Mark Martin is one of the most iconic drivers in NASCAR history. He is widely considered the greatest driver to never win a championship, with 40 wins and five runner-up points finishes (a Cup Series record). The Daily Downforce has decided to take a trip down memory lane to recap the most important trips to victory lane for the NASCAR Hall of Famer.
Martin’s career spans from his first five starts in 1981 all the way to the Gen 6’s debut in 2013. With a career that lasted 31 years, it is no surprise that Martin has had a plethora of wins during his time in the sport, but I believe I found the five that stand out the most from his illustrious career. Without further ado, here are the top five most important Mark Martin victories.
2002 was a bittersweet year for Martin, as he finished second in points for the fourth time in his career. His 600 win however was as sweet as the Coca-Cola he drank in victory lane. Martin led 44 laps and held off his teammate Matt Kenseth to claim his first win in the Coca-Cola 600 along with a $1 million check from the No Bull Five Event. This was the first win in the No Bull Five for Martin, who famously said it was the hardest he ever worked driving a race car and won, after he promised his team he would split the $1 million if they won. The win was the 33rd of his career and his lone win of the 2002 season.
Martin’s 2009 season is arguably his most iconic, as he went from a part-time schedule ready to hang up the helmet to being a championship contender in his first year with Hendrick Motorsports. With four wins going into the Chase, the driver of the No. 5 started 14th in the Chase opener and quickly worked his way through the field. Martin entered the top five around the halfway mark and used pit strategy to take the lead with less than 30 laps to go. He would face a barrage of cautions but held on to take his fifth win of the season and the final win of his career. A win that propelled him to second in the points, only behind his teammate Jimmie Johnson. The Iceberg gives a great analysis of Martin’s final victory with this video.
Martin set a career-high seven wins in 1998, as he placed second in points (a common theme on this list) to Jeff Gordon’s historic 13-win season. The most important, however, was his win at Bristol. Martin lost his father, Julian, just two weeks prior and was looking to get to victory lane to pay tribute to his father. He would do just that at Bristol, as he led a race-high 190 laps, including the final 181, in a dominant performance at the half-mile race track. The win was emotional for Martin, who fought back tears during his interview in victory lane. For any Mark Martin fan, this win holds a distinct memory for what it meant to their favorite driver, and the emotion is carried along with it.
Having been in the sport for several years, Martin’s career was at a crossroads heading into 1989. New team owner Jack Roush took a chance on the Ark. native and it paid off at Rockingham where Martin led 101 of 492 laps to claim his first win of his Hall of Fame career. For a driver that everyone except Bobby Allison and Jack Roush wrote off, this win was the start of one of the greatest careers in NASCAR history, and the start of one of the most iconic driver/team duos in NASCAR history.
The 2009 season was magical for Martin, but it started rough, as he sat 18th in points heading to the Cup race in Phoenix. Needing a jolt in the arm, Martin went into the desert and put on a dominating performance, leading 157 of 312 laps to claim his first win in four years and his first victory for Hendrick Motorsports. The 50-year-old driver looked like a kid coming out of his car in victory lane and was a popular win among the garage. Martin only wanted one thing when he returned to full-time driving in 2009: to win one race. Martin got his wish, and his 36th career win is the most important win in his historic career.
That’s our list, NASCAR fans and Daily Downforce readers. What’s yours? Which Mark Martin wins did we miss out on? Let us know by commenting on all our social media accounts. In the meantime, keep it right here for all the latest breaking news, stories, and fan discussion posts in the world of NASCAR.
