AVONDALE, Ariz. – When Martin Truex Jr.’s No. 19 Toyota was lined up at the rear of the starting grid ahead of Sunday’s Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway, “Gone fishing” was written in place of his number.
Though Truex hasn’t used that dreaded “r” word – retirement – he announced in June at Iowa Speedway that he would be wrapping up his full-time career at the conclusion of the 2024 season. Five months sped by and that time has come.
Truex entered his final weekend unemotional, though he claimed on Saturday that he didn’t realize the significance of retiring from full-time competition. The Truexs aren’t known to be an emotional clan, but Truex ran a sentimental paint scheme, a throwback to his 2004 Cup debut with Dale Earnhardt Inc.
During Sunday’s driver meeting, the 2017 Cup champion received a standing ovation from his competitors. NASCAR aired a tribute video for Truex, highlighting some of his brightest moments in the sport.
“Still not sad,” Truex said of his emotions on Sunday. “Everybody wants me to be sad; I’m happy. I’m celebrating. We’ve got a lot to be thankful for, a lot to be proud of.”
Unlike numerous bygone Cup superstars, Truex legitimately had the opportunity to win his final race as a full timer. He led the field to the green flag on Sunday after scoring his second consecutive pole award to conclude the 2024 campaign. The first nine laps were paced by the No. 19 Toyota.
Truex remained a threat throughout the opening stage, dropping to second behind Joey Logano. But as the race deepened, the handling went away for Truex. It’s a similar trait that the No. 19 team battled over the last handful of months.
When Truex took the checkered flag, he was credited with a 17th-place finish. The No. 19 team ended the season with one top-five finish in the final 24 races of the season. In his final Playoffs quest, Truex had seven finishes outside the top 15.
“Wanted to run good; wanted to run better than that,” Truex stated. “Thought early on it was going to be a good day and it kept getting worse, worse and worse the harder we tried and the more we tried to do with the car. Lately, it’s been qualify good and the hotter the track gets, the more rubber that goes down, the more we struggle.
“Wish we could have put some tires on at the end and moved forward. It wasn’t much fun at the end running around on old tires.”
But that’s all for naught. During the second half of Truex’s career, he surged as one of the best drivers in NASCAR winning 32 of his 34 career races. He qualified for the Championship 4 on five occasions across the last 11 seasons, tied for the second most (trailing only Logano’s six).
When Truex climbed out of his No. 19 Toyota for the final time, he was greeted by megastars. 23XI Racing co-owner Michael Jordan gave Truex a hug, as did four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon. His family was in attendance, including younger brother Ryan Truex.
“It’s going to be weird,” Ryan said of his older sibling retiring from full-time competition. “He’s not very emotional, and I guess I’m not either. It will be weird not seeing him and having a guy to pull for. I will still be pulling for Joe Gibbs Racing. It will be weird and hopefully, I can carry the banner for him.”
Truex told Ryan that it’s his turn as he walked away.
When asked what Truex and his father Martin Truex Sr. spoke about, Truex said, “We don’t say a whole to each other. We know what’s up.”
The next few weeks will consist of hunting for Truex, as he gets to spend a deserved time away with family and friends. He will wrap the season later this month at the NASCAR banquet.
It won’t be long before Truex returns to the race track. He’s interested in competing select Xfinity Series races, but is a confirmed entry into February’s Daytona 500 with 23XI Racing. Soon, he will be a first ballot of Hall of Famer.