What was Martin Truex Jr.’s previous team before JGR? Exploring Furniture Row Racing

Since 2019, Martin Truex Jr. has been associated with Joe Gibbs Racing, a leading four-car team operating in the NASCAR Cup Series. However, there was a time in his career when he drove for a lesser-known team called Furniture Row Racing. The veteran racer won his career’s sole NASCAR Cup Series championship title with the team back in 2017.

Martin Truex Jr. joined FRR on November 1, 2013, exactly 11 years ago. According to a recent post by @nascarman on X (formerly Twitter), that was the beginning of the “unlikely” story of Furniture Row Racing, a team operated by a furniture store chain named Furniture Row, based in Denver, Colorado. Furniture Row Racing made its NASCAR debut in an Xfinity Series (then known as the Busch Series) race at Nashville Superspeedway in 2005.

“November 1, 2013: Martin Truex Jr was announced as driver for Furniture Row Racing. Thus began one of the most unlikely stories, that a team based in Denver around a furniture store could somehow become the best in racing.”

Although Truex Jr. found considerable success during his tenure at Michael Waltrip Racing, his previous team, the infamous “Spingate” scandal of 2013, which stemmed from alleged race-fixing accusations caused Michael Waltrip Racing to be handed a $300,000 fine. Following this, several partners, including Truex Jr.'s primary sponsor, NAPA Auto Parts, revoked their investments in Waltrip Racing, causing Truex Jr. to be left searching for a ride for 2014.

Soon, Barney Vissers, the owner of Furniture Row Racing, signed Truex Jr. in 2014 to drive the No. 78 Toyota Camry. When Truex joined FRR, the organization had just one win; Regan Smith’s 2011 Southern 500 victory. Around the same time, the team parted ways with Kurt Busch, who had set off for Stewart-Haas Racing.

Martin Truex Jr. won 17 races, including a Coca-Cola 600 and a Southern 500 during his stay at Furniture Row Racing. In 2019, he landed a deal with Joe Gibbs Racing, which allowed him to drive the No. 19 JGR Toyota full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series. Truex signed the deal and Furniture Row Racing closed its shutters that same year due to financial constraints.

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Martin Truex Jr. recalls his days at Furniture Row Motorsports

In an interview last year, Martin Truex Jr. revealed how his days at Furniture Row Racing were different from those at Joe Gibbs Racing. According to the New Jersey native, racing at Furniture Row Racing involved taking risks and getting creative.

“I think about it all the time. On the way here, even just talking about guys when we used to do the burnouts and had show cars; we had the crappiest show car ever because we literally had one. They just threw it together because the focus was always on the race car. It was just a different way of doing things. Thinking back on that team, what we were able to accomplish is just definitely amazing,” Truex Jr. said (0:48)

“We had an ace up our sleeves with the collaboration with JGR and Toyota so we had more room to be creative and take gambles and not have the big corporate banner. It was definitely interesting to see how it all worked,” he added.

The 44-year-old driver will retire at the end of this year. However, he has confirmed his run in the 2025 crown jewel Daytona 500 with former crew chief Cole Pearn. Truex Jr. also said that the number on his car with be either 56 or 78.