“Our Cinderella story has come to an end”: Tricon issue heartbreaking update after Martin Truex Jr. crashes out of Daytona 500

On the heels of retiring from full-time NASCAR competition at the end of the 2024 season, Martin Truex Jr. attempted this year's Daytona 509 with Tricon Garage. However, it didn't end well for the former Daytona 500 runner-up, as he was caught up in a crash midway through stage two of Sunday's event.

Shortly after a restart on lap 71 of the 200-lap event, Joey Logano's #22 Team Penske Ford sputtered from the front row, causing a chain reaction that took out multiple cars, one of them being Truex Jr.'s #56 Tricon Garage Toyota. The team tried to make repairs, but the damage was too severe for the 2017 Cup Series champion to continue. Truex Jr. went to the garage not even halfway through the 500-mile event and was forced to settle for a 38th-place finish.

Following the incident, Tricon Garage took to X to provide an update on Truex's status, sadly explaining that the damage was too much for them to continue. They wrote:

"Our Cinderella story has come to an end. We’re done."

Tricon Garage was making their Cup Series debut in this year's Daytona 500. The organization primarily competes in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, fielding four full-time drivers. Tricon Garage has 13 Truck victories, most recently with Corey Heinz claiming this year's season-opening race at Daytona.

Truex, meanwhile, retired from full-time competition at the end of 2024. The New Jersey native has 34 career Cup Series victories and most notably won a career-high eight races in 2017 en route to the championship. His final win came at New Hampshire in 2023 behind the wheel of the #19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

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When did Martin Truex Jr. announce his NASCAR retirement?

With 34 career Cup Series victories and a Cup championship in 2017, Martin Truex Jr. is one of the most successful NASCAR drivers of the last decade. Yet, all good things come to an end as Truex announced his retirement from full-time NASCAR competition in June of 2024.

NASCAR's social media team took to X at the time to break the news, writing:

"NEWS: @MartinTruex_Jr announces his retirement from full-time competition following the 2024 season."

Truex paired up with Tricon Garage in an attempt to win the 2025 Daytona 500, a race he never won. Truex's younger bother, Ryan Truex, is a part-time Xfinity Series driver for Sam Hunt Racing. He has three career victories in the series.