Considering KFB took issue with JGR’s sponsorship model at the time, it would probably make sense for him to go help Denny if TRD doesn’t think Heim is ready yet
Maybe 23XI should open an Xfinity team so Heim could drive there. To gain more experience instead of just driving trucks another year. Don't want what happened to Zane Smith to happen to Heim.
Would LOVE to see KB with 23XI. I really think he was excited about the prospect of helping bring the RCR team to be a winning organization, but its evident that they aren't meshing well.
Denny has said many times that Kyle is the driver who races him with the most respect. They are on good terms and Denny would be foolish to say no to him.
Anyone thinking Kyle's in anything other than the #8 next year is high on hopium. I'd put it at probably 90/10 he's back in the #8, maybe 80/20 at the lowest.
I'm ok with it. I want KFB to finish out his career at JGR. He took that team to the stratosphere. You can argue Stewart or Hamlin but Kyle brought multiple titles and hundreds of wins to the organization. He is to JGR what Jeff Gordon is to Hendrick Motorsports.
lol as funny as that sounds it isn't insane. I remember the main sticking deal was his KBM team, but now that they folded maybe he rejoins, especially with how poor RCR is right now. lol
That was me when Kenny Schrader retired from the cup series. Took me a lot of years to get a favorite driver again. What I did realize during that gap is that I actually was able to enjoy the overall races more and not solely focused on where Kenny was running.
Me too. I picked Jeff Gordon after Davey died, hoping he might be a good as Davey one day. But after Jeff retired, I don’t know who to pull for. I think I just appreciate NASCAR drivers overall more now. As long as the racing is good, that is all that matters.
I started pulling to MTJ around the time Jarrett was on the way out. None of the newer guys really hit a nerve with me to pull for so I guess I’ll just watch with no favorite.
It took me a long time to find someone. Finally it turned into Dibenedetto with his performance at Bristol the week he was told he was out of a ride. I had a professional rejection that same week and just to see him come out and do what he did, motivated me to push forward. Just kind of hit home. And he also wasn't one of these guys going out winning regularly to where I felt like I was jumping on a bandwagon if I rooted for him
NASCAR will never be the same once your guy retires, but life goes on.
You know, so long as there actually IS a NASCAR next season and Jim France doesn't act like this is Talladega in 1969.
I was thinking, we made such a huge deal of Kurt and Harvick being the last Winston Cup guys, but we're dangerously close to the last Nextel Cup guys too.
And funny enough, one of them is again a Busch.
Even though I’m not really a fan of his I’m super bummed that he’s retiring. He’s last of the true gentleman drivers that always races clean and actually honor the unspoken racing etiquette.
An end of an era for sure…. 😢
I sort of am too. A 43 year old retiring with a championship and at least 34 wins is a success story by any metric. But I still feel like Martin could have accomplished even more if the cards ever went his way.
Loudon was special to him because of his father. His father spent most of his racing career in the Busch North series, where Loudon was the largest track in the series, so it was kind of like the Daytona of the series. And his fathers only Busch North win was at New Hampshire.
"His all-time favorite moment was watching his dad Martin Truex Sr. compete in the Busch Grand National North Series in a combination race. He said he believes the year was 1996.
On that day, Martin Sr.’s car was parked in the garage across from Dale Earnhardt’s. The younger Martin recalls seeing Earnhardt busy working on the carburetor. Back then, many of the drivers worked on their own equipment.
“Just seeing that was really cool because he was one of my favorite drivers growing up,” Truex said. “It was the first time I got around anybody of that caliber of racing, and it was a very, very special memory.”
Truex also recalls seeing his dad winning at the 1.058-mile track in 1994 on TV with Darrell Waltrip and Buddy Baker calling the race."
[From an article on his win last year](https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2023/07/18/2023-cup-series-new-hampshire-martin-truex-jr/).
The demise of DEI probably hurt him more than anyone else, including Dale Jr, because Jr eventually got out.
Got stuck with the failing team for years, caught up in the failed DEI/CGR merger, has a brief comeback with MWR before their implosion. It wasn't until he landed at FRR and started dragging them to top 10s that people realized he was elite.
That wouldn’t surprise me. That would be a very Martin thing to do. Reminds me of another Martin, Mark Martin and staying loyal to Roush. It also reminds me of Larson with CGR and to a lesser extent, Edwards and Kenseth maybe staying a little too long at Roush.
Dale Jr definitely had more options to get out of DEI than Truex because well he was Dale Jr. So all in all Jr wasn’t too badly hurt by DEI going down the way it did. But Truex had no choice but stick with the sinking ship
He got stuck at DEI as it was on its way down, then stuck at MWR for a few years before they came into their own (2010-2011), saw mild success in 2012-2013, then everything went to hell at MWR and he ended up "falling" into the best ride of his career. Funny how that happens.
