Ryan Matthew Truex (born March 18, 1992) is an American professional

stock car racing Stock car racing is a form of Auto racing, automobile racing run on oval track racing, oval tracks and road courses. It originally used Production vehicle, production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifical ...

driver. He competes part-time in the

NASCAR Xfinity Series The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level NASCAR Cup Series, Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a Undercard, support ...

, driving the No. 24

Toyota GR Supra The Toyota GR Supra (model code J29/DB or A90/A91 for marketing purposes) is a sports car produced by Toyota since 2019. The fifth-generation Toyota Supra, Supra, the GR Supra was sold under and developed by Toyota Gazoo Racing (TGR) brand in ...

for

Sam Hunt Racing Sam Hunt Racing is an American professional stock car racing team that currently competes in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, fielding the No. 26 Toyota Supra full-time for Dean Thompson (racing driver), Dean Thompson and the No. 24 part-time for mul ...

. As a reserve driver for

Joe Gibbs Racing Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) is an American professional stock car racing organization founded by Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs. His son, J. D. Gibbs, ran the team with him until his death in 2019. Founded in Huntersville, North Carolina, ...

in the Cup and Xfinity Series, he also competes part-time in the

NASCAR Cup Series The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), the most prestigious stock car racing series in the United States. The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, ...

, driving No. 11 Toyota Camry XSE for JGR. Truex's older brother

Martin Martin may refer to: Places Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Europe * Martin, Croatia, a village * Martin, Slovakia, a city * Martín del Río, Aragón, Spain * M ...

was the

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

champion.

Racing career

Early career

Ryan Truex Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota Thompson 2009

A native of Mayetta, New Jersey, Truex would make his East Series debut in 2008 at Stafford Motor Speedway in the No. 8 car for Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Truex won the 2009 NASCAR Camping World East Series Championship as a 17-year-old high school student at

Southern Regional High School Southern Regional High School is a regional comprehensive public high school located in the Manahawkin section of Stafford Township in Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, serving students in the ninth through twelfth grades and ope ...

. In the 11-race season, Truex finished the season with eight Top 5s. He had three wins at Watkins Glen, Thompson, and

Lime Rock Park Lime Rock Park is a natural-terrain motorsport road racing venue located in Lakeville, Connecticut, United States, a hamlet in the town of Salisbury, Connecticut, Salisbury, in the state's northwest corner. Built in 1956, it is the nation's thi ...

. In 2010, Truex won his second consecutive Camping World East Series title in a Michael Waltrip-owned Toyota.

Touring series

Truex competed in six NASCAR Nationwide Series events, beginning at

Gateway International Raceway Gateway Motorsports Park (currently known as World Wide Technology Raceway for sponsorship reasons) is a motor racing facility in Madison, Illinois, just east of St. Louis, close to the Gateway Arch. It features a oval that hosts the NASCAR Cu ...

on July 17, 2010. Truex was intended to run for Rookie of the Year in 2011 with MWR. However, motocross stunt performer

Travis Pastrana Travis Alan Pastrana (born October 8, 1983) is an American professional athlete known for his success across multiple disciplines, including freestyle motocross, rally racing, NASCAR, and stunt performance. He rose to prominence in the early 2000s ...

ran the No. 99 for 7 races. Truex planned to skip ROTY and run 10 consecutive races in the Nationwide Series, then 20 races in 2012, though surgery forced him out of the 99 at Texas and was replaced by

David Reutimann Emil David Reutimann (born March 2, 1970) is an American professional stock car racing crew chief and former driver. A native of Zephyrhills, Florida, he has competed in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, and Camping World ...

and team owner Waltrip, who drove at the restrictor plate tracks. Waltrip and Ryan's brother Martin also split time in the ride. Due to a lack of sponsorship in the 99 team, Truex was released from Pastrana Waltrip Racing after the STP 300. Truex returned to the Nationwide Series with Joe Gibbs Racing, running several races late in the 2011 season. In 2012, he drove for

Tommy Baldwin Racing Tommy Baldwin Racing is an American professional stock car racing team that currently competes in the modified ranks. The team is based in Mooresville, North Carolina, and is owned by former crew chief Tommy Baldwin Jr., son of the late modifie ...

in the season-opening

DRIVE4COPD 300 The Daytona 300, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the United Rentals 300, is the first race of the NASCAR Xfinity Series season, held at Daytona International Speedway. It is held the day before the Daytona 500, and is considered the ...

Daytona International Speedway Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, Daytona Beach, Florida, United States, about north of Orlando, Florida, Orlando. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, the most prestigious race ...

