"I'm not going to retire": When Mark Martin silenced speculation and teased his next move after Hendrick Motorsports

Mark Martin once teased his fandom hinting about his future in NASCAR after his term with Hendrick Motorsports was set to end in 2011. At the time, he was speculated to retire soon from the sport, however, he cleared the air regarding the same.

Martin was one of the longest-running drivers in NASCAR with 882 Cup Series starts throughout his career. He debuted back in 1981 and raced till the end of the 2013 season with multiple teams.

Back in 2010, he revealed his plans for the future, putting forward his decision to leave Hendrick Motorsports after the 2011 season. While many considered this to be his retirement call, he simply ditched the thought.

"I’d appreciate it if no one wrote anything about me retiring because I’m not going to retire," Martin said in 2010 (via Autoweek). "I’m going to race in 2012, so don’t even talk about it."

Despite his age (he was 51 at the time), Mark Martin had a clear view of his future. He claimed that there would be an "exciting" opportunity for him after his stint with Hendrick Motorsports:

"There will be an opportunity for me that’ll be exciting and fun and I’ll be able to help people. I feel like I did that in the No. 01 [car] at [Dale Earnhardt Inc.] and I feel like I’ve helped the No. 5 team realize they can win races and contend for a championship."

"So I’ll find another opportunity that’s exciting to me. This (Kahne replacing him after 2011) is such an incredibly perfect scenario."

He did as he claimed. Mark Martin did not retire right after the 2011 season. He moved to Michael Waltrip Racing and then to Stewart-Haas Racing. It was with the latter, that he raced his final Cup Series race at the end of the 2013 season.

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Mark Martin once revealed why he didn't consider returning to racing

After retiring at the end of the 2013 season, Martin never stepped back into a professional NASCAR race. However, many expected him to mark his return sooner or later.

Speaking to Jeff Gluck in 2020, Martin revealed exactly why he did not consider returning to the field. He mentioned that he would have returned if he had the "passion" to drive cars. Moreover, he stated that the entire scenario regarding his return "pi**es him off."

"I’m done. People don’t get it. If I had a passion to go drive cars, I would." Martin said.

"It almost pi**es me off. I realize they mean well and have a good heart about what they’re saying. I appreciate that someone thinks I can drive the 6 car at Fontana. But dude. Can’t. Won’t. Couldn’t. Wouldn’t," he added.

Mark Martin clinched 40 wins throughout his Cup Series career. Although he never won the championship, he finished as the runner-up five times.