“Had a Friggin’ Blast” – Martin Truex Jr. Plans to Join the Likes of Kyle Larson in Dirt Racing

Whatever anyone may say, Kyle Larson has become a real trend-setter.  This time, he has seemingly inspired Martin Truex Jr to go dirt racing. Owing to this, a fair number of teams are reconsidering their strict extra-curricular policies for their drivers. In all honesty, the big risk of drivers competing in other racing series is to do with potential injuries.

Rick Hendrick used to be of that very mindset, and given Larson’s fondness for dirt racing, there could have been a clash. However, the Hendrick Motorsports owner has compromised with his star driver. Now, other team owners are following the same strategy. A fine example of this is Roger Penske, who was also strict about extra-curricular activities but has since changed his stance.

Now, Martin Truex Jr plans to take a page from Larson’s book. Honestly speaking, Truex is not the type to deviate away from the NASCAR arena. However, he is steadily reassessing himself as a driver and his skill set.

He said, “I played around in a midget with Toyota last summer. Had a friggin’ blast. I’m definitely going to race one of those cars one day. It was like throwing a duck into the water. I just got in there and went. It felt really good. I definitely want to do some more of that.”

Martin Truex Jr almost raced in the Chili Bowl Nationals

Interestingly, Martin Truex Jr nearly made it onto the Chili Bowl Nationals entry list. As it happened, teammate Christopher Bell tried to coax him into it, and the #19 driver was definitely interested. Unfortunately, the 2017 Cup Series champion left it a little too late to enter the competition.

That being said, the 41-year-old will be over the moon to race one of the Midget cars. Of course, he would prefer to run on a smaller track in order to get a little more experience. Truex Jr’s admission just goes to show how much the drivers are willing to diversify. In fact, the 2021 edition of the Chili Bowl Nationals witnessed 7 NASCAR Cup Series drivers race there.

READ MORE: NASCAR Fans in Agreement After Hamlin-Truex Jr’s 2012 Daytona 500 Arrangement Resurfaces