“Petty” Dale Jr. Fires a 3-Word Payback at Martin Truex Jr. for Shocking Verdict on Chase Elliott’s Talent

This is the last year we will get to see Martin Truex Jr. in the Cup Series. MTJ recently announced his retirement.

“It’s been incredible. It’s been a hell of a ride. I’m excited about the future, and I’m not really sure what that looks like yet,” were his words while making the announcement.

The future of the Cup Series champion looks shaky as the final season isn’t going as planned: he ended the regular season with a DNF at Darlington and barely made the playoffs in 16th place. The trouble continued with another DNF in the first playoff race at Atlanta, leaving him at the bottom of the standings. MTJ’s hopes of becoming a multiple-time champion are fading fast, and he might be the first to exit the playoffs. And Dale Earnhardt Jr. agrees, giving a tough verdict on his long-time friend’s prospects.

Martin Truex Jr. deserves to be out, believes Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Martin Truex Jr.’s tough luck just keeps going. This past weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway, he got caught up in a wreck with Ryan Blaney and Chris Buescher on Lap 205 of the Quaker State 400. He ended up finishing 35th and only grabbed four points. Now, he’s below the playoff cut line and 19 points behind Ty Gibbs, who’s in 12th place. It’s been rough for Truex lately—he’s finished 24th or worse in six straight races and hasn’t been in the top 20 in 10 of the last 13 races. The question now is, will he be the first one out of the playoffs?

The same was being discussed on the September 11 episode of Dale Jr. Download when Andrew started the discussion and said, “The Athletic by the way wrote a great article from media day and it was you know who could be a surprise first-round exit and a lot of drivers anonymously voted for Martin Truex Jr.” To this, Dale Earnhardt Jr. quickly responded, “He deserves it. He deserves that distinction.” While you’d think Junior is saying this because of MTJ’s performance, no! It was really for a petty reason.

Further, when Andrew asked Junior “Distinction” of what? Junior was quick to give a valid reason from the past as he jokingly recalled, “When Harvick asked him earlier this year who is the better racer between me and Chase Elliott he picked Chase, and I am a good friend of Martin Truex Jr. so yeah. I’m Petty.”

Back in April this year, Kevin Harvick had a panel of current Joe Gibbs drivers on his podcast “Happy Hour.” Where he popped the question, who is the better driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr. or Chase Elliott? All agreed statistically that Elliott would win. Even Dale Jr.’s long friend MTJ!

Truex had said, “(Elliot) does have a championship, yeah that’s Cup Championship. Yeah gotta go (with Chase)!” Dale Jr. hasn’t forgotten the betrayal. Reminiscing on the past, Dale Jr said, “He picked Chase. I am a good friend of Martin Truex Jr! So yeah.. I am petty.. I am petty as hell all, right (Dale Jr. said as he laughed).

Out of everyone, Jr. would have counted on MTJ to pick him when he was. As they go way back. When Truex Jr. first started racing in NASCAR, he actually lived in Earnhardt Jr.’s house, and they developed a close friendship during that time. Dale Jr., previously reminiscing on the old times, had said, “We spent a ton of time, a ton of time drinking in the basement, going to bars in the middle of the week, hanging out on the back porches, and running around on the farm being idiots. You know, we just had a lot of fun.”

All the jokes and fun banter apart, is MTJ going to get out of round one of the playoffs this year?

Martin Turex Jr.’s chances to progress to the next round

Heading into Watkins Glen this Sunday, the likelihood of his Hall of Fame career ending on a high note is looking slim. The numbers for Truex are troubling and unlike anything we’ve seen from him at Joe Gibbs Racing. He’s winless this season, with only one top-10 finish since Nashville in late June, and hasn’t had a top-five since Kansas in early May. NASCAR Journalist Jordan Bianchi thinks the journey is going to be tough for the veteran.

In a recent podcast episode of “The Teardown,”  he said, “Last year was a great example; horrible Round 1, didn’t matter. Had all these playoff points and was still able to move on. This year he didn’t really have any playoff points, and he doesn’t have any safety net. Now, he’s going to Watkins Glen and Bristol, and would you call it a must-win mode?” 

Also in the discussion was Jeff Gluck, who thought there was still a chance. “I wouldn’t panic yet and say, ‘We have to go win Watkins Glen or Bristol.’ Like no, I think he can be just fine. 19 points is not that much.” Gluck added.

Well, at Watkins Glen, MTJ has had a good run. In his last 6 appearances, he finished, 1st, 2nd, 2nd, 3rd, 23rd, and the latest being 6th. Even at Bristol at his last race, he has a close 2nd place finish. So the story might not be over yet for the NASCAR veteran. Let’s hope he bounces back in the next race. What do you think are MTJ’s chances of getting a second championship before retiring? Let us know in the comments below.