INDIO, Calif. — When Mark Martin first arrived in this gated RV resort near Palm Springs, a fellow retiree came over and introduced himself. They got to chatting a bit, and the man asked Martin what he did for work.



“Oh, I used to race cars,” Martin said.



Around here, being a NASCAR Hall of Famer doesn’t raise many eyebrows. Many people don’t seem to be aware of Martin’s past life, and if they do know, it’s not something they fawn over.



Ninety percent of his conversations these days aren’t about NASCAR, which suits Martin just fine. There are the occasional fans who want to talk racing, and Martin is happy to oblige. He still loves racing, after all.



But when the Cup Series races this weekend at Auto Club Speedway, a little more than 80 miles from here, this 140-lot community of luxury casitas might as well be on another planet.



“I’m in a whole new chapter now,” Martin said,...