Mark Martin is ready to get physical, but don’t expect him to wear a headband and legwarmers. The ultra-fit Martin will leave those to Olivia Newton-John.
Instead, Martin will don the attire he’s worn for what seems like all of his 54 years – a firesuit and a helmet – for what is considered one of the most physical races on the already demanding NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule.
Dover (Del.) International Speedway is next up on the Sprint Cup calendar. The 1-mile, concrete bullring is known as the “Monster Mile” for its ability to chew up and spit out the toughest of the tough. It’s an appropriate nickname considering the speeds carried through its high banks and short straightaways allows little to no room for error.
Martin, however, embraces the challenge Dover offers. In fact, it’s his favorite track. And throughout 54 Sprint Cup starts dating back to 1982, Martin’s mindset has been shaped by his performance.
Since finishing fifth in his Dover debut in the 1982 Mason-Dixon 500, Martin’s presence at Dover has been prodigious. His four Sprint Cup victories belie just how good Martin has been at Dover for the better part of three decades. Consider…
- Martin leads all active Sprint Cup drivers in poles at Dover with five. Ryan Newman and Jeff Gordon trail Martin with four poles apiece at Dover.
- Martin leads the Sprint Cup Series in runner-up finishes at Dover with eight. Dale Earnhardt is second with five.
- Martin leads the Sprint Cup Series in top-five finishes at Dover with 24. Dale Earnhardt is second with 19.
- Martin leads the Sprint Cup Series in top-10 finishes at Dover with 33. Richard Petty and Ricky Rudd are tied for second with 26 top-10s apiece.
On Sunday in the AAA 400, Martin will make his 55th Sprint Cup start at Dover, and he’ll do it with the same team and the same car Tony Stewart used to win at Dover when the series made its first stop there in June.
Stewart, out of his signature No. 14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet SS as he continues to recover from a broken right leg sustained in a sprint car crash Aug. 5, tabbed the venerable Martin to complete the majority of the 2013 Sprint Cup season in his absence.
With 40 Sprint Cup victories amassed over 875 career starts, Martin brings plenty to the table of Stewart-Haas Racing, the team that fields the No. 14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet for driver-owner Stewart.
One of Martin’s many skill sets is physical fitness. He is arguably the fittest driver in NASCAR, and has been for years. The training regimen he outlined in his 1994 book, “Strength Training for Performance Driving”, is a regimen he has updated in the two decades since and follows religiously.
That such a demanding track in Dover is Martin’s favorite is a testament to Martin’s constant preparedness. With a team that carried the track’s most recent Sprint Cup race winner in Stewart, Martin is ready for the rigors of Dover. And behind the wheel of the very same car Stewart drove to victory June 2 at Dover, Martin is well aware of the opportunity this Sunday brings.
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