Mark Martin's Radical Idea to Fix the Next Gen Car

Mark Martin's story of resilience, raw talent, and unmatched car knowledge defined the modern era of NASCAR drivers... and today, he sits down with fellow NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. to discuss it all! Mark details key moments that defined his career, especially turning down the Ranier Racing No. 28 car ahead of the 1982 season. From there, Mark discusses his long and complicated relationship with Jack Roush.

Mark feared Jack, but a trip to a test track and an unauthorized plane landing helped Mark realize the true level of their relationship. In that same trip, Mark and his team got reckless and totaled a group of rental cars — and somehow, the story never got out. And Jack? He was none the wiser. Racing back in the '80s and '90s brought its own slew of challenges, and Mark details several such moments, including subbing out of the car at Pocono mid-race due to heat exhaustion. On top of that, Mark raced with a hand-operated clutch in his late model just weeks after suffering a vicious crash.

After discussing Mark's new book, he and Dale Jr. discuss the current state of NASCAR racing, namely the points format that Mark spearheaded as part of NASCAR's Playoff Committee. Plus, Mark shares his potentially radical idea to fix racing with the Next Gen car.

All of this packed into another can't-miss episode of The Dale Jr. Download!

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Chapters:
00:00 Welcome Back Mark Martin
04:09 Writing Never Lift
09:39 The Call That Changed Everything
19:52 The Rental Car Crash
29:05 Daytona & Career Turning Points
42:24 Jeff Gordon's Foreword
45:33 NASCAR's Playoff Committee
1:05:28 Fixing NASCAR
1:15:20 The Next Gen Car
1:23:30 NASCAR's Downforce Problem
1:27:39 Wrap Up