NASCAR’s 2017 Cup Series champion, Martin Truex Jr., current driver of Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 19 Toyota Camry XSE, has announced his full-time retirement at the close of the 2024 campaign. After racing for two decades at the top of the stock car circuit, Truex Jr. , turning 44 at the close of this month, has compiled – to date – a total of 34 Cup Series victories, to go with 146 top-five results and 287 top 10s. No doubt more stellar stats will be added before the final checkered flag for the 2024 season at Phoenix Raceway this November.
Appearing with team owner Joe Gibbs before this weekend’s Iowa Corn 350 on the Iowa Speedway short oval, Truex Jr. acknowledged, “It’s been a hell of a ride, but I’m excited about the future – even though I’m not sure what that looks like yet,” he explained. “To be able to win a championship, something we dreamed of, I’m grateful for all the guys I’ve worked with, team members, crew chiefs. I won’t be gone; I’ll be around; we’re going to do some stuff together, have some fun, enjoy life a little bit and wind down.”
A member of a racing family, Truex’s father got him into motorsports at a young age in his native New Jersey. He raced go-karts, modifieds and, in 2000, moved to North Carolina began racing in NASCAR competition, starting with the Busch North Series and moving to what is now NASCAR’s Xfinity Series, where he earned consecutive championships in 2004 and 2005.
Truex Jr’s full-time NASCAR Cup Series era began in 2006 with Dale Earnhardt Inc. He moved to Earnhardt Ganassi Racing and then to Michael Waltrip Racing before hooking up with Furniture Row Racing, driving the No. 78 Chevrolet for Barney Visser. It was with this team, which switched from Chevrolet to Toyota in 2016, that he earned his Cup Series title in 2017. When Furniture Row Racing folded, Truex Jr. found a home with Joe Gibbs Racing and has been with them ever since, figuring in the Cup Series championship every year.
David Wilson, president of Toyota Racing’s TRD U.S.A. motorsports division said, “Martin has been a fierce competitor, champion and loyal friend to Toyota and TRD for over a decade. He is the only NASCAR driver to win Cup races in a Toyota Camry across three different race team organizations – a remarkable achievement. His genuine personality and consistent performance have made him a fan favorite and someone who will truly be missed on-track each week.
“Martin’s racing achievements,” Wilson continued, “highlight just how talented of a racer he is, and his outstanding work off-track with the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation showcases the incredible person he continues to be. Martin is a future Hall of Famer, and someone we will always be honored to call a part of the Team Toyota family.”
In making his announcement, which had been talked about over the internet for the past week, Truex Jr. expressed his gratitude to Johnny Morris, founder and CEO of Bass Pro Shops, who has “been a huge supporter of mine. I wouldn’t have been able to do any of the things I’ve been able to without him being behind me for 21 years,” Truex Jr. stated. “It’s been incredible; it’s been a hell of a ride.”
Why now? “It just felt like the right time for me. Honestly, I’ve thought about it a lot the past few seasons and just waited for that feeling in my mind to be positive, like this is okay, I’m good, I want to do something else. Something just felt different this year for me. I felt like it was time to slow down and do something else… “
Former football coach Gibbs had to note, “I think everyone knows Martin has a reputation of a real gentleman, great competitor and obviously [this is] something that’s going to be a big deal for us and a big loss for our team.” While Gibbs and Truex Jr. have been discussing his future for the past few months, Gibbs said he wants the focus to be on his driver’s success in this final year of full-time competition, while leaving the door open to occasional competition. “Martin means a lot to us. He used to sit in those competition meetings and, while he didn’t say a lot, when he said it, it meant a lot to us.”
“It would be great to go out on top,” Truex Jr. said as he contemplated his future. “I’m just going to do my job and do what I’ve always done. I don’t think anything changes here. I’m here to win this weekend and I’m going to do the best job I can do. I don’t really overthink all of these things… I just make a decision, do my thing, go out and race and try to enjoy it and do a good job for the team. We’ve got a great team, great cars and we can win some races – that’s the goal!”
By Anne Proffit
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