Mark Martin: More Than Just a Runner-Up in Everybody's Book

Mark Martin is going to go down in the history of NASCAR as the sport’s Ted Williams, Karl Malone and Dan Marino … the best of the sport to never experience the glory of a championship title. But, despite the fact that it’s this blog post’s lede and will undoubtedly and unfortunately be synonymous with him for the remainder of his life and long after it ultimately doesn’t matter, because he (and the others like him) will still remain legends and all-time greats despite never reaching their sport’s summit.

Martin always seemed to be the runner-up in NASCAR – finished second in the point standings a record (and whopping) five times. He also never seemed to be the best driver at any one point in his long and successful career – but, only because he was being bested by truly iconic names like Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson. But, that doesn’t mean he couldn’t get the job done (NASCAR is a team sport, just like baseball, basketball and football) and sometimes your failed by other things like your pit crew or just dumb luck. Martin, in fact, had not one, but two championships essentially taken from him by rules infractions seemingly out of his reach.

Championships should never be a measure of a true sports legend, period. Mark Martin may not have a championship, but won 40 premier series Sprint Cup races in his career and almost 100 races when you add up his victories from the three NASCAR series (he’s second in all-time Nationwide Series wins and the only driver in the history of NASCAR with 40-plus wins in both series). Bill Rexford won a NASCAR premier series championship, in 1950, but only won one race in his career. No offense to the late Rexford, and granted he only ran 36 career NASCAR races, but you tell me which driver is the true legend of the sport. Hint: It’s not the one with the championship.

Mark Martin is not just a true NASCAR legend and an all-time great because of his skills on the racetrack. He’s also a legend, because of the man he is. I’ve been watching NASCAR for 12 years and in that time there has never been a more respected man within the NASCAR garage and among race fans than Mark Martin. Few, if any, drivers in NASCAR history have probably been as respected and liked as Martin. This is because Martin was the ultimate gentleman racer who didn’t ruffle feathers on the track by beating and banging or off the track by running his mouth about fellow drivers. Drivers knew that Martin was going to race them clean, so they had better return the favor … and they always seemed to do just that. I can’t remember a single time in my 12 years of watching this sport where I ever saw Martin and another driver have a spat either on or off the track. Everybody simply liked Mark Martin.

It’s this respect and attitude that Martin showed that stands out the most to me about his career, even more so than winning races, despite having seen almost a quarter of Martin’s career wins in the Cup Series, including one of his most successful seasons in 2009 when he won five races, including the last of his career at New Hampshire Speedway, and finished runner-up in the championship for the fifth time in his career. Mark Martin was 50 years old that season and was better than anybody on the track, including drivers half his age.

Mark Martin is going to be missed on the racetrack for many reasons, some of them including the fact that he won’t be there to show the younger drivers the right way to race and treat each other and that he’s maybe the last throwback to the good old days of racing when the sport featured workingman-like legends like Dale Earnhardt, Richard Petty, Bobby Allison, Cale Yarbrough, Rusty Wallace, Dale Jarrett and on and on.

Mark Martin is truly a beloved relic of the sport of NASCAR. His career spans more than 30 years and multiple eras of the sport. He’s a guy who entered his first race in an event won by the legendary Richard Petty and finished his career in a race culminating in a championship for Jimmie Johnson. If there was a legend in the sport of NASCAR the odds are that Mark Martin not only drove side-by-side with them, but also beat them.

It’s going to be weird watching NASCAR without Mark Martin in the field, but it was a damn pleasure doing so for all of those years.   

Mark Bechtel's 'He Crashed Me So I Crashed Him Back' A Must-Read for NASCAR Fans

Over the years I have read many different nonfiction sports books from all sorts of sports: baseball, basketball, football, etc., but have always found that books about NASCAR and its highly entertaining and interesting history are the absolute most enjoyable. Mark Bechtel’s “He Crashed Me So I Crashed Him Back” about the 1979 Daytona 500 and NASCAR premier Winston Cup series season is right at the very top of that list, along with Ed Hinton’s “Daytona: From the Birth of Speed to the Death of the Man in Black” and Joe Menzer’s “The Wildest Ride.”

The 1979 NASCAR Winston Cup season may be the greatest season in the 60-plus year history of the sport starting with the Daytona 500 race that helped to put the sport on the map as far as major sports go all the way to the very last race of the season which saw one of the sports closest all-time points finishes with a veteran and thought to be fading Richard Petty edging out the young, brash and universally disliked (at least at the time) Darrell Waltrip.

