Martin Truex Jr. is planning to take part in the Daytona 500 and reunite with his former crew chief Cole Pearn.
Truex said in June that he no longer will be a full-time driver after this season but revealed his plans for the season-opening race Wednesday at the NASCAR playoffs media day in Charlotte, N.C.
“That’s right. I didn’t know it was that big of news,” Truex said. “I thought people knew already, so I might have let the cat out of the bag prematurely.”
Pearn retired in 2019 after spending five seasons (2015-19) as the crew chief for Truex’s team. During their time together, the duo won 24 races and the Cup Series title in 2017. In recent years, Pearn became a consultant for Joe Gibbs Racing and Truex believes their chemistry is still strong.
“We don’t talk very often, but when we do, it’s just like old times,” Truex, 44, said. “He can pretty much read me like a book. He knows exactly what I’m thinking. I don’t know, it’s just, he’s a special guy. He’s different than anyone I’ve ever known. He knows everything. He knows the answer to everything. And he tells you things, you’re like, how’d you know that?”
Truex, who enters the playoffs as the No. 16 seed in the 16-driver field, hasn’t laid out specifics regarding his potential part-time status next year, but he has narrowed down the number he’d like on his door.
“It’s probably either going to be 78 or 56, 78 being our championship number (in 2017), which is a special one for me, obviously,” said Truex, who drove the No. 56 for Michael Waltrip Racing from 2010 to 2013 and the No. 78 with Furniture Row Racing from 2014 to 2018. “And then my number was always 56, so we’ll see.”
–Field Level Media