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Martin Truex Jr. will race in his 600th NASCAR Cup Series race at the World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway on Sunday, June 5, 2022.
The 2017 Cup champion has raced at the St. Louis area track before, winning an Xfinity Series event there in 2004. But that was a long time ago.
With his contract as the driver of the No. 19 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing coming to an end, Truex Jr. is thinking about the future. The 31-time winner acknowledged this, considering the advantages and disadvantages.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Martin Truex Jr. admitted that:
"I think about it every day. We’re working on it. I should know something soon. It’s a big decision and a lot of factors. I would say within a couple weeks, you guys will know what I’m doing. Everybody asks me, but I still don’t have any news. I’ll let you know when I find out."
When Truex Jr. was asked if his next decision would be influenced more by personal goals and quality of life than by financial considerations, he acknowledged it would be a true assessment.
Truex Jr. has stated that there is no need to continue competing and that he does so because he enjoys it and is competitive. So, before deciding on 2023, he wanted to gain some experience with the Gen 7 car.
Martin Truex Jr.'s performance in the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season
He won at least four races in four of the last five seasons with the Gen 6 car, and he finished in the top two in the standings in all four of those seasons, winning the championship for Furniture Row Racing in 2017.
However, Truex Jr.'s start to the Next Gen era has not been great, though it has been slightly better than it appears on paper.
He is fifth in the points standings after 14 races, with only two top-five finishes, four top-10 finishes and a 130 lap lead, putting him on track for his poorest season since 2014.
Martin Truex Jr. is yet to win a race this season where he produced a good qualifying lap and will start 13th, but his status in the series remains dubious.
Despite Martin Truex Jr.'s decision to stay with Joe Gibbs Racing for the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season, anticipate that decision to be made public shortly. In fact, given the recent statements made by Joe Gibbs, they may have already been made.
