Martin Truex Jr. explains significance of No. 56 at Daytona 500 in wake of father's death

Martin Truex Jr. will drive the No. 56 Bass Pro Shops Toyota at the Daytona 500 on Sunday, and it’s the same number as his family race team. While speaking to reporters during Daytona 500 media day on Wednesday, Truex was asked if it was harder to see the No. 56 on his car after the death of his father, Martin Truex Sr.

“I don’t know about harder but probably means more, probably hits home for me and what it means to us and our family,” Truex said, per Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports. “A lot of people are going to be excited to see it out there.”

Martin Truex Jr. was also asked about the impact his father made on his career. “Everything I’ve everything learned was from him,” Truex explained. “He was my hero growing up and still is. He even made a lot of things happen for me. Taught me a lot of things with racing and really the opportunity to get here and be able to do what I accomplished is all because of him and his sacrifices. Hopefully, we’ll go win this thing for him on Sunday.”

More on Martin Truex Jr. and No. 56

Martin Truex Sr. had No. 56 while competing in NASCAR during the 1990s. His son drove the No. 56 Toyota when he was with Michael Waltrip Racing from 2010-2013 but also had multiple numbers in his career with his most recent being No. 19 for Joe Gibbs Racing. Martin Truex Jr. is driving the No. 56 Toyota for Tricon Garage as he retired from full-time racing at the end of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season.

“So far it’s been fun,” Truex said this week when asked about his Daytona 500 experience. “We’ve got a nice cast of characters on our car that have been around a long time. Bunch of really good guys. Got [crew chief] Cole [Pearn] to come back down to do it, so it’s been a lot of fun and hopefully we can have a good night tonight and a good night tomorrow night and have some fun on Sunday.”

Truex has put together a Hall of Famer career as he won the Cup Series regular-season title twice and the Cup Series title once. In 2023, Truex was named one of NASCAR’s 75 best drivers in its history. However, he has not won the Daytona 500 as his best finish was second in 2016.

On3’s Nick Geddes contributed to this story.