“Ethics Are Gone”: NASCAR Veteran’s Dejected Verdict on Modern-Day Drivers’ Racing Etiquette

Stakes in motorsports have always been high but there has also been a kind of camaraderie that had defined this sport back in the day. Nowadays, however, the on-track battles between drivers always seem to boil over off the track. NASCAR icon, Mark Martin had his say after two questionable antics during the Martinsville weekend.

Martin, who has 49 Xfinity and 40 Cup Series wins, came onto X (formerly Twitter) to write, “Ethics are gone in racing.” What prompted him to say this? Well, it was two separate bouts between Chandler Smith / Cole Custer and Christian Eckes and Taylor Gray.

During the Xfinity race at Martinsville weekend, things got pretty hairy between the duo of Smith and Cole. After fighting tooth-and-nail for over 25 laps, the duo got into an argument in the pit lane after Smith accused Custer of hampering his chances at the playoffs with the way he was racing him.

Ethics are gone in racing.

— Mark Martin (@markmartin) November 2, 2024

“I was planning to do a lot more than that, to be completely frank with you,” said Smith after he took a swing at Cole. In other news, Eckes, during his Truck Series triumph seemingly delivered a stonking bump into the back of challenger Gray — leading to the duo almost squaring off after the race.

Martin isn’t the only one who has been left disillusioned by the way Stock Car and American racing have been approached by drivers today. Potential 2024 Cup Series champion, Tyler Reddick himself has made comments about how the ‘driver’s code’ isn’t followed in the sport nowadays.

Reddick slams the modern approach to motor racing

The NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen, earlier this season, was riddled with aggressive maneuvers and dive bombs as Reddick felt the disrespect on the field. Speaking about the race later, he had pretty harsh words for the state of NASCAR as it stands.

He said, “There is no more driver code. It’s gone. Call me a hypocrite if you want, I’ve made my mistakes, screwed up, and run people over. I just don’t like driving into the corner and using someone in front as a brake. Running someone a little wide is one thing but running someone off the track — I don’t like racing that way.”

Reddick particularly felt for his compatriot, Martin Truex Jr. who was the most irked by this trend of racing. Truex Jr., who’s retiring at the end of this season said he felt all the more convinced about his decision to call it quits after the race.

“I got home, and I was on the couch and saw Martin Truex Jr.’s post-race comments. And it’s so relatable,” concluded Reddick.