Mark Martin Confesses He ‘Embarrassed Himself’ Infront of the NASCAR Playoff Committee 2 Mark Martin (Via IMAGO)

Mark Martin Used Supercars Example to Expose 'Dumb' NASCAR playoff system

Originally posted on FirstSportz | By Aditya Pandya | Last updated Dec 2, 2025 12:31 PM ET

NASCAR’s playoff system has been one of the highly debated topics for a very long time. Many people in the community, including the drivers and team owners, have spoken out against the favor of the current championship format.

Though the sport had initially refused to make changes to the format, they are now open to changes, with many options on the table. Amid the ongoing debate, NASCAR’s former driver Mark Martin shares his brutal opinion on the playoff format.

The Australian Supercars racing format is one that is highly revered by many drivers in NASCAR currently. Shane van Gisbergen moved from the Super2 format to the pinnacle of stock racing this year and achieved a highly successful debut. Moreover, Jesse Love made his debut in the Super2 format, with many others looking to follow him in the sport.

In the 2025 season, Supercars adapted a NASCAR playoff-style championship format. Notably, Broc Feeney, racing for the Triple Eight Race Engineering team, amassed 14 wins over the season but still couldn’t win the championship. Meanwhile, Chaz Mostert won the Supercars championship after excelling in the final rounds with just four wins to his name.

The recent influx of fans at Supercars from NASCAR weren’t happy with these results, and Mark Martin was one of the many who criticized this format. Martin did not hesitate to fire some shots at the winner-takes-it-all format and called it a ‘dumb system’. This meant that the pinnacle of stock racing must look into changes to the format as soon as possible to keep the fans and the community happy.

Dumb system.
Mark Martin said via X, @markmartin.

Dumb system https://t.co/fxGscMH6cB
— Mark Martin (@markmartin) December 1, 2025

Mark Martin reveals the ‘fake news’ regarding his return to NASCAR Truck Series

Mark Martin is certainly up there with the greats in NASCAR. The 2025 Cup Series title runner-up, Denny Hamlin, had applauded Martin’s legacy in the sport despite never winning a championship. Regardless of his title winless streak, he achieved multiple coveted race wins. As such, amid recent news, it was rumored that the 66-year-old was set to return to racing with RAM’s Kauling Trucks in the upcoming season.

Mark Martin Confesses He ‘Embarrassed Himself’ Infront of the NASCAR Playoff Committee 2 Mark Martin (Via IMAGO)

However, Mark Martin quickly shut down these rumors and revealed the ground reality. In a recent tweet on X, Martin opened up on the ‘fake news’ of his return to the NASCAR Truck Series. The 40-race winner did not explain his point any further, but it is clear as day that he isn’t returning anytime soon. He certainly put forth a great career in the sport and doesn’t need to prove his racing prowess by returning to race at this age.

Fake news.
Mark Martin said via X.

Fake news. https://t.co/xlix7nE5HV
— Mark Martin (@markmartin) December 1, 2025

The 2025 season of the NASCAR Cup Series proved why the playoff format might not be the best title winner decider. Though there are many other formats possible, the sport is looking into making changes to the winner-takes-it-all format. Time will tell if the sport introduces changes to it and how it works out for the drivers and teams.

This article first appeared on FirstSportz and was syndicated with permission.

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