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Motorsports

Hall of Famer Mark Martin Slams NASCAR’s Commercial Era for Stripping Away Driver Personality

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7 months ago

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NASCAR icon Mark Martin has launched a blistering critique against the sport’s commercial era. The Hall of Famer claims corporate pressures have systematically erased driver personalities, creating a generation of sanitized competitors. His explosive revelation targets the invisible forces reshaping modern racers.

Martin insists today’s drivers possess hidden depth that sponsorship demands actively suppress. This corporate sanitization prevents magnetic superstars from emerging despite extraordinary on-track talent. The observation follows Sunday’s Mexico City race, where fearless driving failed to translate into fan connection.

Mark Martin Believes ‘Commerciality’ Suppressing NASCAR Drivers’ Personalities

Martin minced no words about NASCAR’s personality crisis during a revealing interview with Kenny Wallace. He contends drivers consciously suppress their authentic selves to satisfy sponsors and officials. The result is a field of racers appearing artificially bland.

“It doesn’t seem like there’s been enough super high rivalry,” Martin stated on “The Kenny Wallace Conversation.” His voice carried decades of track wisdom. “First of all, you had to water down the personalities, and that hasn’t helped.”

The 66-year-old legend sees through the polished facades. “I truly believe that the drivers today are not nearly as vanilla as they appear to be. I’ll guarantee you Jimmy Johnson was not.”

He pointed to Jimmie Johnson as prime evidence, a champion who concealed vibrant character beneath corporate polish.

“Jimmie Johnson’s one hell of a character, but he never showed that because of the commercialism of the sport. I think that has stopped these next generation as emerging as big superheroes.”

This sponsorship muzzle prevents new heroes from capturing the public imagination despite jaw-dropping skill.

Sunday’s Mexico City battle exemplified the disconnect. “I’m looking at those guys out there and they’re driving their a** off. It’s incredible,” Martin observed. “But yet so many people don’t realize that … there’s just not enough superheroes.” Raw talent isn’t translating into stardom.

Read More: Michael Waltrip Backs ‘Unapologetic’ Denny Hamlin Amid NASCAR’s Personality Debate

Kenny Wallace and Martin Discuss Team Culture Enforcing Driver Conformity in NASCAR

The conformity pressure starts at the team level, according to insiders. Podcast host Wallace singled out Hendrick Motorsports’ leadership for enforcing robotic professionalism. He claimed four-time champion Jeff Gordon actively discourages driver individuality.

“Jeff Gordon wants his drivers vanilla, and that’s what I want everybody to know. Jeff wants robotic, corporate drivers,” Wallace bluntly stated during their conversation. “He doesn’t want anybody bucking the system.” The comment sparked knowing agreement from Martin.

Martin’s own Hendrick experience offered a stark contrast. When he joined the powerhouse team in 2009, owner Rick Hendrick demanded zero persona adjustments. “There was zero pressure on me to be anything different than who I was,” Martin emphasized.

But rookies faced different rules. “Jimmie came in. He was a rookie. He would want to conform,” Martin explained. New drivers often mask true personalities, believing it’s required for success.

This self-censorship creates NASCAR’s core dilemma. Talent isn’t lacking — only the unfiltered personas that made legends like Dale Earnhardt cultural icons. The commercial era’s invisible rules trade authenticity for sponsor approval.

Martin sees dangerous consequences. Without magnetic personalities, even spectacular racing like Mexico City’s fails to captivate beyond core fans. The solution? Unleash the real characters beneath the firesuits. The Hall of Famer’s challenge echoes beyond the interview.

Can NASCAR balance commercial realities with the raw personalities that built its legacy? Sunday’s grandstands will reveal the answer.





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Motorsports

Vasseur outlines Ferrari’s 2026 development strategy

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5 hours ago

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January 12, 2026

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Meanwhile, quotes from Fred Vasseur suggest Ferrari are in no rush to take drastic measures in testing.

The 57-year-old points to the budget gap as a factor to consider when charting this year’s upgrade plan:

“If a team starts introducing four or five updates in the first races,” he told Gazzetta.

“Or if, for example, they have to send a new floor to a distant race like Japan or China – they’re burning through half their development budget at the start of the year.

“It will therefore be important to carefully evaluate step by step what to do, based on where we are.

“Whoever is ahead of everyone in Melbourne, at the first race, won’t necessarily have the winning car of the year.”

Fred Vasseur, Ferrari team principal, Ferrari Media Gallery.

