NASCAR: Martin Truex Jr. set for another long-awaited return

Just days after making his first NASCAR Xfinity Series start in the last 11 seasons, Martin Truex Jr. is set to return to the Truck Series for the first time since 2006.

Last Saturday at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Martin Truex Jr. competed in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race for Joe Gibbs Racing behind the wheel of the #54 Toyota, marking his first start at NASCAR’s second highest level of competition since he competed in the 2010 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Just seven days later, he is set to return to the sport’s third highest level, the Truck Series, and he is set to do so following a much longer absence.

The 40-year-old Mayetta, New Jersey native, who competes full-time for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Cup Series behind the wheel of the #19 Toyota, has competed in just two Truck Series races, and the more recent of the two took place in June 2006 at Michigan International Speedway. He crashed out of that race.

He made his Truck Series debut in June 2005 at the Milwaukee Mile and finished in 15th place.

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This evening, he is set to compete in the Pinty’s Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway ahead of Sunday’s Cup Series event, the Food City Dirt Race, at the four-turn, 0.533-mile (0.858-kilometer) high-banked oval in Bristol, Tennessee.

He is set to do so behind the wheel of the #51 Toyota for Kyle Busch Motorsports. How his ride for this race, which is slated to end a nearly 15-year hiatus from the Truck Series for the 2017 Cup Series champion and two-time Xfinity Series champion, was announced was quite entertaining.

The following picture was posted on the Instagram account of Auto-Owners Insurance and later  deleted.

Following his Cup Series victory at Phoenix Raceway this past Sunday afternoon, Truex was asked whether or not he would be doing any driving on dirt ahead of the Cup Series dirt race, which is slated to be the first Cup Series race on dirt in over five decades.

“Probably,” he said. “I’m not sure where yet, though, or how, but probably. Stay tuned.”

He was then asked about the picture, and he answered honestly.

“Damn! They spilled the beans?” he said, laughing. “Okay, yeah, we are. We’re going to run the Truck race. I’ll run Kyle’s truck. He said I could drive it for free, so I did it.”

Official confirmation came a few days later, with Truex posting a picture of his #51 Auto-Owners Insurance-sponsored Toyota Tundra.

Tune in to Fox Sports 1 at 8:00 p.m. ET this evening for the live broadcast of the the Pinty’s Dirt Race from Bristol Motor Speedway.