"I never dreamed I could be competitive on that level": When Mark Martin reflected on proving himself against legends

In 2023, Mark Martin opened up about how he challenged the best of the best in the Late Model Asphalt series and ended up winning. Martin, who is one of the most renowned drivers in NASCAR, raced in the Late Model dirt and Late Model asphalt prior to his move to the Truck, Xfinity, and Cup Series.

Speaking about his Late Model asphalt days from 1977, Martin recalled how he switched to the series and came out with one of the most remarkable statistics. A four-time American Speed Association champion, Winchester 400, Redbud 400, and Oktoberfest winner, Martin had numerous accolades to his name.

However, for him, the 1977 National Short Track Championship at Rockford Speedway was the most memorable. Speaking in an interview per RacingAmerica.com, the former NASCAR driver mentioned how he ended up winning the race, 'surprisingly'.

“In 1977, I moved from Late Model dirt to Late Model asphalt," Martin said. "The opportunity to race with Dick Trickle and Joe Shear and Dave Watson and Tom Reffner and all these greats like this was just an honor for me. We went to the National Short Track Championship in Rockford and I was just 18 years old, 110 pounds, looking like a little kid.

“We qualified second to Trickle, and they invert 12 cars. When that thing was over, we crossed the finish line first. We won the National Short Track Championship. If you raced that race for 10 years, and you’d been close to winning all those 10 years, when you won it wouldn’t be a surprise. To be able to win that race was a surprise to me because I never dreamed I could be competitive on that level. We just went up there to be challenged against the best. We had no idea we could win that race," he further added.

After a few decent years in this category, Mark Martin moved to NASCAR and made his Cup Series debut in 1981. Unlike most drivers who start their stock car racing series with Truck before moving to the Xfinity, and Cup Series, Martin did the opposite. A year after his Cup Series debut, he entered the Xfinity Series in 1982, and finally the Truck Series in 1996.

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A sneak peek into Mark Martin's illustrious NASCAR career

Mark Martin has one of the most illustrious records in the NASCAR Cup Series. The former driver has 882 races to his name in over 31 years, where he racked up 40 wins, 56 pole positions, and 453 Top 10s.

Mark Martin drives the #6 Roush Racing Ford during practice for the Budweiser Shootout at the NASCAR Nextel Cup Daytona 500 on February 11, 2005 - Source: Getty

Despite racing in the series for over three decades, Martin, a NASCAR Hall of Famer, failed to claim a championship. His best finish in a season came as a runner-up when he finished second in the standings five times — in 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, and 2009.

The 66-year-old's Xfinity Series statistics consist of 236 races in over 23 years, with 49 wins (second most in the series), 30 pole positions, and 152 Top 10s. In the Truck Series, Mark Martin has seven wins, three pole positions, and 20 Top 10s in 25 races in over five years.