Avoiding mistakes of the past

Ferrari know better than most teams about how deceptive the first races of the year can be. At the beginning of the 2022 regulations, for example, the Maranello team was flying high.

Two wins and one second place for Leclerc in the opening three rounds, alongside DNFs for Verstappen in Australia in Bahrain, painted a very positive picture for the season ahead.

Within a few months, however, Red Bull not only out-developed their Italian rivals, but also eliminated all reliability issues – whereas Ferrari suffered a series of devastating retirements in Spain and Baku.

Moreover, the last set of regulations showed the price of investing in the pursuit of a flawed concept.

Mercedes in 2022, Aston Martin in 2023 and even Red Bull in 2024 were headline examples of wasting resources on upgrades that were taking the car in the wrong direction.

Ferrari themselves faced this issue during the European leg of the 2024 season, with updates at the Spanish GP derailing the team’s progress that season.

Eager to avoid this fate over the next twelve months, Fred Vasseur has reason to exercise a measured approach. The question is whether the work fundamentals being developed at the factory in Maranello are strong enough to build upon.

Main photo: Ferrari Media Gallery



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Race cars converge at 37th annual Northeast Motorsports Expo

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5 hours ago

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January 12, 2026

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AUGUSTA, Maine (WABI) – Those in Augusta this weekend was revving up their engines with all things motor sports related and beyond.

The 37th annual Northeast Motorsports Expo wrapped up Sunday at the Augusta Civic Center.

The event brings together many motor sport organizations as well as vendors from all over New England under a single roof. An award show also took place yesterday afternoon.

Motor vehicles highlighted this year included everything from short track and drag racing, go karts, dirt bikes and much more.

Organizer Stephen Perry says it’s also a great opportunity for fans to meet drivers before the start of this year’s motor sports season.

“At a race track it’s hard to get up close to talk to these drivers, because their doing their job that day. But here you can talk to them and ask them questions about their cars or a particular race that they’ve won. It’s a more laid-back atmosphere than at a racetrack,” says Perry.

In total, around 2,700 individuals from across New England were in attendance over the weekend.

Copyright 2026 WABI. All rights reserved.



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Nitro Motorsports Sets the ARCA Menards Series Preseason Practice Pace, Plus Weekend Notes

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6 hours ago

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January 12, 2026

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Chris Knight

Chris Knight has served as a senior staff writer and news editor for CATCHFENCE.com since 2001.

In his 20-plus years with CATCHFENCE.com, he has covered NASCAR’s top three national series, often breaking news and providing exclusive at-track content, including in-depth race weekend coverage.

He also offers insider coverage of the entire Motorsports platform, including the ARCA Menards Series.

In 2022, Knight became co-owner of CATCHFENCE.com.

In addition to his active duties at CATCHFENCE.com and other Motorsports-related endeavors, he is also a frequent contributor to SiriusXM Satellite Radio NASCAR Channel 90.

You can follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @Knighter01 or on Instagram, Snapchat, or Threads at @TheKnighter01.

He can be reached by email at [email protected].



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Three-Time GRAMMY-Award Winning Country Music Superstar Miranda Lambert to Perform DAYTONA 500 Pre-Race Concert – Speedway Digest

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7 hours ago

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January 12, 2026

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Daytona International Speedway announced today that three-time GRAMMY-award winning country music superstar Miranda Lambert is set to perform the DAYTONA 500 pre-race concert. The most-awarded artist in Academy of Country Music history is set to kickstart the festivities prior to the 68th running of The Great American Race.

“To have this level of talent with an artist such as Miranda Lambert performing our pre-race concert adds an incredible amount of energy for the 68th running of the DAYTONA 500,” said Frank Kelleher, Daytona International Speedway President. “Her powerhouse vocals and passion for music are the perfect mix to represent the prestige of this event. Get ready for the thunder of country music before we wave the green flag and engines roar to kick off the 2026 season!”

Lambert’s generational career in the country music scene has spanned over 20 years, with her first chart-topping studio album Kerosene released in 2005. She has since released nine additional solo albums, plus collaborative projects as part of the Pistol Annies as well as GRAMMY-nominated album The Marfa Tapes together with Jon Randall and Jack Ingram.

A multi-dimensional superstar, she’s earned seven No. 1 solo albums, 10 No. 1 hit radio singles, more than 80 prestigious awards and countless RIAA certifications; conquered Las Vegas with her twice-extended Velvet Rodeo residency; and blurred genres with Leon Bridges, the B-52s, Loretta Lynn, Enrique Iglesias, Sheryl Crow, Elle King; and was named to the TIME100 list honoring the world’s 100 most influential people.

