Mark Martin spent nearly two decades as a Ford Performance racer. Roush Racing was his debut team for his first full-time season in the Cup Series. In 2009, he made a sensational move, switching to Chevrolet by racing for Dale Earnhardt Inc. and Ginn Racing. While Martin’s performance as a Chevy driver was satisfactory, his first day in the office was less than ideal.
During the latest episode of Kenny Wallace Media, Mark Martin revealed his negative experience with Chevrolet. He also praised Toyota’s efforts in the NASCAR Cup Series, discussing their narrative and impact in the championship. So how did Martin, who was rather ignorant of Toyota’s presence, end up as one of their biggest supporters?
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Rejected by Chevrolet, embraced by Toyota, Mark Martin’s NASCAR journey
In motorsports, staying tied to one brand for years shapes how fans see a driver. When that driver switches teams or manufacturers, their old loyalties can create backlash and resistance. Mark Martin faced that in 2007 when he moved to Chevrolet after spending most of his career with Ford.
“When I moved from Roush to Chevy, they never gave me anything but a cold shoulder. They held it against me for being a 23-year-old Ford driver.”
It was a rather difficult situation for Martin, who was trying to fit into a new team narrative in search of his first Cup Series title. His stint with Ford, although successful, did not bring him the Cup Series crown. He wanted to change this with Chevrolet. Martin would finish as a runner-up in the 2008 season, after which he lost his edge on the track.
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For his final years, he spent his time with Toyota as a driver for Michael Waltrip Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing. Here’s where everything began to change, about his mentality towards the sport.
“When I went to Toyota, they were open arms. I loved it. It was really nice to be embraced and be able to be a part of that organization.”
The 40-time Cup Series race winner admitted he was also a victim of the stereotype that led people to resent Toyota’s entry into NASCAR. While they have operations in the United States, Toyota is essentially a Japanese OEM, and it was replacing Dodge, a purely American OEM. This ended up ruffling some feathers in the community and in NASCAR as a whole.
“I was in the same category as a lot of the others. I didn’t understand completely, and I didn’t like it. NASCAR was an American sport through and through.”
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But what changed this narrative in Mark Martin’s eyes was not performance or flashy wins, it was something much deeper…
Mark Martin reveals Toyota’s impact on NASCAR and its operations
Naturally, with Dodge ceasing NASCAR operations, the people involved with the specific division were about to lose their jobs. Toyota’s entry came in clutch to save the day for the teams and workers, who were about to lose their jobs. Martin recounts the true impact of Toyota’s entry into the sport during the podcast.
“I found out that they make as many cars or trucks. They made all the trucks over here, and then I saw what they put into the sport, how many jobs they created, and how many opportunities they created for drivers, owners, and people to work in the shops and on these teams. I am like, man, they were right, this is good for NASCAR.”
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For Martin, Toyota and its racing philosophy were the prime factors that made him love the brand. He reveals that their motivation to compete in NASCAR was pure, aimed at claiming the last bit of performance as a manufacturer.
“I drove and worked with them. TRD was full of racers. Absolute, best, hardcore, and good racers, engineers that ran the motorsports side of it. And that’s why they had so much success. It was incredible.”
Mark Martin’s story about Toyota’s early years in NASCAR is quite similar to what RAM is experiencing today. The manufacturer is facing significant criticism, along with NASCAR, over the recent rule changes to the Truck Series. Are you a Toyota fan, or would you still want them to get replaced by a more ‘American’ brand?
The post Mark Martin Exposes Chevrolet’s Cold Shoulder Backing Toyota’s NASCAR Narative appeared first on EssentiallySports.
