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Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix was more than just the final race to decide a Cup champion.

It also marked the final race for longtime NASCAR driver Martin Truex Jr. Truex, the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion as well as the 2017 and 2023 Cup Series regular season champion, finished tied for 17th at Phoenix in his final race Sunday afternoon.

The 44-year-old New Jersey native had previously been eliminated in the Round of 16 of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.

Following today’s race, NBA legend and 23XI Racing co-owner Michael Jordan showed love to Truex on pit road in a moment that was caught on camera.

“MJ congratulated Truex on his career,” tweeted Sportsnaut’s Matt Weaver.

Truex, a future NASCAR Hall of Famer, closed out his career with 34 wins and 289 top 10s in 681 Cup Series races.

Named one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers in 2023, Truex revealed his intentions to retire earlier this year.

It’s the right time for me. I’ve thought about it a lot for the last few seasons – just waited for that feeling in my mind to be positive, like ‘This is OK, I’m good, and I want to do something else,’”

Truex said at the time, via NASCAR.com. “In the 21 years that I’ve done this, I’ve never missed a race.

I’ve never missed a practice. I’ve never been late for anything. I’ve never missed an appearance.

You live your life by a schedule that somebody makes for you, and it’s just time for me to make my own schedule.”