"We can’t catch a break": Martin Truex Jr. addresses potential must-win scenario and current NASCAR slump

Martin Truex Jr. recently shared his take on his state in the NASCAR playoffs. Truex, who made it to the playoffs on points, is entering the final few races of his NASCAR career as a full-timer.

And after the DNF finish at Atlanta, Truex Jr. is currently -19, sitting in the 15th spot, not a part of the Round of 12 following the races at Watkins Glen and Bristol.

In this context, Martin Truex Jr. was asked whether he feels it is a must-win scenario for him now heading into the Glen, to which the #19 driver said:

"I really don’t know. We will just have to see. It is obviously a bit of a hole to dig out of, so it was unfortunate last week that we got caught up in that and got some damage. I don’t know. We will just have to wait and see. We are going to try to win, but I think we will know more after this weekend is over," he said [at 1:10]

Following this, Martin Truex Jr. was asked if he has any different feelings with his current state considering he's retiring after the current season. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver acknowledged that while he isn't exactly angry, he is a little frustrated owing to the recent results.

"I wouldn’t say pissed off – just a little bit frustrated with how things have gone lately. No matter what we do – it is wrong, and we can’t catch a break. It has been frustrating, but the guys are working hard and a big weekend here," he said.

Truex further expressed hope for the upcoming race, mentioning that Watkins Glen is a track he loves coming to, and where his and his team's efforts have paid off in the past.

---

Martin Truex Jr. gives his take on his recent struggles amid the playoffs

Since Pocono's 8th place finish, Martin Truex Jr. hasn't finished inside the top 20 even once. On top of that, he's had 3 DNFs, with the last two races at Daytona and Atlanta both finishing with that result.

Speaking about what has accounted for his recent struggles, Truex Jr. said:

“It is not a lack of speed. It is a lot of different things. You call it a slump – great players get in slumps in other sports, and that is what I feel like it is. I feel like we are doing a lot of good things – we have lot of speed and put ourselves in position, we just have to put it all together. Some days I make mistakes, some days the team makes mistakes, some days – last week we got caught up in an accident. There has been a lot of that. Just have to put it together on one day and hopefully that is this weekend,” he said [5:15].

Truex touched on his optimism about the upcoming races at Watkins Glen and Bristol and said he feels "really good" about it.