2024 Top NASCAR Storylines: Martin Truex Jr. Retires From Full-Time Racing

After multiple seasons of facing the predictable, weekly questions concerning his future, Martin Truex Jr. finally dropped the anchor on his journey as a full-time NASCAR driver.

One of the NASCAR Cup Series’ longest-tenured active drivers, Truex announced his retirement on June 14, concluding a 19-year full-time career for the driver of the No. 19 for Joe Gibbs Racing.

Admittedly a fisherman at heart, both Truex’s career and final season can epitomize the work of fishing. Unfortunately, the 2024 season was one that featured several hooks on the line ultimately for the prize to be loosened out of Truex’s grip.

Read all of Frontstretch‘s content looking back on 2024 here

Early on in the year, Truex looked like a surefire lock to secure a checkered flag at some point. The first seven races yielded finishes of 15th or better for the 44-year-old, including five consecutive top 10s.

But as a quiet, yet ultimate foreshadowing of his season, a runner-up at Bristol Motor Speedway was sandwiched in that stretch, a race where Truex led 55 laps and had victory on the shoreline before JGR teammate Denny Hamlin snagged his bait. It was a true display of experience for two savvy veterans, as drivers were forced to conserve tire at an unprecedented level for the Next Gen car.

Just two weeks later, Truex got an even bigger tug on the line. Returning to one of his playgrounds during his JGR tenure, Richmond Raceway looked like the prime spot for Truex to return to glory. He was undoubtedly the dominant car, leading 228 laps and running roughshod over the field. However, a late caution forced overtime, leading to Hamlin stealing the show once again, much to the ire of Truex.

"[Denny Hamlin] jumped the start and then just used me up in Turn 1."

Everything unraveled late for Martin Truex Jr. in Richmond.@JamieLittleTV | https://t.co/XUF5a2ZHos pic.twitter.com/FKBXLSmL0I

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) April 1, 2024

That one moment of disappointment seemed to set the tone for a year full of rough waters for the Mayetta, N. J., native. His highest laps led in a race for the remainder of the year was 69 at Dover Motor Speedway, where he finished third. Promising days at tracks like Sonoma Raceway, the summer Richmond race and Michigan International Speedway were thwarted by fuel shortage, engine failure and a blown tire. His average finish over the final 24 races was a measly 21.6.

Heated disputes with crew chief James Small, miscues on pit road, self-inflicted wounds and frustration with the performance of his cars combined for a storm that Truex was noticeably ready to leave behind. As he and Small echoed throughout the year, it was just “one of them years.”

"It was going really good until we had our issue on pit road with the tire falling off. That's kind of been the way our season's gone: run good, shoot yourself in the foot."

-Martin Truex Jr. comments on his run before his engine blew at Richmond:

📹@m_massie22 pic.twitter.com/NXYF9LxhOP

— Frontstretch (@Frontstretch) August 12, 2024

All of those plagued runs nearly cost Truex a playoff spot, yet he was able to limp in with hopes of a reset, the polar opposite of a 2023 campaign that saw him win the regular-season title before struggling mightily in the playoffs. However, Truex’s title chances were suppressed under the weight of the dark cloud that followed him everywhere. A speeding penalty in the Round of 16 finale at Bristol Motor Speedway ultimately brought an end to his playoff run.

A glimpse at Truex’s final full-time season might seem comparable to those of Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick‘s last hurrahs, former champions who suffered a noticeable dropoff in their final full-time seasons. And in some ways, that could hold weight, as Truex recorded his lowest top 10 total (11), worst average finish (17.4) and fewest laps led (555) since 2014.

However, Truex was no slouch at moments. He led the points for three weeks earlier in the year, stayed inside the top five for the first 20 races and landed poles for the final two events. And unlike many recent, accomplished retirees from the Cup scene, Truex was in the hunt for wins on multiple occasions.

Despite the woes he experienced, a calm, down-to-earth Truex never folded or threw a temper tantrum. He swallowed the disappointment and moved on, a trademark of a career that could have gone a completely different direction had the veteran not displayed resilience.

