Martin Truex Jr. announces retirement from full-time NASCAR racing
NEWTON, Iowa — Martin Truex Jr. confirmed he will step away from full-time NASCAR Cup Series racing after 2024, fittingly ending his full-time career after 19 seasons.
Truex made the announcement Friday in the Iowa Speedway media center.
“The news has been on the internet all week. Here to let you know, I will not be back full-time next year,” Truex told the media.
Retirement rumors have swirled around Truex for the last few years so why now?
“It felt like the right time for me. I waited for that feeling in my mind to feel like I want to do something else and it came this year. We’ve had disappointments this year but that has nothing to do with this,” Truex said. “I was leaning toward that way most of the season and took some time to think about it.”
Truex is stepping away to enjoy an easier life. A champion. But he’ll still be a racer.
“You live your life on a schedule someone else makes for you. And it’s time for me to live my life on my own schedule. I’m still gonna race some but I feel very fortunate to make this decision on my own terms,” Truex said.
Truex said he’s looking forward to living a normal life for a while, hunting, fishing, hanging out with friends and having fun doing what he wants.
“It’s as simple as not having a crazy schedule for 40 weeks a year. All of my family members, I’ve missed their weddings. You’re married to racing, Monday to Sunday. It’s always been like that for me,” Truex said.
Truex hinted that he may race in the NASCAR Xfinity Series next season. Team owner Joe Gibbs said, “We’re working on that.”
Regarding a one-off effort to try and finally win the Daytona 500, Truex also said he’d “be open to that.”
His departure leaves a highly sought-after Joe Gibbs Racing ride open for 2025. Joe Gibbs addressed this Friday, saying they’re still working on filling the ride.
“Today is about Martin. We will figure that out at a later time,” Gibbs said.
Chase Briscoe has emerged as a reported favorite for the ride, per The Athletic. A team executive reportedly told The Athletic that Briscoe is talented enough that “‘you find a way to sign even if you don’t have a spot.'”
Statement from TRD President David Wilson on Martin Truex Jr.
“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 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.”
The NASCAR career of Martin Truex Jr.
Truex came into the sport as a second-generation New England racer who attracted the attention of Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Jr. signed Truex to limited NASCAR Xfinity Series starts in 2003 before taking him full-time in 2004.
Truex set the Xfinity Series ablaze in 2004 and 2005. He won back-to-back championships and earned 12 wins, 32 Top-5 finishes, 48 Top-10s and 10 poles in 69 starts. Along the way, he earned nine Cup Series starts and even filled in for Dale Jr. in 2004.
The efforts earned Truex a run at NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year honors in 2006. In June 2007, he earned his first career win at Dover Motor Speedway. Later that season, he earned his first playoff berth, finishing 11th in points.
It took him another six years to win again. He won at Sonoma Raceway in June 2013.
Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota, leads Kurt Busch, driver of the #78 Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet, during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway on June 23, 2013 in Sonoma, California. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Then, after Michael Waltrip Racing let him go in the wake of Spingate and struggling with Furniture Row Racing in 2014, Truex paired up with crew chief Cole Pearn.
Truex and Pearn went on a historic run from 2015-19. They earned 24 wins, 70 Top-5 finishes, 107 Top-10s and 12 poles in 180 races. They also earned four Championship Four berths, reaching the pinnacle of the sport in 2017 when they won the NASCAR Cup Series championship.
With crew chief James Small since 2020, Truex has eight wins, 44 Top-5s, 82 Top-10s and four poles in 160 races. They also finished second in points in 2021 and won the 2023 regular-season championship.
In all, Truex has 34 NASCAR Cup Series wins. That places him 25th on the all-time wins list, tied with Kurt Busch.
Truex also has the fourth-most wins of all active drivers. Only Kyle Busch (63), Denny Hamlin (54) and Brad Keselowski (36) are ahead of him.
“I’ve achieved more than I ever thought I would. There are heartbreakers but a championship, three runners-up in this format, I feel that is really good. I’m proud of what I’ve done. I gave it everything I had and I was really good at what I did. I feel content, happy, I feel good about this,” Truex said.
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com
I wish you everything you do in your life stay positive God’s been your co-pilo you’ve had a great career. And I hope you make it into the Nascar Hall of Fame.a fan