Bechtel’s book is incredibly well written with the author mixing in a great knowledge of not only the sport, but the country at the time in 1979 throwing in stuff about the struggles President Jimmy Carter faced at the time with the U.S. hostage crisis in Iran and how a young college basketball rivalry between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird would soon help to grow the NBA in a similar way to NASCAR’s budding growth. With interesting story after interesting story Bechtel’s book is a brisk read, even though it approaches nearly 300 pages.

Bechtel’s book differs from the previously mentioned books by Hinton and Menzer in that it focuses solely on one NASCAR season instead of the sports beginnings and history. This allows for it to give even the most hardcore NASCAR fans new facts and stories about the sport, whereas many NASCAR books simply re-tell already known, but so fantastic you don’t really care stories. It also allows for the most extensive and thrilling coverage of the 1979 Daytona 500, which is almost certainly the most important race in the sport’s history. Not only was the Daytona 500 going to be the first full race broadcast live on a major television network, but it also occurred on a day when much of the country was snowed in with little more to do than watch television. The race started much like every other one before it had, but by the end the nation would see something that few could imagine: a duel at the finish resulting in the two leaders taking themselves out and an all out brawl post-race in the speedway’s infield.

“He Crashed Me So I Crashed Him Back” is truly a must-read for any NASCAR fan and will tell you everything you need to know about the 1979 season and the likes of Richard Petty, Darrell Waltrip, David Pearson, Cale Yarborough, Bobby Allison, Donnie Allison and a young, determined rookie by the name of Dale Earnhardt. NASCAR’s past is the most interesting of any sport I’ve ever read about because it’s filled with realistic and utterly entertaining characters like those aforementioned above. This book will not only fill your head with all the facts of the 1979 season, but will leave you smiling with stories about some of the greatest auto racers to ever strap on a racing suit and helmet.    

