"He never made me question my loyalty" - Dale Earnhardt Jr. reflects on bond with Martin Truex Jr. as his full-time NASCAR career ends
Dale Earnhardt Jr. got real about his relationship with outgoing full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver, Martin Truex Jr. Earnhardt Jr. described Truex Jr. as a friend who never made him question his loyalty, though the driver was quite challenging to reach out to.
Dale Jr. is a former NASCAR Cup Series driver who won 26 races in the premier series. He used to work with Martin Truex Jr. where the latter won two Busch Series (known today as Xfinity Series) championships with Chance 2 Motorsports in 2004 and 2005. When Truex Jr. graduated full-time to the Cup Series a year later, he drove the No. 1 Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (DEI) Chevrolet.
During the #AskJr segment on the Dale Jr. Download podcast, the 50-year-old driver was asked to share what he told Martin Truex Jr. on Saturday at the season finale in Phoenix.
“I just told him… so I sent him a text message […] and I saw him in person, and I think my overriding opinion is, you know, I have been a fan of his, I cheered him on his entire career.” [7:18]
The former No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports driver then opened up about his relationship with Truex Jr.
“He’s never made me question allegiance or loyalty, and I’ve always appreciated the friend he’s been.”
He continued by sharing the challenge of reaching out to his friend.
“Now, he’s shitty at communication. He is terrible at text messages, and if you don’t, you know, you might not hear from him for damn months. He’s that kind of friend.”
Regardless, Dale Earnhardt Jr. said he had no problems bumping into Truex Jr. in person.
Martin Truex Jr. ran his final full-time Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway, finishing 17th after starting from pole position. While Chase Briscoe will take over the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, Truex Jr. is expected to enter select races next year, including the Daytona 500.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. won fifth Xfinity Series championship at Phoenix
Following the season finale at Phoenix Raceway, Dale Earnhardt Jr. bagged his fifth Xfinity Series championship as Justin Allgaier won the Championship 4 race. The 2024 Xfinity Series drivers’ championship is Dale Jr.’s third title as JR Motorsports' owner.
The other two titles were won as a driver in 1998 and 1999 when the second-tier series was still called the Busch Grand National Series.
During the celebration in victory lane, Dale Earnhardt Jr. praised Justin Allgaier for winning the championship, saying:
"He's just done so much for us. If there's a, you know, an image in a dictionary of a model race car driver, it's him. He's been incredible for our partners. Anyone that's worked with him on the partner side loves him."
He added:
"He goes above and beyond there. And he drives hard, sometimes it's too hard, but I'd rather have a driver like that going forward all the time and pushing as hard as he can. He's a lot of fun. We've had a lot of fun over the years, but I badly, badly wanted him to get this championship because he's a champion, he deserves it.”
While Dale Earnhardt Jr. celebrated another milestone as a team owner, he is set to return on track as a driver later this month. He will bring back the No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet in a limited series of Late Model Stock Car races.