This weekend's race at Phoenix Raceway marks Martin Truex Jr.'s final start as a full-time driver. He will close out his career with a special throwback scheme.
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According to an announcement from Joe Gibbs Racing, Truex will ditch his standard Bass Pro Shops scheme for a much different look. He will have a red scheme with black and yellow stripes and Bass Pro Shops logos.
For longtime fans of Truex, they will know that this is a scheme he used when he made his Cup Series debut back in 2004 with Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
Back to the beginning!
In his final race as a full-time #NASCAR Cup Series driver, @MartinTruex_Jr will be running the same @BassProShops scheme that he made his Cup debut in. pic.twitter.com/K64RW25m23
— Joe Gibbs Racing (@JoeGibbsRacing) November 5, 2024
The New Jersey native made his Cup Series debut on Oct. 31, 2004, at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He started 33rd and ultimately finished 37th due to an engine failure. It was a quiet debut, especially considering that Truex's next start that season was also a DNF due to another issue.
The two DNFs were not an indicator of how Truex's career would play out. Yes, he struggled with DNFs while making seven starts in 2005, but he showed his potential in 2006 and beyond as he went full-time in Cup.
Truex has started every single race since the 2006 Daytona 500, and he has won 34 Cup races while Bass Pro Shops has joined him for the journey.
There have been struggles as he has driven for DEI, Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, Michael Waltrip Racing, Furniture Row Racing, and Joe Gibbs Racing. There have also been successes.
Truex has five multi-win seasons on his resume and four appearances in the Championship 4. He is a Cup Series champion.
"It's been a roller coaster, there's no question," Truex said in a pre-Phoenix release. "Just thankful for everyone who has done so much for my career, there's more than I could even begin to thank. I'm looking forward to celebrating a lot of those people this weekend.
"I'll have some friends and family at Phoenix and I know a lot of people from Bass Pro Shops and Toyota will be there, as well. I'm thankful for so many people and hope we can celebrate with them during the weekend for all we have been able to do together."
The Cup debut throwback is not the only time this season that Truex has showcased a special scheme. Last weekend, Auto-Owners Insurance had a message thanking Martin on the hood of the No. 19 Toyota last weekend at Martinsville. Bass Pro Shops ran a throwback scheme to the 2017 Cup Series championship race two weekends ago at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
