“I’m afraid I would embarrass myself”: Mark Martin responds to rumors of him joining Fox Sport’s NASCAR commentary team

Mark Martin insists he would embarrass himself in a commentary booth after rumours linked him to the vacant role at Fox Sport’s NASCAR team.

Earlier this month, it was announced that Tony Stewart would join Fox Sport’s commentary team for the first two races of the NASCAR season. He will join Mike Joy and Clint Bowyer at the Busch Light Clash in LA, and the Daytona 500, both of which take place next month.

Stewart replaces the outgoing Jeff Gordon at Fox Sports. Gordon, who held non-racing roles at Hendrick Motorsports for a long time will take office with a new title next to his name. He will start his stint as Vice-Chairman of Hendrick Motorsports this year.

Stewart himself is an iconic name in the world of NASCAR. Along with Gene Haas, he’s the co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing. He’s also a three-time Cup Series Champion and has won over 49 races in his 18-year long career.

However, the Indiana native will only be in the commentary booth for the first two races. As a result, the organizers have to start looking for a long term replacement for Gordon, sooner rather than later.

This week, rumours linking Mark Martin to Fox Sport’s NASCAR broadcasting team surfaced. Martin was quick to respond to them, stating he’d want to stay away from it, calling himself, ‘dumb as hell’.

Also read: Tony Stewart to be a part of Fox’s commentary team for Daytona 500 and the Busch Light Clash

Mark Martin says that he’s enjoying his retirement and does not want to work on a routine

Martin has taken part in 882 races in the Cup Series over the course of 31 years. He never won the Championship but won a total of 40 races finished runner-up on four different occasions. In 2017, he was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

The 63-year old has a great CV when it comes to being a part of the commentary team. With NextGen cars set to make their debut this season, it’s important that the sport has someone as knowledgeable as him calling the proceedings.

Some fans took to Twitter to ask him if he wanted to replace Jeff Gordon in the commentary booth. The former Stewart-Haas driver swiftly shut these suggestions out. He admitted that he’s happy to watch races from the comfort of his own home and that he’d prefer to leave the analysis to other experts.

“I have a few reasons I wouldn’t want to,” said Martin. “I don’t think I would be any good at it.

“I’m afraid I would embarrass myself. I’m dumb as hell. I love being retired and hate meeting a schedule anymore. I enjoy watching it on TV and letting the experts do a great job.”

Also read: 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Champion Kyle Larson says he’s ‘ready’ to drive Next Gen cars in the 2022 season