After 19 years in the Cup Series, Martin Truex Jr. will finally hang up his racing suit at the end of the 2024 season. He announced his retirement after last Sunday’s race at the Iowa Speedway and has since cast the world of NASCAR into a period of reminiscing. As icons, both current and retired, share pieces of their journeys with him, Dale Earnhardt Jr. too has joined the wagon.
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Junior spoke about Truex’s unique character on a recent episode of Dale Jr. Download. He said that the driver is one of those people who doesn’t text much and just uses curt words when they do. However, when met in person he is a completely different individual who shows a lot of care and empathy. Expecting a birthday wish or a call from him is certainly expecting a lot.
Truex does not mean any disrespect by the attitude and it is just how he communicates, Dale Jr. underlined. He went on to detail that Truex loves being outdoors and that he will find something to do in retirement that will generate revenue and keep him in touch with his passion for the wild. Pitching an idea, he contended that the driver would be the perfect spokesman for Bass Pro Shops or Johnny.
“I just want people to know that he is a good dude and is never gonna do anything to put you in a bad spot,” he added. “I’ve always appreciated him. He’s super quiet. Super to himself. When we go hunting, he’s pretty chill. Not a big conversationalist. Not a lot of talk. But we do have fun. We cook. We sit by the campfire and hang out. You know, catch up a little bit.”
Why did Martin Truex Jr. take the call to retire despite being on the top of his game?
Driving the #19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry, Truex ran riot in 2023 and became the regular season champion. Though he hasn’t won a race yet in 2024, he has been giving the youngsters a run for their money and is highly positioned on the points table. But, as it appears, he has seen enough of the high-octane life of motor racing.
He said when announcing his retirement, “I mean, it’s as simple as just not having a crazy schedule where, you know, you’re 40 weekends at a racetrack.” After all this while, he just wants to live on his schedule and give “normal life” a shot. Chances are that he loves it as much as he does racing. For, as Dale Jr. said, there aren’t many people as simple-minded and basic as him.
