"He may have won the battle, but he ain’t winning the damn war" - Watch when Martin Truex Jr. took the battle to Joey Logano

Martin Truex Jr. has earned a reputation as one of the sport's cleanest drivers. He has seldom, if ever, met another driver on pit road following a race to discuss a problem from the previous race.

Martin Truex Jr. has won nearly everything there is to win in his two decades as a NASCAR driver, but he could have had even more wins and championships if he had reacted differently on Sunday at Dover Motor Speedway.

Martin Truex Jr. has given some fiery post-race interviews, but he's never made any threats. At Turn 3, on the final lap of the Martinsville playoff race, Joey Logano pulled Truex Jr. up the track in 2018.

Truex Jr. promised that he would not let Logano win the championship. In his statement during the post-race interview, he said:

"He may have won the battle, but he ain’t winning the damn war."

Both drivers made it to Homestead-Miami Speedway three weeks later with a chance to win the championship. Truex Jr. was in a position to repay Logano's favor until the eventual 2018 champion passed Truex Jr. for the lead with 12 laps to go.

Truex Jr. fell behind Joey Logano and had the opportunity to push him into the next corner, but he resisted and finished second in both the race and the championship battle.

Truex Jr. has had many previous accidents in his career, including one with Kyle Busch and another with Mike Wallace in an Xfinity Series race at Richmond Raceway in 2005.

He walked back onto the track both times after the incident, acting as if he was about to toss his helmet. However, he eventually turned around and returned to the safety crew.

How much has Martin Truex Jr.'s racing career suffered as a result of his lack of retaliation?

Truex Jr.'s lack of revenge may have cost him a second consecutive championship in 2018. He finished second after winning the year before, but his clean racing style has also helped him win numerous races and championships.

Truex Jr. has 31 NASCAR Cup Series victories, which places him sixth among drivers today and 28th all-time. He also has 45 wins in all three NASCAR National Touring Series, which places him at 14th out of 39 drivers who have won at least one race in each.

Truex Jr. will most likely compete at the end of the season. He is presently sixth in the standings and has the second-most points among drivers who have yet to win, following Ryan Blaney.

To make up the playoff points deficit, Truex Jr. may have to break character and force his way to the front, even if it means a pit-road battle after the checkered flag is waved.