Martin Truex Jr. 'optimistic' heading into Martinsville under the cutline

Despite being down 17 points to the cutline, Martin Truex Jr. isn’t feeling too down on himself. Martin is pretty good at Martinsville. These NASCAR Playoffs have not gone right for the regular season champion. He still has one more chance to turn things around, though.

As we prepare for the penultimate race of the season, Martin Truex Jr. has optimism. Maybe he hasn’t been up to snuff this postseason. That’s what those regular season bonus points are for, though. For the final race in the Round of 8, Truex will need to execute like he hasn’t in the last eight races.

Ahead of the Xfinity 500, Truex Jr. opened up about how he’s feeling for the race.

“I’m really optimistic going into this weekend because we ran third there in the spring,” the JGR driver said. “Martinsville looks so easy – it’s just a small, little half-mile track, but it’s so tricky with the concrete in the corners, and every time you go there, it’s different.

“It doesn’t make sense because the track is the same, but it does make it different depending on the temperature and the tire and everything that’s going on with these cars. Running third there in the spring, I think we learned a lot we can use going forward and, hopefully, we can find some of that old magic we had there a few years ago again this weekend.”

Do you believe Martin Truex Jr. has a little magic left?

Martin Truex Jr. at Martinsville

While he hasn’t won at Martinsville in the Next Gen era, Truex is still great at the track. More times than not, he’s in the top-10 or top-5 at the track. He was P3 in the spring after starting P5. So, it’s not wild to think he might be able to manage another great performance.

The thing is, two spots are locked up in the Championship 4. Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell. William Byron is +30 on the cutline, which means he will likely transfer on points. That leaves only one spot really to be won on points or with a checkered flag.

The performances of Ryan Blaney, Denny Hamlin, and Tyler Reddick will be pivotal in whether or not Martin Truex Jr. makes the Championship 4. He’s put himself in a spot where it isn’t just up to his performance. That is unless he can find victory lane.

I’m not sure what is going to happen at Martinsville, but I do think it’s going to be a great race. Drivers are going to risk it all. Chris Buescher is in a must-win position and by the end of the race, he won’t be the only one.