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NASCAR Legend Mark Martin Breaks His Silence on Ex-Red Bull F1 Driver’s Cup Series Debut at Chaotic Indianapolis Race

Published 08/02/2022, 9:15 AM EDT

At the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, former F1 driver Daniil Kvyat made his NASCAR Cup debut. Sadly for the Russian driver, it ended prematurely when a technical issue forced him to retire after 60 laps. Despite the painfully short stint, his performance still managed to catch the eye of former NASCAR driver Mark Martin.

I have to give @kvyatofficial a compliment. He was really making good speed today considering it was his first time in what had to seem like a tank compared to what his background is.
— Mark Martin (@markmartin) July 31, 2022

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The former Roush Fenway Racing driver admitted that he was impressed with the Russian driver. He acknowledged that the former Red Bull F1 driver did well in the stock car, especially considering his background.

WATCH THIS STORY: “Dumb as Hell” – Mark Martin on Talks of NASCAR Commentary Gig After Jeff Gordon’s Exit

This was because Kvyat would have been used to driving open-wheel cars which were a lot lighter than stock cars.

Who is Daniil Kvyat, the man who Mark Martin admired?

The Russian driver made his F1 debut back in 2014, after spending the previous year as a test driver. After a year with the team, he was promoted to Red Bull in place of the Ferrari-bound Sebastian Vettel. Things were looking up for him until four races into the 2016 campaign when he was dropped for the up-and-coming starlet, Max Verstappen.

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As a result, he went back to Toro Rosso for the remainder of the season. For 2017, 2019, and 2020 seasons, he remained with Toro Rosso, later renamed to AlphaTauri.

After the Indianapolis race, the former Red Bull driver is hoping to run the final two road courses to gain more experience. He also confessed that he was open to possibly competing on a full-time basis.

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Fan-Favorite NASCAR Driver Makes a Strong Demand to F1 Fans Ahead of Daniil Kvyat’s Hotly-Anticipated Debut

However, for that to happen, he needs to familiarize himself with oval racing, as that is a different kettle of fish.

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Written by:

Dhruv George is a senior Motorsports author for EssentiallySports, having authored nearly 12000 articles spanning different sports like F1, NASCAR, Tennis, NFL, and eSports. He graduated with a PG Diploma in Journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications. Dhruv has also conducted interviews with F1 driver Pierre Gasly and Moto2 rider Tony Arbolino.

Edited by:

Ranvijay Singh

NASCAR Legend Mark Martin Breaks His Silence on Ex-Red Bull F1 Driver’s Cup Series Debut at Chaotic Indianapolis Race

Who is Daniil Kvyat, the man who Mark Martin admired?

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