What was Mark Martin known for in NASCAR? Everything you need to know

NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin is regarded as one of the sport's best drivers, having competed in NASCAR for over three decades, with 96 wins across the three top series to his name. He was named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998.

Martin debuted in NASCAR in 1981 and made 882 starts in the Cup Series, spending most of his career driving for Roush Racing (now Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing), with whom, he won 35 Cup races. He also raced for teams like Dale Earnhardt Inc. and Hendrick Motorsports (HMS).

Even though Martin never won a Cup Series title, he was one of the most consistent Cup Series drivers, ranking in the top ten for 12 successive seasons (1989-2000). These include five runner-up finishes in 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2009. The Batesville-born had several near misses in his career, most notably in 2007, when he came incredibly close to winning the Daytona 500 and finished just 0.02 seconds behind the winner.

The American also competed in the Xfinity Series, amassing 49 race wins from 236 starts, with only Kyle Busch triumphing in more races than him.

"Probably the most all-around respected driver" - Former NASCAR drivers on Mark Martin

Mark Martin was known for racing clean and fellow former driver Kevin Harvick considered him the most respected driver he had ever been around. During a 2023 episode of 'You Kids Don't Know' by Fox Sports, the 2014 NASCAR Cup Series champion praised his compatriot's character and driving style.

"Mark is probably the most all-around respected driver that we have that I've ever been around in our sport. And that comes from just the way that he conducted himself, the way that he drove on the racetrack, and really sticking to his guns — he was not going to run you over," said Kevin Harvick (05:20 onwards).

Jamie McMurray, who raced alongside Martin at Roush, spoke about the latter often downplaying his ability and praising his cars:

"He would always downplay his own ability and say, 'Well, my car was better than I was today,' and I think we all know that that's, that's not the case. He put a lot of average cars, average engines at times throughout his career, on his back and was able to get incredible finishes. I mean, it just seemed like every team that he went to, gosh, he was just always so strong, and a lot of that was just from his ability, and I think his work ethic." (03:12)

Mark Martin retired from racing in the 2010s and was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2015, two years before his induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.