Mark Martin hung up his racing boots for good in 2013, ending a 31-year decorated NASCAR career. He retired and unretired several times before that, and still has fans and media clinging to any piece of hope for his comeback. Alas, it is not to be.

During an interaction via his X account on Thursday, a fan asked the former NASCAR driver if he would be down to compete in an annual legends race with other NASCAR icons like Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Tony Stewart.

Martin clearly rejected the proposition, writing:

"Bad idea. Most of us have retired. I certainly have. Don’t forget what happened to Larry Pearson at Bristol."

The Larry Pearson incident that Martin is referring to took place in 2010. During a NASCAR Legends exhibition race, the Scotts EZ Seed Showdown, held at Bristol Motor Speedway, Pearson spun and slid down the track into the backstretch pits. Charlie Glotzbach, who hadn't slowed down, T-boned Pearson's car.

Both drivers were knocked unconscious and subsequently taken to the hospital. Larry Pearson suffered a broken left ankle, a broken pelvis, and a broken right hand and underwent surgery.

Though a fear of such an incident might keep Mark Martin from wanting to return for even an exhibition race, he has shown interest in helping with the testing of the Next Gen car.

Mark Martin might jump into a Next Gen car on one condition

In March, the 67-year-old NASCAR legend voiced his desire to join the testing of the Next Gen cars.  Mark Martin expressed interest in helping with the development of the Next Gen NASCAR cars, but at his own command. 

Martin said (via Motorsport):

"Let me have one car, one team, and let’s have them do the things that I want to do. And if the things that I want to do show something, then let’s have a group of cars come and run that, because I have my own beliefs, and yes, it’s based on 40-year-old information."

"Right now, the racing is good, and I’m going to be scared to mess with anything. But I sure would like to have my finger in that because I was more than just a driver, I was a car guy," Martin added.

If Mark Martin gets to fulfill his wish of testing the Next Gen car, he will take over the headlines. And not to mention how it would feed the desire of fans wanting to see him in a race car again, even if it isn't for a competitive purpose.

Read more at the RFK Racing Digest!

Written by

Chionia Libania Colaco

Edited by

Yask Kotak