The Principal Financial Group to Celebrate Mark Martin’s 700th NASCAR Cup Start at California Speedway
The Principal Financial Group® will celebrate Mark Martin’s 700th career NASCAR Sprint Cup start this Sunday, Feb. 24 at California Speedway with a special paint scheme that adds a commemorative 700th start logo to the No. 8 Principal Financial Group Chevrolet. Martin will become only the 13th driver in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series history to have reached this milestone.
During pre-race ceremonies at California Speedway, the Principal Financial Group and Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (DEI) will present Mark Martin with a commemorative green flag emblazoned with the same 700th start logo that will appear on DEI’s No. 8 Principal Financial Group Chevrolet. Following the race, this same green flag will be signed by Martin and auctioned on e-bay with proceeds benefitting the Dale Earnhardt Foundation.
“We could not be more proud to celebrate this incredible accomplishment with Mark. He has approached his 20 plus year NASCAR career with the same commitment and integrity that the Principal Financial Group employs on behalf of our customers around the world. The Principal is fortunate to have him as a part of our team,” said Mary O’Keefe, senior vice president and chief marketing officer of The Principal®.
“I’m very thankful for everything I have been fortunate enough to accomplish,” noted Martin. “I’m thankful to everyone around me throughout my career that worked so hard, and I’m thankful to all the fans and sponsors who have supported me for all of these years. Heck, I wish I was 25 years old and had that many ahead of me, but I’m still very thankful for everything I have been able to do in my career. It really is a dream come true.”
Martin started his first Cup race on April 5, 1981 at North Wilkesboro Speedway. He started fifth and finished 27th; humble beginnings for what would go on to be one of the most successful careers in NASCAR history. Heading into Sunday’s event, Martin has started 699 Cup races, totaling 35 wins, 41 poles, 239 top-five finishes and 385 top 10s. In addition, he made 621 consecutive starts from 1988 to 2007 when he walked away from full-time Cup racing with the points lead in hand following the race at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March 2007.
If Martin, who is running a partial schedule of 24 point races in 2008, stays on schedule he will end the year with 722 Cup starts, the ninth-most of all time.
NASCAR 700 START CLUB
1. Richard Petty...................1,185
2. Ricky Rudd........................906
3. Dave Marcis.......................883
4. Terry Labonte.....................851
5. Kyle Petty........................814
6. Darrell Waltrip ..................809
7. Bill Elliott......................776
8. Sterling Marlin ..................732
9. Bobby Allison ....................719
10. Ken Schrader ....................718
11. Rusty Wallace....................706
12. Buddy Baker .....................701
13. Mark Martin .....................699
This marks the third season for The Principal as NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team sponsor, and the second year that Mark Martin races in the Principal Financial Group colors. The Principal first joined NASCAR in Aug. 2006 with MB2 Motorsports.
About Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
Dale Earnhardt Inc., based in Mooresville, N.C., employs more than 450 people on its two state-of-the-art campuses. Dale Earnhardt Inc. is comprised of a NASCAR Nationwide Series team and four Sprint Cup teams, featuring drivers Paul Menard, Martin Truex Jr., Regan Smith, Mark Martin and Aric Almirola. The organization has amassed more than 100 wins, and has won six NASCAR Championships, as well as three Daytona 500s.
About the Principal Financial Group
The Principal Financial Group® (The Principal ®)1 is a leader in offering businesses, individuals and institutional clients a wide range of financial products and services, including retirement and investment services, life and health insurance, and banking through its diverse family of financial services companies. A member of the Fortune 500, the Principal Financial Group has $311.1 billion in assets under management2 and serves some 18.6 million customers worldwide from offices in Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America and the United States. Principal Financial Group, Inc. is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol PFG.
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