By Luis Torres, Staff Writer/Photographer
Getting a rare one-off opportunity to drive in one of NASCAR’s elite teams are hard to come by. Truer words couldn’t have been said for Joe Gibbs Racing’s reserve driver Ryan Truex heading into Sunday’s inaugural Viva Mexico 250 at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City (3 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime).
The younger Truex brother made his last NASCAR Cup Series start at Chicagoland Speedway in 2014. It marked the first race of the then-newly minted Round of 16 which saw Brad Keselowski win and Truex’s rookie rival Kyle Larson giving Jeff Gordon a run for his money.
For Truex, he didn’t see the checkered flag as brake problems resulted in a 42nd place finish. It would turn out to be the end of Truex’s tenure in the sport’s premiere division as he would be replaced by Travis Kvapil the following race at Loudon. Come the race after at Dover, Truex was no longer with the much-polarized BK Racing.
An experience he looked back with zero joy as the 2014 rookie class was stacked yet troublesome. The class consisted a future Cup champion (Larson) and multi-time winners (Alex Bowman and Austin Dillon). However, there were several who didn’t pan out in Cup but became a national touring champion (Justin Allgaier) and those who ultimately were given the “rushed too soon” label (Truex, Cole Whitt, Michael Annett, Parker Kligerman and Jeb Burton).
“My last time in Cup was not a fun experience,” said Truex during Friday’s media availability. “It didn’t go well for me. I didn’t enjoy it. That was probably not the right move for me, career-wise, and I’ve kind of been fighting back since then.”
While he attempted to make the Daytona 500 in 2019 with Tommy Baldwin Racing, only to miss the show, Truex remained absent in Cup in a period that saw his older brother, Martin Truex, Jr., become one of the sport’s best racers of the 2010s.
The absence would last until the now 33-year-old got the call from JGR this week that he’ll be filling-in for Denny Hamlin, who’ll stay home with his fiancée Jordan Fish after giving birth to their son Wednesday.
See you guys in Pocono pic.twitter.com/ggLoheBPuU
— Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin) June 12, 2025
On a week that Truex is given an opportunity to drive the No. 11 Toyota Camry that won last Sunday at Michigan and Truex’s former Cup boss Ron Devine pleading guilty on a tax case, he’s taking it in and hopes to have a good time in Mexico.
In fact, there’s really no expectations other than enjoying the experience of driving a top-tier Cup car.
“It’s been a crazy few weeks – especially since Charlotte, I’ve been on standby,” said Truex. “I’m glad it is at a track where I can practice and have time and know what to do to.
“I found out on Wednesday night, so it has been kind of chaotic getting here and putting all of that together, but I’m just grateful for the experience and grateful to be here. I really just want to enjoy it.
“I don’t really have any set goals or expectations – I just want to enjoy the weekend. I’m driving a Cup car for Joe Gibbs at an international race – this is not something I ever dreamed of doing.”
Truex commented that making his Cup return in Mexico City is a much better feeling than if Hamlin’s newborn son happened during the Coca-Cola 600 weekend at Charlotte or any race prior to this Sunday.
For the gig to happen this weekend, it was the best-case scenario as he’ll have time to log laps and get acclimated at the 2.429-mile road course with multiple sessions to boot.
“I have tracks that I enjoy – Dover, Richmond, New Hampshire – where I feel like I know what I need, but with this car it is a whole different animal,” said Truex. “Just the fact that we get practice – we get 50-minutes and then a half-an-hour – that’s huge for me. It is so hard when you just go out for 20 minutes and first of all, know the track, and then be fast. I feel like it always takes a lot to find that last tenth or two.
“When you only race Xfinity part-time, after a while, when you come back, it is always that last tenth or two that takes a while to find or is hard to find compared to the guys that are doing this every single week. They know what they need and are faster off the bat. I think that is the biggest thing for me – just having practice.”
If there’s one thing Truex isn’t dwelling on is the awareness of the opportunity could potentially spark a career resurgence. He’s confident he can deliver a good result in Hamlin’s car and is enjoying his time of being the team’s reserved driver.
“I try not to think about it too much and put too much pressure on myself, because it is really easy to do that and make mistakes,” said Truex.
“I have a lot of confidence with this group and just JGR as a whole. I feel like it has really been family for me the last few years and they’ve really taken me in and done a lot for me, helped me develop my skills and made me a better driver. I just want to return that investment into a good finish for them.”
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