NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
  • Peg It on GarageMonkey
CUP: Martin To Make 850th Start
Ageless Mark Martin will reach another career milestone Saturday…
Mike Hembree  |  Posted October 09, 2012   Charlotte, NC
Mark Martin is fifth on the all-time Sprint Cup Series starts list. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
Mark Martin’s Sprint Cup career began innocently enough – five races in 1981 in his own cars.

A hard-nosed racer proven on the short tracks of his native Arkansas, Martin attracted some attention and picked up a few rides in marginal equipment over the next few years. But, at the end of the 1983 season, he retreated, having failed to reach a level of sustainability.

For many, that would have been the end of the story. Hundreds of drivers with Martin’s background of success in short track and regional racing have landed on the shores of NASCAR national-series competition over the years, only to languish at the back of the pack and return to home base, dreams unfulfilled.

But Martin gave it another shot, and his ambition happened to merge with that of a smart Michigan racer named Jack Roush, who, in 1988, was ready to move into NASCAR after success in other series.

A year later, they had their first win, and the heart of the Mark Martin story began to be written.

Since then, there have been numerous milestones as Martin has built a career that soon will place his name in numerous halls of fame.

Another will be reached Saturday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway as the ageless Martin is scheduled to make his 850th Sprint Cup start in the Bank of America 500.

Martin is fifth on the all-time Cup starts list and could go higher before he finally decides to retire – assuming that he eventually will. The four drivers ahead of him are Richard Petty (1,185), Ricky Rudd (906), Dave Marcis (883) and Terry Labonte (880). Of the four, only Labonte remains active.

As is his habit, Martin doesn’t put much weight on numbers; that is, unless they relate to performance.

“That’s just a number,” he said of the 850th start. “It doesn’t mean anything to me. The number of stats doesn’t impress me. It’s what you did in those starts that can be impressive or not. The fact that I have started a lot of races doesn’t stack up very high on the impression meter for me.”

Of course, what Martin has done with those starts certainly is impressive. He has 40 victories and 55 poles (including a season-high four this year despite running a part-time schedule) and, at 53, remains a victory threat every time he checks in.

“I have been very fortunate through the years to work with a lot of great people and drive some very fast race cars,” Martin said. “Not everyone can say that. I have been really blessed.

“I have been blessed by the fans that have been so supportive through the years. They have probably meant more to me in the down years than when I was flying hot through the years. They seem to rally behind me when the going gets tough.”

Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEED.com and has been covering motorsports for 30 years. He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.
mike.hembree's avatar

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mike Hembree

MORE BY THIS AUTHOR
Advertising | Jobs | Feedback | FAQ | Terms of Use | NEW Privacy Policy | Ad Choices | Site Map
Fox Sports | FUEL TV | FX Network | National Geographic | IGN | AskMen
The Motor Sports Authority, SPEED and associated logos are registered trademarks of Speed Channel Inc.
All Rights Reserved © Speed Channel, Inc. 2013

All external links will open in a new browser window. SPEED.com does not endorse external sites.