NASCAR Cup Series veterans Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. were once teammates in the highest echelon of American stock car racing. However, the duo’s history dates back a long time before they shared the limelight at Joe Gibbs Racing. Busch, who now drives for Richard Childress Racing, recently spoke on their relationship throughout the years and how both drivers came to know each other during their junior careers.
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He spoke about battling Truex Jr. in the erstwhile Busch series and went down memory lane recalling what he remembers about competing against the soon-to-retire driver.
“Him and I actually came in at the same time. He and I were slated to share the Chance 2 car together and then when I got my opportunity at Hendrick that gave him the full-time opportunity in the #8 Busch car and me in the #5 Busch car and he beat me out of the gate with that one.”
On this day in 2005, 18 years ago, #MartinTruexJr became the first driver to win a #NASCAR points race outside the United States. MTJ, driving the No. 8 for Chance 2 Motorsports, finished ahead of Cup Series regular #KevinHarvick in the "Telcel-Motorola 200" in #MexicoCity. pic.twitter.com/fqMhN5VLnc
— Last Lap Insider. (@LastLapInsider) March 6, 2023
The RCR driver further touched on their relationship through the years in the sport and added, “We’ve been here the whole time together and we’ve always had a great relationship, a great understanding and respect for one another. It was always fun working with him and being a part of the same team with him.”
With Truex Jr. retiring from full-time racing at the end of the 2024 season, it remains to be seen how often the former teammates will be able to compete with each other once again.
How did Martin Truex Jr. fare against Kyle Busch during their final season at Joe Gibbs Racing?
The two drivers drove for Coach Gibbs’ racing outfit together back in 2022 when NASCAR debuted its Next Gen Cup Series car. While Busch might have claimed Truex beating him during his Xfinity Series days, the former Toyota driver had the measure of the current driver of the #19.
Both drivers were separated by a big gap in points at the end of the season. Busch led with 2224 points to his name to Truex Jr.‘s 1037, who failed to make the playoffs. Busch also had a victory to his name during the year along with eight top 5 finishes to Truex’s no wins and four top 5s.
Both drivers will be seen competing this weekend as the sport makes its debut at Iowa Speedway this Sunday.
