Truex aims to make history as he reveals Daytona 500 plans

Martin Truex Jr. will attempt the 67th running of the Daytona 500 in the No. 56 Toyota — a throwback to his Michael Waltrip Racing days. He will be driving for TRICON Garage in the Truck Series team’s Cup debut. Longtime partner Bass Pro Shops will sponsor the effort, Joe Gibbs Racing will offer technical support, and Truex will reunite with former crew chief Cole Pearn.

Truex has started nearly 700 Cup races in his illustrious career, which includes 20 Daytona 500s. However, none of his 34 Cup wins include the 500 itself. He’s won crown jewel events such as the Coca-Cola 600 and Southern 500, but Daytona still eludes him. In fact, he has never won at a superspeedway race as a Cup driver.

But this year’s attempt puts Truex into uncharted territory. Dale Earnhardt Sr. famously won his only Daytona 500 after “20 years of trying and 20 years of frustration,” which is the most attempts of any driver in Cup history before finally collecting the Harley J. Earl Trophy. Should Truex make the race, 2025 will be his 21st Daytona 500 start. At this point in his career, a win in the 500 would be both unprecedented and record-breaking.

The 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion may be winless in pack racing events, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been close to the biggest prize in NASCAR. In fact, he’s gotten closer than any other driver who has yet to win it. In 2016, Truex lost the Daytona 500 to Denny Hamlin in the closest finish in the race’s history – 0.010s.

“It’s going to be a really cool deal to be able to work with Cole and have the number 56 again,” said Truex in reaction to the news. “I really appreciate everyone at Bass Pro Shops, TRICON and Toyota helping put this together to go have some fun, and I can’t think of a better time to go win the thing for [Bass Pro Shops CEO] Johnny Morris.” 

A shockingly competitive open field

There are now six open entries set in stone for the 500 with Truex joining the No. 44 of J.J. Yeley, No. 62 of Anthony Alfredo, No. 78 of BJ McLeod, No. 91 of Helio Castroneves, and the recently announced No. 40 JR Motorsports entry with defending NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Justin Allgaier. Only four spots remain on the grid, along with the newly added Open Exemption Provisional that is only available to Castroneves should he need it, potentially expanding the field to 41 cars.

It’s expected that seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson will enter the event and there’s also the No. 15 Rick Ware Racing entry, which leased its charter to the RFK No. 60 and is now an open team with unclear plans. The No. 66 MBM Motorsports team planned to run the event with Mike Wallace but after he failed to get approval, the team is scrambling to find a driver and sponsor for the 500.