In Batesville Arkansas, on January 9, 1959 Mark Martin was born.
The image of the large number six, boldly outlined in red and printed on a black background, and fans of NASCAR immediately think of the driving legend, Mark Martin.
In Batesville Arkansas, on January 9, 1959 Mark Martin was born. Growing up in Arkansas provided Mark Martin with an opportunity to learn the ins and outs of racing before he made an appearance on the American Speed Association (ASA) at age seventeen, the same year he won the American Speed Association’s Rookie of the Year award. Martin went on to become the man to beat by winning the ASA’s championship three years in a row.
In 1981 Martin was ready to move onto bigger and better things. He started driving on the NASCAR circuit only to return to the ASA in 1984, after several sponsorship changes. In 1986 Martin won his fourth American Speed Association championship.
Despite his success in the ASA, Martin was still drawn to NASCAR. In 1987 he made a returned to drive in the NASCAR Bush Series. Later that year, in Dover Delaware, Martin enjoyed his first NASCAR win, a win that caught the eye of car owner Jack Roush.
The Roush/Martin pair debuted in 1988 when Martin drove Roush’s number six car in the Daytona 500 in 1988. Engine problems in the nineteenth lap caused Martin to finish in 41st place. The ominous start to the season didn’t concern martin or shake Roush’s confidence in the young driver. Later that same season, Martin earned a pole position once, and had an impressive ten top ten finishes. The Roush car with Martin at the wheel went on to conclude the season with a third place overall standing.
The personalities of Martin and Roush were so compatible that Martin drove Roush’s cars for nineteen years, the longest owner/driver relationship in NASCAR history. Not only did the pair share a successful working relationship, they also enjoyed a close friendship off the track.
Martin’s second season driving for Roush set the tone for the rest of his NASCAR career. Martin’s 1989 season was memorable. In addition to winning his very first NASCAR cup race, the National Motorsports Press Association selected Martin as the driver of the year. The 1989 NASCAR season concluded with martin once again finishing third overall.
The 1993 season was a memorable year for Martin. Not only did Martin win five races during the season, four where consecutive wins, a NASCAR record. He was nominated as Driver of the Year, and, in August, was voted Pro-athlete of the month. When the 1993 season concluded Martin was, once again, sitting in third place.
In 1994 Martin came close to winning the cup. After the last race he was second, just twenty-six points behind Dale Earnhardt Sr.
In 1997, at Rockingham, Martin’s name was etched in the history books with his thirty-second Busch Series win. This win shattered the previous all-time wins record.
In 1998 Martin secured a coveted place in NASCAR history when he when his name was placed on the list of the fifty greatest drivers of all time.
In 2004, Mark Martin was one of the ten drivers that qualified for the inaugural Chase for the Championship.
On of the few things marring Martin’s impressive NASCAR career is the 2002 scandal he was involved with. Martin was accused of using an illegal left front spring on his car. The infraction cost Martin twenty-five points. The loss of these points hurt Mark in his quest for a 2002 championship
In 2005 Martin looked back at his career as a NASCAR driver and decided that it was time to retire. During his illustrious career Martin had won 35 NASCAR Cup races. Forty-seven times he’d made a victory lap in the NASCAR Bush series. Four times he’d finished second overall in the Nextel Cup Series. In addition to everything else Martin also managed to bring home five separate International Race of Champions (IROC) wins. It seemed that the only thing Martin hadn’t accomplished was winning the NASCAR cup championship. Deciding he had accomplished all he wanted to, Mark Martin decided that the 2005 season would be his last season driving for NASCAR and dedicated the entire season to the fans that’d supported him throughout the years. Martin planned on spending his time away from NASCAR racing in the NASCAR Craftsman truck series.
Martin’s retirement did not go as planned. Jamie McMurray, the driver who was supposed to take Martin’s place on the Roush racing team, was involved in a contract dispute. In 2006 Martin offered to assist his former owner by returning to NASCAR. In 2007 Martin began his first part-time season in NASCAR with Ginn Racing. He earned not one, not two, but three consecutive finishes in the top five, a feat he had never before accomplished in his long NASCAR career. He finished just inches behind Kevin Harvick in the Daytona 500. In August of 2007, Dale Earnhardt, Inc. absorbed Ginn Racing, including Mark Martin’s contract.
Martin plans to spend NASCAR’s 2008 season driving for DEI sharing the ride with up and coming NASCAR driver, Aric Almirola. He will drive #8 Chevrolet vacated by Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
When he is not racing Martin and is wife reside in Port Orange Florida.
