“I don’t like it being called playoffs, because it’s not a playoff,” said Mark Martin, sharing his thoughts about NASCAR’s post-season format with Kenny Wallace in June. The veteran driver, just like many others, has been an outspoken critic about the existing system, particularly after Joey Logano, who was 20th in points, managed to win the championship for the third time last year. But it seems like not everyone agrees with his views, especially SiriusXM NASCAR Radio’s co-hosts Danielle Trotta and Larry McReynolds.
What started as offhand comments on Tuesday’s ‘On Track’ episode turned into a full-blown social media frenzy. Tempers were flaring on X and the Hall of Fame racing driver left no prisoners, even arguing with fans to make his point.
Mark Martin stands his ground during playoff debate
It all started with Larry McReynolds and Danielle Trotta speaking about the NASCAR playoff committee on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Trotta claimed that there was a driver on the committee who wanted to get back to the old points system to decide the champion. We’re talking about the pre-2004 classic full-season format, where the driver with the most points won the title. However, McReynolds took a sly dig at Martin during the conversation, saying, “I bet it’s a driver that has not won a championship.”
Larry McReynolds’ shade was bound to get out, and one fan sent a clip of the conversation to Mark Martin. The veteran racer fired back at the co-hosts, claiming, “They want a system that is different than what the MAJORITY of @NASCAR cup fans want. I just want the majority of fans to get what they want.” Trotta jumped in and countered his point, saying, “We need a playoff, we need eliminations, we need to reward winning and consistency. This format does it all & is highly entertaining!” But Martin wasn’t having it, and went on to say, “NO WE DONT.”
The situation just escalated from that point on, sparking a raging debate on X, with NASCAR fans, divided in their views, jumping in to express their thoughts. While some claimed that the ongoing format only benefitted the broadcast networks, others came to its defense, with one X user writing, “The majority of fans love the playoff.” Mark Martin, who was determined to prove his point, snapped back, saying, “Prove it. I can prove they don’t.”
They want a system that is different than what the MAJORITY of @NASCAR cup fans want. I just want the majority of fans to get what they want. https://t.co/doDertyRWd
— Mark Martin (@markmartin) July 22, 2025
Another NASCAR fan found two polls regarding the playoff format, one by Jeff Gluck and the other by Martin himself. The results in both cases were unanimous. The majority of fans wanted a classic 36 race season, and with a sample size of more than 50,000 votes, it’s fair to say that the veteran racer proved his point. However, that’s no guarantee that the sanctioning body will change its post-season format anytime soon, even though discussions are ongoing behind the scenes about potential alterations that can be made.
Martin explains why he dislikes the NASCAR playoffs
He might not have won a championship, but Mark Martin has had an illustrious NASCAR career. He won 40 Cup Series races, and managed to finish inside the top-10 a staggering 453 times. If that’s not consistency, we don’t know what is. He did come agonizingly close to lifting the silverware on several occasions, though, finishing second in points in 1990, 1994, 1998, and 2002. However, despite his relative lack of ‘success’, Martin has been an outspoken critic of the existing playoff system.
He told Kenny Wallace last month, “Joey [Logano] being 20th-place in the points and winning the championship last year, that should’ve been the nail in the coffin for that playoff system. There’s debate whether the [final round] should be three races, or if it should be five — still, most of the fans want 36 (a full season championship). I wouldn’t bash NASCAR if they went back to 10. I think five is too little. I don’t think it’s a large enough sample.”
NASCAR began the playoff format in 2004, which has evolved over the last two decades. As things stand, 16 drivers qualify for the postseason, and they compete in 10 races for the Bill France Cup with the top four drivers in points battling it out in the final fixture. However, Kyle Larson, who won five races last year, didn’t make it to Championship 4 despite showing consistency throughout the season, while Joey Logano secured strategic wins to eventually lift the trophy. And it’s those kinds of situations that rub Mark Martin the wrong way.
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