The time to bid a teary farewell has come. Martin Truex Jr. has officially crossed the threshold into retirement, and not without a heck of a journey. The 34-time Cup Series race winner showcased a strong 2024 season with 11 top-tens, 5 top-fives, and 555 laps led. However, numerous hiccups and unfortunate circumstances sprinkled his path – pit road penalties, unforced errors, wrecks, and bad luck seemed to plague him everywhere he went.

Yet the veteran driver is content with everything he has achieved. Although he bowed out of the playoffs in the Round of 16, he ensured to put up a memorable climax in Phoenix. Martin Truex Jr. seemed like a formidable pole-sitter in the face of the Final Four racers. He put up a strong fight – and now he is ready to rest with no regrets. However, he reminded everyone that he will be back!

Martin Truex Jr. is ready to move on

Well, he delayed his retirement decision two times. So Joe Gibbs did not take him seriously at first when Martin Truex Jr. announced it again this year. However, the No. 19 Toyota driver’s heart is full, and he is finally ready to move on. Truex made sure to fight it to the end, though – he was seeking that last victory and his pole win at Phoenix Raceway seemed to be his moment. He turned a lap at 134.741 mph with championship hopeful Joey Logano starting behind him. However, the latter toppled his lead by lap 10, after which Truex could never recover, dropping through the field and ultimately finishing 17th.

Although Martin Truex Jr. could not fulfill his desire to go out with glory, the JGR veteran is content. In his last post-race interview as a full-time Cup Series driver, Truex affably turned down any hint of dejection. “I’m still not sad, man. Everybody wants me to be sad, I’m happy, I’m celebrating…I’ve got a lot to be thankful for, got a lot to be proud of…Yeah, go enjoy some time off here and you know, do the banquet and all that fun stuff. It’s going to be fun to come back in a different role and you know, come race for fun.”

Martin Truex Jr. entered the 2024 playoffs with the slimmest margin, edging past Bubba Wallace. Yet he could not maintain his spot, finishing 20th or worse in all three Round of 16 races. Tensions did boil over then, and he was disappointed. So Truex is finally happy to be able to race without the pressure to perform. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to have fun, I don’t know. It’s so hard to have fun when you take it this seriously. I was having fun earlier today and then it got miserable. I was hoping today would go better so it’d be more fun. But yeah, we’ll see – looking forward to Daytona.”

Despite his multitude of struggles, Martin Truex Jr. is leaving behind a legacy. And the entire Cup Series garage acknowledged that.

NASCAR tips its hat to the veteran

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A 21-year career laden with 34 race trophies and one Cup Series title trophy is one to be saluted. Martin Truex Jr. made his 715th start at Phoenix Raceway after a long journey. The New Jersey native started his first Cup Series race in 2004 – a time when he clinched twin Xfinity Series championships (2004-2005). The 13-time Xfinity winner had his breakthrough in the Cup Series in 2007 when he won at Homestead and had seven top-five finishes. Despite going through a slump for six seasons, Truex came back to form in 2013 under Furniture Row Racing. His milestone year was 2017 when he won 8 Cup Series races on the path to the championship. These glittering achievements had to be honored in his final weekend and legends of the sport did just that.

Martin Truex Jr’s current tenure under Joe Gibbs Racing started in 2019, another phenomenal season when he won 7 victories. Truex Jr. is, without a doubt, a first-ballot choice for a NASCAR Hall of Fame spot. So even though he could not win his last race as a full-time driver in Phoenix, his competitors acknowledged his journey. In the Driver’s Meeting for Phoenix, all his rivals delivered a standing ovation to the seasoned veteran in a moment that almost brought tears to his eyes. Then, following the race, Truex’s post-race interview was interrupted several times. Dignitaries like Michael Jordan and Jeff Gordon paid a visit to congratulate Truex on ending a fabulous NASCAR journey.

Now it is time for Martin Truex Jr. to turn over a fresh page. As we officially enter the off-season, expectations are also high about what new role Truex will return to NASCAR in.