Mark Martin Takes Credit for Matt Kenseth’s NASCAR Breakthrough

NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin reveals the massive role he played behind the success of Matt Kenseth in the sport.

Mark Martin Takes Credit for Matt Kenseth’s NASCAR Breakthrough

Matt Kenseth, Jack Roush and Mark Martin (Via @mattkenseth/X)

🔍 Explore this post with:

ChatGPTPerplexityGrok AIGoogle AI

NASCAR Hall of Famer Matt Kenseth is one of the most accomplished racers in the history of sport, who is known for his iconic 2003 championship triumph, that saw him finished season at the top of the points table with just one. His most successful years were with Roush Racing          (now RFK Racing) where he won the title, and securing 20+ wins.

One person that can claim more credit than anyone for Matt Kenseth’s success in the sport is Hall of Famer Mark Martin. The former was making a name for himself in the lower NASCAR divisions and late model series in the 1990s. In 1994, he met Martin and had a positive conversation following the Talladega Busch Series race.

The legendary racer pretty impressed with then young Kenseth and didn’t waste a single time, as he went to his boss Jack Roush and asked him to sign the latter. The team didn’t have spot for the racer yet. But Martin knew what the future held for the Wisconsin born racer.

I left there, went straight to Jack, and said, ‘Jack, you’ve got to sign this guy, Matt Kenseth. I know you don’t have a spot for him, but you have to sign him. You’ve got to.

Mark Martin said via Kenny Wallace media.

The trust he put on the youngster paid off, as the latter proved his worth from day one of getting the Roush contract. He helped the RFK won the first title in the team’s history, something even mark martin couldn’t deliver for them. It was extra special for Martin, as he was also the co-owner of the No:17 title winning car.

And man, I was not wrong. Matt Kenseth made me proud, and Matt brought Jack Roush his first Cup Series championship. I was proud of that and was also the co-owner of the car. So that was kind of cool.

Mark Martin added.

Mark Martin explains how NASCAR can get core fans back

HOF Mark martin is one of the biggest voices for the race fans in the garage at the moment and recently he made some bold statement about the sport alienating the core fan base. The veteran pointed out that NASCAR lost the fans when the starter chasing TV rating and the time has come for the leadership to rethink their strategy.

Mark Martin
Mark Martin (Via @markmartin/X)

I think we should put more emphasis on what our fans, our core fans, want and less emphasis in chasing TV ratings… It’s time to quit chasing them and just go back to chasing the race fan. And I believe it’s time to start selling tickets to these races, putting people back in the stands.

Mark Martin said.

The veteran pointed out that they can get the support of the legacy fans back by reducing the ticket price, giving them more food and beverage option on race days, as well as making the sport family friendly again. The sport can only make the genuine fans by attracting the new generation to the sport as the casual fans watching races on the screen wont last long.

And for me, if that means cutting the ticket prices, good. Just sell some more hot dogs, and beers, and drinks. fill these places back up and get this thing back to a family shared sport where the kids watch the races with their dads as a family.

Mark Martin added.

The comments from the ex-racer shows the passion he has for the sport and how much he wants the sport to get back it’s glory days. It would be interesting to see how the sport leadership is going to respond to it and how everything is going to playout the sport in the coming years.

Also Read: Jeff Gordon Admits It “Will Be Hard for NASCAR to Replace” Steve Phelps