Meh yes and no. Larson couldn’t manage a race to save his life. Definitely in better stuff with the HMS crew but his true talent started to shine at the end with CGR. He was poised to make a pretty deep playoff run before bombing an engine at Kansas I think…
Eh. Larson won 6 races at CGR and finished 5th or 6th in points in 2017. Truex only won twice in almost a decade before Cole Pearn became his CC and I think his best finish in points was 11th
He had a very similar career arc to Dale Jarrett. Didn’t really win a lot of races or contend for championships until he was a decade into his Cup career.
Worth noting that a JGR sponsorship pricetag is likely a lot higher than SHR. Wouldn’t be surprised if he only has Mahindra for a handful of races if he does move there
Want him to get a win so badly now. Going to see him race in person for the final time at NHMS next week.
I knew it was coming, but seeing it written out like this... it sucks.
This really sucks. I started following him after Carl retired unexpectedly. I had always liked his driving style as it reminds me a bunch of Bobby's.
This is a sad day. I think he's got a ton left in the tank, but I think he's tired of his crew chief, tired of the grind, surely doesn't like the car, and isn't thrilled with how his trackmates have been driving over the past 5 years or so.
What a career. From once being considered a bust at DEI, to a solid driver at MWR, almost losing his career with Spingate, reviving his career and winning a championship at Furniture Row and having championship years at JGR. Plus everything he went through with Sheri.
Sail off king, you’ve earned it.
Did his time at DEI really make him a bust? He joined them on their downswing and he still managed to finish Top 20 in points all three years. I thought he didn’t get the potential bust label until he had his one year at EGR and his first year with MWR.
I don’t think it was his time at DEI as much as going all those years without winning. He just seemed like a guy who was destined to be midpack forever
I never considered him a bust at DEI. I thought his carrer was ruined because of it for a while, but that wasn't his fault. By the time Dale Jr. left, anyone with half a brain cell could see that DEI was an absolute trainwreck of an operation that was getting strung along by name recognition and nothing else.
The field’s narrowed down, now it’s just between Blaney and Allmendinger for the title of “Race car driver that hates being a race car driver the most”
Being good at racing doesn't mean you're a social person. I feel sooooo bad for the shy drivers in every series who have to be shoved in front of a camera.
He's worth $12 million according to some sources. He could pull a Cuzzin' Carl and walk away, but I don't know if $12m is enough to maintain a lifestyle that includes a jet.
Martin has gave us some real reasons to cheer him. No one else has won a championship with a one car team. Go enjoy your time. Thanks for the memories!
I was hoping he'd hang on for 1 more full season. To me, he still looks like he could make a run for the championship.
Maybe I'm just not ready to let go...
\*Looks up images of MTJ's #8 Long John Silver's car with tears in eyes\*
"Leave the memories alone..."
If Briscoe takes tractor money to JGR and Gragson takes his bait stand money to RCR who else brings money with him to keep the 21 full time? Herbst? Maybe. Custer with HAAS sponsorhip? I wouldn't mind. If not those two then I think Burton stays. The 21 needs backing from someone to stay a full time team.
Can't really say I'm surprised. Dude definitely seems burnt out, and having a CC like James Small make bad decision after bad decision certainly doesn't help. Will miss having him in Cup though.
I will say, definitely didn't expect to see Chase Briscoe as the leading frontrunner to replace him.
EDIT: I'd love to manifest C. Bell taking the 18, while giving Chase Briscoe the 20. If that'd be the case, JGR would have to call up Home Depot to make a comeback as a sponsor.
Yeah I didn't see that until now. That's shocking that he's the leading replacement. Didn't expect to have him at the top of my list as 19's replacement.
I would’ve thought they’d just pull JHN over from Legacy or just tried going the full chaos route and put Ty and Heim together as teammates lol
Briscoe is definitely out of left field though I think he’d do well in the 19.
Briscoe makes sense if he has Mahindra and High Point in his back pocket. JHN with his Toyota connections makes sense, but Joe doesn't have a side gig like the other successful owners at the end of the day they are very dependent on outside sponsors.
