Although the silly season drama has concluded most of its business, none of the rumor mills has been able to crack one mystery. And that mystery is: Which team will support Martin Truex Jr.’s Daytona 500 ride? The veteran driver has called it quits from competitive racing and has handed over the keys of the No. 19 JGR car to Chase Briscoe.

Most of his fans believed that he would just distance himself from the sport and embark on his hunting and fishing adventures. But, against popular belief and projection, Truex Jr. stated that he will run a partial schedule next season and will try to win the Daytona 500 trophy. His teammate Denny Hamlin did offer him a ride at 23XI Racing, but those links were put to rest by the driver himself.

Reacting to his links with 23XI Racing, Martin Truex Jr. said, “No, it’s not. I’m not sure, honestly. I was told (Joe Gibbs Racing) is doing it somehow, so we’ll see.” But with no official confirmation from JGR, his supporters started to grow impatient. The only possible hint here was that Joe Gibbs Racing is working out something for their former star driver. And this clue was enough for the rumor mills to start working overtime.

Fans on social media started to connect the dots, and one of them made a bold claim stating, “I have inside information that MTJ is running the 500 with Tricon Garage fielding the entry.” Given that Tricon Garage has been developing young talents under the Toyota banner for a long time, this rumor sort of seems reliable. Although there’s no official confirmation on the same either by Martin Truex Jr. or Tricon Garage, fans were convinced about these links.

Is MTJ competing at the Daytona 500 with Tricon Garage?

It is indeed hard to see Truex Jr. making a switch to either Ford or Chevy car teams in 2025. Also, the veteran driver has stated that he is relying on JGR to engineer a move for him to compete at the Daytona 500. It’s clear that he isn’t racing with 23XI Racing and other Toyota teams in the garage; Legacy Motor Club doesn’t seem to be a good option. Therefore, the fans are sold on the links about Tricon Garage fielding a ride for him, which will be a JGR car but with Tricon colors. “It’s believable if it’s pretty much a JGR-prepared car with Tricon’s name being written on the entry list instead.”

Toni Breidinger and Corey Heim are examples of how Toyota is nurturing a young group of talented drivers who can break through at the Cup level. Now, Joe Gibbs Racing is the big brother team that leads the Toyota banner in the Cup Series, so it would make sense if Tricon Garage is invested in Truex Jr.’s Daytona 500 entry. This race fan was sold on these rumors and stated, “Seems legit if it’s not 23XI. Tricon seems to be closer to the JGR pipeline than Legacy.”

Meanwhile, ardent MTJ fans were hoping for a return of Truex Motorsports. MTJ’s father, Martin Truex Sr., operated the race team, and Jr. learned the trick of the trade of stock car racing, piloting the No. 56 Chevy. With the dwindling number of park-and-start teams in the NASCAR Cup Series, it is hard to see the veteran driver fund an open car. “I’m still hoping it’ll be #56.”

Some fans saw the funny side to this task of guessing MTJ’s Daytona 500 ride. We all know that it was Christopher Bell who made the big fumble and spilled the beans about Chase Briscoe’s signing at JGR. Next thing you know, JGR was forced to make an announcement soon that Briscoe is indeed replacing MTJ in the #19 car. So there’s a possibility that Bell has an idea on MTJ’s Daytona 500 plans. “I got 20 bucks that Christopher Bell knows 😄”

Now, the return of the #56 Truex Motorsports car isn’t out of the equation just yet. Truex Jr. has had the support of his anchor sponsor, Bass Pro Shops, and they just might fund his Daytona 500 ride if everything falls in place. But that is indeed a long shot, and this was acknowledged by this race fan, “Was kinda hoping for a “Truex Motorsports” return but I guess Tricon makes sense too.”

What are your guesses about Martin Truex Jr.’s Daytona 500 team? Share your picks and predictions in the comments.