NASCAR insiders weigh in on raging playoff debate surrounding Mark Martin, committee

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If you have been on NASCAR social media lately, then you have seen Mark Martin advocating for a full-season points system. The racing legend is a vocal proponent of the old Winston Cup points system and has made that known in recent weeks.

As NASCAR attempts to tweak the championship format, it has created a committee to bounce ideas around and come up with an ideal solution. There are current drivers, former drivers, media members, industry members, and more involved.

Jeff Gluck of The Athletic is on the committee. He spoke about the Mark Martin situation on The Teardown after the Brickyard 400.

"The reason they asked Mark Martin to be on the committee in the first place is because they knew that he is in favor of full season points. ... So, I got to be on the committee," Gluck said. "There's been two meetings so far, and then there's been some emails and all that stuff."

Mark Martin has been fighting the good fight on his end. However, it doesn't appear likely that his efforts will be successful. Gluck explained later on in the podcast, after his co-host Jordan Bianchi brought up what the TV partner, NBC, wants.

"I hate that, though. I wish that wasn't the case," Gluck responded. "That's why I understand Mark Martin's frustration, because if TV, Jordan, was in there saying, if TV was telling NASCAR, 'We want a full-season format, we should go back to that.' You know what NASCAR would be saying? 'Oh well, okay, yeah. We could take a look at that.' But that's not what they're saying. That's just the reality of the situation. They're trying to program against the NFL on Fall Sundays, and they want a form of the playoffs."

Despite IndyCar and F1 and MotoGP, and every other motorsport having a season-long points format of some kind, NASCAR has not had a system like that in 22 years. That's just the plain truth of it. So, going back feels antiquated, and for the most part, no one working in TV remembers those days. Many fans who are young adults weren't even born before 2003.

Mark Martin is fighting a losing fight, but it is something he believes in. When he talks about he championship format, he sees it as a direct reflection of his own career, successes, and struggles. Five times a runner-up, four of those times came under the season-long points format.

TV network executives believe that the playoffs are a good way to fight off the NFL. Then again, when you compare the numbers of your average NFL game to the average NASCAR race, it isn't much of a competition. The folks who tune into NASCAR in October and November are going to tune in regardless of the format.

NASCAR needs a compelling story to tell. There are multiple ways to do that. The current system has many pros for TV networks to sell but a lot of cons competition-wise. Then there is the 10-race Chase format and the season-long points system.

If the story is told the right way and the competition is seen as legitimate enough, no one will care what you call the championship or how you crown one. They will accept it regardless. Right now, NASCAR is having a hard time selling the story on the one-race championship.