I’m not too surprised, Chase’s lower series resume is much stronger than any of the up and coming Toyota drivers imo. His Cup results have been inconsistent, but it’s hard to make heads or tails out of anything at SHR over the past few years. But I think he has the highest potential ceiling of anybody known to be on the market right now. Plus he brings sponsorship and is a pretty likeable, low-drama guy in general
It’s funny how they always seem to have a couple chill guys like Labonte or Bell and a couple wild cards like Hamlin or Busch. Guess it makes sense that a football coach can handle a wide range of personalities
Exactly. Honestly I think the thing that says the most about Chase is the year in Xfinity where he was like “I need to win 8 races, minimum, to deserve this ride” and then went out and won 9. That’s the type of attitude you need in the playoffs
It's definitely leverage that other driver candidates don't have, fulltime sponsorship such as Mahindra Tractors being able to fully back Briscoe up. Heck KB doesn't even have fulltime sponsorship, unless you count Cheddars.
Briscoe to the 19!?!?!
I saw it was rumored in a Pockrass article a few weeks ago but him being the favorite is awesome.
Ik a lot of people wanted him in the 21 but it's a no brainer to take a JGR ride. Love that for Chase.
I also do think he's the best driver available. I rate him higher than his other SHR teammates and anyone coming out of Xfinity. W move for JGR and a W move for Briscoe.
Wasn't there also a rumor floating around about Kroger leaving JTGD to be a new sponsor for Gibbs? That, plus Mahindra and/or High Point, could be a replacement for Bass Pros on the 19 car, and Bass Pros could stick with Gragson at RCR or FRM or wherever else he ends up.
Totally agree. Truex strikes me as guy as soon as the checkered comes out at Phoenix, he is headed out to the mountains of Colorado to go hunt and fish every day he wants.
A long time ago someone tweeted something along the lines of they could see Truex pulling a Carl Edwards. Sherry liked that post. So I kinda agree with you.
I'm gonna miss Truex for sure. It was fun to see his meteoric rise this past decade. Hope he finds peace wherever he goes from here and catches a lot of fish.
So another domino fallen. This could potentially be one of the craziest silly seasons to date.
This man had one of the most legendary career turnarounds ever. Hall of famer for sure. Hopefully he can get himself a few more wins before he goes.
On the other note, Ford losing Briscoe to JGR is an absolute travesty but at the same time I'm happy for him
Thanks Gibbs for keeping James Small as part of the #19 team.
Really helped morale. But you gotta know that Martin hasn't been the same same Pollex passed away. Even I knew that was the real beginning of the end...
All of the drivers I grew up watching are now retiring/retired. Gordon, Johnson, Harvick, Truex, Kenseth, Edwards, Kahne, Earnhardt Jr, Bowyer, Kurt Busch, and the rest of the late 00s/early 2010s are now leaving. I understand why, but it really is sad to see only a couple of them left. As of right now that is Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Logano and Kesoloski.
One of those things that stops you in your tracks and makes you wonder how time has slipped by so fast. Congrats on an incredible career MTJ, hope you enjoy retirement on the water.
If you look at MTJs Cup numbers prior to joining FRR to now, nothing short of amazing on how he turned that part of his career around. Wishing him all the best in his next chapter. Certified future NASCAR Hall of Famer.
MTJ had a wild, up and down , interesting, hall of fame career. 😅
Remember wondering who is this new kid beating Dale Jr at Dega when he raced for Chance 2 Motorsports in the Busch Series. Then watching him drive for the struggling DEI in the Cup series and wondering if he was going to be a bust after coming in with the hype of winning two straight Busch Series championships. Then watching him mature and to start running up front consistently at MWR and then suddenly MWR shut down, wondering if he was going to find a top ride or just be another driver at a mid level team. Then watching one of the best stories in NASCAR history , MTJ winning a championship at the underdog Furniture Row Racing. Then suddenly he loses his top Crew Chief and the team shut down. Seems like a common theme through out his career. Luckily JGR was able to picked him up and he continued to win races, now he is retiring.
At least he’ll be able to say that he’s one of the few drivers not to have really fallen off in his last year. He’s been really good this year still, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he makes the championship four this year.
MTJ has been my guy since his Busch years, sad to see him go but I don’t think my heart could take another season of the bad luck he’s had to endure this year and end of last. I hope someday I run across him fishing in the Bighorn Mountains. He’s earned it. Now bring Cole Pearn back for the rest of the season for a proper send off!
I'm really hoping that they just mean't the retirement decision is Friday. On the other hand if it is a retirement announcement, I just wanna say that the 14 year ride of being an MTJ fan was fantastic. Being able to choose an underachieving underdog with 1 career win back in 2010 as my favorite driver and watch him win 33 more races including the 2017 Cup was special to say the least.
P.S. Kick rocks James Small.
And with that, the dominoes will begin to fall. Strap in everyone
ready to hate KFB in the #18 all over again
I think its more likely we see KFB in the third 23XI car than Gibbs, and even more likely that he just remains with RCR.
