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Mark Martin will be returning to full time status in the No. 5 Chevrolet next season. (Nick Laham/Getty Images Photo) ยป More Photos
He has won more NASCAR Nationwide races than anyone else and more IROC titles, too. He has been a three-time champion in the old ASA Series, a NASCAR Sprint Cup owner/driver, a teammate and a mentor of young up-and-comers. And now, Mark Martin is set to go after the only meaningful goal that’s eluded him during his storied career: A NASCAR Sprint Cup championship.
Martin, who will turn 50 next January, announced Friday at Daytona International Speedway that he has signed with Hendrick Motorsports to replace Casey Mears in the No. 5 Chevrolet Impala SS. The addition of Martin to the already formidable Hendrick stable of Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson arguably gives Hendrick the deepest pool of driving talent on one team since Carl Kiekhaefer ruled NASCAR in the mid-1950s.
By signing with Hendrick, Martin will have a chance to pad his already gaudy resume. The Batesville, Ark., native ran his first NASCAR Sprint Cup race at North Wilkesboro, N.C., in April 1981, and three months later got his first pole at Nashville, all as owner/driver of his own team. As a rookie, his best finish was third at Martinsville,
In 1982, Martin was runner-up to Geoffrey Bodine as NASCAR Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year, and it appeared he was on the fast track for greatness. But when a sponsor reneged on a deal in 1983, Martin was forced to auction his team off, returning to Batesville penniless but determined to rebuild his career.
Once back home, Martin got serious about his career. He gave up alcohol and become a devoted fitness fanatic, something that continues to this day. He won a third ASA championship in 1986, but from 1984-87 ran just six Cup races.
Finally, in late 1987, Martin met Jack Roush, a successful road and drag racer who was looking to enter NASCAR has a team owner. Put off by established drivers who demanded big dollars to come race for his start-up operation, Roush was immediately taken with Martin. Martin never asked about salary; he just wanted to make sure Roush had enough money to be tires and conduct in-depth testing.
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