NASCAR sponsorship rumor a Martin Truex Jr. retirement hint?

Longtime JTG Daugherty Racing primary sponsor Kroger is said to be considering leaving the team after the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season, which would bring an end to a partnership that dates back to 2010.

Team co-owner Tad Geschickter's future with the organization is also believed to be in question, and given the fact that he has been helping to sell sponsorship to Joe Gibbs Racing since 2022 through his Brand Activation Maximizer, it is rumored that Joe Gibbs Racing could be Kroger's -- and Geschickter's -- new landing spot.

What that would mean for the future of JTG Daugherty Racing after the 2024 season remains to be seen, even though they have just announced a multi-year contract extension for Ricky Stenhouse Jr. But what would it mean for the future of Joe Gibbs Racing?

Martin Truex Jr. considering retirement?

Amid the continued reduction in appearances for longtime partner FedEx as the primary sponsor of Denny Hamlin's No. 11 Toyota, partnering with America’s largest supermarket chain would naturally be a massive addition. But could it also indicate what Martin Truex Jr. plans to do after 2024?

Truex has been considering retirement for the last three seasons. He did not finish a single race higher than fourth place in 2022, but he opted to return in 2023 on a one-year deal before going on to win three races and the regular season championship. In 2023, he opted to return in 2024 on another one-year deal.

Now here we are in 2024, with Truex facing a similar situation regarding 2025. He sits in second place in the point standings through 11 races in 2024, so it's not as if his performance is lacking.

But the 43-year-old Mayetta, New Jersey native is the oldest full-time driver in the series, and he is not committed to a return in 2025. As a result, the futures of primary sponsors Bass Pro Shops and Auto-Owners Insurance with Joe Gibbs Racing also remain unknown.

Would the addition of Kroger indicate Truex's retirement and thus a new driver and partners for the No. 19 Toyota in 2025, or would it simply be a case of a powerhouse team landing a major sponsor that has, for all intents and purposes, been linked to them -- by association with Geschickter -- for the last three years?

Only Truex knows -- and even he might not know, at this point -- and as we saw in 2022 and 2023, the 2017 Cup Series champion usually isn't willing to give much away until he makes the official announcement on his decision.