Martin Truex Jr. remembers the details of his first trip to Daytona International Speedway as if it were yesterday, and marvels at how different his life was back then.
How much time has flown and how different things are — for himself and for NASCAR — is why Truex is in disbelief that he is about to make his 20th start in the Daytona 500. The first came when he qualified a third entry for Dale Earnhardt Inc. in 2006. It was his second year of running a limited schedule for the company.
“It’s changed drastically, as you could imagine,” Truex said of his life and career. “When I first got to come down here, I still couldn’t believe I was getting the opportunity. Basically, up until ’03, I never once expected or was really 100% working toward being a driver for a living. I was working — I was racing for fun, I was racing as something … I just did what I did.”
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At the time, Truex was a full-time driver for Chance 2 Motorsports in what is now the Xfinity Series. A start in the Daytona 500 was only the second time he’d competed in a NASCAR national series race at the speedway.
“I honestly was shocked when I got a call to come test a car for DEI for Chance 2,” continued Truex. “And then when I got here, I was like, ‘Damn, I can’t believe I’m here.’ I’d go in the hauler to test for the first time and my firesuit’s hanging up and I’m like, ‘I didn’t have to take that to the dry cleaners.’ That’s the kind of things I thought when I first came.
“I just remember I didn’t have to work on the car. I didn’t have to do anything but show up and drive it. It didn’t make any sense. So that’s how much has changed. It’s crazy. And now, obviously, I come here, and the only thing I want to do is win. That’s the only thing that matters. I don’t have to do anything else but come here and try to win.”
Truex has not won the Daytona 500 in 19 tries. The closest he came was inches — or one-hundredth of a second — to Toyota teammate Denny Hamlin in 2016. It’s the closest finish in Daytona 500 history.
Sunday, Truex will be behind the wheel of a Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry for the 66th running of the Daytona 500, trying once more to add a win in NASCAR’s most storied race to a résumé that already holds many significant accomplishments in the sport. At Chance 2, Truex became a two-time Xfinity Series champion. A year after losing to Hamlin in the Daytona 500, he became a NASCAR Cup Series champion.
The journey hasn’t been easy. Truex felt he should have won at least a couple more races at Dale Earnhardt Inc., and during his tenure at Michael Waltrip Racing, there were seasons of success that also should have netted more victories. Furniture Row Racing is where Truex became a champion, establishing himself as one of the sport’s top drivers.
Dale Earnhardt Inc., however, also went through turbulent times and eventually became Earnhardt Ganassi Racing before completely disappearing. Waltrip closed the doors after a race manipulation scandal rocked his organization in 2013. A year after winning the championship, Barney Visser shuttered his Furniture Row operation for financial reasons.
Truex has driven for Gibbs for six seasons and won 15 races. At no other team did Truex win as many races. And at no other team has he had such stability.
“It’s been great,” he said. “Honestly, for whatever reason, I thought about this the other day. I’ll be at JGR longer than I’ve been anywhere after this year. Which even surprised me thinking about it. I was like, DEI … wait a minute. If you count the (Xfinity) Series days, it was a little bit longer, but Cup, this is going to be where I’ve been the longest, which is surprising to me.
“It’s been nice because, yes, I don’t have to worry about anything. JGR is so stable … and every year, they’re always asking me, ‘Are you coming back? Are you coming back? We want you.’ So, it’s a lot different than the way it used to be. It’s nice not having to worry about that.”
The only concern for Truex these days is trying to win the Daytona 500 before it becomes a trip he’s made for the last time.