“It was kind of downhill”- Martin Truex Jr. recalls racing under Teresa Earnhardt-led DEI during initial NASCAR years

Martin Truex Jr. recalled his time at Dale Earnhardt Inc. early in his NASCAR career. The veteran racer’s stint at the team, then-owned by Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s widow Teresa Earnhardt, was, in his own words, marked by a “lot of hard work” and “not a lot of success”.

Martin Truex Jr. appeared in an interview with Alex Weaver (host and reporter at SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) while fishing at a lake by the infield at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Weaver asked Truex Jr. how difficult it was to find success in NASCAR, to which he replied:

“Early on, it was not that difficult. It kind of came naturally, I guess. It happened really quickly as far as going to the Busch North Series and had success early on there and the next thing you know...it wasn't that long...I'm getting a call to go test Dale Jr.'s car.”

Martin Truex Jr. made his Cup Series debut with Dale Earnhardt Inc. at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the No. 1 car. In his first two years with DEI, i.e., 2004 and 2005, Truex Jr. clinched a consecutive pair of Busch Series (now known as Xfinity Series) championships. However, things weren’t great after that.

“DEI started out really good and we won in our second year and made the playoffs,” Martin Truex Jr. said. “Then it was kind of downhill from there.”

When Dale Earnhardt Jr. left DEI and the team merged with Chip Ganassi Racing, resulting in the birth of Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing in 2010, Martin Truex Jr. moved to Michael Waltrip Racing. He drove the No. 56 NAPA Toyota for MWR in 143 races, with his lone win for the team coming at Sonoma Raceway on June 23, 2013.

“It didn't last very long after that and then (I) went to MWR and started out slow..we finally win our first race there and then make the playoffs and things kind of fell apart there, too. So, just a lot of hard work and not lot a lot of success,” Martin Truex Jr. added.

Martin Truex Jr. currently drives the No. 19 car for Joe Gibbs Racing. An enthusiastic fisherman fittingly sponsored by Bass Pro Shops, the 44-year-old New Jersey native, amassed 34 Cup Series wins throughout his career besides his sole Cup Series championship in 2017 with Furniture Row Racing.

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Martin Truex Jr. to run special Dale Earnhardt Inc. throwback paint scheme at Phoenix

Martin Truex Jr. is nearing his last race as a full-time NASCAR driver. November 10 is when fans will see him driving the No. 19 JGR Toyota Camry for the last time, after which the driver is expected to retire. Stewart-Haas Racing’s Chase Briscoe will take over his spot at the North Carolina-based outfit.

According to journalist Kelley Crandall, Truex Jr. will retire in a car that looks similar to his debut ride at Dale Earnhardt Inc. Needless to say, the iconic burgundy and yellow paint scheme is bound to stir up memories.

“Martin Truex Jr. will drive a Dale Earnhardt Inc. paint scheme (circa 2004 when he and Bass Pro debuted in the Cup Series) this weekend in his final race as a full-time NASCAR driver,” Crandall recently posted on X.

In 35 starts this season, Truex Jr. has delivered five top-5s and 11 top-10s. He has also picked four stage wins and led 546 laps. As of today, he sits 10th with 2226 points to his credit.