Former NASCAR driver Mark Martin recently entered the heated debate on Steve Phelps’ exit from the organization. Martin shared an X post and delivered a blunt reply to The Athletic’s Jordan Bianchi’s remark on Phelps’ resignation.
The governing body’s commissioner announced his resignation on Tuesday, Jan. 6. This decision came after the sanctioning body settled the antitrust lawsuit filed by 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports. Phelps’ comments about Richard Childress were also made public during the lawsuit, resulting in his resignation.
Following that, the NASCAR journalist wrote an article about the commissioner’s resignation and titled it:
“Steve Phelps’ NASCAR departure may have been inevitable, but he’ll leave a void”
However, fans have something else on their minds and were happy about the decision. Some of them criticized Bianchi for his take. Here are a few comments:
“I respectfully disagree. The fans have been waiting for change for a while now. Maybe whoever takes his place will put the fans first,” a motorsports fan commented.
“he’s gone….you don’t have to grovel at his feet anymore lol,” an X user wrote.
Reflecting on that, Mark Martin also joined the fans and shared an X post, alerting the Athletic reporter about the comments. Martin also disagreed with Jordan Bianchi’s take and wrote:
“Do you ever look at the comments on your posts @Jordan_Bianchi”
Even well-recognized NASCAR analyst Bob Pockrass also claimed that Steve Phelps had a role “more or less created for him.” Phelps will be taking his exit from the stock car racing association, ending his 20-year tenure at the end of this month.
“That’s So Dumb”: Mark Martin Called NASCAR on the TV-Driven Playoff Format
Earlier this month, Mark Martin appeared in an interview with the RACER Channel on YouTube. During the conversation, Martin opened up about his take on the stock car racing association’s TV-driven playoff format.
Previously, NASCAR announced the official broadcasting networks for the upcoming 2026 Cup Series season. FOX, Prime Video, TNT Sports, USA Network, NBC, and Peacock will broadcast the next season. However, Martin was unimpressed by the decision.
In the interview, Mark Martin pointed out that the governing body sold the broadcasting rights for more than what “they are worth.” He also highlighted that following the deal, the organization needs to deliver more than it can pull off.
Further, Martin claimed that NASCAR decided to attract the new generation to the sport, neglecting the current audience. He explained:
“So what they have done is alienated a lot of the core fans not all of them, but a lot to try to get new fans, because they think the older fans are going to die one day, which is dumb. That’s so dumb, because those are the people who watch the pre-race show, the race, and the post-race show.”
“The people they’re trying to get to watch these playoffs which, you know, there ain’t nobody playing out there it’s not really a playoff. They should call it a race-off or whatever, but don’t call it a playoff. It’s not a playoff,” he added.
After constant backlash from fans and Mark Martin, the stock car racing association has been planning to change the playoff format for the 2026 season. Recently, NASCAR insider Kelly Crandall predicted that the governing body might reveal the new format this month.
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