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Martin Truex Jr.

Truex at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2024

Born

Martin Lee Truex Jr.
June 29, 1980 (age 45)
Mayetta, New Jersey, U.S.

Height

5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)

Weight

180 lb (82 kg)

Achievements

2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Champion
2017, 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Regular Season Champion
2004, 2005 NASCAR Busch Series Champion
2016, 2019 Coca-Cola 600 winner
2016 Southern 500 winner
2007, 2010 NASCAR All-Star Race Open winner
2023 Busch Light Clash Winner

Awards

2004, 2005 Busch Series Most Popular Driver
2018 ESPY Best Driver
Named one of NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers (2023)

NASCAR Cup Series career

693 races run over 21 years

Car no., team

No. 56 (Tricon Garage)

2024 position

10th

Best finish

1st (2017)

First race

2004 Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 (Atlanta)

Last race

2024 NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race Phoenix)

First win

2007 Autism Speaks 400 (Dover)

Last win

2023 Crayon 301 (Loudon)

Wins	Top tens	Poles
34	291	25

NASCAR Xfinity Series career

104 races run over 11 years

2021 position

76th

Best finish

1st (2004, 2005)

First race

2001 MBNA.com 200 (Dover)

Last race

2021 EchoPark 250 (Atlanta)

First win

2004 Sharpie Professional 250 (Bristol)

Last win

2006 Aaron's 312 (Talladega)

Wins	Top tens	Poles
13	62	10

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series career

3 races run over 3 years

2021 position

95th

Best finish

77th (2005)

First race

2005 Toyota Tundra Milwaukee 200 (Milwaukee)

Last race

2021 Pinty's Truck Race on Dirt (Bristol Dirt)

First win

2021 Pinty's Truck Race on Dirt (Bristol Dirt)

Wins	Top tens	Poles
1	1	0

Statistics current as of November 10, 2024.

Martin Lee Truex Jr. (born June 29, 1980) is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver. He races part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series. He drives the No. 56 Toyota Camry XSE for Tricon Garage. Martin Truex Jr. is famous for winning the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series championship. He also won two championships in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2004 and 2005.

Racing runs in Truex Jr.'s family! His younger brother, Ryan, also races part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Their father, Martin Sr., raced in the East Series in the 1990s. His uncle and cousins are also involved in racing.

Early Racing Days

Martin Truex Jr. started his racing journey in go-karts. He raced at the New Egypt Speedway in New Jersey. When he turned 18 in 1998, he moved to the Modified division at Wall Stadium.

In 2000, Truex moved to North Carolina. He began racing in the Busch North Series. He raced for three full seasons and won 5 races. He also earned 13 pole positions with his family's No. 56 SeaWatch Chevy.

NASCAR Career Highlights

Starting in the Busch Series (2001–2005)

Truex first raced in the Busch Series in 2001 at Dover International Speedway. He drove his father's No. 56 Chevy. In 2003, Dale Earnhardt Jr. hired him to drive the No. 81 Chevy for Chance 2 Motorsports.

In 2004, Truex raced full-time for Chance 2. He won his first race at Bristol Motor Speedway. He then won three more races quickly. This included a win at Talladega Superspeedway. He won the Busch Series championship that year.

While winning the Busch Series, Truex also got a chance to drive in the Nextel Cup Series. He helped out Dale Earnhardt Jr. who was injured. Truex made his first Cup race start at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Truex defended his Busch Series championship in 2005. He won the title for the second year in a row. He won the first Busch Series race held outside the U.S. in Mexico. He also won at Talladega and Dover again.

Moving to the Cup Series (2006–2008)

2008 Sprint Cup car

In 2006, Truex started racing full-time in the Nextel Cup Series. He finished in the top 5 twice. In 2007, he won his first Sprint Cup Series race at the Autism Speaks 400 in Dover. He led more than half of the race.

This win helped him get into the "Chase for the Sprint Cup" playoffs. He finished 11th in points that season. In 2008, he didn't win any races. However, he had 11 top 10 finishes and ended up 15th in points.

Racing for Earnhardt Ganassi (2009)

In 2009, Truex joined Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing. He started the year by winning the pole position for the Daytona 500. He also earned two more pole positions that season. This was his only year with this team.

Time with Michael Waltrip Racing (2010–2013)

2010–2011 Seasons

Truex's No. 56 at Pocono Raceway in 2011

After 2009, Truex moved to Michael Waltrip Racing. He drove the No. 56 Toyota Camry. This number was special because his father used it in his racing career. In his first race with the team, he finished sixth in the Daytona 500.

In 2011, Truex had a big crash at Martinsville. His car hit the wall hard and caught fire for a moment. He was okay, but he said it was the hardest crash of his career. He finished the season 18th in points.

2012 Season

Truex started 2012 well, finishing 7th in the Daytona 500. He led many laps at Kansas but finished second. He also led near the end at Atlanta but finished fourth. He made it into the Chase for the Sprint Cup playoffs. He ended the year 11th in points with no wins, but had seven top 5 finishes and 19 top 10 finishes.

2013 Season

Truex's 2013 Sprint Cup car at Texas Motor Speedway

The 2013 season was a mix for Truex. He had some good top-five finishes early on. The best part of his season was winning at Sonoma. This win ended a long streak of 218 races without a victory. It was only the second time a No. 56 car won a top NASCAR race.

Later that year, Truex broke his right wrist in a crash at Bristol. He still kept racing even with a cast. He finished third at Atlanta despite his injury.

Truex was set to make the playoffs that year. However, his team was found to have tried to change the race results. Because of this, Truex lost points and was removed from the playoffs. He finished the season with four top 10 finishes in the last 10 races.

