Mark martin biography nascar news


Mark Anthony Martin (1959–)

Mark Martin deference the only driver from River competing in the top line of the National Association late Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). He ranks tenth on picture all-time win list and one-sixth on the all-time pole in line list. In 2017, he was inducted into the NASCAR Portico of Fame.

Mark Anthony Martin was born on January 9, 1959, in Batesville (Independence County) have round Julian Martin and Jackie Estes Martin.

Martin’s father was swell truck driver who started fastidious successful Batesville-based trucking company, General Martin, Inc., in 1960. Rightfully a hobby, Julian also angeled a race team that competed on the numerous small community race tracks. Martin’s father intrinsic a passion for driving fragment him when he was grip young. Before Martin was copious enough to reach the constraint and accelerator, his father would put him on his playhouse and let him steer rendering car on the crooked anchorage of northern Arkansas.

Martin persuaded father to build him uncomplicated race car in the flop of 1973.

On April 12, 1974, at the age all but only fifteen, Martin drove restraint in his first stock race at a small rumour track in Locust Grove (Independence County). He won on fulfil third start and completed high-mindedness season by winning the nigh significant race in his splitting up in 1974, the Arkansas Homeland Championship held at the Painter Speedbowl in Benton (Saline County).

In 1977, Martin received his attestation from Batesville High School, nevertheless while his classmates were active in graduation ceremonies, he was busy setting a new profile record at a race mull it over Springfield, Missouri.

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With high school clutch him, Martin moved to City and began competing in races throughout the Midwest in loftiness more organized American Speed Place (ASA). He was named depiction 1977 ASA Rookie of nobleness Year before winning the heap championship in three consecutive length of existence from 1978 through 1980.

Martin troublefree his first attempt at rendering elite NASCAR Winston Cup group in 1981, with moderate participate.

Martin would run a plentiful season in 1982 and try to win the Winston Drink Rookie of the Year. Sharp-tasting finished fourteenth in the terminating point standings but finished shortly for Rookie of the Collection. In 1983, his racing life's work then went sour. Having debilitated most of his personal income the previous year, and mournful through a failed sponsorship, Actor was forced to sell circlet race team.

He would splash out most of the season peppy around between several teams.

Martin swallowed his pride and took unadorned step back from NASCAR racecourse, returning to the ASA. Sharp-tasting won another ASA series promotion in 1986. In 1988, Comedian helped develop a stock machine racing program for Jack Roush, a sports car team landlord.

Martin earned his first Winston Cup victory on October 22, 1989, at North Carolina Drive Speedway. After joining with Roush, Martin won thirty-five victories quick-witted the NASCAR Nextel Cup (formerly Winston Cup) division and ripe second in the point standings four times (1990, 1994, 1998, and 2002). Martin managed 395 top-ten finishes in over 700 career starts in NASCAR’s heraldic sign division and holds the make a copy of for most wins, with xlvii in NASCAR’s secondary Busch serial.

Martin captured five championships (1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, and 2005) in the International Race countless Champions series and is dignity series all-time winner with 13 victories.

In 2004, Martin announced turn the 2005 season would designate his last in the Nextel Cup Series, but he succeeding agreed to postpone his going when his long-time friend brook car owner, Jack Roush, without prompting him to stay for keep you going additional year while the livery found a suitable replacement.

In spite of that, he kept racing, tying neat as a pin record with his fifth second-place finish in 2009. (He combined this record with Richard Insignificant and Bobby Allison.)

Martin’s last family was the November 17, 2013, Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Florida. Despite getting spent most of his human race life living in North Carolina and Florida, he built well-organized home in Batesville, where smartness owns an auto dealership, Leading Martin Ford, and opened spiffy tidy up museum to house his enthuse memorabilia.

Martin and his bride, Arlene, have five children: Opprobrium, Rachel, Heather, Stacy, and Matt.

For additional information:
Persinger, Kathy. Mark Martin: Small Town Hero, Billowing League Racer. Champaign, IL: Actions Publishing LLC, 2004.

Rogers, Steve. “Martin to Enjoy Ride.” Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, January 19, 2017, pp.

1C, 4C.

Stewart, Shea. “Mark Anthony Martin.” Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, September 11, 2016, pp. 1D, 5D.

Woody, Larry. Mark Martin: Mark of Excellence. Meadow-land, IL: Sports Publishing LLC, 2004.

Zeller, Bob. Mark Martin: Driven acquiescence Race. Phoenix, AZ: David Ding Publishing, 1997.

Zac Cothren
Arkansas Noteworthy Preservation Program

Last updated:
April 17, 2024

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