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 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion, having won consecutive titles in 2004 and 2005. Over a career spanning more than two decades, Truex Jr. has earned recognition as one of the most respected drivers of his generation and was named to NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers list in 2023.
Early Life and Background
Martin Lee Truex Jr. was born on June 29, 1980, in Mayetta, New Jersey, a small community located in Stafford Township. He is the son of Martin Truex Sr., a former racer who competed in the Busch North Series, and Linda Truex. Growing up around racing, Truex Jr. began his career driving go-karts at New Egypt Speedway in Ocean County, New Jersey, when it was still a paved track. He graduated from Southern Regional High School in 1998.
Coming from a family with deep ties to stock car racing, Truex Jr. moved into the Modified division at Wall Stadium Speedway in 1998, as soon as he was old enough to race under New Jersey regulations. His father’s experience in the sport shaped his early development and introduced him to the mechanics and discipline required for professional racing. The Truex family ties to NASCAR extend further, with his uncle Barney competing part-time in the Whelen Modified Tour in the 1980s and cousins Curtis Truex Jr. and Tyler Truex also involved in late model racing.
Path to NASCAR
In 2000, Truex Jr. moved south and rented a home from Dale Earnhardt Jr. in Mooresville, North Carolina, eventually purchasing his own home there. Following in his father’s footsteps, he began racing in the Busch North Series and ran three full seasons from 2000 to 2002, with limited starts in 2003. Driving a family-owned No. 56 SeaWatch Chevy, he claimed thirteen poles and five wins in that series.
Truex Jr. made his first NASCAR Busch Series start in 2001 at Dover International Speedway in his father’s No. 56 Chevy. By 2003, he had been hired by Dale Earnhardt Jr. to drive the No. 81 Chance 2 Motorsports Chevy, where he earned his first career victory at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2004 and went on to capture his first Busch Series championship that same year.
Martin Truex Jr Career
Early Career (2001-2005)
Truex Jr. raced full-time for Chance 2 Motorsports in the NASCAR Busch Series in 2004, winning four races including events at Bristol Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. He took the lead in the championship after Nazareth Speedway and held off rookie Kyle Busch to clinch the title with a race to spare. While pursuing that championship, he made his first NASCAR Cup Series appearance as a relief driver for Dale Earnhardt Jr.
He returned to defend his Busch Series title in 2005 and won it again, becoming a two-time consecutive champion. That season he won the first Busch Series points race held outside the United States, in Mexico, and added wins at Talladega, Dover International Speedway, and Daytona International Speedway. He earned the Busch Series Most Popular Driver award in both 2004 and 2005.
NASCAR Cup Series Breakthrough (2006-2018)
Truex Jr. moved to the NASCAR Cup Series full-time in 2006 with Dale Earnhardt, Inc., driving the No. 1 Chevrolet. He secured his first Cup Series victory at the Autism Speaks 400 at Dover in 2007 and clinched his first Chase for the Sprint Cup appearance that same season. After DEI merged with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2009, Truex Jr. joined Michael Waltrip Racing the following year, driving the No. 56 Toyota Camry, a number considered the family’s signature in racing.
In 2013, Truex Jr. broke a 218-race winless streak with a victory at Sonoma Raceway, the second-longest such streak in Cup Series history at the time. He moved to Furniture Row Racing in 2014 and, paired with crew chief Cole Pearn, became the dominant force of the late 2010s. He won the Coca-Cola 600 in both 2016 and 2019, the Southern 500 in 2016, and captured the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship with eight wins and nineteen stage victories. He was named ESPY Best Driver in 2018.
Joe Gibbs Racing Era (2019-Present)
Following the closure of Furniture Row Racing, Truex Jr. signed with Joe Gibbs Racing in November 2018 to drive the No. 19 Toyota starting in 2019. He responded with seven wins that season, including victories at Richmond, Dover, Charlotte, Sonoma, Las Vegas, and Martinsville, leading the series in victories and reaching the Championship 4 for the second consecutive year. He finished second in the final standings to teammate Kyle Busch.
After parting ways with longtime crew chief Cole Pearn following the 2019 season, Truex Jr. continued with JGR and crew chief James Small. He won at Phoenix in 2021 for his first victory at that track and in 2023 captured the Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum along with wins at Dover, Sonoma, and New Hampshire, clinching the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Regular Season Championship. On June 14, 2024, he announced his retirement from full-time racing, finishing tenth in the final standings that year.