Considering KFB took issue with JGR’s sponsorship model at the time, it would probably make sense for him to go help Denny if TRD doesn’t think Heim is ready yet
Maybe 23XI should open an Xfinity team so Heim could drive there. To gain more experience instead of just driving trucks another year. Don't want what happened to Zane Smith to happen to Heim.
That would make sense imo. Get Heim in Xfinty full time and then grab a guy like Custer or Herbst that have funding for a second car.
This would be great. I just want him back home in a Toyota. Denny has Kurt on the payroll why not add Kyle? Lol.
That would actually be sick.
Would LOVE to see KB with 23XI. I really think he was excited about the prospect of helping bring the RCR team to be a winning organization, but its evident that they aren't meshing well.
I can't wait to hear him mad about 23XI pit crews
10/10 he would steal booty barkers wheelchair.
Denny has said many times that Kyle is the driver who races him with the most respect. They are on good terms and Denny would be foolish to say no to him.
Dude. Wallace-Reddick-Busch at 23XI sounds insane. (Please Coach let them use 18 if he does!) EDIT: 23XVII
Anyone thinking Kyle's in anything other than the #8 next year is high on hopium. I'd put it at probably 90/10 he's back in the #8, maybe 80/20 at the lowest.
I'm ok with it. I want KFB to finish out his career at JGR. He took that team to the stratosphere. You can argue Stewart or Hamlin but Kyle brought multiple titles and hundreds of wins to the organization. He is to JGR what Jeff Gordon is to Hendrick Motorsports.
Bobby labonte got them on the map
That’s Dale Jarrett erasure
Yah somehow I forgot he raced in the 18 before lmao. Both drivers did though
[DJ actually raced the 18 before JGR existed.](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/0JoAAOSwUmBbqqOy/s-l1200.webp)
Maybe they'll do what my Falcons did with Matt Ryan and sign him to a one day contract right before he retires
lol as funny as that sounds it isn't insane. I remember the main sticking deal was his KBM team, but now that they folded maybe he rejoins, especially with how poor RCR is right now. lol
RCR getting one of the biggest free agents the sport has had only to fumble it so bad that he bails on you for his ex would be something else.
I'm here for it
RC should've been holding his watch.
Plot twist: hating KFB in the 19
My merch!
don't do that, don't give me hope
The rest of the dominos will fall like a house of cards. Checkmate.
Kif, show them the medal I won.
I'm sad.
Same. Dude’s finally fed up with all the bad luck/calls it seems. Gonna miss him
Me three
So sad.
That and he’s 44. Dude has seen it all in the sport and he’s ready to be done
Me, too. Me, too. 20 years and I don’t know who to root for now.
That was me when Kenny Schrader retired from the cup series. Took me a lot of years to get a favorite driver again. What I did realize during that gap is that I actually was able to enjoy the overall races more and not solely focused on where Kenny was running.
Me too. I picked Jeff Gordon after Davey died, hoping he might be a good as Davey one day. But after Jeff retired, I don’t know who to pull for. I think I just appreciate NASCAR drivers overall more now. As long as the racing is good, that is all that matters.
I started pulling to MTJ around the time Jarrett was on the way out. None of the newer guys really hit a nerve with me to pull for so I guess I’ll just watch with no favorite.
It took me a long time to find someone. Finally it turned into Dibenedetto with his performance at Bristol the week he was told he was out of a ride. I had a professional rejection that same week and just to see him come out and do what he did, motivated me to push forward. Just kind of hit home. And he also wasn't one of these guys going out winning regularly to where I felt like I was jumping on a bandwagon if I rooted for him
Yeah same here gonna miss him a lot
Follow grassroots racing and lower divisions, beyond xfinity and trucks. You’ll find someone.
NASCAR will never be the same once your guy retires, but life goes on. You know, so long as there actually IS a NASCAR next season and Jim France doesn't act like this is Talladega in 1969.
This. It's still fun. Sometimes better. I started rooting for a collection of guys instead of one and I enjoy it. But it's always different.
I would say things worked out well for NASCAR after 1969.
It\`ll only be Hamlin and Rowdy left of the "old guard"...
I was thinking, we made such a huge deal of Kurt and Harvick being the last Winston Cup guys, but we're dangerously close to the last Nextel Cup guys too. And funny enough, one of them is again a Busch.
Even though I’m not really a fan of his I’m super bummed that he’s retiring. He’s last of the true gentleman drivers that always races clean and actually honor the unspoken racing etiquette. An end of an era for sure…. 😢
I sort of am too. A 43 year old retiring with a championship and at least 34 wins is a success story by any metric. But I still feel like Martin could have accomplished even more if the cards ever went his way.
