Martin Truex Jr. had a three-word message for brother Ryan amid final Phoenix visit as full-time Cup driver

Martin Truex Jr. passed a three-word message to his younger brother Ryan Truex before exiting the Phoenix Raceway. The former ran his final full-time NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway and will be replaced by Chase Briscoe at Joe Gibbs Racing next year.

Truex Jr. is the son of Martin Sr., an East Series racer. An avid racer himself, the #19 Toyota driver has competed in 693 Cup races over 21 years, collecting 34 wins and 147 top-5 finishes. He won his Premier Level title in 2017 after besting eight races and claiming 19 top-5s. The veteran driver's other noteworthy achievements include two Xfinity Series titles, two Coca-Cola 600 wins, and a Southern 500 triumph, to name a few.

His brother Ryan Truex runs a part-time schedule in Xfinity racing for JGR and Sam Hunt Racing. Of 11 races contested in this year, Ryan has clinched two wins, both for Joe Gibbs. While Ryan's NASCAR future is yet to be confirmed, Truex Jr. hugged and passed on a three-word message to Ryan amid his final full-time showdown in Phoenix.

"It's your turn," Truex Jr. said.

The #19 JGR driver wrapped his Cup Series season with five top-5, 11 top-10s, and two consecutive poles at Martinsville Speedway and Phoenix Raceway. However, he couldn't salvage a win during the 36-race slate, claiming P2 as the season's best finish at Bristol Motor Speedway.

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"It's going to be fun to come back in a different role": Martin Truex Jr. makes his feelings known about NASCAR's future

Martin Truex Jr. began his Cup Series journey with Dale Earnhardt Inc. and switched multiple teams before finally lending his expertise to JGR until his final full-time race at Phoenix.

He entered Joe Gibbs' garage in 2019 and completed his sixth year with the team. During his six seasons driving the Toyota Camry, MTJ contributed to 15 wins and 60 top-10s from 180 races. But during the mid-season, he broke the news about his imminent retirement from full-time racing.

According to the latest developments, Martin Truex Jr. has confirmed he will be racing a Cup car next year at the Daytona 500, but seldom emphasized he is looking forward to part-time racing days when others will be racing in Mexico, and he would be enjoying fishing or relaxing on a couch.

Following the 312-lap battle, Martin Truex Jr. talked about focusing on the upcoming 'fun stuff' as he looked forward to coming back albeit in a different role. He said (via Matt Weaver on X).

"Still not sad man. Everybody wants me to be sad, but I'm happy, I'm celebrating. I've got a lot to be thankful for, to be proud of. So yeah, go enjoy some time off here and you know do the banquet and all that fun stuff, and yeah, it's going to be fun to come back and in a different role and you know come race for fun and you know, hopefully, be able to have fun, I don't know," Truex Jr. said (1:07).

Martin Truex Jr. is linked to 23XI Racing for the 2025 Daytona 500. However, amid the legal battle and the injunction denial, things might change.