Is Former NFL WR Antonio Brown Chasing His NASCAR Dream with Mark Martin?
A joke could result in the former Pittsburgh Steeler firebrand joining forces with a NASCAR legend… Seriously.
Known for dominating the gridiron with his dazzling skills as an elite wide receiver, Antonio Brown, who once played an integral role in helping Tom Brady defeat Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and the rest of the Kansas City Chiefs to secure his seventh Super Bowl victory when they played together on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021, is now one step closer to getting behind the wheel of a real NASCAR vehicle. Well, sort of.
After The Daily Downfords – a parody news site – posted on the social media platform X that Brown had “officially applied for a competition license,” the 12-season NFL veteran whose natural propensity is to engage online replied that he would, indeed, “do this.” Two days later the short-tenured Oakland Raider and New England Patriot not only posted an A.I.-generated photo of himself in a NASCAR fire-retardant suit, which all drivers are officially required to wear but, to help make Brown’s racing dream come true, A.B. also enlisted the help of none other than NASCAR great, Mark Martin.
While the former Super Bowl champ reaching out to someone as revered as Martin, both for his own time-tested ability behind the wheel but also helping guide young drivers and evolve the sport, is in itself cool, the fact that the tenacious wheelman known as “The Kid” responded to Brown makes things truly interesting.
“I’m in brother,” Martin replied with a fist-pumping emoji.
Antonio Brown asks Mark Martin for help becoming a NASCAR driver
The response to Brown from the Arkansas native with 40 Cup Series wins to his name, as one can imagine, triggered a deluge of comments from fans who, for the most part, seem to be united behind getting Brown in a “decent ARCA car” or, as one user on X said, “start him in the truck series and see how it goes.”
Brown continued to put this potential stock car racing plan in motion by tossing a little bit of his signature on-field trash talking to Kyle Larson after the 2021 Cup Series champion motored his way to his third victory of the year this past weekend during the AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway.
Now, if you’re asking yourself whether or not this could actually happen, the short answer is yes. While he certainly does not have the experience that most up-and-coming drivers have – Kyle Busch’s son Brexton has been crushing the competition in multiple leagues since age six – Brown’s such an electric, passionate athlete that if he really hunkered down absorbed every drop of advice from someone as knowledgeable as Mark Martin… Then sure, why not?
Besides getting his feet wet presumably for the first time and honing his craft in the dynamic world of stock car racing, Brown would most importantly need to sign with an official team. His controversial NFL past could prove to be a bit difficult when it comes to navigating a pathway toward finding sponsorships, but everyone likes a redemption story.
Though Brown's own relationship with the NFL is rocky, the league has a long, mutually beneficial history with NASCAR – Dak Prescott from the Dallas Cowboys just recently attended a race in Texas the week before to show his support. If Brown did find a team and a sponsor, partnering on an event and marketing it around A.B. – a natural-born speedster in his former profession and genuine NASCAR enthusiast – could be just the hype needed to spark some new interest in stock car racing among football fans.
Until the asphalt sage Mark Martin finishes working his magic to groom Brown him for his track debut, at least we can pretend what it would be like to see him behind the wheel of a stock car with the help of these photos.
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