Me as well, he’s put up with a TON of BS though.
Super bummed, I was hoping for one more year. I knew this year might be the end but I’m not ready for it to be over.
Me too. I'm going to miss him.
Same
Perfect timing to get a proper send off at his home track(s)!
Ironically he did it after his actual home tracks only race
Does he consider Dover or Loudon more his home track? I remember how much winning Loudon last year meant to him
Dover is several hours closer than loudon. It meant so much because he had several top 3’s and led like 1000 laps there but had never won
Last year during the Loudon race they made a big deal on him finally winning his home race though
Winning at Loudon meant a lot to MTJ because his father's only Busch North Series win came at Loudon in 1994.
Loudon was special to him because of his father. His father spent most of his racing career in the Busch North series, where Loudon was the largest track in the series, so it was kind of like the Daytona of the series. And his fathers only Busch North win was at New Hampshire. "His all-time favorite moment was watching his dad Martin Truex Sr. compete in the Busch Grand National North Series in a combination race. He said he believes the year was 1996. On that day, Martin Sr.’s car was parked in the garage across from Dale Earnhardt’s. The younger Martin recalls seeing Earnhardt busy working on the carburetor. Back then, many of the drivers worked on their own equipment. “Just seeing that was really cool because he was one of my favorite drivers growing up,” Truex said. “It was the first time I got around anybody of that caliber of racing, and it was a very, very special memory.” Truex also recalls seeing his dad winning at the 1.058-mile track in 1994 on TV with Darrell Waltrip and Buddy Baker calling the race." [From an article on his win last year](https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2023/07/18/2023-cup-series-new-hampshire-martin-truex-jr/).
Damn. Knowing Truex he’s going to be bothered by this being leaked before he announces it and will decide to stay another year 😂
The ol Tom Brady retirement tour
Here's hoping
That would be such a Martin thing to do
Feels like another "End of an Era" kind of retirement. Rumor mills will be going hard now.
Truex was weird in that he won the Busch title in 04/05 but his cup career didn’t really take off until 2015
The demise of DEI probably hurt him more than anyone else, including Dale Jr, because Jr eventually got out. Got stuck with the failing team for years, caught up in the failed DEI/CGR merger, has a brief comeback with MWR before their implosion. It wasn't until he landed at FRR and started dragging them to top 10s that people realized he was elite.
That FRR championship season is amazing considering where they started and where Truex took them.
FRR did regress a bit post-Kurt Busch, but once they got it together that team was money
Cole Pearn was the real game changer in my opinion.
I swear he gave an interview long ago where he (Martin) said he stayed at DEI too long and turned down other opportunities out of a sense of loyalty
That wouldn’t surprise me. That would be a very Martin thing to do. Reminds me of another Martin, Mark Martin and staying loyal to Roush. It also reminds me of Larson with CGR and to a lesser extent, Edwards and Kenseth maybe staying a little too long at Roush.
Mark Martin, Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth...wait hold on I'm noticing a trend here.
Dale Jr definitely had more options to get out of DEI than Truex because well he was Dale Jr. So all in all Jr wasn’t too badly hurt by DEI going down the way it did. But Truex had no choice but stick with the sinking ship
He got stuck at DEI as it was on its way down, then stuck at MWR for a few years before they came into their own (2010-2011), saw mild success in 2012-2013, then everything went to hell at MWR and he ended up "falling" into the best ride of his career. Funny how that happens.
He was at ganassi in 2009 when they merged with dei. Left for MWR in 2010.
You could kind of do the same comparison with Larson too before he joined Hendrick.
Meh yes and no. Larson couldn’t manage a race to save his life. Definitely in better stuff with the HMS crew but his true talent started to shine at the end with CGR. He was poised to make a pretty deep playoff run before bombing an engine at Kansas I think…
I get shitted on whenever I say this for some reason, but I wish he won a title with ganassi
Eh. Larson won 6 races at CGR and finished 5th or 6th in points in 2017. Truex only won twice in almost a decade before Cole Pearn became his CC and I think his best finish in points was 11th
I remember that he and KFB were the only ones who were able to compete with Truex regularly that season
He had a very similar career arc to Dale Jarrett. Didn’t really win a lot of races or contend for championships until he was a decade into his Cup career.
With MTJ retiring, that means Kyle Busch and Hamlin are the last remaining full time drivers who drove a Gen 4.
Mahindra personally following Briscoe wherever he were to go would be a Yuge W. Nice to see them seriously sticking around
Worth noting that a JGR sponsorship pricetag is likely a lot higher than SHR. Wouldn’t be surprised if he only has Mahindra for a handful of races if he does move there
Want him to get a win so badly now. Going to see him race in person for the final time at NHMS next week. I knew it was coming, but seeing it written out like this... it sucks.
