Martin Truex Jr., the recently retired 2017 Cup champion, will try to make NASCAR history at the 2025 Daytona 500, which kicks out the season. After Chase Briscoe moved from Stewart-Haas Racing to replace Truex in the #19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota at the end of 2024, Truex will try to make his 694th career Cup start by joining Truck Series team TRICON Garage for its series debut at Daytona. In an endeavor backed by JGR, the 44-year-old will drive a #56 Toyota, evoking his time spent driving the number with Michael Waltrip Racing from 2010 to 2013. This will bring him back together with his former crew chief, Cole Pearn.
“It’s going to be a really cool deal to be able to work with Cole and have the number 56 again,” Truex added. “I really appreciate everyone at Bass Pro Shops, TRICON and Toyota helping put this together to go have some fun, and I can’t think of a better time to go win the thing for [Bass Pro Shops CEO] Johnny Morris.” Truex’s 34 Cup victories do not include the 500 itself, despite the fact that he has started NASCAR’s crown jewel event 20 times.
As a Cup driver, Truex has really never won a race at a superspeedway. In 1998, Dale Earnhardt Sr. experienced “20 years of trying and 20 years of frustration” before winning his sole Daytona 500, the most attempts of any Cup driver history before finally collecting the Harley J. Earl Trophy. Should Truex make the race, 2025 will be his 21st Daytona 500 start. At this point in his career, a win in the 500 would be both unprecedented and record-breaking.
Truex has gotten closer to winning the 500 than any other driver, despite the fact that he has never won in pack racing competitions. In the race’s most close finish ever, Truex fell to future Denny Hamlin in 2016 by a mere 0.010 seconds. Four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves in a third Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet is the main attraction among the six confirmed open entries for the 500.
Truex also joins the #44 NY Racing Team Chevrolet of J.J. Yeley, Anthony Alfredo’s #62 Beard Motorsport Chevrolet, BJ McLeod (#78 Live Fast Motorsport Chevrolet) and defending NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Justin Allgaier’s #40 JR Motorsports Chevrolet. Along with the recently added Open Exemption Provisional, there are just four slots left on the grid available to Castroneves should he need it, potentially expanding the field to 41 cars.
It is expected that seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson will enter the 500, which he won in 2006 and 2013, while other teams are also looking to find drivers and sponsors for an entry.
