TRICON Garage to Attempt Cup Debut with Martin Truex Jr. at Daytona

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer/Photographer

The entry list of the 67th Daytona 500 continues growing as the latest entrant to toss their name into the madness involves a reunion and an organization making a huge leap.

Successful NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series organization TRICON Garage, co-owned by David Gilliland and Johnny Gray, announced Thursday they’ll be attempting their Cup Series debut with former champion Martin Truex, Jr. behind the wheel of the No. 56 Bass Pro Shops Toyota.

Truex, who ended his full-time career last season, will have a familiar voice calling the shots as he’ll be reunited with crew chief Cole Pearn for the first time since 2019.

In the five seasons they were together, the pair was a force to be reckoned with in NASCAR, scoring 24 wins, 70 top-fives, and made the Championship 4 in four of those campaigns. Their biggest accomplishment was winning the 2017 title for Furniture Row Racing, which ultimately ceased operations a year later.

“It’s going to be a really cool deal to be able to work with Cole and have the number 56 again,” said Truex in a press release. “I really appreciate everyone at Bass Pro Shops, TRICON and Toyota helping put this together to go have some fun, and I can’t think of a better time to go win the thing for Johnny Morris.”

TRICON will receive technical support from Joe Gibbs Racing, the team Truex drove his final six full seasons for.

Next month’s Daytona 500 will have its challenges, as the No. 56 team must qualify for the race in an already stacked open cars lineup that includes JR Motorsports’ debut attempt with Justin Allgaier and Trackhouse Racing’s PROJECT91 entry with four-time Indianapolis 500 champion Helio Castroneves.

To make his 21st Daytona 500, Truex must either be one of the two fastest open cars in qualifying or race his win into the field via the Duels.

Furthermore, the Daytona 500 eludes both Truex and Pearn as a win in 2016 was snatched away by Denny Hamlin, who eked out Truex by 0.010 seconds. Since that heartbreak, Truex hasn’t finished in the top-10 with a pair of 13th place finishes in 2017 and 2022 being his best outing.

Gilliland explained the challenges ahead of being an open car and making the huge leap to Cup racing as the organization that once was David Gilliland Racing is entering their third season in Trucks under its current iteration with Corey Heim headlining the five-truck organization.

“This opportunity is a testament to the dedication of our entire organization and our partners at Toyota. Having raced against Martin for many years, I can confidently say there’s no stronger competitor I’d want behind the wheel for our first Cup Series entry at the sport’s most prestigious race,” Gilliland explained.

“As an open entry, we know the road ahead will be challenging, but I have no doubt that Martin will put us in the best position to succeed. I’ve had the privilege of sitting on the pole at Daytona, but my next goal is to celebrate in victory lane.”

In 20 previous Daytona 500 starts, the 44-year-old racer has three top-10s and a pole back in 2009.