The Martinsville race garnered mixed reactions in the NASCAR community. It marked a core memory for the Hendrick Motorsports team, as three of their drivers swept the podium positions. Even though Rick Hendrick was away, a lot of employees gathered to watch William Byron deliver the team’s 29th victory at the Virginia track.

However, the NASCAR audience was far from pleased. An online poll revealed the extent of disenchantment among fans, who brought up long-standing issues that NASCAR is yet to address.

Fans ridicule race quality in Martinsville

Recently, NASCAR officials have been getting hammered for a variety of reasons. As far as Fox’s broadcast blunder is concerned, the evidence is overwhelming. Denny Hamlin also complained that his controversial Richmond restart was not documented properly. In the Martinsville Truck race, a messed up infographic shared by Fox flared up fans’ emotions. One driver was mentioned twice and some non-participants were mentioned on the list.

After the Cup race, Fox’s cameras were blamed again for a poor viewership experience. While the Daytona blunder had a partial explanation due to inclement weather, this time Fox has no excuse. After Jeff Gluck conducted a poll on X, fans flooded his comment sections with negative reactions.

One fan observed: “Lets just say that @FOXSports wasn’t showing the real racing on the track. There were battles taking place, Berry & Stenhouse for instance, but I only heard about it from the booth. I’ve been really slow to get on Fox’s case but the broadcast was trash!”

Some fans criticized both the race and the broadcast: “I don’t know what was worse, the race or the FOX broadcast.” Another fan confidently posited: “Not in the slightest and the broadcast might have been an all time low too”.

As for the horsepower debate, drivers and fans alike have clamored for a raise in horsepower. Ever since the Next Gen car was introduced, horsepower was brought down to 670 hp. With the ever-decreasing scope for passing and dynamic racing, fans are livid.

“@NASCAR MORE HORSE POWER, eliminate shifting! Ducking try it once.” Another fan gave a detailed opinion. “This isn’t a track issue. It’s 100% a car design issue. Nascar created this problem and refuses to do what’s necessary to fix it. It sucks to see such a great track and this style of racing fall so far bc of this awful spec vendor car.”

The tires were also brought into question. “Need more Horsepower, A tire manufacturer that can design a tire, a competent race director, and a TV broadcast that knows what it’s doing.” 

Even Denny Hamlin blamed the tires for not faring well in Martinsville.

Hamlin’s fate was determined by smoother tires

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William Byron’s victory was ensured when he became the first of the lead-lap drivers to get fuel and fresh tires on lap 297. But Denny Hamlin pitted for fresh tires before the overtime after John Hunter Nemechek’s wreck on lap 398. Then Hamlin restarted 10th and eventually finished 11th. 

“We were just trying to do anything we could to steal one with our Sport Clips Toyota,” Hamlin said post-race. “The tires didn’t wear enough to matter. We saw that when Joey stayed out on those 80-lap lefts and led most of the stage (Stage 2). Tires didn’t wear, and we just struggled to pass all day. Once I came out of that cycle, third or fourth, that’s kind of just where I stayed.”

Hopefully, NASCAR and Fox officials will work on making the races a better experience for both drivers and fans.

Read More: After Horsepower Debacle, Kyle Busch Avoids ‘Trouble’ With NASCAR Over ‘Ungodly’ Package