Ryan Truex’s second chance in the NASCAR Cup Series is 11 years in the making.
Truex will drive the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in the June 15 NASCAR Cup race at Mexico City in relief of Denny Hamlin, whose son was born earlier this week.
It will be Truex’s first Cup start since 2014 with the now-defunct BK Racing in a ride stuck in the back of the pack. JGR’s No. 11 Toyota is not that.
Truex will have a tall task ahead of him on Sunday, starting 36th and not necessarily known for his road course racing talent.
But the 33-year-old has had some success recently in a NASCAR national series, recording three wins over the 2023 and 2024 Xfinity Series seasons driving for JGR. One could have expected Truex to be in play for a quality ride in the Xfinity Series at minimum for 2025 following six top-10 finishes and two victories over 11 races in 2024.
But Truex remained the reserve driver for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2025. Sunday’s race is an opportunity for Truex to prove himself in the biggest series in stock car racing.
Here’s what to know about Truex, Hamlin’s substitute driver for Mexico City:
Truex was on a fairly normal track early in his career after winning back-to-back NASCAR Camping World East championships in 2009 and 2010.
Unattached to sponsorship, Truex struggled to find a consistent ride. He combined for 28 starts over the 2011 and 2012 Xfinity Series seasons, mostly for Toyota teams Michael Waltrip Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing.
Still just 21, Truex made his Cup Series debut for back-marker team BK Racing in 2013. The next year, Truex and BK Racing planned for a full-time partnership. But after 23 races, four DNQs and a single top-20 finish, Truex’s only Cup Series chance ended with a release.
Truex was without a ride in 2015, then signed on for a part-time ride at Hattori Racing Enterprises in 2016. One year later, Truex had his best full-time season of his NASCAR career. Despite missing out on the final playoff spot via tiebreak, Truex finished ninth in Truck Series points in an HRE ride with 8 top-5 finishes.
Truex moved to Kaulig Racing in 2018, the third season in the Xfinity Series for the young race team. Truex earned 11 top-10 finishes, more than double his predecessor in the No. 11 Chevrolet. But Justin Haley signed on for the 2019 season, and Truex was again resigned to part-time rides for the next two years.
Truex returned to full-time racing with Niece Motorsports in the Truck Series in 2021, finishing in 16th in the points standings. The next season, Truex managed three top-10s in five spot starts for Joe Gibbs Racing’s Xfinity Series program.
Truex’s 2022 performance earned him six more Xfinity starts in 2023 for JGR, one of which included his first major national series victory at Dover. One year later, Truex earned wins at Dover and Daytona among 11 starts.
But without enough funding, Truex remained JGR’s reserve driver in 2025. Ahead of Sunday’s Cup start, Truex’s only on-track NASCAR competition this season has been in February at Daytona with Sam Hunt Racing in the Xfinity Series.
Ryan Truex is the younger brother of recently retired former Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr., a former Joe Gibbs Racing driver.
- Age: 33
- Hometown: Mayetta, New Jersey
- Cup Series stats: 26 races over two seasons in 2013 and 2014, with an average finish of 35.7
- Xfinity Series stats: 3 wins, 11 top-5s, 36 top-10s over 102 career races from 2010-24, including two wins in 2024
- Craftsman Truck Series stats: 12 top-5s, 22 top-10s over 73 career races from 2012-21
- 2025 season stats: Finished 17th for Sam Hunt Racing in the Xfinity Series at Daytona in his lone national series start this year.
Read the full article here