Back in 2019, Joe Gibbs Racing rolled the dice big time by signing Martin Truex Jr., the 2017 Cup Series champ who’d just lost his ride when Furniture Row Racing shuttered. It wasn’t a no-brainer move. JGR’s four-car lineup was already a well-oiled machine, and bringing in Truex meant shaking up driver-crew chief pairings that had been locked in for years. Pairing him first with Cole Pearn, then James Small, was a gamble that Truex’s championship magic from Denver could thrive in Huntersville’s high-pressure environment.

JGR’s a place where politics and performance collide, and not every outsider finds their footing. But Truex didn’t just fit in, he became a cornerstone, racking up multiple wins, a runner-up finish in the 2019 championship, and a playoff berth every year since. Fast forwa

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