Ryan Truex now has three wins in the Xfinity Series, but he still doesn’t have a full time ride. As elder brother Martin Truex retired, Ryan is still searching for that opportunity at any level of NASCAR after his win at Daytona in August.
“I hope so,” he said as to whether the win could get teams more interested than after his two previous wins at Dover. “I would hope so.
“I mean to win, you know, it wasn’t like we lucked into it or there was a huge wreck. Like, we controlled the whole race and I was able to, you know, lead lanes and make blocks and do all the things you have to do to win these races. So yeah, I feel like doing this and winning Dover – two completely different tracks, completely different styles. Yeah, I feel like it should raise my stock for sure.”
With his brother retiring from full-time competition, that brings extra questions for Truex about the future. The 32-year-old said that pressure doesn’t get to him; he has high enough expectations for himself.
“Yeah, I’d say probably the pressure is myself,” Truex admitted. “I don’t really feel outside pressure, definitely motivation. You know it’s going to be a whole for my family, a whole different world once he’s, you know, retired, because that’s all we’ve known for half of my life. Since I was 12 years old, he’s been in the Cup series, I think. Maybe 13. Right around there. He’s been at the NASCAR national level, you know, since 2003 when I was 11, so, you know, two thirds of my life basically.
“I mean when I see family members, they’re like, you’ve got to figure this out because we need somebody to root for on Sundays,” he joked. “So, yeah, I mean, I think it’s more myself than outside forces. Yeah, hopefully I can do it. Hopefully I can figure out how to, you know, make this deal work and get to the Cup series and hopefully carry the name, you know, proudly.”
Truex brings his brother to mind with his mannerisms. Like Martin, he’s soft-spoken and even-keeled, not one to get overly emotional even for his second win in eight races in a part-time season. Ryan says that attitude is the result of accepting where he’s at and appreciating the opportunities he gets.
“Yeah, we’ll have a pretty good time tonight,” he admitted. “Yeah, I used to be a lot worse, I feel like, when I was younger. I’ve gotten better as I’ve gotten older and gotten more realistic with where I’m at. And you know what? What I got around me and you know, it’s just life. So yeah, I feel like I am even keeled, but I don’t feel like I used to always be this way.
“I mean, it’s not what I grew up wanting, that’s not what I think I deserve, but yeah, it’s hard to complain about racing cars for a living and, you know, driving virtual cars for a living. Like, it’s a pretty cool job. Pretty cool. I do setup and I get a lot of off weekends, which is kind of nice.
“But yeah, I know the hard part is I know in the back of my mind if I was in one of these cars full time I could win a championship.”
Ryan is currently test and reserve driver for Joe Gibbs Racing, able to make a few part-time starts a year. While that might not be the job he wanted, it’s still a lot of fun for a racer at heart.
“I like bettering myself, figuring out how to go faster, figuring out how to make the cars better. You know, that’s all stuff I enjoy.. I mean, if I wasn’t doing that, I’d be at home playing, racing, doing the same thing,” Truex admitted. “And yeah, I enjoy it. I enjoy helping, you know, hopefully helping make the team better and improving, you know, processes and how we do things in car setups and all that stuff. But it’s a lot of fun.”
But Truex made it clear that he’ll have the most fun if he can lock down a ride and give his family something to root for, though.
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