Chase Elliott hilariously reflects on relationship with Martin Truex Jr.: 'Honestly, that's why I like him'

Chase Elliott is far from buddies with Martin Truex Jr. In fact, he admits that in their decade of racing alongside each other, they’ve seldom had any interactions.

And wouldn’t you know it, that’s exactly why Elliott likes him — or so he said while speaking with the media ahead of Sunday’s Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol at Iowa Speedway.

Chase Elliott and Joey Logano have had very different interactions with Martin Truex Jr. over the years (Elliott not many at all and Logano maybe more on the race track than he'd want). And they both have great respect for him. They explain: pic.twitter.com/WWmd8RiIRG

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) June 16, 2024

“No, and honestly that’s why I like him,” Elliott joked, via Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports. “To be honest, I wish we had more of that.”

Despite their limited interactions over the years, Elliott has a ton of respect for Truex.

“Yeah, listen, I’ve always had a lot of respect for Martin,” Elliott said. “We’ve always gotten along well. Probably never spoke more than 20 words to each other in my nine years and we don’t have to. There’s always been a mutual respect there. That’s the kind of relationship I’m all about as it pertains to a professional atmosphere. Somebody who shows up, keeps his head down and does his job and seems to focus on the things that matter. I think we can all respect and admire that.”

Martin Truex Jr. calling it a career after 2024

The 2024 season will be the last for Truex in the NASCAR Cup Series, as the 43-year-old announced earlier this week he will retire from full-time competition after the current campaign. Truex has won 34 races across 19 seasons in NASCAR’s premier series, including two Coca-Cola 600s and a Southern 500.

He reached the mountain top in 2017 driving the No. 78 Toyota for Furniture Row Racing, winning his first and only Cup Series championship. Truex tallied eight checkered flags that season and capped it off with a victory in the season finale at Homestead-Miami.

Truex still has 20 races left behind the wheel of a Cup Series car and a chance to go out on a high note. Perhaps a second championship is in order, but regardless, Truex is content with walking away.

“Just felt like the right time for me,” Truex said Friday. “Honestly, I’ve thought about it a lot the past few seasons and just waited for that feeling in my mind to be positive. Like, this is, okay I’m good, I want to do something else. Yeah, something just felt different this year for me I felt like it was time to slow down and do something else. It’s been a great ride, though, obviously.”