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Defending Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champ Martin Truex Jr. told an annual gathering of Toyota employees Thursday that he’s ready for a more aggressive approach depending on who he’s racing, saying, “it’s time to stop getting run into and start running into.”
His remarks come four days after Joey Logano’s last-lap bumper nudge denied Truex a victory at Martinsville Speedway, and with it, a title berth in the championship race Nov. 18 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The comments from Toyota’s Plano, Texas, headquarters were first reported by Bob Pockrass of ESPN.
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In earlier comments, Truex said he’d exchanged text messages with Logano, reporting that his rival’s response was defensive in nature. Going forward, Truex added that he’d stay true to his sportsmanlike driving style, even with a chance at a second Monster Energy Series crown on the line. But he also said his gauge for how aggressive to be would depend on the situation and his competition at that moment.
“I wouldn’t just wreck somebody to win a championship, just like I wouldn’t wreck somebody to win a race,” Truex told media members. “It might be cool for a couple of hours. In 20 years, you are going to look back and say, ‘Did I really win that race or was that cheap?’ Some people might be OK with that.”
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Truex joined roughly 50 drivers from all forms of racing for Toyota’s Motorsports Day in Texas. The event is a prelude to Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM), the eighth of 10 races in the NASCAR Playoffs.
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