"We don’t get sick days" - Martin Truex Jr. opens up on overlooked side of NASCAR as a full-timer

Martin Truex Jr. recently opened up on an undercovered aspect of being a top driver in NASCAR. Truex, who is set to retire at the end of 2024, has been part of the sport's top flight as a full-timer since 2006.

Ahead of his final appearance in the playoffs at Bristol, following which he was eliminated, Truex was asked about the isolation a full-time driver experiences in NASCAR. He said,

"It is just a big commitment – a lot of things that you miss out on. We don’t get sick days. We can’t be late for things. It's none of that. We can’t take a weekend off of work or a day off work or what-have-you, to do friends and family kinda things, you know? [...]

"There's a lot of things that you miss out on, but that's part of the job. That is what you commit to. If you are going to do this, you have to be all in. If you're going to be good at it, you have to be 100 percent committed to it" [4:30].

He added that one gets comfortable in the situation and accepts it for what it is. And it's just not the driver that adapts, as the people around the driver also adapt to that lifestyle.

Truex also added,

"I wouldn’t say you feel isolated. I would say you just feel that you miss out on lots of things."

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Martin Truex Jr.'s NASCAR Cup career at a glance

Being a full-timer since 2006, Martin Truex Jr. has experienced the highest of the highs and the lowest of the lows. In his case, the lows were the more prevalent theme in the early part of his Cup career.

His first win in the Cup Series came at Dover in 2007. However, he then had to wait until Sonoma in 2013 to get his second Cup win.

After that, Truex moved from Michael Waltrip Racing to Furniture Row Racing in 2014 and his first season at the latter was winless. But between 2015 and 2021, Martin Truex Jr. won at least one race every season.

Following his move to Furniture Row a decade ago, Truex registered 32 Cup wins along with the 2017 Cup title. However, his career experienced a major upswing with his move to Joe Gibbs Racing in 2019. 15 of his 34 career Cup wins, nearly 50%, came from 2019 onwards, in the last 5 seasons of his Cup career.

However, Truex has been winless so far this season and has only finished inside the top 5 on four occasions. Regardless, he'd be hoping to sign off from the Cup Series as a full-timer with a win to conclude what has already been for some a Hall of Fame-worthy career.