NASCAR: Bizarre Martin Truex Jr. retirement rumor emerges
By Asher Fair
Rumors about Martin Truex Jr. not returning to the #19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota for the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season have been shot down.
Martin Truex Jr. signed a multi-year deal to replace Daniel Suarez behind the wheel of the #19 Toyota at Joe Gibbs Racing after Furniture Row Racing folded following the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series season.
He finished his second season with the team this past November, following up his runner-up finish in the championship standings from 2019 with a disappointing seventh place finish, tied with teammate Kyle Busch.
Truex had always been set to return for a third season behind the wheel of the #19 Toyota next year, with the only change at the four-car organization being that Christopher Bell is slated to replace Erik Jones behind the wheel of the #20 Toyota.
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Denny Hamlin is set to return for a 16th season with the team behind the wheel of the #11 Toyota while Busch is set return for a 14th season with the team behind the wheel of the #18 Toyota.
However, recent rumors emerged that Truex would not be back with the team next year and would retire, thanks mainly to a parody account of FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass. But the real Bob Pockrass confirmed with Joe Gibbs Racing that the plan is still to run the #19 Toyota with Truex behind the wheel in 2021, with the team noting that there is no truth to any rumors suggesting otherwise.
Please don’t believe parody accounts of me. Truex has a contract that has him in the 19 car in 2021. JGR tells me no truth to rumors that he won’t race the 19 car in 2021.
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) January 6, 2021
The rumors regarding Truex’s future in the Cup Series emerged following the news that his longtime girlfriend Sherry Pollex was undergoing treatment for the recurrence of ovarian cancer.
Ryan Truex, Martin’s brother, issued a comical response to Pockrass’s omission of the word “Martin” from his tweet.
I actually won’t be in the 19 car bob
— Ryan Truex (@Ryan_Truex) January 6, 2021
Ryan Truex is set to compete full-time behind the wheel of the #40 Chevrolet for Niece Motorsports in the Truck Series, marking his first full season in the Truck Series since 2017 when he competed for Hattori Racing Enterprises and his first full season in any one of NASCAR’s three national series since 2018 when he competed for Kaulig Racing in the Xfinity Series.
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The 2021 Cup Series season is scheduled to get underway in under six weeks with the 63rd annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Fox is set to broadcast the race live beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 14.