NASCAR has been on the receiving end of major backlash ever since the private text exchanges between Steve Phelps and Brian Herbst that were abusive toward team owner Richard Childress came out in the open. These messages were shared in 2023 after Childress had expressed critical opinions about the cost of the Next Gen car on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.<\/p>\n
The wording used by the NASCAR executives was so shocking that the entire industry was taken aback<\/a>. Former drivers have questioned the lack of ethics and professionalism, and one person who has been especially unable to accept this behavior is ex-superstar Mark Martin.<\/p>\n Martin\u2019s friend and former NASCAR racer, Kenny Wallace<\/a>, spoke about Martin\u2019s current mindset during an interview with Chase Holden recently and explained how it was different from his own. He said<\/a>, \u201cMark is crushed. He is in utter disbelief. He\u2019s broken because\u2026 I have the ability to forgive and forget. Mark doesn\u2019t. He is way hardcore than me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo, yeah. I am like, \u2018This doesn\u2019t surprise me. But wow. It\u2019s really out here, right?\u2019 Mark is like, \u2018Oh my god! Do they even like me? Did any of them ever like me, or did they see me as a show horse?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Martin is an icon, just like Childress. If Childress is being talked about in this manner, there is always the possibility that Martin might be as well. And that makes his fear completely valid.<\/p>\n