Mark Martin calls $65,000,000-worth former champion as the “King of NASCAR”

Former NASCAR driver Mark Martin labeled veteran Richard Petty as the "King of NASCAR" in a social media throwback post shared on Sunday, January 5. The nickname was given to Petty over the course of his racing career for achieving unimaginable accolades and setting milestones for the upcoming generation of racers.

Mark Martin and Richard Petty shared the field occasionally after the former's debut in 1981, however, it wasn't until 1988 that Martin would sign a full-time contract with a team. From that year till Petty's retirement in 1992, the two remained an iconic pair in the Cup Series.

In a post shared on X (formerly Twitter) on January 5, Martin paid tribute to Petty, writing:

"There’s more than one reason he’s the KING of @NASCAR," he wrote on X.

$65 million-worth Richard Petty (according to Celebrity Net Worth) has continued to influence the future generations in racing. He has the most wins of any other driver in the history of the sport with a whopping 200 over 1180 races in three decades. He won seven Cup Series Championships, tied at the top with Dale Earnhardt and Jimmie Johnson. No driver has been able to break this record in over the five decades' history of the sport.

---

Mark Martin once opened up on why he didn't think about returning to racing after retirement

Mark Martin raced for the final time in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2013 with Stewart Haas Racing. He hung his helmet post-season and has since not hinted towards returning to the track. He was expected to get back to racing in a different capacity perhaps as a pundit or an analyst, but he has seemingly steered clear of that.

During an interview with Jeff Gluck in 2020, Mark Martin explained why he remained away from racing after his retirement. He mentioned that people did not understand his choice of staying away from racing.

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

"It almost pisses 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.

However, Martin is expected to return to the track soon. Recently, the return of the International Race of Champions was announced, prompted by McLaren Racing CEO, Zak Brown. He shared a post on social media showcasing his excitement upon the return of IROC. Mark Martin reposted it, mentioning he was planning to return to the series as well.