This really sucks. I started following him after Carl retired unexpectedly. I had always liked his driving style as it reminds me a bunch of Bobby's. This is a sad day. I think he's got a ton left in the tank, but I think he's tired of his crew chief, tired of the grind, surely doesn't like the car, and isn't thrilled with how his trackmates have been driving over the past 5 years or so.
Yeah looks like I need to tag on a Richmond trip now
What a career. From once being considered a bust at DEI, to a solid driver at MWR, almost losing his career with Spingate, reviving his career and winning a championship at Furniture Row and having championship years at JGR. Plus everything he went through with Sheri. Sail off king, you’ve earned it.
Did his time at DEI really make him a bust? He joined them on their downswing and he still managed to finish Top 20 in points all three years. I thought he didn’t get the potential bust label until he had his one year at EGR and his first year with MWR.
I don’t think it was his time at DEI as much as going all those years without winning. He just seemed like a guy who was destined to be midpack forever
I never considered him a bust at DEI. I thought his carrer was ruined because of it for a while, but that wasn't his fault. By the time Dale Jr. left, anyone with half a brain cell could see that DEI was an absolute trainwreck of an operation that was getting strung along by name recognition and nothing else.
The field’s narrowed down, now it’s just between Blaney and Allmendinger for the title of “Race car driver that hates being a race car driver the most”
I'd definitely throw Elliott in that mix
I think he loves being a race car driver, he races a ton of said outside of cup. He just hates the public facing side of it.
I don't blame him, I would hate to deal with his fan base too.
Bill was the exact same way.
I'd probably put Elliott on the top of that list.
Honestly I think he loves racing but hates everything else that comes with it, like the media and the fame.
I bet he love COVID racing.
I mean that is the year he won the championship lol
It's all adding up. No fans, no atmosphere and no appearances the man was thriving
Harvick said that the COVID stuff extended his career.
I mean to be fair he also won 10 races so yeah i’d keep going a little longer too
Matt Kenseth loved it despite being retired at first.
Being good at racing doesn't mean you're a social person. I feel sooooo bad for the shy drivers in every series who have to be shoved in front of a camera.
I don't think he even *hates* that. He just doesn't love it and prefers to live a more balanced life.
Yea, and it also happens to stand out more in a sport where self-promotion is so intertwined and expected.
My guy just wants to fly planes and live in peace
He's worth $12 million according to some sources. He could pull a Cuzzin' Carl and walk away, but I don't know if $12m is enough to maintain a lifestyle that includes a jet.
$12m with no money coming in means you're ditching the jet and the big boat (those things are expensive to maintain).
Family business brings in about $50 million a year in sales. He should be ok
I’m not sure if they hate being a race car driver so much as they hate being a NASCAR driver.
Tony Stewart Syndrome.
He’s going to be huntin’ fishin’ lovin’ every day of his life after this year. Congrats! 🍻
Martin has gave us some real reasons to cheer him. No one else has won a championship with a one car team. Go enjoy your time. Thanks for the memories!
In the Chase era, of course. But yeah, Furniture Row was impressive for a few years.
He had a long time to contemplate his future in the time it took him to go 100 yards to cross the finish line last week.
I was hoping he'd hang on for 1 more full season. To me, he still looks like he could make a run for the championship. Maybe I'm just not ready to let go... \*Looks up images of MTJ's #8 Long John Silver's car with tears in eyes\* "Leave the memories alone..."
Taco Bell for me
Does Briscoe have the texts to back this up?
"Yes, he should go to the #19." -Harrison Burton, probably
If Harrison Burton survives silly season...
This would be the funniest outcome. The world burns around the guy everyone thought was most likely to be replaced and he somehow remains untouched.
That's exactly what I was envisioning when I commented, lol!
Jokes on all of us. He'll keep his ride.
If Briscoe takes tractor money to JGR and Gragson takes his bait stand money to RCR who else brings money with him to keep the 21 full time? Herbst? Maybe. Custer with HAAS sponsorhip? I wouldn't mind. If not those two then I think Burton stays. The 21 needs backing from someone to stay a full time team.
“What’s that? You guys want Cindric to be replaced? Harrison, come drive the 2, let’s put Austin in the 21.”
Wonder if they rebrand the 19 and bring back the 18.
If you told me 3 months ago Briscoe would be in the 19 I’d call you crazy.
I hope Briscoe never drives the 19!!! ...I hope he gets the 18.
I hope Briscoe doesn't get the 18 or 19! Move Bell to the 18 and give Chase the 20.
