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The 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season was very disappointing for Martin Truex Jr. as he couldn’t win a single race.
Driving the #19 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing, Truex Jr. scored only four top-five finishes and won one pole. He missed the playoffs for the first time in eight years. Moreover, his return to the postseason in 2023 is far from guaranteed.
Martin Truex Jr. has been one of NASCAR's top drivers since winning the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series Championship. He drove the #78 car of Furniture Row Racing to the pinnacle of the sport with a career-and-series-high eight wins, including the title-sealing win in the Championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Now, the growing question for Martin Truex Jr. is whether he will return to Victory Lane or if his trophy from the 2021 Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond Raceway will be the last that he takes home.
The 42-year-old driver is not the only one to struggle in the twilight of his career. Several prominent drivers, beforechim, stopped winning late in their careers.
Jimmie Johnson, a seven-time Cup champion, won his last race at age 41, Jeff Gordon's last win came at the age of 43, and Tony Stewart captured only one race after he turning 42.
The arrival of the Next Gen car this season could be why Truex Jr. remained winless throughout the 2022 season, but he still ran well. He was sixth in the traditional points standings before the season-finale race at Daytona International Speedway in August.
Truex Jr. is likely to remain a contender for the 2023 season, even though he had considered retirement early in the 2022 season. However, he is probably too far advanced in his years to drive the #19 Toyota to NASCAR Victory Lane ever again.
Martin Truex Jr. had a topsy-turvy performance in the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season
The lack of a win was the main reason why Martin Truex Jr. missed the 2022 playoffs. He came close several times, including leading 80-or-more laps at Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway and Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway.
His best chance to seal a playoff spot came in July at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, where he won his only pole of the season and dominated the initial two-thirds of the race. Truex Jr. led 172 of the first 209 laps before crossing the finish line in fourth place.
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver won seven stages throughout the 36-race campaign, tying Joey Logano for second most in the Cup Series behind Ryan Blaney’s nine stages.
