Did Dale Earnhardt Jr. Approach Martin Truex Jr. to Drive in His CARS Tour Series?

Martin Truex Jr. seems to be a man in demand at the moment. He took his final lap in the #19 Toyota Camry at Phoenix Raceway. But his racing days are far from over. Truex Jr. already has an offer from Denny Hamlin to pilot the 23XI Racing’s #50 car at Daytona next year. Now, another opportunity seems to be appearing on the horizon — with Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Currently, Hamlin’s team is entangled in a legal battle. A NASCAR lawyer stated that the organization has reduced the number of charters to 32, refusing to reintroduce the four combined charters previously held by 23XI and FRM. That casts a shadow of doubt on Truex Jr. driving for 23XI next year.

That opens the possibility of him considering driving in Earnhardt Jr.’s CARS Tour series. During a press conference, Truex was asked if Dale Jr. tried to get him into his series. He stated, “Not yet.” 

Although, the 2017 Cup Series Champion is also interested in other racing possibilities with Dale Jr.

“I’m not sure. It would be fun to race with him again, so if he can’t do any Xfinity races, I might have to jump over there and do that,” he added.

With Dale Jr. planning to step back from the Xfinity series next year, there is a chance that Truex may take the wheel of the #88 car.

It seems that, aside from the Daytona 500, Truex is not that keen on competing in NASCAR’s premier series. He wants to revisit his roots in grassroots racing.

Reflecting on his earlier days, the 2017 Cup Series Champion said, “I’d go back to my home track first which is Wall Stadium. They have a big Thanksgiving race every year, the Turkey Derby and I won it when I was 19. It’s a big race up in that area so I’d like to do it again.”

Michael Jordan praises Truex Jr. after his final race at Phoenix

Truex Jr. captured the regular season championship last year with three wins. Despite not claiming any victories, he improved his standings and managed to finish in 10th place this season.

After the 44-year-old’s final race as a full-time NASCAR Cup Series competitor on Sunday, where he finished 17th, 23XI Racing co-owner Michael Jordan commended him on his illustrious career.

Captured in a video by reporter Noah Lewis from TSJ Sports, Jordan exchanged a warm handshake and a hug with Truex Jr. before moving on to support his Championship 4 driver, Tyler Reddick.

While the outcome of the 23XI Racing lawsuit remains uncertain, a resolution could potentially benefit not just Reddick and Bubba Wallace, but Truex Jr. as well. That would give the former JGR driver another shot at winning the Daytona 500.

About the author

Neha Dwivedi

Neha Dwivedi is an experienced NASCAR Journalist at The SportsRush, having penned over 5500 articles on the sport to date. She was a seasoned writer long before she got into the world of NASCAR. Although she loves to see Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch win the races, she equally supports the emerging talents in the CARS Late Model and ARCA Menards Series.. For her work in NASCAR she has earned accolades from journalists like Susan Wade of The Athletic, as well as NASCAR drivers including Thad Moffit and Corey Lajoie. Her favorite moment from NASCAR was witnessing Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. win the championship trophies. Outside the racetrack world, Neha immerses herself in the literary world, exploring both fiction and non-fiction.

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