Days After Heartbreaking Disrespect by RFK, Mark Martin Hailed as a Hero By NASCAR Legend

During the NASCAR Cup weekend at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, NASCAR legend Mark Martin was in attendance. Although he received a bit of a hero’s welcome from the fans, his former team, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing, was absent. He even took a dig at them by openly calling out RFK Racing on social media. Obviously, many Mark Martin fans were incensed at the disrespect towards the legendary NASCAR driver.

Now, fellow former driver Kyle Petty has spoken about Martin and Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing. He said, “Here’s my thing with Mark. From the time Mark Martin started racing, I wanted to be him. I grew up with Richard Petty, David Pearson, Buddy Baker, Cale [Yarborough] and Bobby Isaac and Bobby and Donny [Allison]. Those were my guys and they will always be my guys. I grew up at 8,9, 10, 11 years old, going to the race track with my dad. Mark was the first guy that I knew.”

READ MORE: “Heartbreaking to Hear” – NASCAR Fans Enraged at Disrespect to Mark Martin by RFK Racing in Vegas

What else did Kyle Petty say about NASCAR legend Mark Martin?

Petty confessed that he knew about Martin from stock car racing magazines and other media. At the time, he was just a kid from Arkansas ‘kicking b*tt and taking names’. The best part was that he was close to Kyle Petty’s age, so they were pretty much peers. According to Kyle Petty, he was not as competitive on the track, but Martin was tearing up the tarmac.

Petty continued, “It’s tough when you get dragged back in the car at 18 or 19 years old. Your dad’s lapped you 16 times in the middle of the race. That’s a tough ride home sometimes. I’ve been a Mark Martin fan and I will say the same thing about Mark. He’s that guy, when he showed up, he was everything stock car racing magazine said. He was a racer, and that’s what I grew up with. Guys that raced. You didn’t dream about a shoe deal, doing commercials. You dreamed about sitting in that seat and hanging onto that steering wheel.”

Safe to say, the bottom line is that a driver of Martin’s caliber did not deserve to be treated like that. Especially not by the team he had been with for nearly 19 years. In essence, this was seen as nothing short of a betrayal by Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing, and the fans made it known.

WATCH THIS STORY: Brad Keselowski to Honor Mark Martin With a Tribute Livery at the Darlington Raceway