Martin Truex Jr

Martin Truex Jr. Bio

Martin Lee Truex Jr. (born June 29, 1980) is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 56 Toyota Camry XSE for Tricon Garage. He is the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion and a two-time Xfinity Series champion, having won two consecutive championships in 2004 and 2005. Many members of Truex Jr.’s family are current or retired NASCAR drivers. His younger brother Ryan competes part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for Joe Gibbs Racing and is a two-time champion in what is now known as the ARCA Menards Series East. His late father, Martin Truex Sr., competed full-time in the East Series in the 1990s. His uncle Barney competed part-time in the Whelen Modified Tour in the 1980s. His cousins, Curtis Truex Jr. and Tyler Truex, are late model racing drivers.

Early Life and Background

Martin Truex Jr. was born in Mayetta, New Jersey, a community located in Stafford Township, New Jersey. He graduated from Southern Regional High School in 1998. The son of former racer Martin Truex Sr., he began his racing career driving go-karts at the New Egypt Speedway, located in Ocean County, New Jersey, when it was still a paved track. Truex Jr. made his move to the Modified division at Wall Stadium in 1998, as soon as he was old enough to race a car at the age of eighteen. In 2000, he moved south and rented a home from Dale Earnhardt Jr. in Mooresville, North Carolina, eventually purchasing his own home there. Following in his late father’s footsteps, he began racing in the Busch North Series. He ran three full seasons (2000 to 2002) and made limited starts in 2003. Truex claimed thirteen poles and five wins driving his family-owned No. 56 SeaWatch Chevy.

Path to Motorsports

Truex made his first Busch Series start in 2001 at Dover International Speedway in his late father’s No. 56 Chevy. He started nineteenth but finished 38th after an early wreck. In 2002, Truex drove one race for Phoenix Racing at New Hampshire International Speedway, starting thirteenth and finishing 29th. He ran three races the rest of that season for his late father, his best finish seventeenth at Dover. In 2003, Truex began the season with his late father’s team before being hired by Dale Earnhardt Jr. to drive his No. 81 Chance 2 Motorsports Chevy. He made his debut with Chance 2 at Richmond International Raceway, where he qualified sixth and led 11 laps before transmission failure forced him to a 31st-place finish. He split time between Chance 2 and his late father’s team for the balance of the season, except at Dover, where he drove for Stanton Barrett. He had a sixth-place run at Bristol Motor Speedway and ended the season with two consecutive second-place finishes. He ran a total of ten races that season. Truex raced full-time for Chance 2 in 2004. At Bristol Motor Speedway, he earned his first career victory and later added three more victories over the next seven races. This included a victory at Talladega Superspeedway, which broke his car owner’s streak of winning restrictor plate races in the Busch Series. He clinched the Busch Series championship with a race to spare. While on his way to that championship, Truex made an appearance in the Nextel Cup Series as a relief driver to Dale Earnhardt Jr., who had suffered burns in a sports car accident. Truex started his first career Cup race for Dale Earnhardt, Inc. in the No. 1 at Atlanta Motor Speedway later that year.

Martin Truex Jr. Career

Early Career (2001–2005)

In 2006, Truex moved to the No. 1 DEI Chevy full-time in the Nextel Cup Series. He had two top-five finishes and finished nineteenth in points. Truex got his first win of the 2007 season in the NASCAR Nextel All-Star Open, securing a spot in the 2007 Nextel All-Star Challenge, where he finished tenth. A few weeks later, he won the Autism Speaks 400, scoring his first Sprint Cup Series win. This victory led to a jump in overall points, advancing him to thirteenth, followed by a 3rd-place finish at Pocono Raceway and a second-place finish at Michigan. Truex clinched a spot in his first Chase for the Sprint Cup and finished eleventh in points at season’s end. He did not go to victory lane in 2008 but had eleven top-tens and finished fifteenth in the final points standings.

Breakthrough (2006–2008)

At the beginning of the 2009 season, Dale Earnhardt, Inc. merged into Chip Ganassi Racing and was renamed Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing. Truex began the year by winning the pole for the Daytona 500. Later in the season, Truex had claimed two more pole positions at Atlanta and Phoenix. 2009 would be Truex’s lone season with Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, as he departed following the season. After the 2009 season, Truex left Earnhardt Ganassi Racing to drive the No. 56 Toyota Camry for Michael Waltrip Racing. In his first race for Michael Waltrip Racing, Truex finished sixth in the Daytona 500. Truex had an up-and-down 2013 season, with his highlight being at Sonoma, where he broke a 218-race winless streak. Truex’s 218-race winless streak is second only to Bill Elliott’s 226 races. In 2014, Truex moved to Furniture Row Racing and drove the No. 78 Chevrolet. Truex’s 2014 season started with an outside pole qualifying run for the Daytona 500. However, Truex’s engine failed on lap 31. He rebounded with four top-10s in the latter part of the season.

Notable Works and Milestones

Truex became the first driver since Richard Petty in 1969 to start a Cup season with fourteen top-ten finishes through the first fifteen races. In 2016, Truex dominated the Coca-Cola 600, leading a record 392 of 400 laps, clinching a place in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Truex started the 2017 season off by winning the Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He also became the first driver to win all three stages of the new stage format introduced for 2017. Truex won the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series championship, capping off one of the most dominant seasons in recent history.

Martin Truex Jr. Award Nominations

Throughout his career, Martin Truex Jr. has received numerous nominations for his performances in NASCAR, showcasing his talent and dedication to the sport.

Martin Truex Jr. Awards Won

Martin Truex Jr. has won several prestigious awards during his racing career, including the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series Champion and the 2004 and 2005 Xfinity Series Champion. He was named the Busch Series Most Popular Driver in 2004 and 2005 and received the ESPY Best Driver award in 2018. In 2023, he was named one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers.

Martin Truex Jr. Family

Martin Truex Jr. has a younger brother, Ryan Truex, who is also involved in racing. Their father, Martin Truex Sr., was a former racer in the Busch North Series.

Personal Life

Truex was in a long-term relationship with Sherry Pollex from 2005 until their breakup in January 2023. They founded the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation to support children with pediatric cancer. Truex is an avid fan of the Philadelphia Eagles and the Philadelphia Flyers. In 2019, he entered the human organ transport business through his holding company, which holds a small aircraft fleet.