Martin Truex Jr, a legendary name in NASCAR, is gearing up for retirement after the 2024 season. As his illustrious career comes to a close, fans are reflecting on his remarkable journey. Although Truex Jr may not be in contention for the 2024 Championship, his past achievements tell a different story.

The 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion secured his first title with a thrilling win at Homestead-Miami. Since joining Joe Gibbs Racing in 2019, Truex Jr has been a formidable force, starting with his Daytona 500 victory. Last year, he made a stunning comeback at the Busch Light Clash, ending a 54-race winless streak.

As Truex Jr looks back on his 19-year career, he still cherishes his 2017 championship as his “biggest accomplishment.”

2017 – the year of a miracle for Martin Truex Jr 

2017 was truly an eventful year for Martin Truex Jr. Fans held their breath as Truex crossed the finish line 0.681 seconds ahead of Kyle Busch at Homestead-Miami. This marked Truex’s eighth victory of the year and his seventh on 1.5-mile intermediate speedways. His No. 78 Toyota dominated the track, leading for 78 laps. With just 20 laps remaining, Truex found the ideal lane to take the lead and block the air for his competitors. As he made this strategic move, he surpassed Kyle Busch and Joey Logano. Over the final four laps, Truex steadily pulled away from the pack. This Miami victory was a game-changer for him, capping off his season-best performance.

With his final Homestead-Miami run on the horizon, following his Las Vegas outing, Martin Truex Jr took a nostalgic trip down memory lane, revisiting the moments that made his career-best win truly unforgettable. Truex said, “You know as a kid or as a young driver coming up that’s your dream right that to win the Championship in a cup series. Didn’t have the best car all night but got the lead at the end when we needed to the pit crew did that and I was able to hold him off thinking back to all the things I have been lucky enough to accomplish, that is one of the things that stick out the most”.

Martin Truex Jr emerged victorious from pit road after a swift four-tire change. His pit crew delivered a stellar performance, despite coping with the recent loss of team member Jim Watson just four weeks prior. Meanwhile, team owner Barney Visser was recovering from a heart attack in Colorado. However, despite these challenging circumstances, Truex persevered and secured the win, fending off Kyle Busch’s relentless pressure throughout the final 20 laps. Over the last 20 laps, Truex strategically experimented with different lane changes.

After Martin Truex Jr lifted the Championship trophy, he dedicated the win to all his fellow team members and his girlfriend. Following 2017, Truex Jr had shown a similar feat and was seconds away from winning the trophy for the second time. 

2018 – a sad ending for Truex

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In 2018, Truex Jr was in a similar position where he could be the winner for the second consecutive time. Truex was leading the draft in Martinsville. This is when Joey Logano pushed him out of the way in Turn 3 and Turn 4. This made Truex Jr lose his lead and ultimately Logano secured the first position at Martinsville. Reacting to the “unethical move” by Logano, Truex had retorted saying, “won the battle but he ain’t winning the damn war,“. Despite such a push, Truex ended the race in the Top 4. A late caution led to a 16-lap sprint to the finish for Martin Truex Jr with Kyle Busch in the lead. 

Truex has certainly lost the last chance to retire as the 2X NASCAR Cup Series Champion. However, he could certainly cherish sweet memories of winning at the Hampstead Miami by taking the lead this time on the tracks!