Martin Truex Jr. throws fuel on the fire for NASCAR return in 2025 at Daytona 500
Martin Truex Jr. has been open about his desire to race in the 2025 Daytona 500, which will be just months removed from his retirement from full-time NASCAR Cup Series competition.
Truex further reiterated his plans to run in the Daytona 500 while speaking during Cup Series Playoff Media Day at the Charlotte Convention Center Wednesday. Truex, according to Kelly Crandall of RACER/ESPN, said, “it’s going to happen.” He added that Cole Pearn “said he would do it,” in regard to serving as his crew chief for the Great American Race.
Pearn was Truex’s crew chief from 2015-19, parting ways with Joe Gibbs Racing after the 2019 season to pursue other opportunities outside of NASCAR. Pearn sat atop the pit box in 2017 for Furniture Row Racing when Truex won his first Cup Series championship.
Truex told Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic last month at Daytona that a deal to run the Daytona 500 was “all but done” and that JGR was working on it. Denny Hamlin, Truex’s JGR teammate and 23XI co-owner, said in June after Truex announcement his retirement that he would have a car ready for him if he wanted to run the Daytona 500. Hamlin added Wednesday that JGR and 23XI are looking at the best options to make it happen.
“I’ve told him that I will have his Daytona 500 car ready immediately. Just tell me the word,” Hamlin said. “… 100%, I would [add a car to 23XI Racing for Daytona if Truex wanted to race]. 100% I would do that.”
Martin Truex Jr. looking to find speed during Cup Series playoffs
Truex has five months to figure that out but for now, his focus is on the playoffs and the next 10 weeks ahead. Truex isn’t exactly riding a string of momentum heading into this Sunday’s playoff opener at Atlanta.
He made the playoffs as the 16th and final seed, edging out Chris Buescher by just six points. Truex is winless this season, has just one top-10 finish since Nashville in late June, hasn’t tallied a top-five since Kansas in early May, and saw his race at Darlington this past Sunday end after just two laps following contact with Ryan Blaney.
It’s quite the opposite of Truex’s 2023 campaign, when he entered the postseason with three victories to his name and 36 playoff points. This season, Truex has only three playoff points. In looking at Truex’s 2024, it’s been a season split in half. From February to May, Truex looked like a true contender. From June to current, he has looked anything but. Truex has finished 24th or worse in nine of the last 12 races. That includes a current streak of five consecutive finishes outside the top-20.