Dale Earnhardt Jr. posts heartfelt message to Martin Truex Jr. after retirement announcement

Today Martin Truex Jr. officially announced his retirement from full-time racing. Dale Earnhardt Jr. wanted to congratulate him. The two NASCAR stars have been linked for two decades at this point.

Martin Truex Jr. likely would not be the driver we know today without Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Chance 2 Motorsports. With Dale Jr. as his team owner, Truex won back-to-back Xfinity Series championships.

Then there were the DEI days in the No. 1 in the Cup Series when Martin and Dale were teammates. Through it all, both drivers have remained friends. Earnhardt took time to share some of those great memories from the past.

Great driver. Dependable. Always locked in. A great friend. It’s been a blast to watch him achieve all he has. pic.twitter.com/X6uTG1Npei

— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) June 14, 2024

Of course, both Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Martin Truex Jr. are closely tied to Bass Pro Shops and Johnny Morris. There is so much that connects the two and it goes beyond racing on the track. This is a great gesture from Earnhardt and I’m sure the two will get together plenty when Truex is done racing.

When it is all said and done, both Earnhardt and Truex will share Hall of Fame honors as well. Two of the finest the sport has produced and two fan favorites that will leave massive legacies in their wake.

The decision to retire did not come easily. Martin Truex Jr. has known for a time that he was going to retire, the last few weeks at least.

Martin Truex Jr. joining Dale Earnhardt Jr. in retirement

With Martin Truex Jr. retiring, we are starting to enter a new wave of Cup Series drivers getting to that retirement age. It feels like we haven’t really recovered from when Dale Jr., Tony Stewart, and that group left the sport full-time.

Truex means Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, and Kyle Busch are getting close to hanging it up as well. Again, it wasn’t an easy decision for Truex to make. But one he wanted to make.

“Just felt like the right time for me,” Truex said in his press conference. “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.”

That “something different” means a few things. Go fishing, hunting, camping, and just live life on his own time. No races, meetings, sponsor appearances, and all of the things that go into being a NASCAR driver.

Martin Truex Jr. is content with his decision and he will be sent off with cheers and likely more than a few tears from fans.