Mark Martin: NASAR's Mr. Consistency

NASCAR racing has become one of America's most popular sports today. Races are viewed by millions of fans from around 150 countries all over the earth. NASCAR ranks second only to the National Football League in television ratings in homes and viewing areas throughout the United States.

NASCAR is very big business. It is estimated that there are at least 75 million die hard NASCAR fans. These fans are extreme brand loyalists and are said to spend over $2 million a year on NASCAR brand merchandise.

NASCAR is a thrilling. One of the reasons that NASCAR is so well-loved by the fans; is their love of NASCAR competitors. One NASCAR competitor that has a solid place in the hearts of NASCAR fans is Mark Martin.

Though he is racing only part time these days, Mark Martin is reliably a top-ten finisher, a fact that lends credence to his nickname Mr. Consistency. In 2007, finished 26th in series points. He also ended the season with five top-fives and eleven top-ten finishes under his belt. In the season-opening race, the Daytona 500, Martin finished in second place behind Kevin Harvick. The margin of victory was 0.020, the ninth closest in NASCAR history.

An Arkansas favorite son, Martin still runs his father's Arkansas-based business J-Mar Express. Martin began racing in 1974 in a car built by his father. In 1998, Martin's father, stepmother and sister were killed in a plane crash. Later that year, Martin won the Bristol race and dedicated his victory to his family. Martin also owns other businesses, including Mark Martin Performance, a company which sells quarter-midget racing chassis. In addition, Martin helped build the quarter-midget track at the New Smyrna, Florida Speedway.

Martin holds a record forty-seven victories in the NASCAR Busch Series and thirteen victories in the International Race of Champions (IROC) Series. He won his 47th NASCAR Nationwide Series race in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2005, the same year he won his record fifth IROC championship. Martin also races in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. In 2006, he participated in 14 races and won six of them.

Martin's No. 8 Chevrolet Impala SS paid tribute to the 100th birthday of the Army Reserve at the April race in Phoenix, Arizona. Although he dominated the race at one point, he wound up with a fifth-place finish. Martin has enjoyed success in Michigan in the past and is hoping for a better day in Michigan on Sunday. Says Martin, "Michigan is one of my favorite tracks on the circuit and I've had a lot of success there over the years. It's big, wide and you can really pass there. If you are able to get your car setup right, you can do a lot of passing, which can make for a pretty fun day."

Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin have both had significant careers in NASCAR; and most fans have their favorite competitor. It is also obvious that because of humble and hardworking competitors such as Gordon and Martin; it is no wonder that NASCAR has had such an enduring effect on sports fans all over the world.

Bibliography:
The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-07
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Martin_(racecar_driver)