NASCAR Fans Find Their New “Forever Driver” As Joe Gibbs’ Secret Weapon Wins Their Heart

Published 08/08/2023, 11:02 AM EDT

When the need for speed is flowing through the veins and the drivers are behind the wheels of a 700-horsepower race car, they are likely to take things a bit too seriously. When 40 cars run at full throttle, the chances of contact are very high. And on the tracks of NASCAR, where these cars run three or even four wide, the probability of a crash further intensifies.

All this comes down to one judgment: whether they would nudge a fellow driver to secure the win or execute clean racing. On the one hand, it is the trophy. On another level, it is their morale. One can get you the win; the other will get you a clean race and respect. A certain Joe Gibbs racer chose the latter.

Truex Jr.’s views on wrecking Chris Buescher or anyone

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In Monday’s race at the Michigan International Speedway, Chris Buescher gave Ford its 9th straight victory, and this extended the longest winning streak by a manufacturer at a track. He led an impressive 52 laps out of the 200 laps they ran. However, it did not come easy.

On the 188th lap, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. revved the engine of his No. 19 Toyota and went door-to-door with Buescher. However, he backed down as sparks were noticed under his car.

In the post-race interview, Bob Pockrass from FOX Sports asked Truex Jr. if he was disappointed with the results.

Truex nodded and said, “I am disappointed. I don’t know what else I could have done. I did everything I could to get there.”

The No. 19 Toyota Camry driver explained how easy it could have been for him to have wrecked Buescher and secured his win. Anyone else would have probably done that. But Truex is built differently.

Martin Truex Jr. was disappointed with his second-place finish but doesn’t feel he could have done anything else to win unless he wanted to wreck Chris Buescher. pic.twitter.com/X0NmM5RUQ5
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) August 7, 2023

He admitted, ” I don’t know what else I could have done different aside from running into him, which I easily could have done but I am not gonna do that.”

Watch this story: Martin Truex Jr Blamed Denny Hamlin for Losing to Ross Chastain on the Radio

For Martin Truex Jr., his principles are far more important than cruising down victory lane. This classy act of sportsmanship has attracted millions’ attention, and everyone is showering praise on the 43-year-old automobilist.

An act of class-Featuring Martin Truex Jr.

There have been a lot of on-track brawls since the race at Pocono Raceway, and after what Truex did, fans got a hint at what clean driving, backed by hard racing looks like. When Bob Pockrass uploaded the post-race interview to his Twitter account, fans admired this fair act.

Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet commented, “Class act, Marty. No one is more deserving for another championship than this guy”

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Someone else even went as far as to tag Denny Hamlin and say, “Take notes.
@dennyhamlin”

A fan talked about his style of racing and exclaimed, “This is why he’s my forever driver! He could have hit him, more than once, but that’s not how he races.” while another said, “If it were Earnhardt Sr., Sr. would have wrecked Buescher.”

For some fans, Martin Truex Jr. is also a great influence on the kids who watch NASCAR races. On that note, someone admitted, “You’re a winner MTJ for racing well! You could have easily wrecked Buescher but have chosen to race clean! You are a winner!!! Your being a good sportsman means so much to all kids watching!”

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Amidst all the feuds that have been coming up lately, Truex Junior’s act was a sigh of relief. Fans are glad that he has not retired yet and claim that even if he does not win the championship, he is already a winner in their eyes. What more could an athlete have ever wanted?

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Written by:

Soumyadeep is a NASCAR writer at EssentiallySports. He has done his Master's in English Literature and is a semi-professional bodybuilder. He has, in recent years, channelized his love and commitment for motorsports into a building career path.

Edited by:

Shivali Nathta

NASCAR Fans Find Their New “Forever Driver” As Joe Gibbs’ Secret Weapon Wins Their Heart

Truex Jr.’s views on wrecking Chris Buescher or anyone

An act of class-Featuring Martin Truex Jr.

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