Martin Truex Jr. returning to Joe Gibbs Racing has been officially..

Martin Truex Jr. will return to Joe Gibbs Racing to compete in the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season, he announced Saturday. Here’s what you need to know:

The 2017 Cup Series champion had been mulling retirement but instead signed a contract extension with JGR through the end of next season.
Truex, 43, is in his fifth season driving the No. 19 Toyota for JGR.
He entered the weekend atop the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series standings with 744 points.
The Athletic’s instant analysis:

Why did Truex decide to return?
Truex had waffled over the decision for months, but with time running short and the team needing an answer one way or another, he opted for another season. “It didn’t feel right to not come back and keep doing what we’re doing,” Truex said, who added he told himself “Don’t be stupid.” After all, Truex is in a great situation at one of NASCAR’s top teams and currently has one of the fastest cars in the field every week. Will 2024 be his final season? Truex has no plans to decide that anytime soon, as he’ll stay on a year-to-year plan for now. — Gluck

What does this mean for Joe Gibbs Racing?
Truex is a steady hand who, despite being the oldest driver in the Cup Series next year, offers a veteran presence who knows how to extract the most speed from the cars. Given his current position as the Cup Series points leader, Truex has clearly shown his age (43) is not a negative factor in his performance yet. After a winless season in 2022 which prompted questions about whether Truex was past his prime, the New Jersey native is once again a championship contender. Why walk away from that type of situation? — Gluck

What is the fallout from this decision?
JGR’s John Hunter Nemechek, who races in the Xfinity Series, has been the heir apparent to Truex’s ride. But now with Truex deciding to race another season, it’s entirely possible Nemechek will find another place in the Cup Series. Given The Athletic reported earlier this week Noah Gragson was on the hot seat at Legacy Motor Club — this before Gragson was suspended indefinitely earlier Saturday for his “actions on social media” — it only will increase the chatter Nemechek could fill that ride when Legac