Martin Truex Jr. considers possibility of missing playoffs at Darlington: 'I've seen crazy things happen'

Martin Truex Jr. isn’t exactly at risk of falling below the playoff cutline but as the old saying goes, anything can happen.

Heading into Sunday’s Southern 500 at Darlington, the final race of the regular season, Truex is 58 points clear of the cutline. While a third career win at The Lady in Black would be ideal, Truex doesn’t feel too concerned about his playoff positioning, that is, barring something crazy. In fact, a P18 finish or better guarantees his spot in the 16-driver postseason field.

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Martin Truex Jr. would need to have a total collapse and at least a couple of drivers to have huge days for him to miss the playoffs. He's in for sure if he is 18th or better … and unlikely has to be that good … and he's in if there is no new winner … but … pic.twitter.com/kdoDDiy0yE

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) September 1, 2024

“I hate to even talk about it because I’ve seen crazy things happen in my time doing this,” Truex said Saturday, via Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports. “We should be fine. Hopefully nothing out of our control happens and that’s really what it’s gonna take to get us out of there. If we can just run a smart race, have no failures, nothing crazy happen, we don’t get run over or crash or whatever early, we will be fine. Excited about our car. Thought it was really close today and best one I’ve had here in a couple of years.”

Truex’s final full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series has been uneven to say the least, with the future Hall of Famer winless through 25 races. Even more concerning is that Truex has finished 24th or worse in eight of the last 11 races. That includes a current streak of four consecutive finishes outside the top-20.

Martin Truex Jr. on the struggle bus going into Darlington

So, yeah, Truex isn’t exactly going into the playoffs riding a wave of momentum. If anything, it’s as inconsistent as he’s been since joining Joe Gibbs Racing in 2019. The good news is that Truex has a fast racecar this weekend. He will start fifth at Darlington, the best performing JGR driver during Saturday’s qualifying session.

Truex’s teammate, Ty Gibbs, is facing a more stressful situation, just 39 points clear of the cutline. Gibbs has tallied back-to-back top 5s and would love to get his first career Cup Series win at Darlington in one of NASCAR’s crown jewel events.

“I think we have the speed to go win it,” Gibbs said. “I think it would be cool to get my first win at the Southern 500. That would be awesome.”