, finishing 31st. He ran a limited schedule for JGR, while he also drove for

RAB Racing RAB Racing with Brack Maggard was an American professional stock car racing team that attempted races in the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series, Craftsman Truck Series and the ARCA Menards Series. The team was co-owned by Robert A. Benton Sr. and h ...

Texas Motor Speedway Texas Motor Speedway (formerly known as Texas International Raceway from September to December 1996) is a quad-oval Oval track racing#Intermediate, intermediate speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. It has hosted various major races since its inaugura ...

in April. On June 2, 2012, Truex got a career best finish of second at

Dover International Speedway Dover Motor Speedway (formerly known as the Dover International Speedway from 2002 to 2021 and as the Dover Downs International Speedway from 1969 to 2001) is a oval track in Dover, Delaware. The venue has hosted major events since its inaugu ...

driving for JGR. Racing shortly after an emergency

appendectomy An appendectomy (American English) or appendicectomy (British English) is a Surgery, surgical operation in which the vermiform appendix (a portion of the intestine) is removed. Appendectomy is normally performed as an urgent or emergency procedur ...

, he started the race first after winning his first career Nationwide Series pole, and led late before being caught in lapped traffic by

Joey Logano Joseph Thomas Logano (born May 24, 1990) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No.22 Ford Mustang (seventh generation), Ford Mustang Dark Horse for NASCAR operations of Tea ...

National series

In February 2013, Truex announced that he would compete in the

Camping World Truck Series The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), and is the only series in NASCAR to race production pickup truck-based stock cars. The series i ...

for

Turner Scott Motorsports Turner Scott Motorsports (TSM), formerly Turner Motorsports was an American professional stock car racing team that last competed in the NASCAR Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Sprint Cup Series, the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Nationwide Series, ...

; he hoped to compete in further races during the year and registered to compete for the series' Rookie of the Year title. In addition, he signed with Phoenix Racing to compete in the

Sprint Cup Series The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), the most prestigious stock car racing series in the United States. The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, ...

, competing in at least one race at

Richmond International Raceway Richmond Raceway (RR) is a , ''D''-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in unincorporated Henrico County. It currently hosts one NASCAR Cup Series race weekend and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. It formerly h ...

, as well as at

Indianapolis Motor Speedway The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a motor racing circuit located in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indianapolis, Indiana. It is the home of the Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400, and and formerly the home of the U ...

for the team in the Nationwide Series; his debut in the Sprint Cup Series and his Nationwide Series race was later delayed due to Truex suffering a broken

collarbone The clavicle, collarbone, or keybone is a slender, S-shaped long bone approximately long that serves as a strut between the shoulder blade and the sternum (breastbone). There are two clavicles, one on each side of the body. The clavicle is the ...

. On June 2, 2013, it was announced that Truex had signed with

Richard Petty Motorsports Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) was an American professional stock car racing team that competed in the NASCAR Cup Series The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) ...

as a

development driver Development or developing may refer to: Arts *Development (music), the process by which thematic material is reshaped * Photographic development *Filmmaking, development phase, including finance and budgeting *Development hell, when a projec ...

; in mid-July it was announced that he would make his Sprint Cup debut with Phoenix Racing in the

Irwin Tools Night Race The Bass Pro Shops Night Race is a NASCAR Cup Series stock car racing, stock car race held at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. It is one of two NASCAR Cup Series races held at Bristol, the other being the Food City 500. From 1978 to ...

Bristol Motor Speedway Bristol Motor Speedway (formerly known as the Bristol International Raceway from 1978 to 1996 and as the Bristol International Speedway from 1961 to 1978) is a oval Oval track racing#Short track, short track in Bristol, Tennessee. The track ha ...

driving James Finch's No. 51. After Harry Scott Jr.'s takeover of the No. 51 team two weeks later, Truex drove for Scott in his first race as team owner at

. He drove for Scott again at his home track of

, finishing 32nd. Ryan Truex Sonoma 2014

In January 2014, Truex drove for

BK Racing BK Racing was an American professional stock car racing team that fielded entries in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series from 2012 to 2018. It most recently fielded the No. 23 Toyota Camry and Ford Fusion (Americas), Ford Fusion for J. J. Yeley ...

during testing prior to the

2014 Daytona 500 The 2014 Daytona 500, the 56th running of the Daytona 500, event, was held on February 23, 2014 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Contested over 200 laps and on the asphalt tri-oval, it was the first race of the 2014 ...

in the No. 93. He was later assigned to the team's No. 83 for the full season. Truex also drove the No. 32

Bass Pro Shops BPS Direct, LLC, trade name, doing business as Bass Pro Shops, is an American privately held sporting goods retailer that offers hunting, fishing, camping, and other related outdoor recreation equipment, marine manufacturing and sales, and outd ...

