With the end of the 2024 season, the legendary career of driver no 19 also came to an end. Veteran Joe Gibbs Racing driver Martin Truex Jr. has retired from active racing. Despite being one of the most decorated drivers on the track, Truex Jr has been known for his down-to-earth and inspiring nature.

Among those deeply influenced by Truex Jr. is his young teammate, Ty Gibbs. The 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion has been under the guidance of ‘The Calm King.’ As Truex steps away from the sport Gibbs bids him a very emotional farewell.

Ty Gibbs shares a unique bond with Martin Truex Jr

Known for his on-track dominance and calm nature the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series Champion has left a legacy behind. Joe Gibbs Racing’s young driver, Ty Gibbs, was one of those drivers who often looked up to Truex Jr to read the game. However, as Gibbs set to lead the future of JGR he gave an emotional farewell to his mentor.

Gibbs took to his Instagram to share a picture of him and Truex Jr. He captioned the black and white post with a six-word message for his senior. “Cheers on the next chapter, buddy,” wrote Gibbs. Despite this short and clear message, fans can resonate with the emotion behind it.

This is not the first time when Gibbs expressed his emotions for Truex Jr. Earlier this year while speaking with Essentially Sports, Gibbs had praised his contribution to Joe Gibbs Racing. “Yeah, I’ve looked up to Martin in my younger career. I really like Martin, and he’s been good to my race team and my family. So, I really appreciate Martin a lot. I think he’s a great person, and so we’ll see what happens, but I wish him the best of luck,” Gibbs told Bharat Aggarwal of Essentially Sports a few months ago.

The bond between Truex Jr. and Ty Gibbs is well-known to fans. In the last two seasons, it has been built with mutual respect and understanding. Earlier, this year when Gibbs registered his first pole of the cup series at Charlotte, Truex Jr had praised the young gun. “Well, we talked between rounds, and I guess I helped him too much. I didn’t help myself enough. So no, honestly, congrats to him. He’s doing an awesome job.  Great kid, fun to be around. And I’ve enjoyed our conversations over the last year or so. And he’s really coming into his own, man. He’s so good.  He’s going to be an amazing driver for a long time. I’m really proud of him.” 

It might not be the last time Ty Gibbs races with Martin Truex Jr. As fans may know, MTJ wishes to return to race at Daytona. While most thought this would happen with Denny Hamlin’s 23XI Racing, with the legal troubles, it looked like a bleak possibility. Truex Jr. later clarified his intentions were to return with Joe Gibbs Racing, even if it was just for a race. This could mean young Gibbs has one last ride left with Martin Truex Jr. as his teammate.

For now, with MTJ stepping out of the Joe Gibbs car, there is a big gap that opens up for the team. In Truex Jr., they’re losing a Cup Series veteran with a championship to his name. However, as leaked earlier in the season, Chase Briscoe is filling in the third JGR car, and he has quite a big task on his hands.

A big shoe to fill for Chase Briscoe

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Joe Gibbs Racing has signed a deal with 2021 Rookie of the Year Chase Briscoe to replace retiring Marin Truex Jr. This deal will give Briscoe his first opportunity to drive something other than Ford. Since his rookie year in NASCAR, Briscoe has made waves. In 2017, during his maiden Truck Series season, Briscoe won the final race and announced his arrival. He moved to the Xfinity Series in 2018 and registered his first win in his 14th race.

In 2021 Briscoe was promoted to Cup Series. However, in the last four seasons, he has won just two races, one in 2022 and one this year at Darlington. With his struggles in the premier series Briscoe will have to live up to the legacy of Martin Truex Jr. He will need to put up a show and make waves in the upcoming season alongside Ty Gibbs.

Speaking about his move to Joe Gibbs Racing and the pressure to deliver results in one of the biggest NASCAR teams, Chase Briscoe had a lot to say. “I love the pressure side, but I do think this is probably the most pressure I’ve ever been (under) in my life, as far as professionally. It’s weird because there’s been other times where my career was literally gonna be over, right? But I feel like this is one of those opportunities where if you don’t perform, like, there’s no excuses. Like, you have to perform at JGR. So from that standpoint, it is different because everywhere else, there’s really not been that expectation.”