Toyota’s David Wilson pays tribute to Martin Truex Jr. after the latter's retirement announcement

After almost two decades of racing in the NASCAR Cup Series, Martin Truex Jr. has announced his retirement from full-time racing. The 2024 season will be the 43-year-old's last. On that note, the president of Toyota Racing Development, David Wilson, recently penned a heartfelt note for the veteran racer, as the latter was just months away from exiting the number 19 Joe Gibbs Racing team.

Throughout his career, Martin Truex Jr. has driven for several teams like Dale Earnhardt Inc., Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing, Michael Waltrip Racing, and Furniture Row Racing before joining JGR in 2019. He is the 2017 Cup Series champion and also flaunts two Xfinity Series championships.

In the 673 starts that he has made as a Cup driver, Truex Jr. has amassed 34 wins besides 23 poles, 146 top 5s, and 287 top 10s. Although winless, he was the regular points champion last year.

Kelly Crandall, a renowned NASCAR journalist, quoted Wilson and posted:

"Martin has been a fierce competitor, champion and loyal friend to Toyota and TRD for over a decade. He is the only NASCAR driver to win Cup races in a Toyota Camry across three different race team organizations – a remarkable achievement. His genuine personality and consistent performance have made him a fan favorite and someone who will truly be missed on-track each week."

"Martin’s racing achievements highlight just how talented of a racer he is, and his outstanding work off-track with the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation showcases the incredible person he continues to be. Martin is a future Hall of Famer, and someone we will always be honored to call a part of the Team Toyota family," Wilson added, as reported by Crandall.

Team owner Joe Gibbs has revealed that the team was still looking for Martin Truex Jr.'s replacement. In a statement regarding the same as reported by AP News, the former NFL coach said,

"We just want to focus right now on Martin, and all of that stuff will take place later on."

Martin Truex Jr. gets candid on his post-retirement plans

Martin Truex Jr. opened up to NBC Sports about his plans after he prepared to sign off from his duty in the Cup Series, once and for all. The driver said it is finally time for him to do things that he wants to do, and therefore, make his own schedule.

NASCAR's 36-race schedule is indeed a body of work. However draining it might have been, Martin Truex Jr. has never failed to carry out his responsibilities throughout his stint as a race car driver. Reflecting on the same, Truex said,

"In 21 years that I’ve done this, I’ve never missed a race. I’ve never missed a practice. I’ve never been late for anything. I’ve never missed an appearance."

Nevertheless, Truex Jr. feels that he deserves to make his schedule now. He wants to do whatever he wants whenever he wants.

"You live your life by a schedule that somebody makes for you and it’s just time for me to make my own schedule... I want to go do the things I want to do. I don’t want anybody to tell me when I can and when I can’t do those things," he added.

Truex Jr. is currently on a 32-race winless streak since last July. His last victory came at New Hampshire. 16 races into this season, Martin Truex Jr. sits fifth in the NASCAR Cup Series point standings with 508 points to his name and 27 points behind his JGR teammate, Denny Hamlin. His next race is at the Iowa Speedway on Sunday.