“I ran this every race until I retired”: NASCAR legend Mark Martin explains how he used his ‘ball chiller hose’ to curb the prickly heat

The inside of a NASCAR car can get extremely hot at times, cranking out temperatures as high as 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Some drivers use cooling suits and cooling vests to beat the heat but back in the day, legendary driver Mark Martin used a chiller hose attached to his seat.

Martin recently got nominated for the Cracker of the Year Awards hosted by former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown. He shared an update on the same through a post on X (formerly known as Twitter). Brown’s “cracker” awards are funny titles that he assigns to eminent personalities, usually in a harmless, sarcastic manner.

Responding to Martin’s post, a user named Chris George wrote,

“I thought I heard somewhere you used a ball chiller hose from the Naca duct. Don’t see the small hose inlet on the car in the pic. A Viagra car post seemed the best time to ask.”

Martin responded by saying:

“That’s the hose I ran from the A post to my balls. It attached to the seat between my legs. I ran this very race until I retired.”

Mark Martin is arguably one of the greatest NASCAR drivers to exist. He holds the second most wins (49) in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

Although Martin never won a Cup Series championship, he came close to winning the ultimate honor on several occasions. So much so that Autoweek described him as the best driver to never win a NASCAR championship. However, Martin did win the IROC Championship five times.

In 1998, NASCAR named Martin one of NASCAR’s Greatest 50 Drivers. He was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2015 and into the prestigious NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2017.

Mark Martin retired from full-time racing in 2013. He currently resides in Batesville, Arkansas, and looks after a Ford dealership that he co-owns.

Mark Martin takes a subtle jibe at NextGen design

Recently, a nostalgic NASCAR fan posted a photo of Tim Richmond’s bright red Pontiac on X. Mark Martin reposted the photo and expressed his thoughts on the design. He didn’t call out NASCAR directly. Instead, he wrote,

“Wouldn’t it look better if the number was all up on the front tire?”

Safe to say, Martin liked the older design more. Earlier, the cars used to have their numbers right on the door. But as the sport evolved, the role of sponsors grew exponentially, thus shifting the numbers closer to the tires.

Several fans joined the conversation with some siding with Martin and others arguing in support of the NextGen design. Martin, however, did not respond to any of those comments. At 65, the NASCAR vet is as busy as ever handling several businesses besides his Ford dealership in his hometown.

Meanwhile, NASCAR is getting ready for another action-packed season with the NextGen car. The on-track action is expected to resume with the season-opening race at Bowman Gray Stadium on February 2, 2025. Fans can catch the race's live action on FOX from 8 pm ET onwards or listen to live radio updates on MDN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.