“A snoozer last year”: Mark Martin urges patience but hints at playoff format concerns

Not too long ago, one of the elderly NASCAR statesmen, Mark Martin, commented on his podcast on the need to go back to the 2004 NASCAR championship format. Musing on the intensity that inhabited previous seasons, he noted the championship race of 1992, the race that infamously went to Alan Kulwicki with only a single circuit to go, as an illustration of the uncertainty that trumpeted the earlier days of the sport.

Even though he has previously described the race that decided last year's championship as boring, Martin confirmed he will stay loyal to NASCAR as well, and watch the races next year, because, as he puts it, it can be out of this world. He admitted that not all championship fights are dramatic and that the fans and stakeholders have to be patient with the changes to the format.

Martin pointed out that a single dull season cannot be used as a premise to wholesale judgments and panic calls to redefine immediate transformation. Though he raised concerns about the playoff format and reflected on how the old format kept viewers hooked, he also urged the fans to have faith and display forbearance with the current setup.

"Under the old system, 1992, I mean, it came down to Alan Kawicki leading one more lap. I don't watch any other sports except for the Super Bowl every year, and I thought this was a snoozer last year. It's not gonna stop me from watching it next year because it might be incredible, and that's how racing is. You know, people have to be patient. You can't just say, well, you know, we had one runaway championship. Not every championship is gonna go down the way it did last year. They're all different," Mark Martin said on Door Bumper Clear Podcast.

Besides his Cup Series achievement, Martin was also dominant in the NASCAR (then known as Nationwide) Series of lower calibre, in which he was once the all-time winning holder (49) and leader in pole victories (30). He was a part-time participant in this series and ran only partial seasons after 1987; nevertheless, he did leave his mark as one of the greatest drivers in its history. Martin also did very well in the International Race of Champions (IROC), where he won five championships and 13 races, the most in series history.

---

Mark Martin: I’ll “shut up” about the championship format if NASCAR comes clean on its revenue ‘addiction’

Mark Martin has openly criticized NASCAR's current playoff system, arguing that it is largely unpopular with fans and represents "manufactured drama" rather than genuine racing excitement. He claims that only about 20% of NASCAR fans support the playoff format, which was introduced in 2004 and has been modified since then.

“I'm also smart enough to know that the TV, the broadcasters, NASCAR, and the owners are all addicted to the revenue that they bring, whereas in my day, the revenue came directly from the fans from ticket sales and whatnot,” Mark Martin said on the Door Bumper Clear podcast (17:20 onwards). “It's a different day and age, but you know, I will shut up leading that charge when they tell us the truth and I know what the truth is.”

Martin has been pretty vocal and made his stance clear on his likes and dislikes about the current playoff format.

Get the latest NASCAR All-Star race news, Xfinity Series updates, breaking news, rumors, and today’s top stories with the latest news on NASCAR.

Edited by Rupesh