“I hope he doesn’t come back”: Kevin Harvick delivers candid admission about Martin Truex Jr.’s NASCAR future
Kevin Harvick has presented his candid thoughts about Martin Truex Jr.'s NASCAR return. The 2014 Cup Series champion expressed he doesn't want the Joe Gibbs Racing driver back in stock car racing. However, it's not because of some bitterness they might have, as Harvick explained what happened with Jimmie Johnson when he marked his comeback.
Truex Jr. called his 693rd race at the Phoenix Raceway, registering his penultimate NASCAR Cup Series battle as a full-time driver. While there's no confirmation about the veteran driver's stock car racing future, he has been linked with 23XI Racing for the 2025 Daytona 500 and could run a part-time schedule.
Seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson pursued a similar thing. After finishing fifth in his final full-time race in 2020 at the Phoenix Raceway, the then-Hendrick Motorsports driver returned to NASCAR's Premier Level in the 2023 Daytona 500 for his co-owned team, Legacy Motor Club. It's worth mentioning that since the legendary driver returned to the asphalt, his best finish (P26) was recorded at the most recent 312-lap event in Phoenix.
Fearing that a similar turnaround could happen with the 2017 Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr., Harvick opined it'd be best if the former doesn't return to racing. He said (via NASCAR on Fox).
"When you have a life outside of racing, it becomes much more difficult to balance everything. So, I think he was just at the point where was done with it. I hope he doesn't come back and race," Harvick said (26:00).
"When we see Jimmie Johnson come back and race, it's not the Jimmie Johnson that we're used to seeing, you know upfront, competitive, doing the things that he did. I hope Martin if he's going to race, not race a Cup car," the former SHR driver added.
Though MTJ is likely to run for 23XI in the upcoming Daytona 500, Denny Hamlin raised concerns about the same amid the ongoing lawsuit.
"That means probably more than everything": Martin Truex Jr. reflects on his NASCAR career amid full-time racing retirement
Martin Truex Jr. marked his Cup Series entry in 2004 with Dale Earnhardt Inc. After running a part-time schedule under DEI's banner, the New Jersey native got his rookie season break in the 2006 season. He switched multiple teams before registering his Cup Series title in 2017 with Furniture Row Racing and made his final team change, signing a contract with Joe Gibbs, starting from the 2019 season.
From his 21 years in the Cup Series, the veteran driver etched 34 wins, 147 top-5s, 291 top-10s, bagged 25 poles, and led a staggering 12747 laps. Moreover, despite many drivers like Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin, who are infamous for hard and unapologetic racing, Truex Jr. was highly praised for his composed demeanor.
That said, Martin Truex Jr. felt he had earned significant respect in the field and emphasized that it mattered to him more than his 34 triumphs. He said (via SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
"I feel lucky; lucky to work with a lot of great teams and accomplish more than I ever thought possible. I feel like I've earned the respect of a lot of people around here and that means a lot, that means probably more than everything, more than wins,” Truex Jr. said (0:18).
Martin Truex Jr.'s penultimate full-time season concluded as winless with a P10 rank.