“He’s a Piece of Work”: When Martin Truex Jr. & Ryan Truex Reminisced on Their Relationship With Late Father

Martin Truex Sr. passed away last week at the age of 66. The old man was a veteran racer who participated in the Busch North Series back in the day. He gave up his love for racing and focused on developing his fishing business to fund the careers of his two sons, Martin Truex Jr. and Ryan Truex. Now racing icons in their own right, his sons have nothing but great memories of him.

Fox Sports curated a video on the Truex family back in 2018. The words of Truex Jr. and Ryan strike a strong chord today in the aftermath of Truex Sr.’s demise. “My dad, he is a piece of work,” Truex Jr. said. “Didn’t have a whole lot. Their [Truex Sr. and his brother, Leroy] dad died when they were young. They quit school to go to work.”

“Just a hard-working, fun-loving guy. Great dad, and he was a hell of a racer, too, on the side.” Truex Sr. and Leroy founded Sea Watch International, a seafood harvesting and processing company, together. It was this business that helped their family coast through some tough times. However, the influx of money did not mean Truex Jr. and Ryan had it easy.

When Truex Jr. convinced his father to let him race, he was forced to work to pay for the tires of his go-kart. He spoke fondly about the experience and how his father had instilled responsibility in him with some tough love.

Ryan added about his dad’s character, “Very serious. Very literal and no B.S. guy.” For the man he was, the racing world has been mourning the loss with great pain.

Racing icons express their sadness at the death of Martin Truex Sr.

The news was broken by the Truex siblings through a joint statement released on Friday. It read, “We are devastated by the loss of our father (Martin Truex Sr.). Simply put, he was our hero and a great man. We appreciate everyone’s thoughts and prayers and ask for privacy at this time.”

Truex Sr. made 135 starts in the Busch North Series. He won once in 1994 at New Hampshire in a preliminary event to the Cup Series race at the venue. The fellow drivers whom he raced with back then remember the gentleman that he was on the track to this day. Busch North champion Mike Olsen, in particular, spoke highly of him last September.

He said, “He was a great racer himself. Definitely the apple didn’t fall far from the tree, and Martin Sr. did a great job in bringing Martin Jr. into the ranks.” Truex Sr. was last seen on a race track when he took a photo with his sons at the Phoenix Raceway in November 2024. Truex Jr. will attempt to qualify for the upcoming Daytona 500 in his father’s car number, No. 56.