Lambert’s most recent album, the current GRAMMY-nominee Postcards from Texas, continued her unbroken streak of 10 consecutive Top 10s on the Top Country Albums chart. Lambert also recently collaborated with Chris Stapleton on “A Song to Sing,” as well as Reba McEntire and Lainey Wilson on “Trailblazer,” both of which are also nominated at the upcoming 68th Annual GRAMMY Awards.

In addition to performing at Daytona International Speedway, Lambert has various tour appearances scheduled across the country through summer 2026. In addition to her own storied music career, she has taken those standards to become a label co-founder, teaming with longtime collaborator Jon Randall to launch their own imprint, Big Loud Texas, in partnership with Big Loud Records. Lambert is also a New York Times best-selling author and was the first female restaurateur on Lower Broadway with her Tex-Mex cantina Casa Rosa, while also expanding her creative reach with her Wanda June Home collection and Idyllwind western wear brand. Her passion for rescue animals inspired the creation of her MuttNation Foundation, which has raised over $11 million since inception to promote adoption, support shelters across the country, advance spay & neuter and assist with the transport of animals during times of natural disaster.

The action begins on Wednesday, Feb. 11, with DAYTONA 500 Qualifying Presented by Busch Light, setting the field for the Duel At DAYTONA, which occurs the following night on Thursday, Feb. 12, where drivers will battle it out for a spot in the coveted Great American Race.  

The season-opening races for all three NASCAR national series as well as the ARCA Menards Series kick off on Friday, Feb. 13, starting with the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Fresh From Florida 250. Saturday, Feb. 14, will feature an action-packed double-header with the ARCA Menards Series race followed by the Xfinity Series United Rentals 300.  

Then Sunday, Feb. 15, the USAF Thunderbirds will perform their flyover, preparing both fans and drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series for an intense battle in the DAYTONA 500.  

For more information regarding the DAYTONA 500 and Speedweeks Presented by AdventHealth, please visit www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com. 

DIS PR



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NASCAR Hall of Fame Reveals 18 New Iconic Cars in “Glory Road: Owners” Exhibit

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11 hours ago

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January 11, 2026

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New installation celebrates the owners who helped shape NASCAR competition

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Jan. 10, 2026) – “Glory Road: Owners,” the sixth edition of the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s signature Glory Road exhibit, is now on display.

The next generation of this exhibit places ownership at the forefront, highlighting the leaders who helped steer NASCAR from its early days to today’s championship-level competition.

Reimagined every three years, the Hall’s Glory Road exhibit reflects the sport’s evolving history.

“The process for identifying the theme and cars for our iconic Glory Road exhibit is among the most challenging and enjoyable activities we are blessed to do here at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. The ‘Glory Road: Owners’ edition is no exception,” said Winston Kelley, Executive Director of the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

“Our exhibits team has done a phenomenal job selecting a wide range and diverse group of owners and cars to show the remarkable depth and breadth of owners who have been a critical foundation of NASCAR’s history throughout our nearly 80-year history. I believe our guests will be equally impressed and excited with Glory Road: Owners.”

Encircling the Great Hall, Glory Road has served as one of the Hall’s most prominent focal points since opening in 2010.

Along its iconic banked track, visitors will see firsthand how team owners shaped every aspect of NASCAR, from car design and competition strategy to the drivers and teams who became household names.

The collection features 18 historic cars spanning model years 1937 through 2025, representing seven manufacturers across six racing series, and offers an immersive journey through the sport’s evolution.

Fourteen of the owners featured are NASCAR Hall of Fame Inductees.

Together, they account for 55 NASCAR Cup Series championships, nearly 1,700 race wins and 44 Daytona 500 victories, showing the remarkable influence these leaders have had on the sport.

“It is always exciting to present new stories, interactives and historic artifacts to our guests,” said Kevin Schlesier, Senior Director, Museum and Industry Affairs, at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

“Glory Road: Owners is part of the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s commitment to continually update and change exhibits to engage our visitors and to bring new aspects of NASCAR’s history to light.

“It is an honor to be entrusted with these 18 historic race cars that bring to the forefront the incredible contributions owners have made in growing the sport. It is an equal privilege to create unique displays and digital interactives to bring the stories to life.”

Below is the complete lineup of new cars installed on Glory Road.

More details on each owner and car are available here.

Additionally, the full media kit is available here.

