@nascarcasm: The many eras of Martin Truex Jr.

What a career it has been for Martin Truex Jr.

Triumphant peaks. Challenging valleys. Different teams. Different crew chiefs.

In essence … his career has had many eras, Taylor Swift-style.

Let us take you through them.

The era when a young and fearless but mild-mannered driver from southern New Jersey came onto the scene.

From karts to modifieds, this son of a NASCAR driver worked his way up the ranks in his home state, eventually making the move to North Carolina and moving in with Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the early 2000s. He would make his very first Xfinity Series start in 2001 in his father’s No. 56 car at Dover International Speedway.

This era begins circa 2003, when Martin’s friend/landlord Dale Earnhardt Jr. hired him to drive the No. 81 Chevy for Chance 2 Motorsports, which was a team Dale himself co-founded in 2003.

While splitting time between his father’s No. 56 and Chance 2’s No. 81, Martin would end the season with back-to-back runner-up finishes. The 2004 season would begin Martin’s big breakout, as he’d clinch the Xfinity Series championship in both 2004 and 2005. It’s nice to have a friend who lets you drive his race car.

In 2006, it was time for Martin Truex to make the jump to the NASCAR Cup Series, and he was ready for it.

He’d pilot the No. 1 Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevy for three seasons. He’d win his first career Cup Series race at Dover in 2007 in dominant fashion, leading more than half the race.

That year he’d earn a spot in the playoffs for the first time in his career, too.

In 2009, DEI was absorbed by Chip Ganassi Racing. The resulting merger, Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing With Felix Sabates, saw Truex replacing Reed Sorenson.

While the year started very promising with Truex winning the pole for the Daytona 500, long story short, it was a sub-par year, and he would depart the team at season’s end.

In 2010, Truex moved over to Michael Waltrip Racing to take over the No. 56 car. While his first two seasons showed flashes of promise, they were largely sub-par by the standards he would set later on in his career. He’d finish 22nd in the points in 2010 and 18th in 2011. The 2012 season was the year that visible progress was made, leading laps and ultimately earning a spot in the playoffs.

We remember all too well what happened to Martin in 2013.

First off, let’s acknowledge him breaking a 218-race winless streak at Sonoma Raceway. That’s the good part. It helped keep him in contention for one of the playoff wildcard spots that was up for grabs at Richmond -- the final race of the regular season.

Then came what became known as "Spingate" -- we won’t rehash the details but let’s just say his teammates tried to help him a little too much and a little too obviously.

He’d leave Richmond having earned said playoff spot, but a few days later, MWR would be penalized harshly for race manipulation. Truex lost his playoff spot, even though he was like, don’t blame me, I didn’t do anything. He'd announce his departure from the team at season’s end, and that he’d be moving over to the No. 78 of Furniture Row Racing in 2014.

One would think the bad mojo that arose at the end of 2013 wouldn’t carry over to the following season, but even at a new team, Truex was unable to shake it off.

It started off great -- he earned the outside pole for the Daytona 500. But he’d lose an engine during the race and finish dead last. The rest of the season saw Truex earn a mere five top-10 finishes and finish 24th in the standings. But the following year would bring change, and a mastermind crew chief that ushered in a new era of dominance for Truex.

Enter new crew chief Cole Pearn -- a first-time crew chief from Canada -- and immediately, happiness and good karma for Martin Truex Jr.

Top-10 finishes came in droves -- during the first 15 races, he finished outside the top 10 only once. This string included a win at Pocono Raceway, which snapped a 69-race winless streak. He’d earn a spot in the Championship 4 and finish fourth in the final standings. The following year -- in which Furniture Row Racing switched manufacturers from Chevy to Toyota -- was Martin’s first multi-win season of his Cup Series career. He’d find Victory Lane four times, including a dominant win in the Coca-Cola 600 in which he’d lead 392 of 400 laps.

The 2017 season marked the era that the few-years-younger Martin may have never thought possible. After skyrocketing performance the previous two seasons, Truex and Pearn found the alchemy that would make them Cup Series champions. Throughout the regular season and playoffs, Truex would amass eight wins and a staggering 19 stage wins which would propel him to the Championship Race. There, he had the best day of his career, holding off the other three contenders to win the 2017 Cup Series Championship. It would be the first and only time he would do so.

This era covers the 2018 season through the 2021 season, which saw a lot of change for Truex. In. 2018, he’d make the Championship 4 again as one of the "Big Three" (along with Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick) but Joey Logano won the war. Furniture Row Racing would close its doors and Truex and Pearn would move over to Joe Gibs Racing in 2019, taking over the No. 19 car. They’d amass seven wins and head to the Championship 4 for the third consecutive year, but fall short to Kyle Busch. Following 2019, Cole Pearn departed the team and that blank space was filled by James Small. In 2020, they’d capture just one win and be eliminated in the Round of 8, but would return to form in 2021, once again making it to the Championship 4 but finishing second to Kyle Larson. The three runner-up finishes in the standings leave lots of would’ve, should’ve, could’ve in regards to what he could have done differently, but should solidify a future place in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

The 2022 season was somewhat of a return to the adversity that Martin Truex Jr. knew all too well, going winless and missing the playoffs entirely. In 2023 he was able to begin again with the signature success, winning three races as well as the Regular Season Championship, but the playoffs were an unexpected swerve. The points accrued during the regular season were enough to get him through to the Round of 8, despite finishing no better than ninth in the first nine races. He’d be eliminated after Martinsville, just short of another Championship 4 run.

The final era. We were all wondering if it would be his final season, but deep down we all assumed "I think he knows it is."

Truex announced in August of 2024 that it would be his final full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series.

Performance-wise, Truex was once again able to overcome a series of missteps to earn a playoff spot. How did it end? With a quiet bow out in the Round of 8. But we congratulate Martin on an amazing career and hope to see him back at the track from time to time. You’re on your own, kid.