When Martin Truex Jr. revealed what people “don’t really get” about him

Back in 2010 Martin Truex Jr. was invited to the weekly “12 Out Of 12” interview series with SB Nation’s Jeff Gluck, where he spoke of his love for racing and cleared some misconceptions about him. Back then, the NASCAR champion was driving the No. 56 car full-time for Michael Waltrip Racing in the Cup Series.

Truex Jr. was considered to have a serious on-track persona. The New Jersey Native addressed the topic during the interview and said,

“I think people think I’m really, really serious. Because I hear that a lot, like, ‘You’re so serious.’ And I’m like, ‘Well, you know, I’m doing my job.’ But I really have a lot of fun,” Martin Truex Jr. told Gluck. “I really enjoy what I’m doing. The last few years have been kind of up and down for me, but I’ve really still enjoyed doing what I do and I still really love it. And I think people don’t really get that sometimes.”

In 17 full seasons and two part-time, Martin Truex Jr. made a total of 693 starts, winning 34 of them. He won his sole NASCAR Cup Series championship in 2017. Truex is also a two-time, back-to-back NASCAR Xfinity (now known as the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series) Series champion.

Not long ago, it was revealed that Truex Jr. owns a private jet company that specializes in medical flight services.

“I decided to launch a private aviation charter company because of our experience flying to NASCAR races every weekend over the last decade or so," Martin Truex Jr. said of the venture. "MTJ Aviation offers a refreshing alternative because there are no fractional ownerships or long-term contracts, we simply fly you from point A to point B safely at a reasonable cost."

Truex Jr. retired from competing full-time in NASCAR after the 2024 season. Nowadays, he occasionally races, having already participated in the 2025 Daytona 500 with Tricon Garage.

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“He’s running around doing tons of hunting”- Dale Earnhardt Jr. reflects on Martin Truex Jr.’s post-retirement hobbies

NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr., who spoke about Martin Truex Jr.'s hobbies post-retirement from NASCAR. It seems that the former Joe Gibbs Racing driver enjoys hunting and fishing.

“Truex is doing great. Truex is doing great," Dale Earnhardt Jr. said on the Dale Jr. Download. "I'd be lying if I knew where he was, where he's been spending his time. He's in a great ... He's in a great relationship that's going really well, I'm aware of.”

"And he's spending a lot more time up in Jersey, I believe, that, you know, he put his place in North Carolina on the market,” Dale Jr. continued. “I don't know if it's sold or not. So he's got a place in Florida and a place up in Jersey and he's happy and he's running around doing tons of hunting right now. Races boats, RC boats."

For the upcoming season, the Daytona 500's 68th running of the crown jewel race is scheduled for February 15, 2026 and will be televised on FOX.