Martin began his racing career at the age of 15 in his home state of Arkansas. Competing on dirt tracks, he won in only his third start and that same year – 1974 – won the Arkansas State Championship. In 1976, Martin left his dirt days behind and moved to pavement racetracks.
In 1977, Martin started competing in the American Speed Association (ASA). He earned rookie of the year honors that year and went on to win the championship the following three seasons.
The 1981 racing season saw Martin move into NASCAR’s elite series, and make five Sprint Cup Series starts in which he earned two pole positions and two top-10 finishes. The following year, in his first full-time schedule, he recorded eight top-10 finishes. Unable to continue funding his own team, Martin was forced to auction off his equipment and race for a variety of owners before returning to ASA competition from 1984-1986. He won his fourth ASA championship in 1986.
The thrill of NASCAR called again in 1987, and Martin agreed to drive a full Nationwide Series schedule. He earned three victories that season, which piqued the interest of car owner Jack Roush. In 1988, Martin and Roush joined forces, forging a working relationship that lasted 19 years.
During his time with Roush, Martin recorded 35 victories and won at all but six tracks on the Sprint Cup circuit. He earned 230 top-five finishes and 560 top-10s, earning a top-10 finish in nearly 50 percent of his starts. He also started from the pole 39 times.
Martin finished second in the Sprint Cup Series standings four times, missing his first championship in 1990 by a mere 26 points. He has finished 12th or better in 17 of 20 full Cup seasons.
While making a name for himself in Cup competition, Martin was setting records in the Nationwide Series. Though he’s recorded just one full season of Nationwide competition – 1987 – Martin holds the record for most wins (48) and most poles (30). In 2006, motorsports media acknowledged his accomplishments by naming him the greatest Nationwide Series driver of all-time.
Following the 2006 season, Martin committed only to a part-time Sprint Cup schedule. He was ready to spend more time at home in Daytona Beach, Fla., with his wife Arlene and son Matt.
In the two years that followed, Martin competed in 48 Sprint Cup Series races, earning seven top-five finishes and 19 top-10s. He also became a mentor for rookie drivers.
In 2007, Martin made his first Nationwide start for Hendrick Motorsports, driving the No. 5 Chevrolet led by crew chief Alan Gustafson. Martin finished second in that race at Darlington Raceway, further impressing Rick Hendrick. Martin went on to earn his first win for Hendrick, driving the No. 5 JR Motorsports Nationwide entry at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2008.
Hendrick’s admiration grew for Martin’s on-track skills as well as the NASCAR veteran’s ability to motivate and inspire his crew members. Martin’s talent was one that Hendrick Motorsports was not ready to let pass by.
In July 2008, Martin announced that he would return to full-time Sprint Cup competition in 2009 and drive the No. 5 Kellogg’s/CARQUEST Chevrolet. He joined Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the Hendrick Motorsports stable.
Making a triumphant return to full-time Sprint Cup racing, Martin captured five wins, 21 top 10s and a series leading seven poles behind the wheel of the No. 5 in 2009. With his five wins, he became just the 16th driver in Cup Series history to score at least 40 career wins.
But, for the fifth time in his career, Martin came up one position short of grabbing his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series trophy. After a battle with Jimmie Johnson, Martin never fell lower than second in the Chase standings before finishing 141 points out of the top spot in the end. With his second-place finish in the standings, he joined Bobby Allison and Richard Petty as the only drivers to finish No. 2 in the championship at least five times.
