Admiration, respect aplenty as Martin Truex Jr. sunsets full-time career at Phoenix

AVONDALE, Ariz. — NASCAR officials often chalk off numbers during pre-race procedures to mark the spots where cars should line up on the starting grid. For Martin Truex Jr.’s last Cup Series race as a full-time competitor, officials had some fun with the placement, substituting “19” with a simple message: “Gone fishing.”

The great outdoors and the next chapter of his racing tenure await Truex after Sunday’s Cup Series season finale, where the 44-year-old veteran finished 17th in the 40-car field. He’ll enter his next phase as a former series champion and a 34-time Cup winner who sits just seven starts shy of 700 for his career, but Truex said he’ll take plenty more than stats from Sunday’s farewell ride.

“Just a lot of good memories,” Truex said. “I think I was able to accomplish a lot of things that a lot of people, including myself, at some point in my career didn’t think were possible. So I feel lucky and lucky to work with a lot of great teams and accomplish, again, more than I ever thought possible. I feel like I’ve earned the respect of a lot of people around here, and that means a lot. I mean, it’s probably more than everything, more than wins. So it’ll be fun to come back and see everyone and stick around and come have some fun still.”

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A crowd of well-wishers gathered around Truex’s No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota post-race as Joey Logano celebrated winning his third Cup Series championship on the frontstretch. A host of fellow drivers stopped by to offer kind parting words. NBA legend and 23XI Racing team owner Michael Jordan was one of the first to greet him with a hug, and Hendrick Motorsports’ Jeff Gordon also contributed a word of thanks after the finish.

The star-power wattage and their gracious words weren’t lost on crew chief James Small, who will stay with the No. 19 team next season to work with incoming driver Chase Briscoe.

“It’s amazing. They’re all legends of the sport in their own sport, and you know, that’s what he is as well,” Small said. “He’s had a great career. He’s been a champion. Man, things go a little differently, he could have been a four-time champion, so it’s pretty crazy. He’s a great person, and it’s been a pleasure to work with him.”

Truex’s final full-time weekend started off with a bright light — his second consecutive pole position, on the heels of his top qualifying performance the previous weekend at Martinsville Speedway. The speedy Saturday pole run was a crowd-pleaser, but more adulation was in store on race day Sunday.

Truex’s peers gave him a standing ovation in Sunday’s drivers’ meeting, and the fans’ cheers for him during driver introductions were among the loudest in pre-race ceremonies. “It was unexpected, I guess,” Truex said. “It’s very cool. Huge honor. Very honored, very humbled to be recognized like that.”

Truex led the first nine laps of Sunday’s race, finishing second in Stage 1. Small said a brake issue began to develop on the No. 19 Camry during the second stage, causing handling issues that the team was unable to offset.

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“So the pedal started getting long, couldn’t slow down, started getting tired — just a vicious cycle going backwards,” Small said. “So it started off so promising. Yesterday was great, and yeah, it’s just a frustrating way to end. It kind of sums up our season the way it kind of unraveled there.”

Sunday’s result will ultimately be a footnote to a Hall of Fame-worthy career and to the championship battle won by Logano. Tyler Reddick showed his disappointment in coming up short in his bid for a first Cup Series title, but he also made a post-race point to tip his cap to Truex with a pit-road visit.

“I just said it’s been a blast racing with him,” Reddick said. “I know his full-time stuff is done, but I enjoy — I was just basically telling him, hopefully still see you around the race track. He’s a great character. It’s been fun getting to know him. He stays true to himself. Then there’s obviously all the accomplishments that he’s had. I feel like he’s someone that races really hard on the race track, but he’s respected and just an all-around great guy. It’s been nice working closer with him since I came to Toyota, and yeah, I can only imagine what the emotions are like for him. But it’s been a blast being able to race with somebody that I think will one day be in the Hall of Fame.”

Truex walked away Sunday afternoon at Phoenix, saying he was ready for some offseason recreation and relaxation. All indications are he won’t be gone long: An arrangement to run next season’s Daytona 500 is in place as a potential part of a limited schedule in 2025.

MORE: Truex: I’m ready to go ‘wind down’

“I’ve got a lot to be thankful for, a lot to be proud of,” Truex said. “Yeah, going to enjoy some time off here, and do the banquet and all that fun stuff. It’s going to be fun to come back in a different role, and come race for fun. Hopefully, I’ll be able to have fun, I don’t know. It’s so hard to have fun when you take it this serious, and I was having fun early today, and then it got miserable. I was hoping today would go better, so it’d be more fun. But yeah, we’ll see. Look forward to Daytona.”