NASCAR has come a long way, changing its championship format to a playoff format. Since 2004, it has seen many changes, and the current playoff format remains a hot topic, sparking intense debates among fans and racers alike.
Mark Martin, a NASCAR Hall of Famer, participated in this debate with his usual strong opinion, teasing his upcoming book, which fans have been eagerly waiting for.
Mark Martin Teases His Upcoming Book While Addressing the Current Championship Format
NASCAR’s current playoffs format involves an elimination structure where drivers are eliminated throughout four rounds, and the rest move up to a winner-takes-all finale. However, the current format is always a matter of debate in the NASCAR community, as fans claim the old system was better, and some fans argue that the TV networks’ involvement in calling the shots is ruining the sport.
Chase Elliott reignited the debate, saying, “We’ve had a really good and competitive battle to the regular season (championship) over — correct me if I’m wrong — the last two or three years. It’s really been pretty tight all the way down to Daytona.”
“If you just take that as your sample set over the first 26 weeks, it looks pretty solid to me. The system would be just fine if you just had a full season. And if somebody runs away with it, so what? Let’s celebrate the fact that somebody ran away with it, that somebody was just that good. Motorsports does not have to be like everybody else to be successful. And I’ll stand by that til I get done,” Elliott said, substantiating his statement.
As Martin retweeted the X post, showing his support for Elliott’s stance, a fan sarcastically asked Martin whether he believes that the networks are interested in fewer people watching this sport, and whether this would be why they prefer the current format. Martin bluntly replied that the networks have zero idea about car racing.
He also mentioned that they understand “only stick and ball sports” and “they don’t understand why there 36 teams play in our championship game instead of two like they are used to.”
Mark’s honesty triggered an appreciation reply from a fan. “Mark tells it like it is. I wish i could talk to you face to face @markmartin. Cause i know you’d shoot straight with me about a lot of questions ive been asking for years, but never getting answers to…. You make me proud to be a fan and to stand for what I stand for, “ the fan wrote.
Then, Mark gave a teaser to his upcoming book, saying that he will include his honest remarks, as he couldn’t state those when he was racing back then. “Thank you @PrimeTimeChuck. I can’t wait for my book to come out. I’m telling it like it was about a lot of things I couldn’t when I was racing,” Martin wrote.