NASCAR Cup Series driver Martin Truex Jr. Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Martin Truex Jr. has huge motivator on his side at Darlington

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated 5/8/24

For whatever reason, Lady Luck hasn't been on Martin Truex Jr.'s side this season.

After a dominant performance at Richmond, Truex Jr. was beaten when his teammate, Denny Hamlin, didn't receive a penalty for jumping the final restart.

This past weekend at Kansas, he was about to pass the leader — Hamlin — with less than 10 laps to go when the caution came out for a spinning Kyle Busch. A few minutes later, it was all Truex Jr. could do to watch as Kyle Larson beat Chris Buescher in the closest NASCAR finish of all time, all while Truex Jr. lost his own photo-finish battle with Chase Elliott for third.

.@SteveLetarte and @ToddBGordon break down the process of determining a winner in a photo finish. pic.twitter.com/KGqAGws65Z
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) May 7, 2024

The doom and gloom weigh heavily in the No. 19 camp this week, but not all is bad for Truex. The 2017 NASCAR champ currently sits second in the Cup Series points, and Sunday's race at Darlington is a prime opportunity for him to grab that elusive checkered flag.

In 2021, Truex Jr. led 248 laps in the Darlington spring race en route to victory and nearly won at Darlington last spring. In a race that he led 145 laps in, Truex spun after slight contact with Ross Chastain, ending his bid for victory.

This year, he is one of the more consistent drivers in the field but has lost in two of the most mind-numbing ways.

Every race car driver is always motivated by the trophy and check that awaits if they are able to pull into victory lane, but Truex Jr. has perhaps the biggest motivator on his side: heartbreak.

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