“Running Around the Farm Being Idiots” – Amid Martin Truex Jr’s Retirement, Dale Jr Remembers the Days of Meeting Sherry Pollex

Martin Truex Jr’s rise to NASCAR racing was possible because of his dear friend, Dale Earnhardt Jr, who gave him the big break back in 2004 with Chance 2 Motorsports. The two pals have shared multiple moments on the racetrack, that they will cherish for a long time. And now that MTJ has called it quits from Cup Series racing post-2024, Dale Earnhardt Jr recently recalled the first time he met the JGR driver.

Dale Jr also shared the story of the wild adventures both he and Truex Jr indulged in. However, their antics would soon come to an end, as MTJ decided to move away from Dale Jr’s apartment and move to a different home with Sherry Pollex. Yet, those memories are a glimpse into the camaraderie that defined their early years.

Dale Earnhardt Jr shares insights about the early days of his friendship with Truex Jr

Their friendship started to blossom when Dale Jr provided him with a seat in the Xfinity Series. Martin Truex Jr made the most of this opportunity by winning two consecutive championships with Chance 2 Motorsports, a team co-owned by Earnhardt Jr and Dale Earnhardt Inc. This was also the time when MTJ had to bunk at Dale Jr’s house, as he was still in his early days of racing. But as soon as he started to make a name for himself, he moved to one of the rented properties owned by Dale Jr. And next thing you know, they started hanging out frequently and truly developed a close bond.

Taking a trip down memory lane, Dale Jr, during the recent episode of the DJD podcast, shared, “I have 20 rental properties scattered around town, and I had one right on the other end of my property. He goes and rents that house with another friend of ours, and we spend a ton of time drinking in the basement. Going to bars in the middle of the week, hanging out on the back porches, running around farms being idiots.”

Earnhardt Jr even highlighted the moment when Truex moved out of his apartment after he started seeing Sherry. “We went on a trip, guys trip somewhere tropical. We were on a beach hanging out and rented this house, and he had started talking to Sherry Pollex, and so when we got home from that trip, he moved out, and they ended up getting a place, or he went into her house. I’m not quite sure what happened. And he’s been on his own ever since.”

Apart from his early days of friendship, Dale Earnhardt Jr also predicted what a retirement for Truex Jr would look like. Claiming that he certainly won’t be returning to NASCAR racing anytime soon.

Here’s what MTJ’s retirement will look like, according to Dale Jr

Unlike most NASCAR personalities and characters, Truex Jr is a rather reserved figure. This was very much reflected in his style of clean racing, where he focused on his races rather than dwelling on unnecessary drama. However, now that he is calling it quits from racing and scheduling, it has opened the doors for him to pursue his other projects. Although he did mention he might be back for some races in the Xfinity Series, Jr isn’t sold on his half-hearted plans.

Rather, he perfectly summed up what Truex’s future plans will be after quitting Cup racing at the end of this season. “He’s gonna be on a boat fishing or in a deer stand. In that press conference him talking about racing some more, I believe it when I see it. I know he’ll probably get bored. Once he gets on a boat, man, it’s over. I think that guy right there is going to find new projects and new things to invest his time in, and it will encompass his love for the outdoors, his love for fishing and hunting.”

However, there’s still one unfinished business left for MTJ in NASCAR racing: the Daytona 500. And this could lure him to come out of his cave for maybe a couple of Cup or Xfinity races in the future.