Sterling Marlin made 748 Cup starts and won 10 races in that series between 1976 and 2009. Of those 10 triumphs, six came driving the number 4 Kodak Chevrolet of Morgan-McClure Racing, and the remaining were with the #40 machine for Chip Ganassi Racing.
Nobody was quite like Marlin behind the wheel of the #40 car. In 2001, he emerged victorious at Michigan International Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway. Marlin carried forward that momentum and tied his personal best record with a third-place finish in the final NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings. The following year too, he was poised for another stellar season, but a crash at Kansas Speedway sidelined him from the rest of the season.
Marlin has also been successful in the lower tiers of NASCAR. The veteran racer made 77 starts in the Xfinity Series, where he won twice. Perhaps the biggest highlight of his career was his back-to-back Daytona 500 wins in 1994 and 1995.
Who are Starling Marlin Parents?
Starling Marlin was born to former NASCAR driver Clifton “Coo Coo” Marlin and Eula Faye.
Who is Eula Faye?
Eula Faye was the mother of Marlin. Although Marlin’s father was quite enthusiastic about his son's racing career, Faye wasn't too happy about it in the beginning. As for her husband, racing was something he had always wanted so she had accepted that. But for her son, that wasn't the case. “When I knew for sure he was going to drive,” she said in a 1994 interview. “I wouldn’t let myself think about it for a year, I’d get so upset.”
But when Marlin finished seventh in his first race at Nashville, one spot behind Darrell Waltrip, Faye gave in. “He did so good. I knew right there I’d lost the battle,” she admitted. Faye had always been a constant support for her husband as well as her son. She breathed her last in 1988.
Who is Coo Coo Marlin?
Coo Coo Marlin was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver who spent 14 years behind the wheel. Marlin also made it big on the short tracks in Tennessee and Alabama, running alongside Red Farmer, Bobby Allison, and Donnie Allison of the famous Alabama Gang. He breathed his last on August 14, 2005.
FAQ's on Sterling Marlin Parents
As a kid, Clifton Marlin was never able to pronounce his name properly and could only manage to say “Coo Coo”. Therefore, everyone started calling him that.
In 2012, Marlin revealed publicly that he has Parkinson's.
Sterling Marlin was assisted by his crew chief Tony Glover during his stint at Morgan-McClure Motorsports.
Sterling Marlin never won a championship but he did come close twice in 1995 and 2001.
Born on June 30, 1957, Marlin is 66 years old.
