Mark
Martin makes his 850th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start Saturday night at
Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Only four
drivers in the history of the sport have taken more green flags in NASCAR’s
premier series, but Martin is entirely unimpressed with the milestone.
“That’s
just a number,” said Martin. “It doesn’t mean anything to me.”
Martin
said he prefers to focus on performance rather than frequency, adding, “It’s what
you did in those starts that can be impressive, or not. The fact that I have
started a lot of races doesn't stack up very high on the impression meter for
me.”
Fortunately,
Martin has accomplished quite a bit in those 849 starts. In that 30-year time
span, the 53-year-old Martin has collected 40 Sprint Cup Series victories, 55
poles and 270 top-five finishes. In typical Martin fashion, however, he deflects
any praise to the crew members who have worked with him over three decades.
“I have
been very fortunate through the years to work with a lot of great people and
drive some very fast race cars,” he said. “Not everyone can say that. I have
really been blessed. I have (also) been blessed by the fans that have been so
supportive through the years. They have probably meant more to me in the down
years than when I was flying hot through the years. They seem to rally behind
me when the going gets tough.”
Martin’s
fans haven’t needed to cheer up their hero in 2012. In just 19 races driving
for Michael Waltrip Racing, he owns four Top-5 finishes and four poles; the
most of any driver.
“I love
being part of MWR, working with everyone here,” said Martin. “I have great
teammates in Martin Truex, Jr. and Clint Bowyer. This is really a fantastic
organization and we are experiencing a lot of success right now. We are feeling
good about what we have accomplished and are ready to accomplish even more.”
Photo: Jerry Markland/Getty Images North America
No comments:
Post a Comment