Martin Truex Jr. will return to race in the NASCAR Cup Series, says insider after his Daytona 500 crash

Martin Truex Jr. will reportedly return to racing this year. After the veteran NASCAR driver made an early exit in the Daytona 500 on Sunday, he told an insider he would enter another Cup Series race, though the details were scarce.

Truex Jr. is a 44-year-old New Jersey driver who retired from full-time competition last year. He previously drove for Joe Gibbs Racing before making a one-off entry in the 'Great American Race' with Tricon Garage. However, he was caught in a multi-car crash on lap 71 that ended his race.

According to motorsports journalist Alan Cavanna, the NASCAR driver will compete again later in the season, but the list of races has not been disclosed.

"Outside the care center, Truex Jr just told me he’ll race Cup again this year. Just not sure when and where," Cavanna wrote on X.

The insider caught up with Martin Truex Jr. outside the care center because the driver was involved in a multi-car wreck in the early laps of stage 2.

The wreck stemmed from Joey Logano reportedly losing power at the front of the field. Experiencing an engine issue, Logano slowed down, causing the cars in the top lane to hit one after another. As a result, Ross Chastain spun out and hit Helio Castroneves.

The drivers involved in the incident on lap 71 were Martin Truex Jr., Helio Castroneves, Ross Chastain, Kyle Busch, Chase Briscoe, Riley Herbst, Cody Ware, Jimmie Johnson, and Justin Allgaier. Castroneves and Chastain sustained enough damage to exit the race alongside Truex Jr.

While fans await the announcement on which races the New Jersey native will enter, the driver won't run a full NASCAR season for the first time in 19 years.

His best season came in 2017 when he won the NASCAR Cup Series championship in the No. 78 Toyota for Furniture Row Racing. He held off title rival Kyle Busch in the closing laps to take victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

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Martin Truex Jr. expresses disappointment at early Daytona 500 exit

In an interview with Fox Sports, Martin Truex Jr. said he was disappointed at failing to finish the 2025 Daytona 500. He had to settle with a DNF in a race he never won in his two-decade career in the premier series.

The 44-year-old New Jersey native said (via Fox: NASCAR's X handle):

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

Regardless, the 2017 NASCAR champ had fun joining the league's season opener at Daytona.

"It was fun while it lasted, but unfortunately, we were just wrong place wrong time there," he added.

Truex Jr. was one of the four open car drivers who qualified for the 67th running of the 'Great American Race.' He locked into the race on speed during the qualifying session on Wednesday. The other drivers were Jimmie Johnson, Justin Allgaier, and Corey LaJoie.

In addition, Helio Castroneves, a four-time Indy 500 winner, joined the starting grid under a new provisional spot called the Open Exemption Provisional (OEP).