Did You Notice? ... 44-year-old Martin Truex, Jr. has now gone 44 races without a NASCAR Cup Series win?
Truex, retiring from full-time competition at the end of 2024, also sits on the outside looking in for the Round of 12. He's 14 points behind the cut line with one race left to go, needing a Hail-Mary-type race at Bristol Motor Speedway to salvage his season.
It's part of a summer slump that's been one of his worst since moving over to Joe Gibbs Racing in 2019. Truex has three DNFs in his last six races and sits without a top-five finish since Kansas Speedway in May. It nearly cost him a playoff spot altogether after leading the standings as recently as Richmond Raceway in March.
That was the race where Truex saw a victory slip through his fingers, leading late until inexplicable contact between Kyle Larson and Bubba Wallace forced NASCAR overtime. Truex lost the lead on the ensuing pit stop then got burned by an A+ Denny Hamlin restart as he slid all the way to fourth at the finish.
The relationship between Truex and crew chief James Small hasn't been the same this year. The confidence between them has eroded over a series of these close calls that didn't work out. Add in a few tough breaks, getting caught up in other people's messes and it's clear Truex is ready to wave the white flag on his career.
That became especially clear after his top-five car finished 20th at Watkins Glen International following the carnage during the final laps.
"Just crazy that all these races always come down to this," Truex told NBC Sports. "I just don't really understand how guys can call themselves the best in the world when they just drive through everyone on restarts at the end of these races. It's very frustrating, but it is what it is these days.
"I'm out of here."
It's not the way Truex wanted his final season to play out. But he's also not alone. Retirement rarely happens when someone's in position to go out on top.
In the past decade of Cup competition, Carl Edwards' retirement after making the Championship 4 in 2016 comes as the exception to the rule. Most future or current NASCAR Hall of Famers couldn't wait to turn the page after a series of frustrating finishes that left them wondering, "Did I hang on too long?"
Even Jeff Gordon's Championship 4 appearance in 2015 masked a final year that often fell short of expectations. The win at Martinsville Speedway that launched him into the final round was the only one he earned all season. In fact, Gordon posted just five top-five finishes, the fewest of his full-time Cup career.
Here's a closer look at notable NASCAR drivers and how they've fared in their final full-time seasons under this current championship format.
As you can see, Edwards was the only driver considered at or near the top of his game in his final season. And there's a clear difference he has over everyone else: he's the only Hall of Famer in the past decade to retire at age 37 or younger.
What we're seeing instead is a gradual decline in performance for most drivers in their early 40s. Truex, Hamlin and Harvick have been able to push a little bit further than most, but gone are the days where Mark Martin found himself a title contender at age 50.
Why are drivers like Truex finding it hard to leave the sport on top? I think there are a couple of reasons.
First off, a lot of these retirements have happened within the bigger tent of multi-car programs. As the year goes on, and especially when struggles begin, it's easy for the group who is not retiring to get distracted, with their focus on 2025 and a new chapter. It's also easy for those big organizations to push toward other teams and drivers in better position to contend as retirement nears. Their goal is to win a championship after all and not pull resources elsewhere just so a driver can have one last hurrah in victory lane.
It's why sports can be a cruel business. It's hard to keep everyone on the same page, and when you can, it's often due to the fact everyone is leaving. Just look at Chase Briscoe's recent rise into contention at the soon-to-be-defunct Stewart-Haas Racing No. 14.
I also think there's a wrinkle in things that drivers didn't have 25 years ago: the demands of the current Cup schedule. Next season, there will only be one week off for NASCAR in a nine-month period, from early February through early November. The Cup Series races every weekend from April 27 through Nov. 2.
That's a big difference from a 29-race schedule, last used in Cup during the magical 1992 season. Those extra weeks off keep aging athletes fresh and also help balance the demands of life as you get older: family, friends and kids.
Add in the way the sport has grown financially, and the commitments drivers make go far beyond the racetrack. Multiple sponsors are now needed to patch together money for the year, and all of them have expectations that squeeze free time, from autograph sessions to personal meet 'n' greets with executives.
"I've never missed an appearance. You live your life by a schedule that somebody makes for you," Truex said back in June. "I want to go do the things I want to do, and I don't want anyone to tell me when I can and when I can't do those things."
It leaves most of our drivers running on empty when they're ready to do something else. It's not unlike when people change jobs in the real world; you just feel like it's time.
But the memory of how good you've been doesn't win you these NASCAR races. It's the reality of how good you are.
And as much as we all like happy endings, what we get instead are glimpses -- moments from careers long past their peak.
Maybe Truex will end the season with a miracle. Just don't count on it.