  • Roger Penske (Class of 2019) / Team Penske / 2022 Ford Mustang

  • Wendell Scott (Class of 2015) / Wendell Scott Racing / 1937 Ford Modified

  • Glenn Wood (Class of 2012) / Wood Brothers Racing / 1954 Ford Coupe

  • Bud Moore (Class of 2011) / Bud Moore Engineering / 1964 Mercury Marauder

  • John Holman, Ralph Moody (Class of 2025) / Holman Moody Racing / 1965 Ford Galaxie

  • Junie Donlavey / Donlavey Racing / 1979 Ford Thunderbird

  • Lee Petty (Class of 2011) / Petty Enterprises / 1981 Buick Regal

  • Junior Johnson (Class of 2010) / Junior Johnson & Associates / 1986 Chevrolet Monte Carlo

  • Robert Yates (Class of 2018) / Robert Yates Racing / 1992 Ford Thunderbird

  • Jack Roush (Class of 2019) / Roush Racing / 1997 Ford Thunderbird

  • Richard Childress (Class of 2017) / Richard Childress Racing / 2000 Chevrolet Monte Carlo

  • Rick Hendrick (Class of 2017) / Hendrick Motorsports / 2005 Chevrolet Monte Carlo

  • Ray Evernham (Class of 2018) / Evernham Motorsports / 2006 Dodge Charger

  • Duke and Rhonda Thorson / ThorSport Racing / 2019 Ford F-150

  • Joe Gibbs (Class of 2020) / Joe Gibbs Racing / 2022 Toyota Supra

  • Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Class of 2021), Kelley Earnhardt Miller, Rick Hendrick (Class of 2017) / JR Motorsports / 2024 Chevrolet Camaro

  • Kevin and DeLana Harvick / Kevin Harvick Inc. / 2025 Chevrolet Camaro

  • Bill Blair / Bill Blair Racing / 1953 Oldsmobile Super 88

“Glory Road: Owners” will be on display through December 2028 and is included with general admission to the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Tickets, hours and additional information are available at nascarhall.com.

About the NASCAR Hall of Fame:

Located in Uptown Charlotte, North Carolina, the NASCAR Hall of Fame is an interactive, entertainment attraction honoring the history and heritage of NASCAR.

The high-tech venue, designed to educate and entertain race fans and non-fans alike, includes artifacts, hands-on exhibits, a 278-person state-of-the-art theater, Hall of Honor and the NASCAR Hall of Fame Gear Shop.

Opened on May 11, 2010, the NASCAR Hall of Fame is owned by the City of Charlotte, licensed by NASCAR and operated by the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority.

For more information, visit nascarhall.com.

Source: NASCAR Hall of Fame 



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“I Hope It Does Happen”: Top JGR Official Floats Unprecedented NASCAR Playoff Scenario

Published

14 hours ago

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January 11, 2026

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Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports, the only teams in the Cup Series to field four entries, are also the most successful teams in NASCAR. In any given season, they are expected to get at least one of their drivers to the championship finale. But what are the chances that they get all four drivers there?

All four drivers of a team reaching the finale is unprecedented, no doubt, even for JGR and Hendrick Motorsports. Recently, Dave Alpern, the president of Joe Gibbs Racing, discussed this ‘perfect’ scenario in a video for his team media.

“There are only two organizations that could happen, and that’s Hendrick Motorsports or Joe Gibbs Racing,” said Alpern.

“Because we are the only ones with four. We are the only ones that have ever put three in. I can tell you one thing. It’s really stressful,” added Alpern, before explaining how dynamics and resources get stretched in the process.

Alpern likened it to having multiple children participating in the same competition, knowing that all except one is going to lose. As stressful as such a scenario would be, he recognizes that it would be an amazing problem to have.

“I would love to try it one year. I am sure our friends down the road will love that as well,” continued Alpern.

The logistics and the sheer workload that would go into such a setting would be massive, to say the least. Moreover, the current format will require three of the cars to each win a race in the playoffs’ Round of 8, while the final car will have to qualify on points for this to happen.

Yes, technically, it could happen. Alpern hopes it does happen. But the question is if it ever will.

“I hope it does happen. In some ways, it’d be great because you’d clinch the championship the week before. But it sounds like the playoff format might change. So, we may never get to find out,” said Alpern.

NASCAR is on the verge of announcing key changes to the existing playoff format. Word around town is that a multi-race championship round is on the cards instead of a single race.

However, speculations will have to wait until official word comes from Daytona. Until then, Joe Gibbs Racing fans can look back at the historic 2019 season, when the team put three drivers in the Championship 4.

Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., and Denny Hamlin had competed for the title alongside Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick. Busch eventually won that year.



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