“Broke My Heart..:” Chase Elliott Joins NASCAR Legend To Celebrate Hendrick Motorsports Heritage With Dale Earnhardt Jr and Jimmie Johnson

Mark Martin is a household name in the NASCAR community. A driver who is well-known for falling in the same bracket as Denny Hamlin in being considered “The best driver to never win a championship.” But this time he looked back at his past with Hendrick Motorsports.

Even Chase Elliott celebrated the bright history with his fans.

Martin spent the later stages of his career with Hendrick Motorsports, and JR Motorsports in the Nationwide Series, now known as the Xfinity series. In fact, he’s the driver with the second-most wins of all time in the Xfinity Series. Of course, he also shared some good times with Hendrick too, bringing them to a couple of wins throughout his career.

Of course, one fan Tweeted, reminiscing about the driver and appreciating his paint schemes in a post that said, “It was great having @markmartin in the Hendrick stable. Again, just goes to show what happens when a good driver is in a good car, even at 50. The #5 was naturally ideal for MM, and he had some great paint schemes.” 

Martin even responded to the Tweet!

The fan wasn’t alone, though. Even Chase Elliott, the 2020 Cup Series Champion, went on to appreciate the now returned legend.

Of course, plenty of other fans celebrated the retired legend.

It’s no surprise at all. Mark Martin was an icon in the #5 car, going out weekend after weekend faster than ever. Clearly, the driver had respect in the grid and he sure earned it and deserves to have it. But as sad as it is, we had to see him leave NASCAR after his last season in 2012 with Joe Gibbs Racing.

Read More: “Never B*tch About…”: NASCAR Legend Mark Martin Hailed as “Hero to All Racers” For Humble Admission

It was gut-wrenching for Mark Martin to leave

Before he joined Hendrick, Martin had his longest run with Roush Racing, a team he spent a whopping 19 years with. But in 2007, he wanted to stick to a part-time schedule so he could spend more time with himself and his family. “The sport was extremely popular and the demand was extremely high,” Martin told Speed Sport. “I was tired of working so hard and not having any time for myself or my family. Matt (his son) had started racing and I wanted to help him.”

Unfortunately, they didn’t want to do a part-time schedule with Martin, which led to their ultimate split. “It was gut-wrenching for me to leave Roush Racing after 19 years,” Martin said. “But they wouldn’t hear anything of a limited schedule in the six-car. Exactly what they let me do in the 01 car. In retrospect, it would have been better for them and better for me both if they would have done that, but they wouldn’t even talk about it.”

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It’s no surprise. Leaving a team you raced for 19 whole years with has bound to affect a driver negatively. Unfortunately, it was the only option he had at the time. Was it the right thing for Roush to drop him? Or should they have agreed to Martin’s demand? Let us know in the comments.