“I’m the best I’ve ever been… still not close to my peak.” These words from Ryan Truex portray the situation that he is currently in. The NASCAR driver proved his mettle in the past two years, picking up three Cup Series wins. But being the brother of Joe Gibbs Racing veteran Martin Truex Jr. did not help speed up his career. It is 2025, and the younger Truex still finds himself out of a secure JGR ride.
Joe Gibbs has roped in a few new faces for the 2025 season, but Ryan Truex has been promptly ignored. After Martin Truex Jr. left, Chase Briscoe took the wheel of the No. 19 Toyota in the Cup Series. In Xfinity, Taylor Gray and William Sawalich are the new full-time faces – along with a recently announced part-time driver. It’s no surprise that Ryan Truex’s glaring absence got on fans’ nerves.
Ryan Truex remains the ‘back-up’
Ryan Truex has been on a rollercoaster ride in his career. The first time he moved to the Cup Series was back in 2014 with BK Racing when he had less than 17 Xfinity race starts in his experience. It has been ten years since, and Martin Truex Jr.’s young brother has yet to find a full-time spot. The last time he held such a spot was in 2021 when he ran in the Truck Series for Niece Motorsports. However, despite finding his mojo in Dover (2023, 2024) and Daytona (2024), Truex is being compelled to see another driver land a part-time seat in Joe Gibbs’ Xfinity Series.
Justin Bonsignore, four-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Champion, signed up with JGR on January 7th. Recently, the premier race team announced the dates when Bonsignore will wheel the No. 19 Toyota Supra in nine races. These include races at Daytona, Homestead, Bristol, Rockingham, Pocono, Iowa, Kansas, and Phoenix. Holding 45 victories and 135 top-fives in the Whelen Tour, Bonsignore is looking forward to adding his successful streak to JGR. He said, “When you work with a team like JGR, you know you’re going to have a car in contention to win every race you run. We’re looking forward to having some fun and chasing trophies.”
.@JBonsignore is back! pic.twitter.com/q9rzojwSyi
— Joe Gibbs Racing (@JoeGibbsRacing) February 3, 2025
Joe Gibbs Racing already has an impressive repertoire – among 214 Xfinity Series race wins, JGR clinched 10 in 2024. But what makes us sad is that Ryan Truex grabbed two of those trophies, and yet he has not secured a ride. Instead, Truex has been tabbed as a backup or reserve driver for all of Gibbs’ Xfinity and Cup Series teams. He does full-time simulator testing and drives Toyota’s wheel force car at Toyota-approved testing sessions. Yet Truex is somewhat content with this background role – although there is a pinch of salt. “I’ve come too far to just lay down and give up. In the meantime, it feels gratifying to be trusted with this responsibility.”
Although Ryan Truex veils his feelings, fans are not so reticent. The community bashed Joe Gibbs for, yet again, denying the talented driver his deserved spot.
NASCAR fans call out Joe Gibbs
Well, the favoritism game in JGR did not happen with just Ryan Truex. Chandler Smith clinched two race victories in 2024 along with 17 top-five finishes, almost cracking the Championship 4. Yet Smith scaled down to the Craftsman Truck Series. Similarly, Truex lacks the financial backing to support his NASCAR dreams – and Joe Gibbs is not willing to help out either. This infuriated a few fans, who plainly laid forth their demand: “We want RYAN TRUEX.” What’s more? The New Jersey native earned back-to-back wins at Dover Motor Speedway – in 2024, he clinched a thrilling double overtime victory. This memory is still fresh in another fan’s head, as they demanded: “need to see ryan in dover !”
Then fans broached the topic of Gibbs handing the part-time role to Justin Bonsignore. To be fair, the 36-year-old driver has some pretty solid achievements in his arsenal. In the past nine years, he has not finished lower than fourth in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. On his Xfinity debut for JGR in New Hampshire in 2024, he found his way to the top five before facing a wreck. Yet Ryan Truex’s resume starkly contrasts this – as he already owns three victories. This is what amazed one fan: “It’s legit criminal that JRG will give this dude a part time ride and not Ryan Truex. I do not understand it.” Another diehard Ryan Truex fan could not help but whip up some hostility. They wrote, “Some hillbilly over Ryan Truex is criminal.”
Clearly, Ryan Truex’s lack of a ride is riling up his fans. Hopefully, Martin Truex Jr.’s brother will carve out a better career in the near future.
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