Martin Truex Jr. will return to NASCAR Cup Series in 2024 after debating retirement
One of the biggest NASCAR free agency questions has been answered.
Martin Truex Jr., the 43-year-old driver for Joe Gibbs Racing, confirmed Saturday that he will be back competing in the Cup Series in 2024.
He did so in the most Truex of ways: no fanfare, no roll-out of some big announcement — just a succinct and smiley answer to a weekly question during media availability at Michigan International Speedway: “I’ll be back.”
The driver of the No. 19 Cup car has seen a resurgence this year after a postseason-less 2022. He has three points wins on the year — plus a win at the exhibition Clash at Los Angeles Coliseum — and is leading NASCAR’s premier series in points heading into Sunday’s race.
Why is he coming back?
“Because I want to,” Truex told reporters. He added, “It just didn’t feel right to not come back and keep doing what we’re doing, so I’m excited to get that out of the way, to continue working on this year. And I’m obviously excited for next year as well.”
He continued with a laugh: “The more I thought about it, the more I was like, ‘OK, don’t be stupid. Just go race another year and see how it goes.’”
This ends a long saga of questioning and thinking for Truex, the 2017 Cup Series champion who has been contemplating retirement for multiple seasons. That question was most pronounced after his recent win at New Hampshire, where the driver candidly discussed his future.
“They deserve the very best driver, the guy that wants it more than anyone else, and I’ve been that guy,” Truex said after his win at New Hampshire in July. “I want to make sure that if I come back, I’m willing to do that. It takes a lot. It’s not just show up at the track, drive the car, go home. It takes a lot.
“It takes a lot of commitment. It’s a lot of travel. A lot of time missing things with family and friends and all those things that I’ve done for 25 years. Do I want to keep doing it and am I willing to sacrifice all those things again for my team?”
Truex’s one-year extension with JGR muffles a whole bunch of possibilities for this year’s Cup free agency. If he retired, of course, JGR would have to fill his spot — setting off a bunch of dominoes that could affect the drivers-in-waiting in the deep Toyota and Ford programs.
The sport’s collective gaze could now collect on other drivers — perhaps including Aric Almirola, 39, who nearly retired at the end of last season — to see if Cup seats open up.
