Mark Martin sends a message on his $300M-worth former NASCAR boss’ birthday

NASCAR legend Mark Martin wished Jack Roush on his birthday. The $300 million-worth American engineering icon, who was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 2017 and the prestigious NASCAR Hall of Fame two years later, turned 83 on Saturday, April 19.

From 1988 to 2006, Martin drove for Roush Racing, a team founded by Jack Roush in 1988, later rebranded as Roush Fenway Racing. Cup Series driver Brad Keselowski joined the team as an owner/driver in 2022, and since then, the organization has been known as Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing.

Meanwhile, Martin wrote on X:

“Happy Birthday to a true legend.”

Mark Martin won 35 races for Roush Racing, finishing second in the championship standings four times. In 2007, Martin left Roush and joined Ginn Racing, which merged with Dale Earnhardt Inc. (DEI) in July. Notably, Ginn’s team was known for fielding legendary drivers like Joe Nemechek and Sterling Marlin.

Martin retired after the 2013 season. Now 66, he is enjoying retirement to the fullest.

“I’m really enjoying retired life, that’s really all I’ve got going on,” Martin said in a statement [via NASCAR]. “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.”

During his career in NASCAR, Martin won a total of 96 races, including 40 in the Cup Series, 49 in the Xfinity Series, and seven in the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series. He doesn’t race anymore but is still involved in motorsports with his Mark Martin Automotive sponsoring a dirt racing team in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series.

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Mark Martin reflects on his 2009 win at Phoenix Raceway

Back in 2009, during his tenure at Hendrick Motorsports, Mark Martin pulled off an incredible feat that only three other drivers have been able to do to this day. He won the 2009 Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix Raceway, and thus joined a star-studded lineup of drivers to win a Cup Series race at 50 or older, which included Harry Gant, Morgan Shepherd, and Bobby Allison.

The day was April 18. On that note, Martin reshared a post by NASCAR Legends on X, celebrating the occasion:

“Seems like a lifetime ago. It was incredible driving for @TeamHendrick and Alan Gustafson and the 5 team.”

Paired with Gustafson for two consecutive seasons, Martin visited the victory lane on five occasions, besides bagging 21 top-five finishes, 32 top 10s, and eight poles. Today, Gustafson works with Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevy Camaro ZL1 for Hendrick Motorsports. Meanwhile, Elliott's teammate Kyle Larson drives the No. 5 entry that Martin used to drive back in the day.