“Robbed of some great potential sendoff moments” - NASCAR insider makes his feelings known as Martin Truex Jr. retires with an unwanted feat

Former Joe Gibbs Racing driver Martin Truex Jr. announced his retirement from full-time Cup Series racing in 2024. This week, NASCAR analyst Jeff Gluck expressed his thoughts on the driver's winless retirement season. Truex Jr. has had a two-decade-long illustrious career and has had some iconic moments in his time as a full-time Cup Series driver.

The JGR driver debuted in the Cup Series in 2004, competing in the Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Since then he has competed in 693 races, bagging 34 wins, 291 top-ten finishes, and 25 pole positions. The cherry on his cake was his Monster Energy Cup Series title in 2017.

However, Truex's last season fell short of his peak performances as he wasn't able to secure a single win in the 2024 Cup Series season. Reflecting on Martin Jr.'s last season on the "Teardown" podcast, NASCAR analyst Jeff Gluck said,

"I feel like we in this generation have sort of been robbed of some great potential sendoff moments for these future Hall of Famers who have been retiring...Martin Truex Jr. winning in his final year would have been a nice feel-good story" [09:40].

Gluck gave more examples of Cup Series drivers who could have had a feel-good story in their last season. He said Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, and Tony Stewart, could have better endings in their respective sendoff seasons.

Martin Truex Jr. finished tenth in the points table with 2257 points, 11 top-ten finishes, and five top-five finishes, along with two pole positions. Since his retirement, Truex Jr. has been enjoying his time fishing and hunting.

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Martin Truex Jr.'s update on what he has done since his last race at Phoenix

Even before his final race, Martin Truex Jr. talked about his interest in fishing. During a pre-race interview with NASCAR journalist Bob Pockrass, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver was asked about his plans for Sunday when not racing on the track.

The 44-year-old replied that he hadn't figured out how he would spend his weekends, saying,

"I'm not sure yet. Hunt and fish. Enjoy life. I'm sure I'll watch some racing still, probably won't be as closely interested in it as I am now. But I don't know. We'll see. Time will tell."

Following the end of the NASCAR season, the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion revealed he has been hunting and fishing. He added that he had killed the "biggest buck ever." Speaking with NASCAR reporter Alan Cacanna, Truex said,

“Since Phoenix, I’ve killed my biggest buck ever. And the tuna are going crazy. So I’ll be in the boat in a few days.”

Despite his retirement from full-time Cup Series racing, Martin Truex Jr. has indicated his interest in attempting to qualify for the 2025 Daytona 500, scheduled for February 16, 2025.