UPDATE 3: Martin Truex Jr. felt it was time to regain control over his own life and his own schedule.
“I’m obviously here to let y’all know that I won’t be back full-time next year,” Truex said Friday in a press conference with team owner Joe Gibbs, confirming the widely reported news that he will exit the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota at season’s end.
“It’s been incredible. It’s been a hell of a ride. I’m excited about the future, and I’m not really sure what that looks like yet,” Truex added.
There are several issues, however, that are already settled. The 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion will continue with JGR in what is vaguely defined as an “ambassadorial capacity.” He likely will compete in an occasional NASCAR Xfinity Series race for the organization.
And Truex will fulfill a stated purpose of reclaiming his time as his own.
“It’s the right time for me. I’ve thought about it a lot for the last few seasons — just waited for that feeling in my mind to be positive, like ‘This is OK, I’m good, and I want to do something else,’” Truex said.
“In the 21 years that I’ve done this, I’ve never missed a race. I’ve never missed a practice. I’ve never been late for anything. I’ve never missed an appearance. You live your life by a schedule that somebody makes for you, and it’s just time for me to make my own schedule.
“That’s really what it boils down to. 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. I still love racing. I’m still going to race some — I don’t know what, when, how, why — but I feel very fortunate to be in this position to make this decision.”
Gibbs said he had a sense of what Truex’s decision would be. Truex will turn 44 on June 29. That makes him the elder statesman of JGR by less than five months over teammate Denny Hamlin, a three-time winner so far this season.
“I did everything I could to keep it going,” Gibbs said of his efforts to retain Truex for another season. “I think we’ve got two 43-year-olds that are at the top of their game.”
Now in his 19th season of full-time Cup racing, Truex has accumulated 34 victories, 23 poles, 146 top fives and 287 top 10s in 673 starts in NASCAR’s top series. He also won consecutive NASCAR Xfinity Series titles in 2004 and 2005 with Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Chance 2 Motorsports.
Truex’s high-water mark in the Cup Series came in 2017. Driving for Furniture Row Racing and paired with crew chief Cole Pearn, he scored career bests in victories (eight) and top 10s (26) en route to the series championship, which he claimed with a win in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
After stints with Dale Earnhardt Inc., Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing, Michael Waltrip Racing and Furniture Row, Truex joined Joe Gibbs Racing in 2019. He won seven times that season and finished second in the final standings for the second straight year.
Though winless so far this season, Truex currently is fifth in the Cup Series standings, despite running out of fuel and finishing 27th in last Sunday’s road course event at Sonoma Raceway.
NASCAR President Steve Phelps acknowledged Truex’s achievements in a statement extolling his successes as a competitor and a person.
“Martin Truex Jr. has been a consistent figure over the last two-plus decades in NASCAR — a consistent winner, champion and fan-favorite,” Phelps said. “Though he especially excelled on NASCAR’s biggest stages, Martin performed his craft with a quiet tenacity, allowing his immense success tell his incredible story.
“On behalf of the France Family and all of NASCAR, I congratulate Martin on a wonderful career and wish him the best of luck for the remainder of his final full-time season.”
As he plans his exit from full-time racing, Truex has few, if any, regrets.
“I would say I’ve achieved more than I ever thought I would,” he said. “That being said, there’s a lot of heartbreakers. There’s a lot of things you go back and think about like, ‘Man, if that had turned out different.’
“But a championship and three runners-up in this (elimination) format, I feel like that’s really good. I’m proud of what I’ve done. I feel like I gave it everything I had, and I feel I’m really, really good at what I did, so I’m happy with that—I’m content.”
— NASCAR News Wire —
UPDATE 2: Martin Truex Jr. confirmed on Friday at Iowa Speedway that he will not return to full-time competition following the 2024 season.
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“I will not be back full-time next year,” Truex said Friday at Iowa Speedway. “Its been a hell of a ride.”
Said car owner Joe Gibbs: “I did everything I could to keep it going.”
Truex won the 2017 Cup championship and finished second in points in 2018 and 2019 concluding a three-year stretch that saw him win 19 of 108 points races (17.5%) with Cole Pearn as his crew chief at Furniture Row Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing. Truex finished in the top 10 in 65.7% of those races in that three-year stretch.
— NBC Sports —
AND: NASCAR Statement:
“Martin Truex Jr. has been a consistent figure over the last two-plus decades in NASCAR – a consistent winner, champion and fan-favorite. Though he especially excelled on NASCAR’s biggest stages, Martin performed his craft with a quiet tenacity, allowing his immense success tell his incredible story. On behalf of the France Family and all of NASCAR, I congratulate Martin on a wonderful career and wish him the best of luck for the remainder of his final fulltime season.” – Steve Phelps, NASCAR President
UPDATE: The Athletic first reported his decision Thursday afternoon and FOX Sports has confirmed with sources who have knowledge of the decision. Truex is expected to announce his decision Friday during his scheduled media availability at Iowa Speedway [scheduled for 4:00pm/et]. Joe Gibbs Racing had no comment.
Current Stewart-Haas Racing driver Chase Briscoe, who became available when SHR announced two weeks ago that it would shut down at the end of the season, is the top candidate to replace Truex.
— Fox Sports —
ORIGINAL POST: The Athletic reports that Martin Truex, Jr is has decided not to return to racing next season and will announce his retirement this weekend at Iowa Speedway.
“Truex’s departure creates a coveted opening at Joe Gibbs Racing, regarded as one of NASCAR’s elite organizations. The team is not expected to name Truex’s replacement immediately, but Chase Briscoe is considered one of the leading candidates to fill the vacancy, sources briefed on the team’s plans said.”
Truex has a media availability scheduled for 4:00pm/et Friday at the track.
NEWS: Martin Truex Jr. — the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion — is expected to announce his retirement this weekend, sources tell @Jordan_Bianchi.
The 43-year-old is the oldest active full-time Cup driver.
More details: https://t.co/zVo6kRcKJG pic.twitter.com/xtN2H4UCtR
— The Athletic Motorsports (@TheAthleticAUTO) June 13, 2024