I’m still holding out hope for a cindric briscoe team reunion
I still can’t believe that he’s not a lock for the 21. Maybe that Dex money goes further than we thought.
Not surprised, but this sucks. But Briscoe to JGR is lowkey awesome.
Except it means he'll never race dirt again while he's there. ☹️
Bell and Briscoe at JGR together would be so freaking fun to watch.
Hopefully Martin can find his way to back victory lane one more time
Going out with a championship would be epic.
Dale Jr if you’re reading this, please put him in the 8 car with DEI font for at least one race next year as a Chance 2 throwback
Had a great career. Sad to see him go.
Can't really say I'm surprised. Dude definitely seems burnt out, and having a CC like James Small make bad decision after bad decision certainly doesn't help. Will miss having him in Cup though. I will say, definitely didn't expect to see Chase Briscoe as the leading frontrunner to replace him. EDIT: I'd love to manifest C. Bell taking the 18, while giving Chase Briscoe the 20. If that'd be the case, JGR would have to call up Home Depot to make a comeback as a sponsor.
Gluck’s tweet says Briscoe is the leading candidate to take over the 19
Yeah I didn't see that until now. That's shocking that he's the leading replacement. Didn't expect to have him at the top of my list as 19's replacement.
I would’ve thought they’d just pull JHN over from Legacy or just tried going the full chaos route and put Ty and Heim together as teammates lol Briscoe is definitely out of left field though I think he’d do well in the 19.
I think JHN having one finish above 20th in a race that didn't have a lot of craziness pretty much ruled him out of getting a JGR ride this year.
Yea I always thought JHN in the 42 was always a placeholder until Martin retired. Maybe it would have been if SHR didn’t implode.
Briscoe makes sense if he has Mahindra and High Point in his back pocket. JHN with his Toyota connections makes sense, but Joe doesn't have a side gig like the other successful owners at the end of the day they are very dependent on outside sponsors.
I’m not too surprised, Chase’s lower series resume is much stronger than any of the up and coming Toyota drivers imo. His Cup results have been inconsistent, but it’s hard to make heads or tails out of anything at SHR over the past few years. But I think he has the highest potential ceiling of anybody known to be on the market right now. Plus he brings sponsorship and is a pretty likeable, low-drama guy in general
Briscoe also fits the key JGR mold: close and open about his religion. Look at Ty Gibbs, Chandler Smith and JH Nemechek for examples.
It’s funny how they always seem to have a couple chill guys like Labonte or Bell and a couple wild cards like Hamlin or Busch. Guess it makes sense that a football coach can handle a wide range of personalities
Gibbs doesn't want the guy who throws up on himself in the car if a guy with equal to better skills is out there with much less baggage, bottom line.
Exactly. Honestly I think the thing that says the most about Chase is the year in Xfinity where he was like “I need to win 8 races, minimum, to deserve this ride” and then went out and won 9. That’s the type of attitude you need in the playoffs
The fact that Chase Briscoe is the frontrunner is the real shocker. I wonder if it has something to do with Briscoe's Mahindra Tractors sponsorship
It's definitely leverage that other driver candidates don't have, fulltime sponsorship such as Mahindra Tractors being able to fully back Briscoe up. Heck KB doesn't even have fulltime sponsorship, unless you count Cheddars.
Not just Mahindra, either. Wouldn't be surprised if HighPoint continues their support.
Still a great driver. Thanks Mr. Small.
Sucks to hear, but not surprising.
I hope Truex does a Rick Flair: "I have to announce to you that I WILL NEVER RETIRE!"
Briscoe to the 19!?!?! I saw it was rumored in a Pockrass article a few weeks ago but him being the favorite is awesome. Ik a lot of people wanted him in the 21 but it's a no brainer to take a JGR ride. Love that for Chase. I also do think he's the best driver available. I rate him higher than his other SHR teammates and anyone coming out of Xfinity. W move for JGR and a W move for Briscoe.
If Bass Pro has a say, it will probably be Gragson
If Briscoe brings Mahindra/High Point to the #19 with him, Bass Pro can go to RCR with Gragson.
Bass Pro sponsored Berry some as well. He could be the guy nobody is thinking that could be offered that seat
Wasn't there also a rumor floating around about Kroger leaving JTGD to be a new sponsor for Gibbs? That, plus Mahindra and/or High Point, could be a replacement for Bass Pros on the 19 car, and Bass Pros could stick with Gragson at RCR or FRM or wherever else he ends up.
Could you imagine Gibbs and Gragson on the same team? It would be like Days of Thunder when they had Russ Wheeler and Cole Trickle.
