Martin Truex Jr. leaves door open for future Daytona 500, Xfinity races

One-half of the NASCAR Cup Series season left until Martin Truex Jr. officially hangs up his gloves and helmet for full-time racing. The keyword here is “full-time.”

It has become more common for retired drivers to keep driving part-time recently. At least, it feels that way. I’m sure there has been precedent before. But it appears that Martin Truex Jr. could take the Aric Almirola route in retirement.

When asked about a potential Daytona 500 start in the future, a race that has eluded Truex in his career, the driver left the door open.

“Maybe. I don’t know, I’d be open to it,” Truex said.

“[Joe Gibbs] got Xfinity cars. Coach, I’m bored, I want to go race. Let’s go,” Truex said, joking with Joe Gibbs next to him.

This year, Aric Almirola has raced in a few Xfinity Series races for JGR. He even won a race at Martinsville this year. So, there could be a place for Truex to race next year if he ever wanted to get that competitive itch scratched.

As far as selecting a replacement for Truex, Gibbs isn’t sure yet. He just wants to celebrate his Hall of Famer.

“We’re still working on all that and so we just want to focus right now on Martin and all that stuff will take place later on,” Gibbs explained. “So, we’re thrilled to kind of be here supporting, all of our guys are here. Martin means a lot to us.”

A new era in NASCAR and a new era for Joe Gibbs Racing.

Martin Truex Jr. decides that now is the time to retire

In each of the last two seasons, Martin Truex Jr. has been asked endlessly about retirement. He accomplished more or less everything that he could have hoped for in NASCAR. Between his Xfinity and Cup Series careers, he has a lot to be proud of.

So, why did Truex decide to come back for 2022, 2023, and 2024, but not 2025? Well, he felt it was just the right time. Sometimes, it doesn’t need to be any deeper than that.

“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.”

Next season will look a lot different. Martin Truex Jr. won’t be around every weekend and someone else will be with Joe Gibbs Racing. Who will it be?