Martin Truex Jr. can clinch the regular season championship at Watkins Glen

With two races to go on the regular season schedule, NASCAR points leader Martin Truex Jr. has a chance to clinch the title at Watkins Glen. Right now, the only driver that could take Truex Jr. out of that top spot is Denny Hamlin, and that would require two abysmal races for the current leader.

As it stands, Martin Truex Jr. is 60 points up on Denny Hamlin. Just for reference, the most points you can score in a race is 60. Essentially, Hamlin would need Truex to get back-to-back DNF finishes or to fail to collect stage points or a top-15 finish. A collapse is what he needs.

Last week, Truex Jr. and his team had some speed. However, they couldn’t keep up with the fastest cars like Michael McDowell and Chase Elliott. Finish P7 and picking up 31 points on the day, the Indy Road Course was a solid race for Truex.

However, he has a chance to put away the regular season title with a strong performance at The Glen. If the Joe Gibbs Racing driver finds a way to score 56 points on the day, the title, and 15 bonus playoff points, are his.

If you are waiting for a Martin Truex Jr. collapse or anything like that, think again. Just a single DNF on the season, no one else in the top-5 in points can claim the same thing. In the last five weeks, Truex has a win, two top-5s and two top-10 finishes. That is an average finish of P4 in those races.

Martin Truex Jr. could dominate another race

We saw what Martin Truex Jr. is capable of on a road course at Sonoma this year. It was just like his Dover win and just like his New Hampshire win – dominant. This is a new-look No. 19 team, and the thing is, they’ve kept everyone from last season on for this season. If it is a change in attitude or whatever it is, it’s working.

Truex Jr. was the winner at The Glen during that special 2017 season. He was on fire that year and he looks to be the favorite again in 2023. But the steady veteran isn’t getting ahead of himself, it is all about one race at a time.

“Every single race is important,” said Martin Truex Jr, via Speedway Digest. “I don’t know how anyone can say they don’t matter. We are looking at locking up 15 bonus points by trying to get the Regular Season Championship. It’s an opportunity to lock up a lot of bonus points and that’s what matters in the Playoffs. Every race is equally important. All 26 matter and all 26 can earn you points and do things that will help you in the Playoffs. For us, it’s business as usual and these races are all important.”

If Martin Truex Jr. scores those bonus points, it is the equivalent of three race wins. Right now, he has been the steady hand. Truex Jr. leads the Cup Series in top-10s (14) and is second (9) to only Kyle Larson (10) when it comes to top-5 finishes. He’ll have a chance to add to those stats this weekend at Watkins Glen.