'These cars are just so draggy' - Martin Truex Jr. delivers blunt message on NASCAR’s superspeedway ‘package’

Martin Truex Jr. touched upon the latest superspeedway package following the Daytona 500 qualifying on Thursday, February 13. The former Joe Gibbs Racing driver, who qualified for the final race on Sunday at the Daytona International Speedway, stated that the cars felt "draggy" and "slow" despite the package.

Truex Jr., who retired from full-time racing in the NASCAR Cup Series, returned to race with Tricon Garage at Daytona, making it their first Cup Series entry. The 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion is one of the drivers vying for one of the four open slots in the Great American Race.

The 44-year-old did not disappoint as he put one of the fastest qualifying laps on board and qualified for the main race. However, he wasn't too happy with the pace of his Toyota. Speaking about this in the post-qualifying interview with Bob Pockrass, Truex Jr. said:

"I mean honestly I think, when we come here with these cars and this package, they feel slow no matter what. So you just wait for whatever pops up on your dash, and you take the Chequered Flag seriously, Truex Jr. said. "These cars are just so draggy, so it doesn't feel fast qualifying."

With Martin Truex Jr., another driver and champion entered the 2025 Daytona 500 — Jimmie Johnson. The seven-time Cup Series champion entered the race and had to go for qualification due to not being a full-time driver. However, Johnson, co-owner of Legacy Motor Club, was gratified with his performance and hailed Toyota for their outputs on track.

"From my standpoint, it's hard to tell. I'm not in the cars as often. We were really encouraged by our pace in practice," Johnson told Pockrass earlier. "We had picked up quite a bit of speed, but once qualifying got underway, whole field picked up speed. So hat's off to Toyota for what they brought and then in addition to that what JGR has been able to do. They did a really nice job."

The 2025 Daytona 500 at the Daytona International Speedway will take place on February 16 at 2:30 PM ET. The United States President Donald Trump is likely to attend the iconic race. Joe Gibbs Racing driver, Chase Briscoe, will start the race from the pole.

---

Martin Truex Jr. hailed Tricon and former team Joe Gibbs Racing for their efforts

Following his successful qualification, Martin Truex Jr. hailed everyone who helped him get through the hurdle — his crew, Tricon Garage, Joe Gibbs Racing, and Toyota.

NASCAR Cup Series driver Martin Truex Jr. (56) during practice for the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. - Source: Imagn

In the post-qualifying interview, here's what Truex Jr. said:

"A lot of people put a lot of effort and hard work into doing this, and you always like to see them enjoy the fruits of their labor. So everybody at TRICON coming together, with Toyota, and (Joe Gibbs Racing) support. It’s just good collaboration. And a lot of fun guys on our team that have been around a while. So it’s going to be a fun week racing with them," Truex Jr. was quoted as saying by aol.com

Truex Jr. finished in the 22nd spot, closely followed by No. 4 Noah Gragson and No. 54 Ty Gibbs in the qualifying.