NASCAR great Mark Martin has issued his verdict on the recent legal battle between the stock car racing series and two of its teams.
Having been sued by 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports in October 2024, a 14-month legal fight ensued, with NASCAR and the two Cup Series teams eventually settling on day nine of their antitrust trial in December.
As part of the settlement, Cup Series teams are now set to get 'evergreen' charters, while NASCAR itself avoided the embarrassment of losing in court when it looked like things might have been going against them, although the sport's community is not going to forget those leaked text messages any time soon.
Many have given their opinion on the matter on the case before, during and after the trial, with former Cup Series star Martin now the latest to add his voice to the debate.
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Martin: I was really afraid
Martin believes that reaching a settlement was a win for all parties and admits he is glad it's now in the past, having had major fears over what could happen to the sport if indeed NASCAR lost.
"I think it was a win for everyone," he explained on the Kenny Wallace Show.
"It was a win for the fans, it was a win for NASCAR to get it behind them, and it was a win for the teams."
"I can't think of a better resolution to the lawsuit," Martin added. "I really dreaded it.
"I really was afraid of what was going to happen with our sport going forward, and I feel really good about it now. I feel great it's behind us."
With the lawsuit now over, NASCAR and its teams can look ahead to the 2026 season, which starts with The Clash exhibition on February 1 before the official championship campaign gets underway with the Daytona 500 a fortnight later.
Before that, however, there is the small matter of the new championship format being confirmed, with an announcement due on Monday, January 12.
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