Did Martin Truex Jr.’s father win a NASCAR race? All you need to know about his racing career

Martin Truex Jr.’s father won one NASCAR race back in 1994. Martin Truex, who was a former NASCAR driver himself, died on Friday at the age of 66. He made 135 starts in the ARCA Menards Series East which was called the Busch North circuit during the 1990s.

Ahead of the second Cup Series race weekend at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway back in 1994, Truex picked his lone NASCAR victory. He competed in 15 races at the Xfinity level as well but without any success.

Journalist Steven Taranto recalled Truex's win at New Hampshire and tweeted:

“RIP Martin Truex Sr. The elder Truex raced in the NASCAR Busch North Series throughout the 1990s, winning once at New Hampshire in 1994. He also made 15 @NASCAR_Xfinity starts, and he set his sons Martin Jr. and Ryan up for big things.”

Truex stopped competing during the late 1990s and focused his attention on mentoring his sons. Ryan Truex, his younger son, made it as a NASCAR Truck Series driver with Niece Motorsports and also competed in the Xfinity Series under the banner of Joe Gibbs Racing.

Ryan won three races at the Xfinity level, besides making 26 starts in the Cup. On the other hand, his older brother, Martin Truex Jr. became the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion. Truex Jr. retired from full-time racing following the 2024 season with 34 wins to his credit.

However, Truex Jr. will team up with Tricon Garage for an entry in this year’s running of the annual Daytona 500. Notably, the closest he has been to winning the crown jewel event was in 2016 when his then-teammate Denny Hamlin beat him to the finishing line by merely 0.010 seconds.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the untimely demise of Martin Truex Jr.’s father

Veteran NASCAR journalist Bob Pockrass dropped the news of Martin Truex Sr.’s tragic passing through a post on X. He wrote:

“Sad news: Martin Truex Sr. died this week. He was 66 years old. I always enjoyed seeing him at the race track cheering on MTJ and Ryan. RIP.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr., a two-time Xfinity Series champion and NASCAR Hall of Famer reacted to Dale Jr.’s comment on Pockrass’ post. Mourning the death of Martin Truex Jr., he wrote:

“He was a great man.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. retired in 2017 but never stopped racing. The 50-year-old man has run at least one race every year since his formal retirement. Just like Dale Jr., Martin Truex Jr. too, will not give up racing. Besides his upcoming bid for the Daytona 500, the ex-Joe Gibbs Raving driver will compete in other select races throughout the 2025 season.

The season starts unofficially at Bowman Gray Stadium on February 2. However, it will officially kick off with the 67th Daytona 500, scheduled for February 16. Fans can watch the action unfold on FOX or listen to live radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio from 2:30 pm ET onwards.