Mark Martin has never been one to sugarcoat his thoughts about NASCAR. This week, he gave his approval to a fan's sharp criticism of the sport on social media.After the Cook Out 400 at Richmond - one of the most well-received races of the year - a fan took to X to voice frustration with leadership, the Next Gen car, and the playoff system."Bad leadership, boring racing (pre-gen7 also), illegitimate point system, bad repaves/reconfigs, traditions being destroyed, vanilla/pay to play drivers, catering to casuals and a media that tells you this is the best it’s ever been!"Martin, a 40-time Cup Series winner and one of NASCAR's most respected veterans, replied:"Harsh but … A good bit of truth here."That fan comment summed up years of debate within the garage, the fan base, and analysts over what NASCAR's product has become.Mark Martin's reaction came after Richmond, where Goodyear's experimental tire combination delivered a race with 24 lead changes and plenty of strategy. It was proof that tires can make a difference, but also a reminder of the flaws in the Next Gen car. Four seasons in, it has been repeatedly criticized for being too difficult to pass. But that is not the only thing NASCAR fans are criticizing about.On road courses this year, Shane van Gisbergen swept four straight wins. On short tracks, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson dominated by huge margins, with little competition once they got out front. The car has created a situation where wins often come with runaway leads rather than late-race battles.At Richmond, softer left-side tires finally created fall-off and passing opportunities, proving how much tires can mask the car's shortcomings. But the latest success has sparked another debate about whether NASCAR should fix the car itself.Mark Martin (5) leads Jeff Gordon (24) during the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega. Source: GettyIn the past two years, NASCAR has expanded into new markets with races in Colorado, Mexico, and the Chicago Street Course. While these moves have brought new audiences, longtime fans argue that the sport is moving away from traditional ovals in favor of spectacle.For Mark Martin, however, the most pressing issue has always been the championship format. He has been a consistent critic of the 'winner-take-all' finale introduced in 2017. Having been a four-time runner-up under the old 36-race system, he argues the title should reflect season-long excellence rather than one lucky day in November.Mark Martin's playoff stance: "One round is not a way to determine a championship"Mark Martin before the 2012 Daytona 500. Source: GettyThe current playoff system has been in place since 2017, and it has produced six different champions in eight years. In contrast, the old 10-race Chase era (2004–2014) saw just four different champions in 11 seasons. While the modern format creates drama and more title contenders, Mark Martin believes it undermines the overall competition.He explained earlier this month on the Spake Up Podcast:"One round is not a way to determine a championship... In all these other sports, you don't have 36 competitors. You don't have 36 teams out there and you're trying to beat this one team and you've got all these other guys in your way. The sport is different. Now, there are people that love the playoffs, but it's not as many as you think." (6:23 onwards)Martin recently put the question directly to fans with a poll on X. The results showed 60% favored the classic 36-race cumulative points system. A little over 20% supported the Chase-style 10-race playoff, and fewer than 10% wanted the current elimination format.When asked about his solution, Mark Martin added:"I suggest 36 race… 36 races is largely over 50% of the fan base is there. Another 30% is 10 race chase. But there's no good formula. You're going to lose, because the broadcasters already told us in the last meeting that selling anything other than the playoffs with eliminations and the one round thing was going to be a hard sale... It may legitimize it, but it may make it less exciting." (11:04 onwards)That last part gets to the heart of NASCAR's bind: fans crave legitimacy, but broadcasters and sponsors want the spectacle of elimination drama. The Athletic's Jeff Gluck has run parallel fan polls with near-identical numbers, showing that the majority lean toward season-long consistency rather than the current format.