Dale Earnhardt Jr. BEGGED Rick Hendrick to sign this Toyota driver for HMS

Dale Earnhardt Jr and Rick Hendrick have strong personal and professional relationships.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. BEGGED Rick Hendrick to sign this Toyota driver for HMS

Rick Hendrick (Credits: Getty) Bubba Wallace (Credits:Sportscasting) Martin Truex Jr (Credits: @NASCAR/Twitter) and Dale Earnhradt (Credits: IMAGO)

NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. has revealed that he, in the past, begged Hendrick Motorsport owner Rick Hendrick to sign a driver who became champion with Toyota after leaving the Chevy garage. Dale Jr. drove for HMS in the Cup Series, driving the No:88 Chevy for a decade, and has amassed nine Cup race wins.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Xfinity Series team also acts as a major contributor to HMS and the rest of the Chevy garage as the best learning ground for their top prodigies before making their cup debut. The professional and personal relationship he has with Hendrick has always encouraged him to contribute to the team outside of racing as well. He once asked the HMS owner to sign Martin Truex Jr. as a replacement for their retiring veteran.

Dale Jr., while talking about Martin Truex Jr.’s potential retirement at the end of the 2023 season, he revealed that he once begged Hendrick to sign his former teammate as the replacement for retiring Mark Martin or Kasey Kahane. The move didn’t happen, and both parties didn’t suffer major losses, but the fans did miss what could have been a major partnership.

“I hope he races. Me and Truex I consider us to be close pals and man, I begged Rick Hendrick to hire him when he was between drivers. I don’t remember if it was Mark leaving or Kasey leaving, but that was, uh, there was a time when I had a hard time convincing Rick to change the route he was going down and also to understand what kind of a driver Martin was,” Junior said in his Dale Jr. Download podcast.  

In case you missed it: Dale Earnhardt Jr. makes a compelling argument on why Martin Truex Jr. should not retire in 2023

Will Martin Truex Jr. retire at the end of 2023?

Martin Truex Jr. (1)
Martin Truex Jr. at Sonoma (Credits: @DennyDelivers/Twitter)

One of the major questions that are bugging NASCAR fans right now is the future of veteran Truex Jr. in the NASCAR Cup series, unlike the 2022 season, where he found it easier compared to 2023 to decide on a contract extension. While talking about the current situation, the JGR driver admitted that it’s hard for him to make such big decisions.

Dale Jr. is among the many in the Cup garage that doesn’t want to see veterans retire. He wants his close friend to stay in the Cup series for two more years and secure a couple more race wins as he has done in 2023 with three victories in lane appearances. But the JRM co-owner also knows that even winning the title this season might not be enough for him to decide to stay.

The Cup garage can expect one thing; there is a high possibility that Truex Jr. might not remain full-time in NASCAR if he decides to exit JGR. The probability of him signing for another team is very low. JGR can convince him to stay for one more year by providing him with a strong Car capable of fighting for the championship.

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