Why NASCAR Legend Mark Martin Is Not a Big Fan of Sim Racing or iRacing

Sim Racing and iRacing have become a major part of NASCAR in recent years. Drivers like William Byron have used those platforms to make inroads into the stock car racing world and become mainstays.

Teams are also making full use of these tools to fill the void that comes with reduced on-track practice times. However, not everyone is a fan of racing on a computer inside a room, including a certain Mark Martin.

The NASCAR icon recently revealed on X that he feels uncomfortable when racing on simulators. He wrote, “For some reason I’m not interested in it or sim.

“I got in Toyotas sim in 2013 and after a few minutes I got motion sickness.” Fans responded to him with empathy and pointed out how full-motion rigs can do that sometimes. One fan funnily suggested turning the 3D effects off.

However, Bozi Tatarevic came out with a proper explanation for why Martin was experiencing this. Tatarevic shared an excerpt from scientific research on the topic to back his theory.

I got motion sickness the first time that I drove an OEM full motion sim and according to research it’s likely based on the fact that we’ve trained our brains on physical cars over time and introducing new motions that don’t exactly match that is what causes issues. pic.twitter.com/NGyauSJIbi

— Bozi Tatarevic (@BoziTatarevic) April 22, 2025

Martin then shared his post with the caption, “Here is the explanation.” A fan, who is also a professional sim racer, replied that he experienced a similar effect when trying out a motion rig at Montreal. “I thought I was going to hurl in the first 30 seconds! I called it the vomit comet,” he said.

The fan added that he doesn’t have a problem racing on motionless rigs. Perhaps Martin ought to try them out. But there’s something else ‘The Kid’ isn’t too fond of.

Martin isn’t a fan of the current playoff format

Back when Mark Martin was teaching his competitors lessons on racing every weekend, consistency throughout a season mattered a lot more than it does now. Champions were widely seen as more legitimate, and none could question their deservedness for getting the title.

The transition that has happened on this front doesn’t please him now. He spoke about it on Door, Bumper, Clear earlier this year. “For me, a champion is much more legitimate if he consistently runs well all year long,” he said.

“I know a lot of classic fans, you know, feel the same way about that. Would it be as entertaining? I don’t know. I just think that the integrity of the sport is more important than entertainment. If you lose some viewers over that, then you lose some viewers,” Martin added with conviction.

Safe to say, not many fans are fond of the current format either. A big crowd has been pushing for a change since Joey Logano won the title last season and as things stand, it appears NASCAR might listen and draw up a new system.