Low Key NASCAR Retirement Reveal Is So On Brand For Martin Truex Jr
I have been around and covered NASCAR for over two decades.
To those who have been around the sport of NASCAR for any length of time, it should come as no surprise that Martin Truex Jr. has announced his departure from the sport with all the fanfare of a librarian returning a book.
The 43-year-old New Jersey native didn’t bother with a press conference before the season; there has been no grand farewell tour, no celebratory parade. Instead, he casually dropped the bombshell on a Friday before the 17th race of the season, during a run-of-the-mill media availability, that he would be stepping away at the end of this year. Classic Truex – as quiet and unassuming as ever since he joined NASCAR’s top tier series back in 2004.
“Obviously, I guess the news has been on the internet all week, so you guys already know,” he joked to open his press conference. Adding with a chuckle. “I don’t even know why I am here.”
While the likes of Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, and Joey Logano basked in the limelight, Truex has been the ghost in the machine. He went about his job driving racecars, sidestepping drama, and dutifully serving his sponsors. A rare breed in the high-octane world of NASCAR.
Truex’s retirement is not a snap decision. He’s wrestled with it for a couple of years, often taking one-year contracts like a man dipping his toes in the retirement pool but never quite ready to dive in. Every summer for the past few seasons, he’d announce he was sticking around for another year.
But history will note that 2024 was indeed that year, and his final lap.
The numbers will get him into the NASCAR Hall of Fame one day: 673 career Cup starts, 34 wins, and a Cup title. Yet, his Hall of Fame-worthy stats didn’t start piling up until 2007 when he scored his first career win driving for Dale Earnhardt Inc. Truex was 27 then and didn’t notch a second win until 2013 when he was 33.
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Martin Truex Jr. reveals his plans to the media [+]
By then, Dale Earnhardt Inc. had morphed into Chip Ganassi Racing, and Truex had jumped ship to Michael Waltrip Racing. His stint there though was cut short by a cheating scandal that shuttered the team, a mess he had no part in.
In the aftermath, Truex found refuge with Furniture Row Racing, a scrappy single-car outfit led by entrepreneur Barney Visser. They were David in a world of Goliaths. It took years, but by 2016, Truex had four wins under his belt. The following year, he and Furniture Row ascended to the throne, winning eight races and bagging Truex his first Cup championship. It was a tally he’s never matched, though he came close in 2019 with seven wins for his new team, Joe Gibbs Racing.
And so, Joe Gibbs Racing will be the final pit stop in Truex’s career.
Joe Gibbs Racing’s impatience may have nudged Truex to make his final decision. A new driver needs to be found, sponsors courted, hero shots taken, and all manner of preparations made well before the No. 19 car lines up for the 2025 season. Speculation is rife about his replacement, with a crop of talented drivers from the soon-to-be-defunct Stewart-Haas Racing team leading the rumors.
One thing’s for sure: whoever steps into his shoes will be a fresh-faced youngster compared to the elder statesman Truex. But perhaps if it weren’t for the prodding from JGR, no one would have been surprised if Truex had simply climbed out of his car after the final race at Phoenix, muttered “I’m done,” and vanished into the sunset.
As for his future, don’t expect to hear much from Martin Truex Jr. He’ll likely be found on a Bass Pro Shops boat, somewhere serene, fishing. In the past he’s held a virtual press conference from such a boat, and another from a hunting cabin.
However, Joe Gibbs, team owner, won’t let Truex stray too far. He said that he might have to track Truex down on a boat somewhere, or in a hunting blind.
“The great thing is Martin is going to continue with us,” he said. “He’s going to be an ambassador for us and work on different projects and different things.”
He added that Truex might still climb into a racecar on occasion.
In the remaining races of the season, he’ll be showered with accolades and tributes. But once it’s over, he’ll pack away the mementos and slip into the wilderness, quite possibly never to be heard from again. And for Martin Truex Jr., that will be just perfect.
“It’s time for me to make my own schedule,” Truex said.
I have been around and written about the sport of NASCAR for over two decades…