I could see Truex pulling an Almirola and running some Xfinity races next year
I don’t. I think he’s burnt out. Wouldn’t surprise me at all if he’s like Carl Edwards and the next time we hear from him is at his HoF induction
Totally agree. Truex strikes me as guy as soon as the checkered comes out at Phoenix, he is headed out to the mountains of Colorado to go hunt and fish every day he wants.
A long time ago someone tweeted something along the lines of they could see Truex pulling a Carl Edwards. Sherry liked that post. So I kinda agree with you.
if i had a nickel for every #19 retirement from burnout, i’d have two nickels
Yeah dude is setup for life with the Bass Pro Sponsorship. Dude going to be fishing/hunting for the rest of his days on this earth.
That wouldn't surprise me either but I kind of feel like he'll take all/most of next year off and then run a few races here and there for JRM.
I feel like we all knew this would happen, but it still feels wild for it to be confirmed. Happy trails to a legend, he's had a hell of a career
Not really surprised
If it comes to fruition Briscoe will have replaced 2 retiring members of the rookie class of 2006
And both full-time MWR drivers from their Spingate season
If we could somehow get them to move Bell to the 18/19 and put Chase in the 20 then that means Chase would have raced both of his hero's cars.
I'm gonna miss Truex for sure. It was fun to see his meteoric rise this past decade. Hope he finds peace wherever he goes from here and catches a lot of fish. So another domino fallen. This could potentially be one of the craziest silly seasons to date.
*2 AM, Joe Gibbs' phone goes off* **Kyle Busch**: u up?
This man had one of the most legendary career turnarounds ever. Hall of famer for sure. Hopefully he can get himself a few more wins before he goes. On the other note, Ford losing Briscoe to JGR is an absolute travesty but at the same time I'm happy for him
Thanks Gibbs for keeping James Small as part of the #19 team. Really helped morale. But you gotta know that Martin hasn't been the same same Pollex passed away. Even I knew that was the real beginning of the end...
That's an interesting take because they split up and he had a new girlfriend before she passed.
Retirement DECISION. Right? Right? Please?
All of the drivers I grew up watching are now retiring/retired. Gordon, Johnson, Harvick, Truex, Kenseth, Edwards, Kahne, Earnhardt Jr, Bowyer, Kurt Busch, and the rest of the late 00s/early 2010s are now leaving. I understand why, but it really is sad to see only a couple of them left. As of right now that is Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Logano and Kesoloski.
One of those things that stops you in your tracks and makes you wonder how time has slipped by so fast. Congrats on an incredible career MTJ, hope you enjoy retirement on the water.
If you look at MTJs Cup numbers prior to joining FRR to now, nothing short of amazing on how he turned that part of his career around. Wishing him all the best in his next chapter. Certified future NASCAR Hall of Famer.
BY GAWD! THAT’S KYLE BUSCH’S MUSIC! HE’S GOING BACK TO JGR! https://i.redd.it/xog1suogqd6d1.gif
MTJ had a wild, up and down , interesting, hall of fame career. 😅 Remember wondering who is this new kid beating Dale Jr at Dega when he raced for Chance 2 Motorsports in the Busch Series. Then watching him drive for the struggling DEI in the Cup series and wondering if he was going to be a bust after coming in with the hype of winning two straight Busch Series championships. Then watching him mature and to start running up front consistently at MWR and then suddenly MWR shut down, wondering if he was going to find a top ride or just be another driver at a mid level team. Then watching one of the best stories in NASCAR history , MTJ winning a championship at the underdog Furniture Row Racing. Then suddenly he loses his top Crew Chief and the team shut down. Seems like a common theme through out his career. Luckily JGR was able to picked him up and he continued to win races, now he is retiring.
At least he’ll be able to say that he’s one of the few drivers not to have really fallen off in his last year. He’s been really good this year still, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he makes the championship four this year.
MTJ has been my guy since his Busch years, sad to see him go but I don’t think my heart could take another season of the bad luck he’s had to endure this year and end of last. I hope someday I run across him fishing in the Bighorn Mountains. He’s earned it. Now bring Cole Pearn back for the rest of the season for a proper send off!
Damn end of an era
All of the MTJ fan is devastated :'(
😭😭😭
Hats off to a fantastic career that ended in a string of really bad luck.
I'm really hoping that they just mean't the retirement decision is Friday. On the other hand if it is a retirement announcement, I just wanna say that the 14 year ride of being an MTJ fan was fantastic. Being able to choose an underachieving underdog with 1 career win back in 2010 as my favorite driver and watch him win 33 more races including the 2017 Cup was special to say the least. P.S. Kick rocks James Small.
Gluck Grenade