“There will be a lot of stuff” - NASCAR legend Mark Martin teases upcoming book about himself

NASCAR legend Mark Martin has teased the NASCAR aficionados with the announcement about an upcoming book. According to the 65-year-old Batesville native, the book will contain several unheard stories from his career.

One such story dates back to 1981 when Martin received a call from Waddell Wilson to drive the #28 car, famously known as the 'Gray Ghost.' Wilson was the crew chief of the car, which was owned by Harry Rainer. He led the legendary car to the victory lane at the Daytona 500 on three occasions (1980, 1983, and 1984).

"Waddell called me at the end of 1981 and asked me if I was interested. I told him no," Mark Martin wrote on X.

Martin did not want to “ditch” Martin-Reeder Racing, a Pontiac team he was racing for back then. Reflecting on the same, he added:

“I couldn’t in my heart ditch my three employees and car and engine suppliers that had got me to that point. This will all be in my book we are working on. There will be a lot of stuff nobody knows about it.”

An opportunity to pilot the #28 car was indeed a big deal for the Cup Series regulars back in the day. After all, the car, which once reached a record-setting average speed of 177.602 miles per hour at Daytona International Speedway, was driven by NASCAR stalwarts like Buddy Baker, Ernie Irvan, Dale Jarrett, Kenny Irwin, and Ricky Rudd. Travis Kvapil, father of JR Motorsports driver Carson Kvapil, was also among the ones to drive the machine.

Mark Martin names Jeff Burton as one of NASCAR’s most underrated drivers

Former NASCAR series driver Mark Martin is introduced before the Pala Casino 400 at Auto Club Speedway (Source: Imagn)

In a recent episode of the 'On the Marks' podcast, Mark Martin named Jeff Burton his best teammate at Roush Racing. Martin and Burton raced together for the Ford team from 1996 to 2004. During that period, the two developed a bond that stays alive in Martin’s heart to this day.

"We would all share information at varying degrees.” Mark Martin recalled. “In other words, your best buddy, you would share everything, and that would be Jeff Burton. Why? Because Jeff shared everything with me... When Burton and I got together, it was magic. The guy was just the best teammate you could ever have.”

Burton was a fierce competitor in his prime. Between 1993 and 2013, the speedster amassed 21 Cup Series wins and 134 top-10 finishes. Despite being a driver of his stature, Burton always made sure to help in any way possible.

“He would run up and volunteer anything to try to help.” Mark Martin added. “That's how he tried to build respect. He believed if he gave, he might get, so he was always trying to give. He had my best interest in my program all the time. Jeff watched out for me and my program, which really helped.”

Today, Martin serves as a driver development coach for Jack Roush. Besides that, the Mark Martin Automotive Group, a group of automotive dealerships (based in Batesville, Arkansas) owned by Martin, sponsors Jared Landers in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series.