Suarez Frustrated With Phoenix Crash in Latest YouTube Video: “What is Wrong is NASCAR”
What’s Happening? Prior to an accident on lap 216 with Katherine Legge, Daniel Suarez was having a decent run Sunday at…
In a recent interview, long-time NASCAR Xfinity Series driver and team owner Tommy Joe Martins has finally revealed details about NASCAR denying him entry into a Cup Series race. Martins had previously mentioned this on his X account; however, at the time, there were little to no details about the situation.
On a recent episode of The Motor Stardom Show, Tommy Joe Martins, co-owner of Alpha Prime Racing, revealed that he had a chance to run the Coca-Cola 600 with Carl Long’s Garage 66 entry, formerly known as MBM Motorsports. In the interview, Martins states that NASCAR told him that he would not be allowed to race because he did not have a “Cup Series résumé.”
“I think I was able to raise a little bit of money for it,” said Martins. “Ultimately, I wasn’t able to be approved, and the reason why was they told me that I didn’t have enough success at the lower levels.” Martins previously alluded to this denial in a Dec. 14 post on X.
Since 2014, Martins has made 129 NASCAR Xfinity Series starts, mostly in smaller and self-owned entries. Throughout this time, Martins has just one top-ten finish. Though Martins does not clarify when NASCAR rejected him, he made nine Xfinity Series starts for Long in 2019.
Martins later stated that he understood why, though this put him off, and addressed what rejections like his mean for the bigger picture of the NASCAR Cup Series, as some smaller drivers could miss out on opportunities to take that next step due to this scrutiny.
Martins went on to say in the interview, “Ultimately, NASCAR doesn’t want this impression of ‘we’re approving people for the Cup Series and they have no business being here.’ Even though they have literally done that this year multiple times, it doesn’t seem to matter… what they really want is people with résumés from other sports, other disciplines.”
The entire interview with Martins is available on YouTube and provides insight into both the racer and business sides of NASCAR. However, these comments about approval come one week after veteran road racer Kathrine Legge, whom NASCAR approved, made her Cup Series debut at Phoenix.
Legge, who has an impressive non-NASCAR résumé, has five career Xfinity Series starts, with one race on an oval. But struggled tremendously during her Cup Series debut. She spun the car twice and, on the second attempt, ended a top-ten run for Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suarez.
Suarez went on to say in a VLOG that, “There’s nothing wrong with her. What is wrong is NASCAR; they cannot allow somebody with no experience to run in the Cup Series, plain and simple, plain and simple.” This was the tone for most fans leaving Phoenix. They respect Legge’s accomplishments outside of NASCAR, but the Cup Series is truly unlike any other form of racing.
What’s Happening? Prior to an accident on lap 216 with Katherine Legge, Daniel Suarez was having a decent run Sunday at…
While Martins’ situation was different, his debut would have been on the fast 1.5-mile Charlotte Motor Speedway; it is hard to wrap your mind around the decision to deny a veteran driver a chance at a debut.
For reference, Cody Ware has fewer starts and the same number of top-tens as Martins. However, Ware made his 1.5-mile Cup Series debut in Atlanta in 2017, when he had just 12 Xfinity and five Truck Series starts.
The driver approval debate goes beyond this past Sunday as, prior to the season, NASCAR allowed four-time Indianapolis 500 Champion Hélio Castroneves to make a lackluster Cup Series debut in the Daytona 500. Though, Castroneves and Legge raced in Saturday’s ARCA race prior to the 500.
Following these approvals, fans have been closely watching NASCAR’s approval system. In the end, scrutiny may prevail, and NASCAR may find a more consistent Cup Series approval system.
What’s Happening? Four races into the 2025 Cup Series season, NASCAR is revising the new Open Exemption Provisional (OEP). The OEP…
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