Driving Style and Strengths
Truex Jr. is widely regarded as one of the strongest intermediate and 1.5-mile track drivers of his era, particularly during his years with Furniture Row Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing. His race craft shines on long runs, where his ability to manage tire wear and maintain pace has produced several dominant performances. His partnership with crew chief Cole Pearn produced some of the most efficient race-day executions in the sport, and his continued collaboration with James Small has maintained that strategic edge.
Notable Races and Milestones
Signature moments include his 2016 Coca-Cola 600 win, where he led a record 392 of 400 laps, and his 2019 Coca-Cola 600 victory the following year. He also captured the 2016 Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, the 2017 I Love New York 355 at Watkins Glen International, and his emotional Sonoma win in 2013 that ended his long winless streak.
Martin Truex Jr Career Wins
Across NASCAR’s three national touring series, Martin Truex Jr. has compiled 34 NASCAR Cup Series wins, 13 NASCAR Xfinity Series wins, and 1 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win, making him one of a small group of drivers to win in all three top series. He is a three-time series champion, with two Xfinity titles and one Cup title.
NASCAR Cup Series Highlights
Truex Jr.’s first Cup Series victory came at the Autism Speaks 400 at Dover in 2007, where he led 216 of 400 laps. His most recent Cup win came at the Crayon 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2023. He has won crown jewel events including the Coca-Cola 600 in 2016 and 2019, the Southern 500 in 2016, and the Busch Light Clash in 2023, and he has qualified for the Championship 4 four times.
Other Wins and Performances
Truex Jr. captured back-to-back NASCAR Busch Series championships in 2004 and 2005, with his first Xfinity-level win coming at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2004. He won his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at the Pinty’s Truck Race on Dirt at Bristol in 2021, becoming the 36th driver to win in all three of NASCAR’s national series. He also won five races in the ARCA Menards Series East during the early 2000s.
| Series | Wins | Top Tens | Poles |
|---|---|---|---|
| NASCAR Cup Series | 34 | 291 | 25 |
| NASCAR Xfinity Series | 13 | 62 | 10 |
| NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| ARCA Menards Series East | 5 | 32 | 7 |
Martin Truex Jr Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Truex Jr. comes from a multi-generational racing family. His late father, Martin Truex Sr., competed full-time in the ARCA Menards Series East during the 1990s, and his uncle Barney raced part-time in the Whelen Modified Tour in the 1980s. His cousins Curtis Truex Jr. and Tyler Truex are late model racing drivers, and his younger brother Ryan has followed the family tradition as well.
Ryan Truex is a two-time consecutive champion in what is now the ARCA Menards Series East and competes part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for Joe Gibbs Racing. The No. 56, the family number carried by Martin Sr. and later Martin Jr. at Michael Waltrip Racing, remains a symbol of the Truex family’s deep ties to stock car racing.
Personal Life
Truex Jr. was in a long-term relationship with Sherry Pollex from 2005 to 2023. Together they founded the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation in 2007 to support children with pediatric cancer, and Pollex was later honored for her advocacy work after being diagnosed with Stage III ovarian cancer in 2014. Truex Jr. announced the end of their relationship in January 2023, and Pollex passed away on September 17, 2023.
Truex Jr. is an avid fan of the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League and the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League. Standing 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighing approximately 180 pounds, he settled in Mooresville, North Carolina, after moving south to pursue his racing career.
2025 Season Performance
Truex Jr. returned to part-time competition in 2025 with Tricon Garage, driving the No. 56 Toyota Camry XSE with Bass Pro Shops as the primary sponsor and Cole Pearn serving as crew chief. The effort marked the team’s NASCAR Cup Series debut. He locked into the 2025 Daytona 500 by posting the fastest qualifying speed among open cars, then finished 38th after being caught up in a crash during the race.
The 2025 Daytona 500 represented Truex Jr.’s first race back in the No. 56 since his final season with Michael Waltrip Racing in 2013. His decision to step back into the car for a one-off effort with a new team reflected his continued passion for the sport and his desire to close the loop on the family number that defined much of his earlier career. He is expected to make select additional starts through the season as Tricon Garage continues to build its Cup program.
