Martin Truex Jr. is sticking around for at least one more year.
The 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion confirmed Saturday at Michigan International Speedway that he has signed a contract extension to remain with Joe Gibbs Racing for the 2024 season. Truex will continue to pilot the No. 19 Toyota, which he’s driven to 15 wins since his arrival at the organization in 2019.
The decision comes amid a resurgent year for Truex’s No. 19 team. The New Jersey native is currently leading the regular season point standings with four races remaining before the playoffs, having won three races and the Busch Light Clash exhibition race.
“It just didn’t feel right to not come back and keep doing what we’re doing,” Truex said of his decision. “I’m excited to get that out of the way and continue to work on this year. Obviously excited for next year as well now.”
“It felt like the right thing to do was keep going. The more I thought about it, the more I was like ‘Okay, don’t be stupid.’
“We’ll race another year and see how it goes.”
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Truex signed the contract extension on Friday night. He plans to evaluate his Cup future on a year-to-year basis moving forward.
“Last year it was June, this year it was August. Next year give me (until) October, maybe, and we’ll talk about it then,” Truex joked.
Locking in Truex is a positive turn for Joe Gibbs Racing. The organization was feeling the heat as Truex’s decision lingered into the summer months.
“I think it is very important for us to kind of have some pressure here because it’s pressure for all of us,” team owner Joe Gibbs said after Truex’s July win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. “It’s a huge deal for us. I really felt like he’s having such a great year, and I think he’s having fun, so I’m hoping that we get a good answer for us here.”
Saturday brought the good answer. It locks in three of the four current drivers at JGR for 2024. Denny Hamlin remains unconfirmed for another year, but is expected to return. His contract dealings are more complex, coinciding with negotiations between 23XI Racing, an organization Hamlin co-owns with basketball great Michael Jordan, and Toyota.
Both Hamlin and 23XI are believed to be staying among the Toyota ranks.