With the revelation of Martin Truex Jr. retiring after the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series campaign coming to light, Denny Hamlin has had nothing but praise for his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate.
Hamlin and Truex Jr. are part of a fading era of NASCAR, and it’s evident there’s immense respect between the two competitors. Even though there was some friction earlier this season after a controversial restart at Richmond, each of the veteran wheelmen have a lot of love for one another.
“You know, when I think about Martin, I just — I try to think of, have I ever had a moment where I’ve said you know, I can’t believe he did that, and the answer is no. He’s always just done the right thing, 100% of the time, and that’s just, you know, that’s something that’s hard to do,” Hamlin told FOX’s Bob Pockrass.
That’s exactly why Hamlin has told Truex Jr. that if he’s ever bored in retirement, or if he even wants to simply race in the Daytona 500 next season and beyond, a Toyota will be waiting for him with his name on it at 23XI Racing.
“I’ve told him that I will have his Daytona 500 car ready immediately. Just tell me the word,” Hamlin added. “… 100%, I would (add a car to 23XI Racing for Daytona if Truex wanted to race). 100% I would do that.”
There’s a myriad of reasons for Hamlin wanted to gift Truex Jr. a ride with his team, but it comes down to one thing, Truex Jr. is the complete package as a driver, and the Daytona 500 is really the only thing missing from his career resume.
“All of the above. I just explained, he’s a great driver, right? So why wouldn’t I? But yes, we certainly would — anytime that Martin gets bored, and wants to run Cup, we would have a seat for him, for sure,” Hamlin delineated.
23XI Racing has done some awesome things in the Cup Series, and adding Martin Truex Jr. to their team, even if it’s for one race, would be a major boon for Denny Hamlin, Michael Jordan and the entire NASCAR world, if it comes to fruition.
Martin Truex Jr. on future Daytona 500, Xfinity races
Alas, there’s now only one-half of the NASCAR Cup Series season left until Martin Truex Jr. officially hangs up his gloves and helmet for full-time racing. However, the keyword here is “full-time.”
It’s become more common for retired drivers to keep driving part-time recently. At least, it feels that way. We’re sure there has been precedent before. But it appears that Martin Truex Jr. could take the Aric Almirola route in retirement.
When asked about a potential Daytona 500 start in the future, a race that has eluded Truex in his career, the driver left the door open: “Maybe. I don’t know, I’d be open to it,” Truex said. “[Joe Gibbs] got Xfinity cars. Coach, I’m bored, I want to go race. Let’s go.”
Of course, Aric Almirola has raced in a few Xfinity Series races for JGR this year. He even won a race at Martinsville. So, there could be a place for Truex to race next year if he ever wanted to get that competitive itch scratched.
As far as selecting a replacement for Truex, Gibbs isn’t sure yet. He just wants to celebrate his Hall of Famer: “We’re still working on all that and so we just want to focus right now on Martin and all that stuff will take place later on,” Gibbs explained. “So, we’re thrilled to kind of be here supporting, all of our guys are here. Martin means a lot to us.”
A new era in NASCAR and a new era for Joe Gibbs Racing. We’ll see what the future holds for everyone involved.
On3’s Jonathan Howard contributed to this article.
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