Does Mark Martin own a trucking company? All you need to know

Mark Martin had a three-decade-long storied career in NASCAR before hanging up his racing gloves and helmets in 2013. The Hall of Fame inductee, amid his stock-car racing career, once owned a trucking company, J-Mar Express, which was handed down to him under unfortunate circumstances.

Five-time IROC champion Martin started his career on dirt tracks in his hometown, Arkansas. He then moved to the ASA racing series and won four championships. The 40-time Cup Series race winner made his full-time debut in 1982 and competed for several teams before making a mark in NASCAR's premier division with Roush Racing (now RFK Racing).

During his prime racing years in the 1990s, Martin became the head of J-Mar Express after his father, Julian Martin, died in a plane crash. His father had started this company in Searcy, Arkansas, and also sponsored Martin's early racing career. Mark Martin's J-Mar Express trucking carrier specialized in temperature-controlled haulers and had a fleet of over 50 trucks.

At the time, Martin served as the chairman and CEO of the company, overseeing the truckload carrier company that transported freight across various states in the USA.

This truck carrier service was also owned by the former NASCAR driver's sister, Glenda, who reportedly shut down their business in 2013, around the time of Martin's retirement from stock-car racing.

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"I'm not interested in competing in anything": Mark Martin reflected on his retirement from the NASCAR series

Pepsi 400 NASCAR Winston Cup race - Source: Getty

Mark Martin was considered one of the top-performing drivers in the 1990s. He was also tagged as 'the best driver to never win a championship'. The Batesville, Arkansas native finished runner-up five times in NASCAR's premier division. Additionally, he is now ranked second in the all-time win list of the Xfinity Series.

After competing in over 850 races in the NASCAR Cup Series, Martin announced his retirement in November 2013.

In a conversation with NASCAR in 2021, Martin opened up on his retired life.

"I’m retired. I’m really enjoying retired life, that’s really all I’ve got going on. I enjoy seeing and spending time with family and seeing friends and traveling and seeing the country. Arlene (his wife) and I have done a good bit of motor coaching." Mark Martin said.

"The thing I guess I really miss about racing is the people,. Working with a team was like a family, the energy of the fans and whatnot. So I kind of miss that. But 40 years of competing at the highest level, and digging as hard as I could possibly dig with every ounce of focus I had, I’m done with that. I’m not interested in competing in anything. I don’t even like to play cards or games or anything that requires competing."

Martin now owns an automotive dealership in his hometown which also has his racing museum with NASCAR memorabilia.