DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Martin Truex Jr. has 34 NASCAR Cup Series wins on his resume and dominated the 2017 season en route to the championship. He won back-to-back NASCAR Xfinity Series titles (2004-2005) and is a sure-bet NASCAR Hall of Famer when he becomes eligible.
Although he retired from full-time competition at the end of last season, Truex has chosen to compete in selected races in 2025, beginning with this week’s DAYTONA 500—a race he is 0-for-20 in but has a runner-up finish in 2016 by a slight 0.010-second.
Because the TRICON Garage team fielding his No. 56 Toyota this week does not have a charter, Truex will have to make the field on either qualifying speed or a good finish in the Duel 150. The two fastest “open” cars in qualifying earn a position in the 500, and the highest-finishing non-chartered car in each of the two Duels also advances.
“Not so much (different) getting ready for it,” Truex, 44, said of being an open car. “You prepare all the same. But I know when I leave here, I don’t have to worry about where I’m at in points or just anything like that. There are no repercussions.
“It’s just, ‘Have fun, hopefully have a great race, hopefully have a shot at winning this race for the first time.’ That’s the whole reason to do it, and really nothing else matters. It’s kind of fun and feels more old-school. You race each race as its own. The rest of the year doesn’t matter.
“But at the same time, we’ve got to make the race first. And that’s a different feeling, because I haven’t had to do that since 2005. Qualifying is way more important. Usually, you come down here and it’s qualifying or the Duels. It is what it is, and you start where you start. But now it’s important, so a little more nervous early in the week than usual.”
One thing Truex has been looking forward to at Daytona is reuniting with crew chief Cole Pearn, who led Truex’s 2017 championship run for Furniture Row Racing, then stepped away from the sport after the 2019 season and moved back to his native Canada.
“It’s like it’s always been, he didn’t miss a beat,” a smiling Truex shared of Pearn’s return. “He’s already complaining about inspection, about the rules, ‘Why are we doing this, and I can’t believe you got me back here to do this.’
“He’s right back on track.”
Source: Holly Cain | NASCAR Wire Service
