Retired Martin Truex Jr. comes clean on his Daytona 500 presence: “I didn't even announce my retirement and we already somewhat put it together”

Martin Truex Jr. recently appeared in an interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, during which he addressed his upcoming Daytona 500 bid. The 44-year-old NASCAR veteran will pilot the No. 56 Bass Pro Shops Toyota for Tricon Garage in the famed 500-miler.

Truex Jr., who won the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series championship, is now a retired driver. However, even before he had announced his retirement at the end of last season, talks were going on about his one-off entry in the crown jewel event, scheduled for February 16, 2025.

Truex Jr. recalled a conversation regarding the same with Johnny Morris, CEO of Bass Pro Shops, a long-time partner of Martin Truex Jr. and the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing entry in the NASCAR Cup Series.

“I'll tell you this, I didn't even announce my retirement and we had already somewhat put Daytona together,” Martin Truex Jr. said. “It was like, well, you know, I still wanna race a little bit next year..." (0:35)

Good news for the fans, Truex Jr. qualified for the “Great American Race” following Wednesday night’s duel race. He will be joined by champion crew chief Cole Pearn in the pit box.

“Definitely a big relief,” Truex Jr. said during a post-qualifying interview (via NBC Sports). “You never know what can happen in the Duels. They get crazy. Something on pit road gets you in trouble or whatever.”

2025 will mark the 67th running of the annual Daytona 500, often regarded as the “Super Bowl” of NASCAR. Fans can catch the action live on FOX or listen to its radio coverage on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio from 2:30 p.m. ET onwards.

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“Probably hits home for me”- Martin Truex Jr. reflects on his Daytona 500 car number following father’s demise

Martin Truex Jr. lost his father Martin Truex Sr. this year in January. So, one might wonder how hard it’s going to be for Truex Jr. to pilot the No. 56, given that it is the same number as his family's race team.

Addressing the same during an interview with journalist Bob Pockrass, the former Joe Gibbs Racing driver said,

“I don’t know about harder but probably means more, probably hits home for me and what it means to us and our family. A lot of people are going to be excited to see it out there.”

Truex Jr., a 34-time winner in the NASCAR Cup Series, further stated that he has learned a lot from his father, including the nuances of professional stock car racing. He said that everything he has accomplished in his career to this day is because of the sacrifices that his father had made down the line.

“He was my hero growing up and still is. He even made a lot of things happen for me. Taught me a lot of things with racing and really the opportunity to get here and be able to do what I accomplished is all because of him and his sacrifices. Hopefully, we’ll go win this thing for him on Sunday,” Truex Jr. added.

Besides Truex Jr., seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson will also compete in the prestigious event. Johnson will drive the No. 84 Toyota under the banner of Legacy Motor Club, a team he co-owns.