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Michael Jordan congratulates Martin Truex Jr. after Phoenix finale

Brian Jones Profile Picby: Brian Jones11/10/24brianjones_93
Michael Jordan
Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

NBA legend Michael Jordan congratulated Martin Truex Jr. after the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix. This was the final race for Truex as a full-time Cup Series driver.

Truex finished earned a P17 finish at Phoenix. He was not eligible to win the Cup Series title as he was eliminated from the playoffs during the Round of 16. Michael Jordan, the co-owner of 23XI Racing, knows the impact Truex made in NASCAR as he was a full-time Cup Series driver for over 20 years.

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Before the race, NASCAR President Steve Phelps sent a message to Truex. “Just a quick shout-out. I know this is going to sound like a bit of a non-sequitur, but I did want to make sure that I said something about Martin Truex and his retirement from full-time racing. Martin has been a class act,” Phelps told reporters during a press conference on Friday. “He is a clean race car driver, never dirty. He’s got a great fan base, and we will miss him. We are hopeful that he will come back and do one-off races or participate in other ways in this sport.”

Here’s why Michael Jordan showed love to Martin Truex Jr.

The next stop for Truex is the NASCAR Hall of Fame. The 44-year-old competed in 681 Cup Series races and earned 34 wins with 289 top-10 finishes. He won the Cup Series Regular Season Championship in 2017 and 2023 and claimed the Cup Series title in 2017. Truex was also named NASCAR’s most popular driver in 2004 and 2005 and was named NASCAR’s 75 greatest drivers in 2023.

“It’s the right time for me. I’ve thought about it a lot for the last few seasons – just waited for that feeling in my mind to be positive, like ‘This is OK, I’m good, and I want to do something else,’” Truex said when making his announcement earlier this year, per NASCAR.com. “In the 21 years that I’ve done this, I’ve never missed a race. I’ve never missed a practice. I’ve never been late for anything. I’ve never missed an appearance. You live your life by a schedule that somebody makes for you, and it’s just time for me to make my own schedule.”