Chevrolet for Turner Scott Motorsports in the season-opening Camping World Truck Series race at

. In August he suffered a sprained wrist and concussion in a practice crash at

Michigan International Speedway Michigan International Speedway (formerly named as the Michigan Speedway from 1997 to 2000) is a D-shaped oval superspeedway in Brooklyn, Michigan. It has hosted various major auto racing series throughout its existence, including NASCAR, Cham ...

; he was forced to sit out that weekend's race, being replaced by

J. J. Yeley Christopher Beltram Hernandez "J. J." Yeley (born October 5, 1976) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 44 Chevrolet Camaro (sixth generation)#ZL1, Chevrolet ZL1 for ...

. In September, Truex was replaced in the No. 83 car by

Travis Kvapil Travis Wade Kvapil ( ; born March 1, 1976) is an American former professional stock car driver. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series, driving the No. 1 Chevrolet Silverado for Beaver Motorsports. He was the 2003 ...

in races at

New Hampshire Motor Speedway New Hampshire Motor Speedway (formerly known as the New Hampshire International Speedway from 1989 to 2007, the Bryar Motorsports Park from 1965 to 1989, and as the 106 Midway Raceway from 1961 to 1964) is a oval track in Loudon, New Hampshir ...

and

; discussions about his position with the team for the remainder of the season were said to be "ongoing". During the race weekend at Dover, Truex confirmed that he was no longer with BK Racing. After receiving no rides in 2015, Truex was picked up by

Biagi-DenBeste Racing Biagi-DenBeste Racing, originally Biagi Brothers Racing, was an American professional stock car racing team that last competed in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in partnership with Stewart-Haas Racing. The team was based in Mooresville, North Carolina ...

to drive three races starting at Richmond in the

Xfinity Series The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to a ...

After not finding a ride in 2015, in 2016, Truex returned to the Truck Series for the season opener at Daytona, driving the No. 81 for

Hattori Racing Enterprises Hattori Racing Enterprises (HRE) was a Japanese-American professional stock car racing team that competed in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Owned by former NASCAR and open-wheel driver Shigeaki Hattori, the team last competed part-time in the ...

. Truex ran in the top ten for a portion of the race, and was in the lead on the last lap when he lost support from

Parker Kligerman Parker Lindsley Kligerman (born August 8, 1990) is an American professional stock car racing driver, color commentator for ''NASCAR on The CW'', studio talent for ''NASCAR on TNT Sports'', and pit reporter for ''NASCAR on NBC''. He competes part-t ...

. After finishing 2nd, he announced he was running

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, Martinsville,

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

and hoped to run the whole season. Unfortunately though, sponsorship had been an issue for the team, he was replaced by

Jesse Little Jesse Hardin Little (born April 15, 1997) is an American former professional stock car racing driver who currently serves as the vice president of business development for Sam Hunt Racing. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series d ...

for Texas, and was reduced to a limited schedule for the rest of the year. But Truex returned to HRE in 2017, now running the full Truck schedule in the renumbered No. 16. After finishing ninth in points with 13 top-ten finishes (including eight in the top five) and two poles, he was released by HRE on January 4, 2018. However, his jobless status would not last long, as he signed with

Kaulig Racing Kaulig Racing is an American professional stock car racing team that competes in the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series. The team is owned by Matt Kaulig, an owner of team sponsor LeafFilter. Kaulig Racing fields three Cup Series Chevrol ...

to drive their flagship No. 11 car in the

for 2018 with sponsorship from partner Bar Harbor Foods. With 1 top 5 and 11 top 10 finishes, Truex finished 12th in points after being eliminated after the Round Of 12. Truex lost his ride with Kaulig when Justin Haley was announced as his successor in the No. 11 for 2019. On January 16, Truex announced he would enter the

Daytona 500 The Daytona 500 is a NASCAR Cup Series motor race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is the first of two Cup races held every year at Daytona, the second being the Coke Zero Sugar 400, and one of three ...

with

, driving the No. 71. On January 25, 2019, it was announced that Truex would drive the No. 8 car for

JR Motorsports JR Motorsports (pronounced "Junior Motorsports") is an American professional stock car racing team based in Mooresville, North Carolina, co-owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kelley Earnhardt Miller, L. W. Miller, L.W. Miller, and Rick Hendrick. It c ...

