“Don’t Hurt Yourself”: Mark Martin In Disbelief Over “Low Integrity” Racing in Martinsville Eliminator

The Martinsville race, enveloped in controversy, saw more than its share of drama. From Bubba Wallace seemingly slowing down to help Christopher Bell clinch a position and point for entry into the Championship 4 to Austin Dillon and Ross Chastain playing bodyguard for William Byron, the final Round of 8 race was rife with intrigue.

In response to the unfolding events, NASCAR veteran Mark Martin sharply criticized the drivers and manufacturers for their lack of full commitment. He asserted:

“The manufacturers don’t do enough for the drivers to make them give up racing! So, you’re telling me that Chastain and Dillon are getting so much from Chevrolet that they’re gonna quit racing at the end of the race to help another Chevrolet? That has to be one thing and it’s low integrity.”

He also recalled a time when Jeff Burton and Mark Martin were teammates at Talladega. Just before a race, Burton would advise Martin,

“‘Don’t run with me. Don’t go with me.‘ What he really meant was, ‘I’m not going to go with you. Don’t go with me. Don’t hurt yourself. I would go with you if it’s going to help me.’“

Martin pointed out that this is how drivers should ideally conduct themselves, showing respect for the profession.

Proving the same were the radio communications between drivers and their teams. A journalist from Frontstretch reported that the intercepted radio chatter indicated that the maneuvers by the #3 and #1 teams were deliberate and orchestrated. He pointed out, “Does the 1 crew chief know the deal?” – radio chatter from the 3 teams that NBC just played.”

On the other side, Bubba Wallace was overheard on his radio declaring, “God forbid if we don’t help a fu*king JGR car.” The remark appeared to prompt his crew chief, Bootie Barker, to direct Wallace’s spotter, Freddie Kraft, to keep Wallace updated on Bell’s whereabouts, encouraging Wallace to slot in behind Bell.

As the race neared its end and the white flag was flown, Wallace eased off the pace [by roughly 2.4 seconds], allowing the #20 JGR driver to close the gap just as they barreled into the final corner of the last lap.

Denny Hamlin dismisses the notion that Wallace assisted the #20 JGR driver

While the #11 Joe Gibbs Racing driver expressed his frustration with NASCAR’s decision to penalize Bell for the “wall ride” maneuver, citing vague rules, he made it clear in his latest “Actions Detrimental” podcast episode that Toyota never instructed any team or driver to collaborate on the track.

He asserted, “The only thing I can tell you for a fact because I am part of the Toyota Racing is Toyota Racing never not once this week told 23XI to do anything for JGR. They were not involved whatsoever. I’ve never been part of a conversation saying if this happens then you have to do this.”

Hamlin went on to explain that even on superspeedways, the approach from Toyota is hands-off, allowing teams and drivers to navigate their strategies independently. He emphasized that Toyota has consistently refrained from dictating specific operational rules or guidelines.