Mark Martin

Mark Anthony Martin ( born January 9, 1959 in Batesville, Arkansas) is an American NASCAR driver. In the Sprint Cup, he drives the Chevrolet Impala SS with the number 5 for Hendrick Motorsports. In addition, he also competes in races in the Nationwide Series for JR Motorsports. Martin is often referred to as Mr. Consistency ( "Mr. Reliability" ) because he enters results regularly in the top 10.

Career

Early years

After Martin at the beginning of his career for a few years on short dirt tracks, so unpaved trails, raced, he made his debut in 1977 in the American Speed ​​Association (ASA ). In the first year of the race series, he obtained the title of Rookie of the Year. In the following three years from 1978 to 1980 Mark Martin won three consecutive championships.

His career in the Cup series of NASCAR, which was still called at that time Winston Cup began in 1981. According to multiple team and sponsors change in the period between 1981 and 1983, Martin returned in 1984 back to the ASA. During this time he could only deny a complete season, when he formed his own team. He achieved five top-10 results before him, however, ran out of money. After his return to the ASA, he won another championship in 1986.

Roush Racing

In 1987, Martin NASCAR gave a second chance and started in the Busch Grand National Series. After a victory at Dover International Speedway car owner Jack Roush was aware of him. The following year a long relationship with Roush Racing, which was to last 19 years began.

Overall, Martin reached in the Cup Series 35 victories and finished four times the championship in second place in the years 1990, 1994, 1998 and 2002. However, it did in the 19 years for Jack Roush win the championship not once, where he in 1990 was punished in Richmond for using an illegal, but not performance-enhancing carburetor spacer with the deduction of 46 points, and thus the end of season lost the championship by 26 points over Dale Earnhardt. In addition to the four runner- stand on Martin's account 48 wins in the Nationwide Series.

Other achievements with Roush Racing also include five championships in the IROC racing series in the years 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998 and 2005, and a total of 13 race wins.

At Martin's sponsors included straw berry, Folgers coffee, strength, Valvoline, Viagra / Pfizer and the American Automobile Association. Martin announced to withdraw from racing after the 2005 season and described it as a " Salute to You " tour as a thank you to his fans. When Kurt Busch to decided not to go in the 2006 season for Roush Racing, Roush was initially because without drivers for the following season. At his request, Martin decided to and even went one more season for Roush.

Originally it was planned according to an announcement in June 2005 that Jamie McMurray would take the car of Mark Martin with the number 6 in the 2007 season. After Martin but still remained one more season at Roush, McMurray took over the car of Kurt Busch with the number 97, which was changed from 2006 to 26. As a replacement for Martin after the end of the season David Ragan was determined.

Ginn Racing

On 6 October 2006 it was announced that Mark Martin to share in the season of 2007, the car with the start number 01 of Ginn Racing's Nationwide Series driver Regan Smith and will go for 20 races at the start. Due to the regulations of NASCAR, it was not possible for Roush to ask him for all these 20 races a car available, so that at least Martin had to look for another team in the Sprint Cup.

On February 18, 2007 Martin finished the Daytona 500 with a gap of only 0.02 seconds behind Kevin Harvick, who still displaced him down the stretch from the first place. Martin went from the lead in the last lap before Harvick stormed on the outside from the eighth to the front. Due to a mass accident a few hundred meters before the checkered flag, there were correspondingly controversial discussions about whether the race would not have neutralized yellow to an end must be driven and thus Martin was the real winner.

The 2007 season is the first season of Martin with three consecutive top 5 results. It is also the season with three consecutive top 5 results for Martin since 2002. Moreover, he is the oldest rider of the modern NASCAR era, who led the Cup more than a week on points. He held this leadership of the second race of the season, the Auto Club 500, until the fourth race, the Atlanta 500 After the Food City 500 exposed, Martin became the first driver since Cale Yarborough, who paused a race as championship Leading. In the summer of Ginn Racing merged with Dale Earnhardt Inc. About 120 people lost their jobs. Martin went on to end the season with Dale Earnhardt, Inc..

Dale Earnhardt Inc.

In the 2008 season, Martin went for Dale Earnhardt, Inc. to the start. However, he no longer drove in the # 01, but in the race number 8 He shared the car with Aric Almirola and went 24 of 36 point races. He finished 11 races in the top 10, including four in the Top 5 in the Nationwide Series, he won on the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Hendrick Motorsports

For the 2009 season, Mark Martin has signed a two -year contract with Hendrick Motorsports. Initially it was planned that he runs every 36 Cup races in the 2009 season and in 2010 still 26 races. But in 2010 he has played the entire season. On 19 April 2009, he won the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway at the age of 50 years and celebrated his first victory since 2005. His second win of the season he was on the already celebrating a few weeks later at the prestigious Southern 500 Darlington Raceway. Further victories followed at the LifeLock 400 at Michigan International Speedway, LifeLock.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway and the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. He participated in the Chase for the Sprint Cup and finished at the end of the season for the fifth time in his career second place in the overall standings.

Stewart -Haas Racing

Actually did Mark Martin finish his playing career, but in the 2013er season moves Mark Martin since the broken leg of Tony Stewart the car with the number 14, which is actually a part of Stewart. He will finish the season in this car, because Stewart will be ready for use until the next season.