Martin is known as a "racer's racer". This basically means that he is willing to race any kind of vehicle in any kind of conditions anywhere in the world.
After racing in the short dirt tracks in the state of Arkansas for several years, Martin debuted in the American Speed Association (ASA) in 1977. He won the circuit's Rookie of the Year title in 1977 and then 3 consecutive championships from 1978 to 1980.
Martin began his Cup career in 1981. After bouncing about with different sponsors and teams from 1981 to 1983, he returned to ASA in 1984. In his only full year in Cup during this period, he ran his own team and even had 5 top 10s, but ran out of money. In 1986, he won yet another ASA championship.
In 1987, he gave NASCAR racing another shot by running in the NASCAR Busch Series. After a win in Dover, Delaware, he was spotted by car owner Jack Roush. In 1988, Martin began a long relationship with Roush that continued for 19 years.
Overall, Martin has 35 career NASCAR Cup wins and has finished second in the Nextel Cup Series point standings four times (1990, 1994, 1998 and 2002). However, after 19 years of racing for Jack Roush, he has never been able to capture the championship, though this is not from a lack of effort. He has also achieved a record 48 victories in the NASCAR Busch Series. In 1990, a 46-point penalty at Richmond for using an illegal (but non-performance enhancing) carburetor spacer caused him to lose to Dale Earnhardt by 26 points in the final standings.
Martin finished off the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup season with an exciting second-place finish in the season final race to fellow Roush Racing teammate Greg Biffle at the Homestead International Speedway. In doing so, he also secured a fourth place spot in the Chase for the Nextel Cup, just 105 points back from series champion Tony Stewart.
Martin has also won 5 IROC titles (1994, 1996, 1997 1998 and 2005) in addition to 13 races, both records for that series.
His sponsors have included Stroh Beer, Folgers coffee, Kraft, Valvoline motor oil, and Viagra/Pfizer, and the American Automobile Association. Martin announced he would retire after the 2005 season; thus the season was called Mark Martin's "Salute to You" tour, as a "thank you" to his fans. After champion Kurt Busch suddenly opted to leave the Roush Racing organization, Roush found he did not have a driver lined up for 2006, he ultimately opted to run one more season at the request of Roush. In June 2005, it was announced that Jamie McMurray would replace Mark Martin in the #6 car in 2007. This left Roush without a driver for that car in 2006. Martin later agreed to drive for the 2006 season. Ultimately, it was announced that McMurray would be released from his contract and would take over for Kurt Busch instead in car #26 (formerly #97), and David Ragan would replace Mark Martin in the #6 AAA Ford Fusion in 2007. In 2007, Mark Martin was planning to run a full schedule in the Craftsman Truck Series and help out his son, Matt Martin, with his racing career.
However, on October 6, 2006, it was announced that Mark Martin will instead split time with current Busch Series driver Regan Smith in the Ginn Racing #01 U.S. Army Chevy in 2007. Roush Racing announced that due to team limits imposed by NASCAR, they could not field a team for Martin for all 20 races he wanted to run in 2007, forcing Martin to move on, at least in the NEXTEL Cup Series. However, Martin will drive two races for Roush-Fenway Racing in the Busch Series, along with three races for Hendrick Motorsports, sharing that ride with Kyle Busch.
On February 18, 2007, Martin finished second in the Daytona 500, only .02 seconds behind Kevin Harvick. Martin had led going into the final lap before Harvick stormed from eighth to win on the outside. There has been much controversy over whether or not the yellow caution flag should have came out, which could have affected the outcome of the race. Normally, the caution flag is shown as soon as a car or more make contact with the wall.
This is Martin's first season to start with three consecutive top-five finishes. It is also the first time he has had three consecutive top-five finishes since 2002. Martin is also the oldest driver in the modern era to lead the Nextel Cup points for more than one week. Martin led the Nextel Cup points from the second race of the season, the Auto Club 500, through the fourth race of the season, the Kobalt Tools 500. Martin sat out the Food City 500, thus relinquishing the points lead and becoming the first driver since Cale Yarborough to do so.
Mark Anthony Martin was born on January 9, 1959 in Batesville, Arkansas. Mark MArtin was a NASCAR Nextel Cup Series driver for Ginn Racing, driving the #01 U.S. Army Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS, and is also a part-time driver in the Busch Series and Craftsman Truck Series for Roush Fenway Racing, Hendrick Motorsports, and Wood Brothers/JTG Racing. Mark Martin is often nicknamed Mr. Consistency because he frequently places in the top 10 in races. Mark Martin has also qualified for the Chase for the Cup all 3 years of its existence.