In the early 2000s, NASCAR grandstands routinely filled to capacity, and television numbers ranked among the strongest in American sports. Since the introduction of the Chase format, however, viewership has steadily eroded and fallen to one of its lowest in 2025. Against that backdrop, Mark Martin has outlined a different blueprint for reconnecting with the sport’s audience.
Advertisement
Martin believes the Chase was originally built to amplify drama by emphasizing playoff survival and unpredictability. Two decades later, he argues that the approach has lost its punch. His view now centers on NASCAR pursuing its fans rather than obsessing over television metrics, whether that means reconsidering the points structure or lowering ticket prices to restore the in-person experience.
As Martin explained, “I think we should put more emphasis on what our fans, our core fans, want and less emphasis in chasing TV ratings. TV ratings are important, but we’ve chased them for 20 years now, and they’ve gone down consistently for 20 years. It’s time to quit chasing them and just go back to chasing the race fan. And I believe it’s time to start selling tickets to these races, putting people back in the stands.”
He added, “And for me, if that means cutting the ticket prices, good. Just sell some more hot dogs, and beers, and drinks. fill these places back up and get this thing back to a family shared sport where the kids watch the races with their dads as a family.”
Martin has actively pushed that message by using X polls to highlight what fans prefer, including debates around the Chase format versus a traditional points system. His aim has been to refocus NASCAR’s attention on its base rather than external benchmarks. While he does not expect a full return to the season-long points format, he acknowledged encouragement that alternatives are at least under serious consideration.
For Martin, any step away from a one-race, winner-take-all championship would represent progress. He sees improvement in moving beyond that structure, though he remains realistic about fan sentiment, noting that formats shorter than a 10-race Chase appeal to only a fraction of the audience.
Even so, he views the current discussions as a movement in the right direction, that NASCAR may finally be listening to the people who built the sport’s foundation.
