Jeff Burton, speaking on the NBC Sports NASCAR podcast with Nate Ryan, says he really empathizes with the decision made by Martin Truex Jr. to step away from full-time NASCAR competition.
Burton enjoyed a 30-year full-time career at the highest levels and articulated all the ways it drains a driver and the sacrifices required.
“I just don’t think the casual fan can understand how grueling of a lifestyle it is,” Burton said. “Look, it’s not without reward. It’s not a pity party here. It’s not without reward. It’s not without good pay. It’s not without a lot of things that a lot of people would just be very envious of. But it is a massive sacrifice.
“…My wife knew she came second. My kids knew they came second. My family knew they came second. I don’t deserve a Father of the Year Award. I don’t deserve a Husband of the Year award because I had to put everything I had into being successful.
“That meant no matter what was going on if something, anything with race came up, that’s what I did. When you do that for a certain amount of time, when you’re young you have partners that support you, that’s really important, then you just go do it. But as you age and you start seeing, you start to appreciate a little more of the things that you’re missing. I just think that’s where Martin is.”
And Truex himself expressed that in fewer words over the weekend, suggesting that at 43-years-old, he is still young enough to pursue the things he enjoys that he had to push back for nearly three decades himself.
Burton also said that Truex likely realized that he was no longer, beyond this year, willing to invest himself in all the ways he has to in order to be successful at the highest level.
He wants to do other things.
“Martin has a way that he does what he does, and if he doesn’t do it like that, he knows he’s not gonna be successful,” Burton explained. “…Most people don’t leave this sport on their own terms. Most people get asked to leave or they don’t get a welcome back. Martin recognizes that if he doesn’t do it at the level that it’s required, he’s not going to be welcomed back.”
And like Burton, who still raced part-time for years after his retirement, Truex has expressed an interest in doing the same too.
Matt Weaver is a Motorsports Insider for Sportsnaut. Follow him on Twitter.