’s why I don’t really talk about it much. I haven’t made a decision yet, so no need to talk about it.” he said during media day at NHSM.
With half of the season still to go, Joe Gibbs Racing must decide if they want to extend their contract with Truex Jr., or whether the 43-year-old will decide to call it quits.