Joining Furniture Row Racing (2014–2018)

2014 Season

Truex racing at Sonoma Raceway in 2014

In 2014, Truex moved to Furniture Row Racing. He drove the No. 78 Chevrolet. He started the Daytona 500 in second place. But his engine broke early in the race. He had a tough year, leading only one lap all season. He finished 24th in points.

2015: First Championship Four Appearance

Truex Jr. at the 2015 Daytona 500.

Before the 2015 season, Cole Pearn became Truex's new crew chief. Truex had a great start to 2015. He finished in the top ten in 14 of the first 15 races. At Pocono, Truex won his first race in 69 starts. This was the second win for Furniture Row Racing.

Truex Jr. racing at Michigan International Speedway in 2015

He made it to the final four drivers in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. He finished 4th in the final standings, which was his best career finish at that time.

2016 Season

Truex's No. 78 Bass Pro Shops Toyota in 2016

Truex almost won the Daytona 500. He lost by only 0.010 seconds, the closest finish ever. At Charlotte, he dominated the Coca-Cola 600. He led a record 392 out of 400 laps and won the race. This win secured his spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. He led for 588 miles, the most in any NASCAR race.

He won his second race of the year at Darlington. He then won his third race at Chicagoland. He got his fourth win of the season at Dover. However, he was eliminated from the playoffs in the Round of 12.

2017: Championship Year

Truex during qualifying for the 2017 Toyota/Save Mart 350

Truex started 2017 by winning at Las Vegas. He was the first driver to win all three stages in the new stage format. He won again at Kansas in May. He tied Darrell Waltrip's record for leading the most laps in three straight Coca-Cola 600 races.

He won his third race of the season at Kentucky. He won all three stages again. In July, Truex won his fourth race at Watkins Glen. This was his first win at that track.

Truex won the regular season championship at Darlington. He earned extra playoff points for this. He then won the first playoff race at Chicagoland. This secured his spot in the Round of 12. He won his sixth race at Charlotte. Two weeks later, he won at Kansas. This extended his winning streak on 1.5-mile tracks to four, a NASCAR record.

Truex made it to the final four in the playoffs. He won the final race at Miami. This made him the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion. He won 19 of 108 stages that year, showing how dominant he was.

2018: Another Strong Year and Team Change

Truex standing next to his 2018 race cars

Truex had another strong season in 2018. He won at California, Pocono, Sonoma, and Kentucky. He had 15 top-five finishes during the regular season. He made it to the Championship 4 for the second year in a row. He finished second in the final standings.

On September 4, 2018, it was announced that Furniture Row Racing would close after the season. Truex and his crew chief, Cole Pearn, then signed with Joe Gibbs Racing. They would drive the No. 19 car starting in 2019.

Joining Joe Gibbs Racing (2019–2024)

2019 Season

Truex's race-winning car during the 2019 Toyota/Save Mart 350

Truex started his first season with Joe Gibbs Racing with some good finishes. He then won four races: Richmond, Dover, Charlotte, and Sonoma. He started the playoffs strong by winning back-to-back races at Las Vegas and Richmond. This was his first time winning two races in a row.

He won at Martinsville to secure his spot in the Championship 4. In the final race at Homestead-Miami, Truex led early. But a mistake during a pit stop caused him to lose time. He finished second in the race and in the championship standings. Truex led the series with seven wins that year.

2020 Season

Truex competing in the 2020 Doubleheader Dover Weekend

In June at Martinsville, Truex won his only race of the 2020 season. He led the final 100 laps. He nearly won at Kentucky but was passed on the last lap. He missed the Championship 4 for the first time since 2016. He finished 7th in points.

2021 Season

Truex racing at Darlington Raceway in 2021

Truex won his first race of 2021 at Phoenix in March. This was his first win at that track. In March, Truex also raced in the Xfinity Series and Truck Series. He won the Truck Series race at Bristol. This made him one of only 36 drivers to win in all three top NASCAR series.

Two weeks later, Truex won at Martinsville for the third time. On May 9, he won the Goodyear 400 at Darlington. This was his 30th career victory. He finished the season strong, making it to the Championship 4. He finished second in points after a close battle with Kyle Larson at Phoenix. This was the third time he finished second in the Cup Series points.

2022: Missing the Playoffs

Truex’s No. 19 car at Sonoma Raceway in 2022

Truex did not win any races in 2022. He was consistent with many top 5 and top 10 finishes. However, he missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014. This happened because there were 16 different race winners that season. He finished 17th in the final standings.

2023: Back to Winning

Truex’s race-winning car during the 2023 Toyota/Save Mart 350

Truex started 2023 by winning the 2023 Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum. He broke a long winless streak by winning at Dover. He also won at Sonoma and New Hampshire. He clinched the regular season championship at Daytona. He made it to the Championship 4 again. He finished 11th in the final standings.

2024: Final Full-Time Season

Truex Jr.'s No. 19 car in the garage area at Daytona

On June 14, 2024, Truex announced he would retire from full-time racing at the end of the season. He did not win a race during the regular season but still made the playoffs. He was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. He finished his final full-time season 10th in the points standings.

2025: Part-Time Return

On January 16, 2025, it was announced that Truex would race part-time for Tricon Garage. He will drive the No. 56 Toyota Camry. This will be his first time back in the No. 56 car since 2013.

About Martin Truex Jr.

Truex was born in Trenton, New Jersey. He grew up in Mayetta, New Jersey. He finished high school in 1998. His family has a strong history in racing.

Martin Truex Jr. and his former girlfriend, Sherry Pollex, started the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation in 2007. This foundation helps children with pediatric cancer. In 2014, Pollex was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Truex announced they ended their relationship in 2023, but remained close friends.

Truex is a big fan of the Philadelphia Eagles (football) and the Philadelphia Flyers (hockey). In 2019, his company started helping to transport human organs for transplant using small aircraft.