NASCAR is a form of motorsport that is dominated by the southeastern United States. So how did a kid from Ocean County rise through the ranks of America’s largest motorsport, rewriting the history books?
Growing up in Mayetta, New Jersey, a subdivision of Stafford Township around 20 minutes south of Whiting, Martin Truex Jr. raced every chance he could get. After all, racing was in his blood. His father, Martin Truex Sr, his brother, Ryan Truex, and many other family members raced all around the eastern seaboard.
At tracks like New Egypt Raceway and Wall Stadium Speedway, the Truex name couldn’t be omitted from the rosters. Martin Sr. ran a clamming company on the Barnegat Bay, Sea Watch International, where Martin would help out. Like his father, Martin was an avid outdoorsman.
In 1999, Martin signed a deal to race with his family race team, Truex Motorsports, in the Busch North Series. From 1999-2003, he won five races, and his success only went up from there.
In 2004, he moved to the Busch Series, the second highest level of NASCAR competition, driving the number #81 and #8 cars for Chance 2 Motorsports.
And what did Martin do after signing this huge contract? Absolute domination. He won back-to-back championships in the 2004 and 2005 seasons, winning 12 races.
This caught the eye of no other than Dale Earnhardt Jr, son of “The Intimidator”, legendary 7-time Champion Dale Earnhardt.
Truex would race the #1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet for Dale Earnhardt, Inc. in the then-Nextel Cup Series. From 2005-2007, Truex made quiet runs, no wins yet. His luck would change on an overcast Monday morning in Dover, Delaware.
On June 4th 2007, at his home racetrack, Martin Truex Jr. would claim his maiden victory in the NASCAR Cup Series. This would be his only win until 2013.
In 2010, Truex debuted at Michael Waltrip Racing, running the #56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota, a number that was used by many Truex racers in the New Jersey racing scene.
He had good performances, no wins until he arrived in Northern California for the 2013 Toyota/SaveMart 350 at Sonoma Raceway.
Truex dominated, leading 51 of the 110 laps run that day. This win put him in contention for a spot in the NASCAR playoffs. Going into the final race of the regular season, Truex was on the outside looking in. As contender Ryan Newman was ahead of Truex in the race, he was thus in the playoffs, leaving Truex out. What ensued was absolute chaos.
Team radio on Truex’s teammate Clint Bowyer’s radio was sketchy. Bowyer was asked if his “arm was itchy,” and “to itch it”, presumably code for Bowyer to purposely spin to cause a caution, resetting the field and allowing Truex a chance to advance ahead of Newman.
NASCAR saw this, and after an investigation, docked all 3 MWR cars 50 driver points, knocking Truex out. NAPA saw this, and decided to pull their sponsorship, nearly ending Truex’s career, as he lost his ride when MWR went to one car.
With no other option, Truex went to the one team who would take him in. Furniture Row Racing, based out of… Denver, Colorado to drive the #78 car? All other NASCAR teams and facilities are based in North Carolina. This is like if the NFL made an expansion team in Mexico City.
Furniture Row Racing was like the New York Jets. They had hot flashes from time to time, but never had a good playoff run. With his back against the wall, Truex went to work, winning at Pocono Raceway in 2015, 2½ hours away from Mayetta, with girlfriend Sherry Pollex at the track, recovering from her first battle with ovarian cancer there to celebrate.
Okay, that was good, but can he back it up? Absolutely. In 2016, he was on fire. He set a NASCAR record at the Coca-Cola 600, with the most laps and most miles led in a NASCAR race, with 392 laps led, and 588 out of 600 miles led. Whenever Truex won, it was pure domination.
Truex made the playoffs, ultimately losing out to newly-crowned 7-time champion Jimmie Johnson. The next year, he knew it was now or never to claim a title. And that he did.
Truex won eight races that year, and became the first and only champion from the Garden State. In 2018, he nearly did it again. This was the last year of the Cinderella-story for Furniture Row Racing, as they announced their closure after the 2018 season. Truex lost out to Joey Logano, in a heated rivalry that would last the rest of his career.
In 2019, he signed with “Coach” Joe Gibbs, long-time coach of the Washington Commanders of the NFL. Joe Gibbs Racing is one of the “Big Three” NASCAR Teams.
Driving the #19, Truex came close to another championship in the 2019 and 2021 seasons. He came up short to Kyle Busch in 2019, and Kyle Larson in 2021. Truex wasn’t the same after 2021.
2022 was the worst season for Martin since 2014. No wins, no playoff appearance, but he finished 4th in the points standings, proving a fatal flaw in NASCAR’s championship system.
In 2023, he won 3 races, with the final of his career coming in the 2023 Crayon 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. In September, his long-time partner, Sherry Pollex, passed away due to the return of her ovarian cancer. The Martin Truex Jr. Foundation helps find and treat childhood ovarian cancer in Sherry’s memory.
In 2024, Martin Truex Jr. announced his retirement from full-time NASCAR competition at the end of the 2024 season. In 2024, Truex struggled, with no wins.
Over his 25-year career across 4 series in NASCAR, Truex had a total of 53 wins, 862 races run, and three championships. In 2023, he was named one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers, joining the likes of Dale Earnhardt, Richard Petty, Kyle Busch, and more.
Truex accomplished what many dream of. He went to the highest level, and captured three titles.
As the sun set on Truex’s career, the history books were re-written. A kid from a small town on the Jersey Shore went to play with the “big dogs” of the southeast, and kicked some butt along the way. Not only is he a hero of New Jersey, he was, and forever will be legendary.
