Mark Martin Once Upon A Time

By:
On:
In: NASCAR Cup Series News

Mark Martin made his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut on April 5, 1981 in a Pontiac at North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway, and in the 32 years that have followed, Martin has scored 40 wins, 56 poles, 271 top-fives, 453 top-10s and led a total of 12,879 laps among 879 career Sprint Cup starts. He came into the sport as a 22-year-old from Batesville, Ark., and now at age 54, Martin is the elder statesman of NASCAR.

Currently serving as the interim driver for Tony Stewart in the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS as Stewart continues to recover from a broken right leg sustained in a sprint car crash Aug. 5, Martin will make his 50th Sprint Cup start at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway Sunday in the Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500.

Martin only ran five Sprint Cup races in 1981, the last of which was on Sept. 27 at Martinsville. In that race, he qualified fifth and finished third, earning the first of his 271 top-fives. Prior to that Martinsville race, Martin was already showcasing the kind of speed that he would display for more than three decades. In just his third time in a Sprint Cup car, Martin won the pole at Nashville (Tenn.) Speedway and went on to finish a solid 11th. In his next outing at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway, Martin won his second straight pole and logged his first career top-10 with a seventh-place result. It was all a prelude to the eventual success Martin would achieve in NASCAR.

At Martinsville, in particular, Martin has two Sprint Cup wins, three poles, 12 top-fives and 26 top-10s in 49 starts. He is one of only five active Sprint Cup drivers to have multiple wins at Martinsville, and one of only four active Sprint Cup drivers to have won three consecutive poles. His top-10 tally at Martinsville ranks third among active Sprint Cup drivers, behind only Jeff Gordon (33) and Terry Labonte (27).

Those statistics began behind the wheel of a Bud Reeder-owner Pontiac in September 1981. Fast in his two previous short-track races at Nashville and Richmond, Martin raced to the lead on lap 149 and paced the next 40 circuits around Martinsville’s .526-mile oval. The third-place finish came in Martin’s last race of 1981, but it set him up for a full schedule of races with Reeder in 1982.

Martin had to endure a winless 1982 season and regrouped between 1983-1987 before returning to Sprint Cup full-time in 1988 with Jack Roush. Martin has been a Sprint Cup regular ever since, a product of the power of perseverance.

That perseverance has always served Martin well, especially at Martinsville, where 500 laps around the paperclip-shaped track is a test of both mental and physical strength. Martin has both, which is why he has an average finish of 13.3.

Thanks to a mental and physical veracity that belies his 54 years, Martin tends to keeps his fenders straight inside Martinsville’s rough-and-tumble confines. It’s a recipe for success Martin has been cooking at Martinsville since 1981, and one he’ll use again on Sunday in the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet.

TSC PR

Speedway Digest Staff
Follow Me
Latest posts by Speedway Digest Staff (see all)
Post Views: 66