Mark Martin Declares NASCAR Has “Alienated Classic Fans”

NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin has shared his thoughts on how the classic fans are getting hurt by the changes to the sport.

Mark Martin Declares NASCAR Has “Alienated Classic Fans”

Mark Martin (Via IMAGO)

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Hall of Famer Mark Martin has been the voice of the voiceless in the NASCAR community over the issues with the direction of the sports. He has publicly called out the sanctioning body and personals that are supporting the current championship format as well as the Next-Gen cars, despite the massive backlash he has received.

One of the major points of discussion that Mark Martin put forward is how the classic fan of the sport, who are still the majority among the stock car racing fanbase, is feeling like they are getting wronged by the sports they love. He believes they are getting alienated, while NASCAR is looking into expanding into new market, producing a product that is unrecognizable.

The new fans that they’re looking to bring to TV are different than that. And while you chase those fans, you’ve alienated those classic fans a lot because they just don’t recognize what they see.

Mark Martin told Shannon Spake on YouTube.

Further talking about the point, Mark Martin addressed the involvement of broadcasters in the decision making regarding the playoff and how they are forcing NASCAR not to change them. He highlighted how tried to reason with them and explain to them that it’s wrong to assume the fans don’t want the old format back.

When they said that, I’m like, ‘Well, what are we having these meetings for then? We’re wasting our time if it’s going to be a hard sell.’

Mark Martin added.

Mark Martin explains how playoff helped and hurt NASCAR

NASCAR introduced the playoff format in 2004 and over the years it has seen some major changes, that helped it to evolve into the season finale format that it is use at the moment. Martin was one of the many veterans who failed to capitalize this change in format and couldn’t secure the title.

Mark Martin
Mark Martin (Via IMAGO)

Talking about the playoffs, Mark Martin asserted that NASCAR had positive intentions by introducing the format, but some of them turned out to sour grapes. The win and you’re in format is helping and hurting the sport. The competition has increased, but at the same time the value of the race wins has been reduced.

A lot of the things that were done for the playoffs for a good reason have turned out to be sour. So, it helped this (the sport), but it hurt that. Let’s say ‘win and you’re in.’ Somehow, making winning more important than ever has taken away from the importance of winning…

Mark Martin said.

Further talking about the point, the ex-Hendrick Motorsports driver asserted that in the past winning races was a big deal and the discussion around it always has been around how impressive the racer was. But now these discussions are getting overshadowed by talked about playoff entry and how it affects the rest of the garage.

But it’s just, ‘He won, he’s in.’ That’s all you talk about… Winning a race is huge. It’s the biggest deal. And you lose that. That’s not what you talk about all week. You talk about now he’s in the playoffs.

Mark Martin added.

The comments from the former racer seems to be on point and rational. The chase format has changed the perception regarding race wins and how the team approaches the must-win situations. It is also not rewarding consistency enough and there is a desperate need for a change.

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