Martin Truex Jr. and Helio Castroneves among the drivers out of the Daytona 500 after stage 2 pileup

Martin Truex Jr. exited the Daytona 500 following a multi-car wreck on the early laps of stage 2 on Sunday. He was involved in the crash with notable entrants, including Helio Castroneves, Jimmie Johnson, and Kyle Busch, among others.

Truex Jr. entered the Daytona 500 as a part-time driver for Tricon Garage. Piloting the No. 56 Toyota Camry, the 44-year-old was one of the four open car drivers to qualify for the race and started in P39.

Martin Truex Jr. couldn't make it to the end as several drivers piled up on lap 71.

The culprit appeared to be Joey Logano, who reportedly had an engine issue. His No. 22 Ford Mustang slowed down, causing the cars in the top lane to hit one after another until Ross Chastain went sideways and hit Helio Castroneves.

The incident resulted in a multi-car wreck, involving Martin Truex Jr., Helio Castroneves, Ross Chastain, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Chase Briscoe, Riley Herbst, Justin Allgaier, and Cody Ware.

Truex Jr. concluded the race with a DNF with his Trackhouse Racing teammates, Castroneves and Chastain.

With an early exit, the New Jersey native remained winless in the 'Great American Race.' His best finish was a P2 in 2016, with Denny Hamlin taking victory in a photo finish.

Martin Truex Jr. in the No. 56 Toyota at the Daytona International Speedway - Source: Imagn

The multi-car wreck also spoiled Tricon Garage's debut in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team is best known for its Craftsman Truck Series operations, fielding Toni Breidinger, Corey Heim, Tanner Gray, and Gio Ruggiero.

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"Just wrong place, wrong time there" - Martin Truex Jr. on early Daytona 500 exit

Martin Truex Jr. made his feelings known about settling with a DNF in the 2025 Daytona 500. He expressed disappointment with the early exit, saying he was just at the wrong place at the wrong time.

In an interview with Fox Sports after the driver got out of his car, Truex Jr. said:

"It's always disappointing when you don't finish no matter what situation... especially in a race like this. It's probably our only shot this year."

The veteran NASCAR driver thanked the team and long-time sponsor, Bass Pro Shops, for making his Daytona 500 entry possible.

"Thanks to Bass Pro, Tricon, and everybody who helped us put this together," Truex Jr. said. "It was fun while it lasted, but unfortunately, we were just wrong place, wrong time there."

The Daytona 500 entry follows his final full-time schedule in the Cup Series with Joe Gibbs Racing. Driving the No. 19 Toyota Camry, Martin Truex Jr. concluded the 2024 season with five top-5 and 11 top-10 finishes.

Despite failing to earn a race win, the driver secured back-to-back pole positions in the final two races in Martinsville and Phoenix.

While the 2017 NASCAR champion has yet to announce his future racing schedule, motorsports reporter Alan Cavanna revealed that the driver would compete again this year, though the list of races wasn't disclosed.

For now, Truex Jr. will spend the season off the track following 19 years of full-time competition in the premier series.