Martin Truex Jr’s Crew Chief Makes Heartbreaking 4-Word Racing Admission

Martin Truex Jr’s crew chief, James Small, is on the wild end of the spectrum. He relies on lucky socks when the team is in dire need of a turnaround performance and delivers blunt commands over the radio that have seen the JGR driver clinch eight Cup wins. Being the first full-time Aussie working as a crew chief on the dominant stock car racing team since 2020, Small has been anything but conventional. However, was this all that he ever dreamed of becoming?

Melbourne-born-and-raised James Small made a transition from V8 Supercars to NASCAR, carrying with him a bag full of dreams that differed from his present role. Recently, the Joe Gibbs Racing team posted a video of the #19 Toyota Camry crew talking about their initial exposure to racing. In the video, Small explained,

“First grassroots racing experience was starting go-kart racing. I had my first race and managed to win all three races. The officials were pretty tired and never found a thing. Grew out of go-karts and switched to open-wheel race cars in Australia”. Revealing the reality of motorsports and what is a bitter truth for many, Small made a 4-word admission, saying, “Ran out of money”.

He further explained how his “real job” could not be that of a driver because of financial constraints. “had to get a real job. I really would have liked to come and race, myself. The goal was to eventually move over here [to NASCAR] and get a job in an engineering capacity.”

So when reality struck hard, Small decided to tweak his plans and shoot for a more realistic path in engineering. The Bathurst-1000-winning engineer, who helped Mark Winterbottom with his victory in 2013, filled in for two races as a Crew Chief for Erik Jones in the latter’s Cup rookie season in 2017. Following Cole Pearn’s retirement after the 2019 season, Small joined JGR, serving as the former Crew Chief’s successor.

Though he could not pursue his dreams of becoming a driver, James Small now confidently believes that he is wearing the right shoes to run. “This is an incredible opportunity,” Small said in a JGR media release after he joined as Martin Truex’s crew chief. “I moved to the United States six years ago to work in NASCAR and I wanted to work my way up to become a crew chief. I’m ready for this and I am excited…”

The new pairing got off to a slow start in 2020, with Truex only picking up one win that season. But they put up good numbers in 2021, by winning four races and finishing runner-up in the standings. However, the team was back to struggles and turmoil in 2022. Then in 2023, there were speculations of internal turmoil. Fans heard the two screaming over the radio at Richmond and Dover, highlighting that this could be the beginning of the end for the duo.

However, MTJ and Small managed to reel off some good wins, solidifying the No. 19 team as championship favorites.

James Small boasted a decent resume before joining NASCAR

During his V8 Supercars tenure, Small could proudly say that he achieved many victories as an engineer. The biggest victory was the 2013 Bathurst 1000 with Mark Winterbottom. At the time, the two were partners at Ford Performance Racing, and it was Winterbottom’s penultimate year with the team. Now, if James Small’s persistent efforts lead the #19 car towards a Cup championship, he will be the first engineer to have claimed both titles. Wouldn’t that be a huge deal?

But the unconventional crew chief’s resume extends beyond the technicalities of his achievements. It is rooted in his ambition of wanting to become a NASCAR Crew Chief within five years and the various stages of his career that propelled him to this point. Typically known for his salty language and hastiness at times, it is hard to imagine him ascending through the ranks without the right amount of patience.

Since their pairing, Small and Truex Jr have been working well. Of course, there have been some cracks, as mentioned before, but they always make up and work seamlessly. Currently, the #19 Joe Gibbs Racing driver is on the hunt for his first win of the season. While Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell have already locked in their wins, the onus is on the #19 team to try and join them soon.