“[Truex], many times in our meetings the day after tough things happened, that guy’s personality and the way he handles things was the real champion,” JGR owner Joe Gibbs said during a press conference with Truex at Phoenix Raceway. “Really a class act, and I know everybody here has looked at him the same way.”

Where do I begin with the adversity Truex faced throughout his career? Where do I begin to tell the story of how he fought his way to the top of his craft? Where does the account begin of how much respect Truex garnered over the course of his career?

Maybe it starts with Truex’s teammate, who came into the Cup Series with him and was alongside him at JGR when he climbed out of the No. 19 for the last time.

“He’s just … he’s so respectful,” Hamlin told NASCAR.com in the summer. “He reminds me of Jimmie Johnson. I think he’s so underrated as far as the natural ability to drive a car fast. I have to work tremendously hard — week in, week out — to run the speed that Martin Truex runs week in, week out. I have to work really hard to keep up with him, and so I just think he’s one of the most naturally gifted drivers that our series has seen in quite some time, but he’s just not flashy about it.”

Truex is a racer’s racer, a blue-collared person who may exemplify the American dream more than most racers in recent history. While he did come from a racing family (his father, Martin Truex, was an accomplished short-track racer), principles were instilled in him from an early age to work hard and be committed to his pursuit.

.@MartinTruex_Jr, Ryan Truex and Martin Truex Sr. talk about how and why racing became a family tradition, and the ups and downs along the way.#RaceDay pic.twitter.com/6eWup3xFtt

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) November 11, 2018

Those efforts eventually gained him much attention throughout the garage area when he won back-to-back titles for Chance 2 Motorsports in 2004-2005. With team co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. in his corner, Truex became one of the hottest prospects in the sport.

From there, the first half of his career rarely netted any big fish, with the boat sprouting holes at times, not by Truex’s own making.

Flashes of stardom came in Truex’s stints with Dale Earnhardt Inc. and Michael Waltrip Racing were suppressed under the weight of organizational drama. A merger that spelled the demise of DEI, and the Spingate controversy in 2013 that commenced the downfall of MWR left Truex searching in uncharted waters. Those two stints included a dreadful 218-race winless streak.

Truex found a new home at a building Furniture Row Racing in 2014. However, a career-worst season looked as though Truex’s competitive days would end much sooner than expected.

Then the fish started biting.

A win at Pocono Raceway in 2015 opened the floodgates, as Truex became the most improved driver to make a Cinderella Championship 4 run that year. From 2015 to 2019, Truex won 24 times, second only to Kyle Busch‘s 27. An emotional 2016 Coca-Cola 600 masterpiece, a dynamic pairing with crew chief Cole Pearn and a poetic 2017 season that culminated in Truex’s lone Cup title established him as one of NASCAR’s best late-bloomers in history.

.@MartinTruex_Jr is your 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion!#TruexJr #NASCARPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/0nAkonhvZe

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) November 19, 2017

Just as it seemed Truex had found his forever home in Cup, Furniture Row closed operations after 2018, eventually landing Truex at JGR. Despite coming short of another title, Truex was a perennial contender in the twilight of his career, winning 15 races with the organization. Once again, he persevered through adversity.

Not one to flash himself in front of the camera, Truex is sure to receive his due recognition as a future Hall-of-Famer, a driver who should be first-ballot. And had he finished one spot higher in points in 2018, 2019 and 2021, we could have been talking about Truex as a four-time Cup champion.

Still, Truex’s story emphasizes the importance of patience and determination, and he will forever be a NASCAR legend.

In the future, Truex will not be one to quietly slip off the radar. He still intends on running the 2025 Daytona 500 alongside other racing pursuits. Otherwise, you will likely find him doing what he loves: fishing and hunting.

“21 years I’ve done this and I’ve never missed a race, never missed a practice, never been late for anything, never missed an appearance,” Truex said when announcing his retirement. “You live your life by a schedule that somebody makes for you and it’s just time for me to make my own schedule.”

This season may not have gone according to plan, but it was still one to cherish what Truex has accomplished and watch him do what he does best.

Now, Truex can trade in the steering wheel for the fishing rod, concluding a career that is truly an American inspiration.