NASCAR Broadcaster & Former Crew Chief Larry McReynolds Slammed For Comments Bashing Retired Driver Mark Martin

Correct me if I’m wrong Larry Mac, but you’ve never won a championship either… There’s been a lot of debate recently over the NASCAR points system, and whether the sport should do away with the playoffs and go back to crowning a champion based on full season points standings. NASCAR first adopted a postseason points format back in 2004 when it unveiled the “Chase for the Nextel Cup.” Previously, the series had simply awarded points based on finishing position and […] The post NASCAR Broadcaster & Former Crew Chief Larry McReynolds Slammed For Comments Bashing Retired Driver Mark Martin first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

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NASCAR Broadcaster & Former Crew Chief Larry McReynolds Slammed For Comments Bashing Retired Driver Mark Martin

Correct me if I’m wrong Larry Mac, but you’ve never won a championship either…

There’s been a lot of debate recently over the NASCAR points system, and whether the sport should do away with the playoffs and go back to crowning a champion based on full season points standings.

NASCAR first adopted a postseason points format back in 2004 when it unveiled the “Chase for the Nextel Cup.” Previously, the series had simply awarded points based on finishing position and whoever had the most points at the end of the season was a championship. Simple enough, right?

But back in 2003, NASCAR Cup Series champion Matt Kenseth stunk up the show. He dominated the points standings despite only winning one race the entire season, and was so far ahead before the final race of the season that he had already locked up the championship – making the season finale essentially meaningless.

In an attempt to boost ratings at the end of the season when NASCAR was competing with the NFL for viewers, they’ve since gone to some sort of a playoff system, though the format has changed over the years.

Under the current system, which was largely implemented in 2014, a driver can lock themselves into the playoffs with a win during the first 26 races, regardless of where they are in the points standings. The thought was that it would incentivize drivers to race hard to compete for a win each week, but there’s one obvious problem: If a driver who was well below the cut line somehow manages to sneak out a win, they take a spot in the playoffs away from a driver and team who performed better throughout the season.

We saw it last year when Harrison Burton won at Daytona and took a spot in the playoffs, only to be eliminated in the first round. And the discussion came up again this year when Shane Van Gisbergen, who was sitting at 33rd in points at the time, won the race in Mexico City a few weeks ago. (He’s since won two more races, so it’s hard to argue that he doesn’t belong in the playoffs, though there’s certainly discussion to be had based on his points standings and performance throughout the rest of the season).

All of the controversy has led to renewed calls for NASCAR to do away with the playoff format altogether and go back to simply crowning a championship based on who has the most points at the end of the season. It not only rewards consistency, but it places a higher value on running well throughout the season and doesn’t risk a driver winning a championship based on what critics call “arbitrary” rules.

Now, do I think NASCAR would ever do away with the playoffs entirely? Absolutely not. It produces too many storylines throughout the season, and leaves the door open for chaos pretty much every week.

Is it manufactured chaos based on the rules that are in place? Sure. But it’s chaos, and chaos is entertaining.

Mark Martin, though, has been a vocal advocate for bringing back the full-season points championship.

They want a system that is different than what the MAJORITY of @NASCAR cup fans want. I just want the majority of fans to get what they want. https://t.co/doDertyRWd
— Mark Martin (@markmartin) July 22, 2025

The retired NASCAR driver raced in the Cup Series for an incredible 31 seasons, the type of longevity that we’re not likely to see again in the sport any time soon. And over that time period, he managed to win 40 races and finish second in the point standings five times, despite never quite sealing the deal and winning a championship.

Despite not having a championship on his resume, Martin was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2017 and is frequently recognized as one of NASCAR’s greatest drivers.

Which is why fans weren’t happy when broadcaster and former crew chief Larry McReynolds dismissed his opinion on the playoffs simply because he had never won a championship.

McReynolds served as crew chief for Dale Earnhardt in 1997 and 1998, a time that saw Earnhardt win his first and only Daytona 500. And along with Earnhardt, McReynolds also served as crew chief for drivers like Davey Allison, Ernie Irvan and Ricky Rudd, winning 23 races during his time atop the pit box.

But you know what he didn’t win? A championship…which made it ironic when he criticized Mark Martin today on his radio show on Sirius XM for never winning a championship:

Here is the clip pic.twitter.com/XDr2rnCgyi
— megadoomer (@Megafrayder2) July 22, 2025

Well not only is Mark Martin one of NASCAR’s greatest drivers of all time, he’s also still a fan favorite thanks in no small part to his unfiltered honesty and willingness to engage with fans on social media. And fans were quick to come to his defense after the comments from McReynolds and his co-host Danielle Trotta:

@LarryMac28 what’s that about championships? pic.twitter.com/mjurwNc95Q
— Jason Scout (@Dakeup) July 22, 2025

Mark Martin doesn’t need anyone to stick up for him. But I’ll say this: If anything, a driver passionately arguing in favor of a format in which they never won a title actually only increases the credibility of their argument.
— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) July 22, 2025

Dismissing Mark Martin, the guy who literally built Roush up from nothing in NASCAR and someone who had such longevity in the sport that we'll probably never see it again from another driver, as "a driver who never won a championship" is actually insane. Sorry.
— Nathan Read More