Aug 31, 2023; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Martin Truex Jr. answers questions from the media at Charlotte Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
Martin Truex Jr. may compete for JR Motorsports, which is jointly owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kelley Earnhardt Miller, according to fan conjecture. With a big announcement scheduled for January 15, 2025, they teased NASCAR fans. Together with two special guests, the pair will discuss JR Motorsports’ intentions for the Daytona 500.
Fans have been speculating about Truex Jr. possibly competing in the Daytona 500 under the JR Motorsports banner since Racing America editor Joseph Srigley posted the news on the social media site X. “#NASCAR : @JRMotorsports co-owners #DaleJr and #EarnhardtKelley will be joined by two special guests for a 2025 DAYTONA Announcement on Wednesday, January 15, 2025 at 4:00 p.m. ET,” he tweeted.
Since Mike Wallace’s bid to compete in the 2025 Daytona 500 was denied by NASCAR, it is now possible that Truex Jr. may represent JRM. Though some are dubious, supporters are eagerly awaiting the formal announcement, which has not yet been made. “Truex running the 500 for Dale Earnhardt Jr. would feed families,” someone commented. “Not possible! Five cars for HMS, since Hendrick owns a portion of JRM,” someone else wrote. A third admirer commented, “I think that will be Allgaier in the Brandt car.” Other remarks offered a different perspective: “Truex and TRD have an agreement.”
“This is blatantly corrupt,” a fan wrote on Twitter. “Don’t tell anyone but the announcement is going to be Dale Earnhardt Jr. driving the number 8 Bud car one more time,” someone else remarked. Truex Jr. has 23 years of NASCAR racing experience, making him a veteran of the sport. He has stated interest in racing at Daytona and is the 2017 Cup Series champion. He lost to Denny Hamlin by the smallest margin in the history of the Daytona 500, 0.010 seconds, in the 2016 event. Martin Truex Jr. and Dale Earnhardt Jr. during their bachelor days Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Martin Truex Jr. have been close friends since the latter’s early racing days. He stayed with him in North Carolina in the early 2000s while beginning his NASCAR career in the ARCA Series.
In 2019, Earnhardt Jr. reminisced on his podcast “Dale Jr. Download” about transforming the house into a temporary racing arena using computer-based simulations. “I purchased four identical laptops, and within a year, all of that nonsense becomes outdated. We’re in there updating, installing, and upgrading four brand-new PCs that have returned to the house; everyone has a wheel. We had it set up, after all. We slept all day, raced all night, ate junk food, drank beer, and he drank Captain—that’s his drink; he’s a Captain Morgan fan—and we had a great time. Truex Jr.’s professional career also benefited from his experience with Earnhardt Jr.; while racing with Chance 2 Motorsports a team oc-owned by his friend, he won consecutive NASCAR Xfinity Series titles in 2004 and 2005.
