The 2023 Cup Series season is taking an interesting turn when it comes to the future of the senior drivers in the grid. It is a confirmed fact that the Stewart-Haas Racing driver, Kevin Harvick, is set to retire after the ongoing season and join Fox Sports as a NASCAR analyst. However, there are quite a few names that face uncertainty in the next racing season.  

Among the handful of names also lies the name of Joe Gibbs Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. But it seems there are few probabilities and factors that may bar the driver from taking retirement. And Mike Joy, the voice of NASCAR on Fox, reinforced these facts in a conversation with Mike Massaro.

Martin Truex Jr’s victories make Mike Joy hopeful for another Cup Series season

The 2022 Cup Series was surely not one of the best seasons for the #19 Toyota driver. It may not have been his worst season, but Martin Truex Jr failed to deliver the results that were expected of the 2017 Cup Series champion. In the last season, he had zero top-three finishes and also stumbled to enter the playoffs despite leading in points. Thus concluding his seven-year streak of appearing in the post-season. It was also speculated that he would be retiring after the expiration of the contract at the end of the season.

But the tide of events changed in the ongoing season. Martin Truex Jr’s is in full-throttle mode in his 18th season and undoing the mistakes of the last year. The #19 team has already bagged two victories and has taken the lead in the points table after the latest win at Sonoma Raceway. Truex Jr and his crew chief, James Small, have surely raised hopes for the team and also their boss, Joe Gibbs. The team owner, after the victory at Sonoma, had expressed, “I think it’s very important he and James have a great relationship. Martin—James [Small] will tell you this—may be one of the absolute best at dealing with adversity. He is just even, you know what I mean?”

These results have made Joe Gibbs Racing and also their car manufacturer Toyota, hopeful of the fact that Truex Jr will be staying back for the next Cup Series season. Even the veteran FOX NASCAR analyst asserted these facts.

The host Mike Massaro asked the sportscaster, “I think at the end of last year a lot of people thought maybe Martin would walk away, you think this keeps him around?”

Mike Joy retorted the fact, “Yes, winning is a great tonic for just about everything. With a couple in the bank and a very strong chance of being one of the championships for, I think Truex re-ups for 2024 and it might even happen before the playoffs start.”

Owing to the recent turn of events in the #19 camp, their OEM Toyota is advocating for retaining the 2017 Cup Series champion for the next year as well. Toyota Racing Development’s President, David Wilson, had referred to Truex as the future Hall of Famer. He had admitted, “It sure has, and I am optimistic,” on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio regarding the retaining of the driver for another season.

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Mike Joy divulges whether Kyle Busch is a Cup Series contender

Apart from Truex Jr, it seems that Kyle Busch is also riding on the waves of victory in his first season with Richard Childress Racing. The #8 Chevrolet has already had three wins. Owing to the impeccable results, Mike Massaro was curious of the fact that whether Richard Childress Racing would be a contender for the championship.

To this, even Mike Joy accepted the fact it was certainly a good strategy on Austin Dillon’s part, by bringing the 2x Cup Series champion to Richard Childress Racing camp. Joy also reinforced the fact that Kyle Busch’s results have changed for good as compared to the results in his former team Joe Gibbs Racing.

Joy also accepted the fact, the victories from Kyle Busch have propelled the team in going past Trackhouse Racing Team in Chevrolet’s pecking order and has lit up the camp of Richard Childress Racing. These results are surely the light at the end of the tunnel that RCR was waiting for so long, making them a favorite contender for the championship.

Well, it will be interesting to watch, what is in store for the drivers along with their teams. Will fans be able to witness another remarkable season of Truex Jr, or will he follow the same suit as Kevin Harvick? And the 2023 will be the swan song for the Cup Series champion.

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