Today’s generation of NASCAR fans are always reminded of how good the golden generation was. And you don’t have to dig deep into history to know how drastically the sport has changed. While everyone has their own perspective on when NASCAR was at its peak, the early 2000s and late ’90s are the closest reference points.

For a young driver in the scene today, it is difficult for them to comprehend how big of a deal NASCAR was back in the day. The easiest way to learn about the inside perspective is to get an idea about that era through a veteran driver. And that is exactly what Martin Truex Jr delivered while speaking in an interview with Jeff Gluck. Shedding light on some memorable moments from the golden days, that were frantic and chaotic is a good way, the #19 driver took a trip down memory lane.

Martin Truex Jr recalls his father being stuck in traffic for two hours owing to NASCAR fans

At 44, Truex Jr. has seen the best of both worlds. Being able to witness the dominance of superstar drivers like Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon, and also rub shoulders and compete with the younger generation of the modern era. Often, arguments are made about how racing was better back then, without the specs and engineering meddling with the race cars. But perhaps it was the fans who helped the sport elevate to greater heights.

Sharing the first-hand experience that young drivers miss out on, Truex Jr. shared as per The Athletic, “It was a pain in the a** to get to the airport after the race. And you didn’t really want to leave the track on Saturdays before or after the Xfinity races or anything. And then, on Sundays, you didn’t want to go outside the track at all. It was nuts. Traffic all the time. That was the biggest thing I remember.”

Truex Jr. even explained the difficulty that the fans had to go through to reach the venues, being stuck in traffic. “I remember my dad coming to a race, and he’d be getting there at like eight in the morning, and he’s like, ‘Oh my God, it took us two hours to get in from down the street.’ That was the norm back then. And now, we. every once in a while, we’ll get a little bit of traffic after the race. But generally speaking, it’s all pretty calm and simple these days.”

NASCAR has indeed lost a good chunk of its core fans. But at the same time, seemingly the drivers themselves haven’t been able to attract new fans or audiences to the sport.

Superstar driver is the missing piece of the puzzle to bring back to its glory days

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NASCAR has always been able to stand tall and promote inspiring stories through its drivers. However, if you are to look at the current set of race car drivers, it is hard to single out a character or personality who can lead the charge, according to many industry insiders. This is indeed a pressing issue as far as the progress of NASCAR is concerned, and even Richard Petty shared similar views while speaking on Dale Jr. Download.

“To begin with, you had the Lee Petty, Fireball Roberts, and Junior Johnson crowd. Then Pearson, Allison, and all that crowd came through. Daryl came through, and your dad [Dale Earnhardt] came through, taking that era to another stage. Jeff comes in and takes it to another stage. Jimmy comes in and takes it to another stage. Right now, we’re looking for the next guy to take us to the next stage. Right now, we don’t have basically a leader. We don’t have a fox for anybody to run after because everything is so even now,” The King said.

William Byron, Christopher Bell, and Kyle Larson, among others, are some of the promising stars of the modern era. But who would be the ultimate next superstar according to you? Let us know in the comments down below!