Nothing has gone Martin Truex Jr.’s way the last handful of NASCAR Cup Series races.
After kicking off his final full-time season with seven top-10 finishes in the first 12 races, Truex’s last 15 starts have resulted in just two top 10s.
To make matters worse, following a wreck on Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway where he finished 35th, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver hasn’t placed better than 24th in his last six starts.
Truex is 15th on the NASCAR Playoff grid, 19 points below the cutline.
Despite a difficult stretch for the 2017 Cup Series champion, Truex is focused on what’s next.
“I mean, as crazy as it can be certain places and has been in the past, whatever you do, just race one at a time,” Truex said. “Take one at a time and hopefully, you have a good race and go home and say you made it through one and let’s focus on the next one.
‘That’s all you can really do. We obviously weren’t able to do that at Atlanta, but you have to now look forward to Watkins Glen and get the most out of what we can there this weekend and then focus on Bristol after that.
“You just can’t look back or forward too far.”
Truex’s even-keeled demeanor may be a major benefit heading to Watkins Glen (N.Y.) Int’l this weekend.
With Atlanta being a wildcard race due to its superspeedway-like unpredictability, another wrench in the Round of 16 could come in the form of tire degradation at Watkins Glen.
Following a tire test in June, along with a new tire compound Goodyear is taking to the 2.45-mile road course, tire fall-off is expected to be high, similar to what was seen at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in the spring.
Truex believes that may result in a more competitive race with ample opportunity for passing.
“It seems that way (flipping the stage) can be a good thing for me, personally,” Truex explained. “And it’d be a good thing for passing. Watkins Glen is so fast, and we’ve gone there the last few years with no tire fall off, so you can’t get close enough to a guy to make a pass.
“It’s simple as physics, right? You go up through the esses and lose five-to-six car lengths, it’s over. So, it’s going to help us be able to make passes if our car is good and that’s what we need at those kinds of places with our Reser’s Fine Foods Camry this weekend.”
Truex won at Watkins Glen in 2017 and finished second in 2018 and ’19.