Did Mark Martin ever win a championship? A look at the NASCAR veteran's near-misses

NASCAR's 2017 Hall of Fame Inductee Mark Martin nearly won the top prize of the Cup Series multiple times, but ultimately fell short. The 65-year-old accumulated 40 wins and 56 poles over his career in NASCAR that spanned 32 years, from 1981 to 2013.

This list will examine the five times the former #6 driver almost won the NASCAR Cup Series title.

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5. 1990

This is the first time that Martin would come close to getting the title, ending up in second place in the standings just behind Richard Childress Racing driver and fellow Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt. Martin finished the championship with 4409 points, a difference of only 21 points seperating him and Earnhardt. Martin completed the season with three wins, 16 top fives, and 23 top 10s.

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4. 1994

Four years later, the 1994 season told a similair story for the Arizona native, who finished once again behind Dale Earnhardt. Martin completed the season with two wins and a single pole, making him miss the top spot by 444 points. He was also behind Earnhardt, who had achieved five more top fives and top 10s than the Roush Racing driver.

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3. 1998

While Mark Martin beat Dale Earnhardt in the standings by six spots in 1998, he still didn't make it to the top spot. That honour went to Jeff Gordon driving the #24 car for Hendrick Motorsports. Gordon beat Martin by 364 points, but the Roush driver did finish the season with seven wins, 22 top 5s, and 26 top 10s to his record. Martin also got the honour of being named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers the same year.

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2. 2002

In the new millenium, Mark Martin's efforts brought him closer to the top spot than the previous two times. This time, he grabbed the second position in the drivers' standings, missing out on top spot by only 63 points. The title of the Cup champion for 2002 went to Tony Stewart, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing. He had two more wins and three more top fives than Martin.

Mark Martin at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Toyota Owners 400 (2013) - Source: Imagn

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1. 2009

Seven years after that, the last time that Mark Martin came close to winning the Cup Series was in 2009, where, after securing five wins, 14 top 5s, and 21 top 10s, he still fell 141 points short of winning the cup. The 2009 NASCAR Cup Series champion was Jimmie Johnson, who driving for Hendrick Motorsports, won the Cup Series for the fourth consecutive year. Martin went home with second in the standings for the final time in his career.