Mark Martin is a retired American stock car racing driver who competed in the NASCAR Cup Series from 1981 to 2013. Over his long and illustrious career, he participated in over 880 races, winning 40 of them, securing 56 pole positions, and finishing in the top-10 more than 450 times.
Despite his impressive track record, Martin never won the Cup Series championship but was the runner-up five times in 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, and 2009. However, he did win prestigious races, including the Winston 500 at Talladega in 1995 and 1997, and the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2002.
Mark Martin’s major car sponsors in the NASCAR Cup Series
Martin made his NASCAR Cup Series debut in 1981, but he didn't secure a full-time racing opportunity until 1988. That year, the newly formed Roush Racing team offered him a full-time drive, which marked the beginning of an impressive 19-season tenure with the team—a record for the most seasons with a single team. At Roush Racing, Martin was assigned the No. 6 Ford Thunderbird, primarily sponsored by the Stroh Brewery Company's Stroh Light brand, which sponsored the car for the following 1989 season as well in which Martin finished third in the final championship standings. With the Stroh Light branded car, Martin won his first race in the Cup Series at the 1989 AC Delco 500 at North Carolina Motor Speedway.
At the end of the 1989 season, Martin was widely regarded as a driver with immense potential to win the Cup Series in the coming years. Recognizing his talent, Folgers, an American coffee brand owned by The J.M. Smucker Company began sponsoring his car starting in the 1990 season. The sponsorship lasted until the 1991 season, during which Martin won four races and finished as the runner-up in the 1991 championship.
From the 1992 season onwards, Valvoline, an American retail automotive services company, began sponsoring Mark Martin’s No. 6 Ford. This partnership lasted nearly a decade, concluding at the end of the 2000 Cup Series season. During this period, with Valvoline's sponsorship, Martin won a total of 24 races and finished as the runner-up in the final championship standings twice, in 1994 and 1998, bringing significant attention to the automotive service brand.
At the start of the 2001 season, Martin's No. 6 car received sponsorship from the American pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, promoting their Viagra brand. Martin raced with the Viagra-branded No. 6 car until the 2005 season, during which he won three races and finished second in the championship in the 2002 Cup Series season.
In the 2006 Cup Series season, the American Automobile Association (AAA), commonly pronounced as 'Triple A,' sponsored Martin's car. This season marked Martin's final year with Roush Racing before he departed from the team. Roush Racing announced that NASCAR's team limits prevented them from fielding a team for Martin, leading him to join Ginn Racing for the 2007 season.
Ginn Racing initially assigned Martin the No. 01 Chevrolet sponsored by the US Army. Midway through the season, Dale Earnhardt, Inc. acquired Ginn Racing, maintaining the US Army sponsorship into the 2008 season, where Martin shared driving duties with Aric Almirola.
Martin departed Dale Earnhardt, Inc. at the end of the 2008 season to join Hendrick Motorsports for 2009. At Hendrick Motorsports, he drove the No. 5 car sponsored by Kellogg's, an American food manufacturing company, and Carquest Corporation, an automotive parts distribution network owned by Advance Auto Parts. Martin achieved five victories driving the No. 5 car adorned with Kellogg's and Carquest branding, and he finished as the runner-up in the 2009 Cup Series championship.
In the 2010 season, GoDaddy, an American internet domain registry, domain registrar, and web hosting company, became the primary sponsor after Kellogg ended their sponsorship. Martin drove the No. 5 Chevrolet, adorned with GoDaddy and Carquest sponsorships, until the 2011 season. Following his departure from Hendrick Motorsports, Martin joined Michael Waltrip Racing for a part-time racing role starting in the 2012 season.
Michael Waltrip assigned Mark Martin to drive the No. 55 Toyota sponsored by The Aaron's Company, Inc., an American lease-to-own retailer. Martin also competed in the No. 11 Toyota sponsored by FedEx for Joe Gibbs Racing at the 2013 STP Gas Booster 500 at Martinsville Speedway. During the 2013 season, Martin departed from Michael Waltrip Racing and joined Stewart-Haas Racing, starting from the 2013 Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. At Stewart-Haas Racing, Martin drove the No. 14 Chevrolet, sponsored by Bass Pro Shops, an American privately owned sporting goods retailer, and TRACKER Boats, an American manufacturer of aluminum fishing boats.
FAQ's On Mark Martin sponsors
A. Stroh Brewery Company's Stroh Light brand sponsored Mark Martin’s No.6 Ford, in which he made his debut in the NASCAR Cup Series in 1988.
A. Folgers, an American coffee brand owned by The J.M. Smucker Company sponsored Mark Martin’s No.6 Ford for the 1990 and 1991 NASCAR Cup Series seasons.
A. Valvoline, an American retail automotive services company sponsored Mark Martin’s No.6 Ford from 1992 till 2000 NASCAR Cup Series season.
A. American pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, promoting their Viagra brand sponsored Mark Martin’s No.6 Ford from 2001 till 2005 NASCAR Cup Series season.
A. Bass Pro Shops, an American privately owned sporting goods retailer, and TRACKER Boats, an American manufacturer of aluminum fishing boats sponsored Mark Martin’s last car in the NASCAR Cup Series.
