NASCAR executives aren't technically allowed to have a "favorite" driver, but if I were one of them at last weekend's Cup Series race in Sonoma, I'd have been pumping my fist and clapping quietly under the table.
And why? Not just because it was NASCAR's first road course of the season (although that in itself usually evokes some sort of mini-celebration), or because the race turned out compelling (it did, especially with the strategy at the end). But no — I'd have been slapping my leg or doing whatever silent celebration I could because of who won.
Martin Truex Jr. — otherwise known as the best thing NASCAR has going for it right now.
That may seem like an exaggeration, but first some explanation.
Let's start with this season. Truex now has three wins in 2018, the third-most of any driver, and victories two of the last three weekends. He's still one 'W' behind Kyle Busch and two behind series-leader Kevin Harvick, but Truex has one advantage on his side the other two don't: he's finally rounding into his dominant form from a season ago.
And for NASCAR execs and fans in general, that should be a tremendous positive development. No disrespect to Harvick and Busch, but ... well, when the same two guys are winning almost every weekend, things get boring fast.
This isn't to say that Truex alone will change that. After all, three guys is only scarcely better than two. But it is a step in the right direction, and it distracts from the monotony of Harvick and Busch trading wins.
It also sets up the rest of the season for a more competitive, engaging, and most importantly, unpredictable ending. That's the beauty of racing in its purest form — the idea that anyone can win if they perform their best — and Truex, from tiny Furniture Row Racing in Denver, Colorado, embodies that.
So from both a short- and long-term perspective this season, Truex's step up is worth getting excited about. But that doesn't explain why he's the best thing NASCAR has going for it right now.
In recent years, the sport has lost some of its most recognizable drivers — everyone from Jeff Gordon to Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Danica Patrick, are gone. That's a massive exodus of marketability, yeah, but also of talent. You're talking about some of the biggest names in racing seemingly all stepping away at once.
And so naturally, NASCAR had a plan to promote its next generation of stars, guys like Chase Elliott and Bubba Wallace and Ryan Blaney. Except, that never materialized in 2016 ... or 2017…or this year.
Instead, NASCAR's next crop of stars isn't a new crop at all. It's guys like Busch and Harvick, longtime Cup drivers who only now, later in their careers, are having true breakout seasons. And that's fine, and it's worked well for both the individual drivers and for NASCAR on the whole.
But for as talented as Harvick and Busch are, they're still missing something crucial in NASCAR, something that at times can even transcend championship-caliber driving: a good story. And that's what Truex has that the two other two — and no other winning driver in NASCAR, really — can boast.
His personal story of perseverance revolves around losing his Cup Series ride almost five years ago, but there's more, too. The bottoming out with his new team, then the steady climb to his first championship last season?
Then you add in Truex's personal life — how he's been by his longtime girlfriend Sherry Pollex's side every step of her battle with Stage 3 ovarian cancer — and it's easy to see how compelling he is both as a driver and a human being.
And that's exactly what NASCAR desperately needs. More people who can actually compete for wins on the track, while having an incredibly endearing backstory off it. Busch has his reputation as a bully, and Harvick is one of the more respected voices in motorsports. But their stories aren't what Truex's are, and no number of wins will change that.
So let this season progress. Let Harvick and Busch keep winning, keep trying to pull away from each other and the rest of the field. It would be ridiculous to expect anything else.
But watch out for Truex, too. Watch for him to keep things interesting, as has been his custom the last five years. Watch for him to win a few more races in the regular season, and likely a handful in the playoffs, too. Watch for him as one of the last drivers left standing this year, and maybe even to win a second consecutive Cup championship.
And most importantly? Watch all those NASCAR executives after he wins his next race — and watch for any silent celebrations, celebrating the best thing the sport has going for it.
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