It was no secret that 2017 NASCAR Cup Champion, Martin Truex Jr would be trying to race his way into the 2025 Daytona 500. The only question was who would be fielding the car. Rumors said Tricon Garage would field the car for him. No more rumors now. The team and driver made the news official today.
TRICON Garage has a huge presence in the NASCAR Truck Series. The team is owned by former Cup racer, David Gilliland. It will mark the Cup debut of TRICON, much like JR Motorsports’ entry with Justin Allgaier. It makes the field of non-guaranteed cars for the Daytona 500 that much more of a challenge. Martin has never shied away from a challenge.
Martin Truex Jr, Tricon Garage Team-Up for Daytona 500
According to Zack Albert from NASCAR.com, Truex will pilot the No. 56 Bass Pro Shops Toyota. This is a great way to bring back Martin with one of the numbers he carried in the early days of his Cup Series career, along with longtime partner Bass Pro Shops. Champion crew chief Cole Pearn, who helped lead Martin to 24 victories, in their time paired together, returns atop the pit box.
We’re going beyond the limits of the Truck Series.
TRICON will attempt the Daytona 500 in our @NASCAR Cup debut alongside @MartinTruex_Jr and @BassProShops ‼️ pic.twitter.com/FyevxKi2E0
— TRICON (@TRICONGarage) January 16, 2025
An Excited Truex and Team:
It’s a full-circle moment for all of those involved. Truex was thrilled in his statement shared via a press release from the team.
” It’s going to be a really cool deal to be able to work with Cole and have the number 56 again,” Truex said. ” 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 Johnny Morris.”
It will be Truex’s 21st attempt to run the Daytona 500. His closest to winning the event came in 2016. Team owner David Gilliland also knows how special the opportunity is, as he spent plenty of time racing against Martin over the years.
“This opportunity is a testament to the dedication of our entire organization and our partners at Toyota. Having raced against Martin for many years, I can confidently say there’s no stronger competitor I’d want behind the wheel for our first Cup Series entry at the sport’s most prestigious race,” Gilliland said via press release. ” As an open entry, we know the road ahead will be challenging, but I have no doubt that Martin will put us in the best position to succeed. I’ve had the privilege of sitting on the pole at Daytona, but my next goal is to celebrate in Victory Lane.”
Time will tell if this is the year for Martin, but it will be cool to see him back behind the wheel of the No. 56 car.
