"The cleanest racer of his generation" - Jimmie Johnson pays heartfelt tribute to Martin Truex Jr. ahead of his retirement

Martin Truex Jr. will start his final race today at Phoenix from pole position. The NASCAR veteran has been one of the biggest superstars of his era. Truex will hang up his helmet from full-time racing after Phoenix.

To pay tribute to Martin Truex Jr.'s legacy, 7-time Cup Series champion and "true friend" Jimmie Johnson narrated a tribute video for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver. The pair shared some fascinating battles on the track, and it's only fair that Johnson narrated Truex Jr.'s NASCAR career.

Jimmie Johnson narrated in a video shared by NASCARonNBC:

"From one champion to another, Martin Truex Jr. is a true friend, a tenacious fighter who barely laid a glove on the competition. He will be remembered for thriving at both ends of the spectrum in NASCAR with unending grit and resilience. He overcame massive roadblocks of team closures and sponsor departures through sheer metal and elite talent, he took a single car team to the 2017 championship since I was a little kid."

The 7-time NASCAR champion added:

"While fighting hard for wins, he always raced fair. We were going to race hard for it. In my book, no superstar has been less assuming and controversial than Truex, the cleanest racer of his generation. It's that legacy of perseverance, speed and sportsmanship that fans and peers alike appreciated about Truex. He earned the full admiration and respect of NASCAR nation as both a model citizen and a humble champion you."

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Martin Truex Jr. plans to return to racing despite full-time retirement

It may be goodbye for now, but Martin Truex Jr. has every intention of returning to racing again next year. The 44-year-old has already made clear that he will be running next season in the 2025 season opener at the Daytona 500.

The JGR driver admitted on having discussions with Joe Gibbs of potential race entries in the Xfinity Series. Truex Jr. has won the Xfinity championship 2-times in 2004 and 2005. He also has 13 victories and 10 pole positions.

The veteran NASCAR legend said: (Quotes from Frontstretch):

“I’ve got to talk to Coach [Joe Gibbs] about the [Joe Gibbs Racing] Xfinity car,” Truex said. “We will see what the options are there. I would like to run a few of those next year for sure. I haven’t really looked into [the Craftsman Truck Series] at all – not sure about that – but I’m open to doing some things, so hopefully can have some fun next year and that will include some racing. So we will see how that all plays out.”

After Kevin Harvick last season, the retirement of Martin Truex Jr. marks another legend leaving the sport. Will you miss the bearded fisherman driving the #19 Toyota Camry for JGR?