NASCAR Cup Series Hall of Famer Mark Martin shared his thoughts on the race manipulation that took place at Martinsville saying it makes him “sick.”
Mark Martin via Dale Earnhardt’s Dirty Mo Media YouTube
During the final laps of the race, both Austin Dillon and Ross Chastain clearly refused to advance their position past William Byron in an attempt to lock William Byron into the playoffs with a single point advantage over Christopher Bell.
The Chevy Blockade vs the “Tire going down” and Wall Ride
Who do you think should be in the playoffs Bell or Byron?pic.twitter.com/pkl5kSD4Sa
— The Daily Downforce (@dailydownforce) November 3, 2024
Martin shared his initial thoughts on X describing the race as a “s**t show.”
We have a shit show here.
— Mark Martin (@markmartin) November 3, 2024
He elaborated on those thoughts during the most recent episode of his On The Mark podcast, where he was asked about the race manipulation that Chevy engaged in by ordering Ross Chastain and Austin Dillon to not pass William Byron.
Martin said, “I’m sick, man. It’s just makes me sick for the sport that I love so much to see it be embarrassed the way that-. That was totally embarrassing.”
Mark Martin via S1apSh0es YouTube
He continued, “And I was like you, I watched [Dillon and Chastain]. I knew they were going to pass [Byron] because they were faster. The 3 car was faster then he doesn’t start bumping him. And then I’m like, ‘Well, he doesn’t want to bump a guy that might be in the playoffs. But then when Chastain gets on the outside of him after awhile you can tell they’re not racing each other especially at the end of the race because those guys run all over each other usually. And they’re all racing clean. It’s just too clean. It’s too good. And I’m like, ‘I don’t know what’s going on there.'”
“And then I don’t even realize the race that’s going on with Bubba Wallace. Golly, I didn’t even know about that until afterwards. And I gotta say thank goodness for the NBC broadcast, Leigh Diffey, Steve Letarte, and Jeff Burton for bringing us that radio/audio from the 23 as well as the 1 as well as the 3 because NASCAR, itself, would have been better off if we didn’t know that. We would have found eventually, but it would have taken a lot longer,” Martin said.
Mark Martin via S1apSh0es YouTube
“That’s the worst display I’ve seen,” he observed. “We had the little scandal in 2013 where Clint Bowyer spun out kind of on purpose to help Martin get into the Chase there. And I thought that was nipped in the bud. So they make a rule. You have to race a 100% to give yourself the best chance for the best finish. And so you’ve got that kind of in place. Then you see all of this mess. Now, you think NASCAR’s going to have to make another rule. And that’s the whole problem with NASCAR now is there’s too many rules. Why do you think they keep flubbing up officiating because they have to officiate too much.
“I feel horrible for NASCAR because they got put in terrible situation to have to make these calls,” he shared. “First, on the wall ride. They had to make a call there and they made the right call. But it was questionable because it was half a wall ride. It wasn’t a whole wall ride. It wasn’t like Chastain where he went in there against the wall and never let off all the way down the back straightaway and through there. To the spirit of the rule it did violate the rule.”
“Still, half the fans are going to hate what they did and say, ‘NASCAR did that because they wanted the Chevrolet, Hendrick to be in there,'” Martin pointed out.
Mark Martin via Mark Martin on X
After his co-host interjected and shared his frustration with Chevrolet’s actions, Martin responded saying, “It’s aggravating. It’s not Chevrolet’s fault. I put this on the driver’s fault first. I was really pissed when Chevrolet people were making a big deal out of Retzlaff at Talladega. You know, ‘Chevrolet this, that.’ And I was like, ‘Why don’t he stand up and flip them the freaking bird?’ What the hell is Chevrolet going to do for Retzlaff? Nothing. Shut up is how I felt about it. I didn’t say that. I just kept my mouth shut but I was really pissed because Chevrolet ain’t going to do nothing for his career. I’m telling you. I’ve been there. It ain’t much different now than when I was in it. And the manufacturers don’t do enough for the drivers to make them give up racing.
“So you’re telling me that Chastain and Dillon are getting so much from Chevrolet that they are going to quit racing at the end of the race to help another Chevrolet? That has to be one thing and it’s low integrity. That has to be,” he reiterated. “Because I know if it was me I would say, ‘Look, it’s like it was-.’ When Jeff Burton and I used to go to Talladega, teammates, right before the race he’d say, ‘Don’t run with me. Don’t go with me.’ What he was saying was, ‘I’m not going to go with you, don’t go with me. Don’t hurt yourself. I would go with you if it’s going to help me.’ And that’s what you should do. And that’s what racers should do.”
“At the end of the day if it’s going to help you to help another manufacturer that you’re a driver for that’s okay. I just don’t believe this is a powerful money thing. I understand that they support these teams a little bit, but I don’t believe they support them to the point that they’re going to quit racing. Nobody quits racing. I mean you’d race so hard for 25th it was like you raced for your life when I raced these cars. I don’t really understand what it could be other than low integrity,” Martin concluded.
My thoughts on PART of the shit show yesterday. pic.twitter.com/2brK8AFqWe
— Mark Martin (@markmartin) November 4, 2024
What do you make of Martin’s comments regarding Chevrolet, Ross Chastain, and Austin Dillon?