CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Martin Truex Jr. is walking away from full-time NASCAR competition after this final playoff run. After that, he'll make his schedule, starting when he reunites with a familiar face for the Daytona 500.
When Truex takes on the crown jewel race next season, he won't have James Small atop the pit box as in past years. Small will be in charge of the No. 19 team while working with newcomer Chase Briscoe. Instead, Truex will have Cole Pearn calling the shots once again.
"Yeah, he said he'd do it. Should be fun," Truex said about his former crew chief during Playoff Media Day.
Pearn and Truex achieved a considerable amount of success in their five seasons together, which began at Furniture Row Racing and ended at Joe Gibbs Racing.
This due won 24 races, including eight in 2017 and seven in 2019. They finished top 10 in 61.45% of the races they worked together. They also celebrated the 2017 Cup Series championship.
The one thing missing from their resumes at this point is the Daytona 500. Although they came quite close to accomplishing this in 2016. Truex finished second behind Denny Hamlin. He also finished second behind Erik Jones in the 2018 Daytona summer race.
Truex will have another opportunity to check off this longtime goal in 2025 when he reunites with Pearn.
Truex doesn't know much else about his next Daytona 500 bid at this point. He knows the deal is done, but he hasn't learned all of the details. He's still focusing on this season and his quest to walk away from full-time competition as a two-time champion.
What Truex does know is that he will have one of two numbers on his car. Both are meaningful to him, but he doesn't know which one will be on the doors in February.
"Yeah, it's either going to be 56 or 78," Truex said. "78 being our championship number, which is a special one. And 56 was always my number, so we'll see."
These details will be completed before the 2025 season, ensuring that Truex will compete in the Daytona 500 once again. That isn't the priority at the moment, however. Right now, it's all about the opening round of the playoffs.