part-time. Truex cold-texted team owner

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Ralph Dale Earnhardt Jr. (born October 10, 1974) is an American professional stock car racing driver, team owner, and broadcaster. A third-generation driver, he is the son of the late 7-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Dale Earnhardt and relative ...

to inquire about open rides in the offseason and was able to find a large enough budget to run part-time in the No. 8. In his first race with the team at Phoenix he scored his first top-five since

Mid-Ohio Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is a road course auto racing facility located in Troy Township, Morrow County, Ohio, United States, just outside the village of Lexington, Ohio, Lexington. It hosts a number of racing series such as IndyCar Series, Indy ...

by tying his best-career finish of 2nd. In 2020, Truex returned to the Truck Series as he signed a six-race deal with

Niece Motorsports Niece Motorsports is an American professional stock car racing team that currently competes in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Owned by Al Niece, it currently fields the No. 42 Chevrolet Silverado full-time for Matt Mills (racing driver), Matt ...

starting with the Texas race in March. Truex initially sought a full-time ride with the team but was unable to bring enough sponsorship to secure a full season. After running nine races in 2020, with a best finish of 12th at

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

and Kansas, Truex upgraded to a full-time schedule with Niece for the 2021 season. Truex returned to the Xfinity Series, driving the

No. 18 on a part-time basis in

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

. He was scheduled to run only 5 races in 2022 but Auto-Owners Insurance (which sponsors his brother Martin’s No. 19 Cup car) joined him last minute for a race at

Atlanta Motor Speedway Atlanta Motor Speedway (currently known as EchoPark Speedway for sponsorship reasons, formerly known as the Atlanta International Raceway from 1960 to 1990) is a quad-oval Oval track racing#Intermediate, intermediate speedway in Hampton, Georg ...

. His best finish that season was 3rd at Atlanta. He would return to the renumbered No. 19 car in 2023 after

Sammy Smith Samuel L. Smith (born June 4, 2004) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro (sixth generation), Chevrolet SS for JR Motorsports and part-time in t ...

would move to the No. 18 full-time. Truex would finish 2nd at Phoenix Raceway to his teammate Smith. He scored his first career win at

Dover Dover ( ) is a town and major ferry port in Kent, southeast England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies southeast of Canterbury and east of Maidstone. ...

, the site of his brother, Martin’s first Cup Series win in 2007. Martin won the Cup race two days later, becoming the fifth set of brothers to win on the same race weekend. For

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

, Truex returned to JGR part-time, alternating between the No. 19 and No. 20 teams. He brought the No. 20 to victory lane at

. Truex scored his second win of the season at the Daytona summer race. He returned to

to drive their No. 26 car in the race at Homestead-Miami for the first time since the season-opener at Daytona in 2022. In 2025, Truex was a reserve driver for

's Cup and Xfinity teams. In the

Cup Series The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), the most prestigious stock car racing series in the United States. The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, ...

, he would fill in for

Denny Hamlin James Dennis Alan Hamlin (born November 18, 1980) is an American professional stock car racing driver and team owner. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 11 Toyota Camry XSE for Joe Gibbs Racing. He also co-owns and op ...

in the No. 11

Toyota is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on August 28, 1937. Toyota is the List of manuf ...

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

after Hamlin's fiancée had given birth to their third child. This will be Truex's first Cup Series start since 2014. In the

, Truex would make one start at

Daytona Daytona may refer to: Locations * Daytona Beach, Florida * Daytona Beach Shores, Florida * South Daytona, Florida * The Daytona Beach metropolitan area * Halifax area, also known as Daytona, the region around Daytona Beach Motor racing * Dayto ...

, driving the No. 24

for

Personal life

He is the younger brother of 2017 Cup Series champion and two-time Busch Series champion

Martin Truex Jr. Martin Lee Truex Jr. (born June 29, 1980) is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver. He competes part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 56 Toyota Camry XSE for Tricon Garage. He is the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series ...

, and the son of former Busch Series driver Martin Truex Sr.

Motorsports career results

NASCAR

( key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. ''Italics'' – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Cup Series

=Daytona 500

Xfinity Series

Camping World Truck Series

Season still in progress
Ineligible for series points

K&N Pro Series East

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Truex, Ryan 1992 births Living people People from Stafford Township, New Jersey Racing drivers from New Jersey NASCAR drivers Southern Regional High School alumni Sportspeople from Ocean County, New Jersey Dale Earnhardt Inc. drivers Joe Gibbs Racing drivers JR Motorsports drivers Michael Waltrip Racing drivers