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Martin Truex Jr Has a Fiery Exchange With Reporter Hours After Being Told to “Shut the F**K Up” By Joe Gibbs Racing

Published 05/03/2023, 2:01 PM EDT

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In a convincing victory on Monday, Martin Truex Jr showed he has still got what it takes to win in the NASCAR Cup Series. In fact, it was his fourth win at Dover Motor Speedway, a feat not many can boast of. However, in the process of his 32nd win in the competition, Truex had to overcome some unexpected hurdles. One of which involved him not getting along with a member of his team Joe Gibbs Racing.

It is no secret how things can get heated on the track with the intensity of the Cup Series. With the recently-disclosed radio chatter from the Dover race, it looks like Truex had some issues with his team during the race.

Martin Truex Jr gets involved in a heated discussion with a Joe Gibbs Racing member during the Dover Motor Speedway race

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With over 600 races to his name, Martin Truex Jr surely knows a thing or two about racing. Having said that, the past couple of years have been rough for the Trenton-born driver. In fact, the victory on Monday came after a 54-race winless streak. Surely, that must have brought him some respite. However, not everything went according to him during the race.

In between the intense race, some strong exchanges were observed between Truex and his crew chief, James Small. It all started when the 42-year-old asked Small, “Did we stay out too long or what?” While the crew chief reassured all was fine on the radio chatter yet Truex felt otherwise.

He said, “If we would have got out in front of these guys, I would have drove away from them.” Obviously, this didn’t bode well with Small as he lost his cool. The lead engineer-turned-crew chief said, “Just shut the f**k up! You would not have been in front of them, so just keep driving please!”

While Truex assured him of trying his level best, Small shared some comforting words too. He said, “What we did was correct. Just keep driving please. You’re doing really good.” That was indeed true as the JGR driver smartly raced away to victory after leading the final 11 laps. In fact, Truex even cleared after the race how all is well between him and Small despite the chirpy exchanges.

Certainly, he will cherish this victory for a long time given its significance. However, it is that very significance that saw Truex get into a fiery discussion with a reporter after the race.

A reporter leaves Martin Truex Jr enraged following another Monster Mile triumph

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Winning a race in the Cup Series is no child’s play. While many understand and appreciate that, certainly one of the reporters at Dover didn’t think so. Moreover, the lack of empathy shown by him leaves Martin Truex Jr unhappy and furious.

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As reported by Kenny Wallace, the reporter asked Truex, “How emotional of the weekend has this been given you went to such a long winless streak.” Safe to say the #19 driver felt the question to be insensitive in a way as he responded, “It isn’t that long. I mean, come on 54 races, I have went way longer than that before.

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He sarcastically added, “Such a long winless streak. I mean Jesus, I have won only 32 of these things now. It’s really hard to win these races okay.” Well, Truex has every right to be disappointed there but at the same time, will not let it hinder his celebrations. However, he will definitely look to build some momentum after this triumph as the Cup Series next moves to Kansas next.

 

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Written by:

Priyank Mithani

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Priyank Mithani is a NASCAR writer at EssentiallySports with a passion for motorsports that began in his childhood. Over the years, he has been following the sport meticulously, and his insights are highly respected within the NASCAR community. Priyank is a devoted fan of Kyle Busch and has closely followed his career for years.
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