There was a time when NASCAR was synonymous with oval racing. Tuned stock cars ready to race at top speeds for hours as they took laps around the ovals; this was NASCAR in its most raw and purest form. However, in recent times, the addition of road courses to NASCAR is more like a bane to the audience. But NASCAR won’t stop. Amidst this atmosphere, they have just added San Diego to the 2026 calendar.

Often, these road tracks are poorly built for the type of racing NASCAR drivers generally prefer. Their configurations often cause a crash fest during the opening laps. All while the audience laments the loss of some amazing ovals and classic race tracks. But what do the drivers who displayed great success at road courses think?

NASCAR legend and road course specialist, Mark Martin, gives his verdict

Mark Martin, a 40-time race winner in NASCAR and one of the most accomplished drivers to never win the title, is more than a driver from the past. He has driven his cars to victory four times on road courses, spanning across 16 podiums throughout his career on these tracks. He is someone you can bestow the title of road course specialist on.

While talking about the current situation of NASCAR with Paul Tracy on The RACER Channel, he was asked if he was a fan of road racing. To which Mark Martin replied, “I’m not opposed to road races. It may be a little heavy now. I don’t want to lose ovals for road courses. And I don’t want to see a whole lot of street course stuff, even though the street course races have been fine.”

Martin’s stance about road courses is clear. He likes them, but not at the cost of ovals, the true heartbeat of NASCAR. He then commented on the San Diego road course addition in the 2026 schedule.

“I think what they’re going to do in San Diego is interesting and exciting. But I would like to see him go to Laguna Seca.”

He also suggested that NASCAR ditch the Charlotte Roval and instead use the oval Speedway for longer races. Now, even a veteran driver who has consistent performance at these tracks does not consider it so important. While talking about the issue, Martin raised a very important fact–something that the fans have been saying for a long time.

NASCAR can’t simply remove the amazing tracks with so much history tied to them. And instead of these traditional ovals, bring these race cars to the streets they were not built for. He also echoed the same frustration that fans have with NASCAR. Why does the series not add tracks that are actually valuable and more important to the history of American motorsports?

The Laguna Seca is one of the most important race tracks that constantly gets ignored by NASCAR. If this continues, then the sport that was known for its ovals will no longer retain its identity.

There’s another important topic that Mark Martin has brought forward to the audience…

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Mark Martin suggests changes in NASCAR training for young drivers

What, according to you, would be the best way to climb the stock car racing ladder? You would preferably start using the old-fashioned approach–dirt racing, legends, stock car racing in the midget class, Truck series, Xfinity, and then the pinnacle of NASCAR. But as Martin says, it is time to change our expectations and approach to training.

During the episode, Tracy mentioned that the current-gen NASCARs are more suited to road racing compared to the older ones. He also added the example of Connor Zilisch. The wonderkid has been performing extremely well at the age of 19, even though he was brought in from the Trans-Am series.

Agreeing with his ideas, Mark Martin says, “This car is, as you said, much more of a road racing car. So, for a while, it seemed like dirt racing was the best training for Cup racing, but now, with the way the car has changed, it looks like maybe coming up through Trans Am is a great way to do it.

“I’m really excited, like you said, about Connor Zilisch. It’s when you listen to that kid speak, you can’t believe he’s 19 years old. Dude is so mature.”

Let’s not forget Shane van Gisbergen. He was a superstar in the Supercar series in Australia. When Trackhouse Racing brought him in, nobody took him seriously. Except that he literally won his first NASCAR race, because it was a road course. Since then, van Gisbergen has been on a roll to success. He now has a full-time seat at Trackhouse Racing after making his debut in the 2025 Cup Series.

These comments from Mark Martin make us think deeply–is this the same NASCAR that we fell in love with? Are we supposed to accept these changes and move on, or are we supposed to bring back the sport we want?