Greatest Athletes by Numbers

#99

1. Wayne Gretzky (Hockey)
2. George Mikan (Basketball)
3. Jason Taylor (Football)

#98

1. Tony Siragusa (Football)
2. Jessie Armstead (Football)
3. Casey Hampton (Football)

#97

1. Simeon Rice (Football)
2. Jeremy Roenick (Hockey)
3. Cornelius Bennett (Football)

#96

1. Pavel Bure (Hockey)
2. Cortez Kennedy (Football)
3. Bill Voiselle (Baseball)

#95

1. Richard Dent (Football)
2. Sam Adams (Football)
3. Greg Lloyd (Football)

#94

1. Charles Haley (Football)
2. Demarcus Ware (Football)
3. Dana Stubblefield (Football)

#93

1. Doug Gilmore (Hockey)
2. John Randle (Football)
3. Richard Seymour (Football)

#92

1. Reggie White (Football)
2. Michael Strahan (Football)
3. Ted Washington (Football)

#91

1. Dennis Rodman (Basketball)
2. Sergei Fedorov (Hockey)
3. Kevin Greene (Football)

#90

1. Bob Kurland (Basketball)
2. Neil Smith (Football)
3. Jevon Kearse (Football)

#89

1. Mike Ditka (Football)
2. Gino Marchetti (Football)
3. Fred Dryer (Football)

#88

1. Marvin Harrison (Football)
2. Michael Irvin (Football)
3. Alan Page (Football)

#87

1. Dave Casper (Football)
2. Dwight Clark (Football)
3. Sidney Crosby (Hockey)

#86

1. Hines Ward (Football)
2. Buck Buchanan (Football)
3. Dante Lavelli (Football)

#85

1. Jack Youngblood (Football)
2. Nick Buoniconti (Football)
3. Mark Duper (Football)

#84

1. Shannon Sharpe (Football)
2. Randy Moss (Football)
3. Stirling Sharpe (Football)

#83

1. Ted Hendricks (Football)
2. Andre Reed (Football)
3. Mark Clayton (Football)

#82

1. Raymond Berry (Football)
2. Ozzie Newsome (Football)
3. John Stallworth (Football)

#81

1. Tim Brown (Football)
2. Terrell Owens (Football)
3. Dick Lane (Football)

#80

1. Jerry Rice (Football)
2. Kellen Winslow (Football)
3. Steve Largent (Football)

#79

1. Harvey Martin (Football)
2. Roosevelt Brown (Football)
3. Bob St. Claire (Football)

#78

1. Bruce Smith (Football)
2. Anthony Munoz (Football)
3. Jackie Slater (Football)

#77

1. Red Grange (Football)
2. Ray Bourque (Hockey)
3. Willie Roaf (Football)

#76

1. Lou Groza (Football)
2. Orlando Pace (Football)
3. Marion Motley (Football)

#75

1. Deacon Jones (Football)
2. Howie Long (Football)
3. Joe Greene (Football)

#74

1. Merlin Olsen (Football)
2. Bob Lilly (Football)
3. Bruce Matthews (Football)

#73

1. John Hannah (Football)
2. Ron Yary (Football)
3. Joe Klecko (Football)

#72

1. Carlton Fisk (Baseball)
2. Dan Dierdorf (Football)
3. Ed Jones (Football)

#71

1. Alex Karras (Football)
2. Tony Boselli (Football)
3. George Connor (Football)

#70

1. Sam Huff (Football)
2. Jim Marshall (Football)
3. Art Donovan (Football)

#69

1. Mark Schlereth (Football)
2. Tim Krumrie (Football)
3. Jared Allen (Football)

#68

1. Jaromir Jagr (Hockey)
2. Will Shields (Football)
3. Kevin Mawae (Football)

#67

1. Bob Kuechenberg (Football)
2. Ed White (Football)
3. Russell Maryland (Football)

#66

1. Mario Lemieux (Hockey)
2. Ray Nitschke (Football)
3. Alan Faneca (Football)

#65

1. Elvin Bethea (Football)
2. Tom Mack (Football)
3. Gary Zimmerman (Football)

#64

1. Randall McDaniel (Football)
2. Jerry Kramer (Football)
3. Jack Reynolds (Football)

#63

1. Willie Lanier (Football)
2. Gene Upshaw (Football)
3. Lee Roy Selmon (Football)

#62

1. Jim Langer (Football)
2. Guy McIntyre (Football)
3. Scot Shields (Baseball)

#61

1. Bill George (Football)
2. Curley Culp (Football)
3. Josh Beckett (Baseball)

#60

1. Chuck Bednarik (Football)
2. Otto Graham (Football)
3. Scott Schoenweis (Baseball)

#59

1. Jack Ham (Football)
2. Seth Joyner (Football)
3. Todd Jones (Baseball)

#58

1. Jack Lambert (Football)
2. Derrick Thomas (Football)
3. Jonathan Papelbon (Baseball)

#57

1. Dwight Stephensen (Football)
2. Johan Santana (Baseball)
3. Clay Matthews (Football)

#56

1. Lawrence Taylor (Football)
2. Andre Tippett (Football)
3. Chris Doleman (Football)

#55

1. Junior Seau (Football)
2. Derrick Brooks (Football)
3. Dikembe Mutombo (Basketball)

#54

1. Randy White (Football)
2. Goose Gossage (Baseball)
3. Brian Urlacher (Football)

#53

1. Don Drysdale (Baseball)
2. Harry Carson (Football)
3. Artis Gilmore (Basketball)

#52

1. Ray Lewis (Football)
2. Mike Webster (Football)
3. Buck Williams (Basketball)

#51

1. Dick Butkus (Football)
2. Randy Johnson (Baseball)
3. Ichiro Suzuki (Baseball)

#50

1. Mike Singletary (Football)
2. David Robinson (Basketball)
3. Rebecca Lobo (Basketball)

#49

1. Ron Guidry (Baseball)
2. Bobby Mitchell (Football)
3. Charlie Hough (Baseball)

#48

1. Jimmie Johnson (Auto Racing)
2. Torii Hunter (Baseball)
3. Sam McDowell (Baseball)

#47

1. Tom Glavine (Baseball)
2. Mel Blount (Football)
3. Jack Morris (Baseball)

#46

1. Lee Smith (Baseball)
2. Andy Pettitte (Baseball)
3. Todd Christensen (Football)

#45

1. Bob Gibson (Baseball)
2. Pedro Martinez (Baseball)
3. Archie Griffin (Football)

#44

1. Hank Aaron (Baseball)
2. Jerry West (Basketball)
3. Reggie Jackson (Baseball)

#43

1. Richard Petty (Auto Racing)
2. Dennis Eckersley (Baseball)
3. Jack Sikma (Basketball)

#42

1. Jackie Robinson (Baseball)
2. Ronnie Lott (Football)
3. Mariano Rivera (Baseball)

#41

1. Tom Seaver (Baseball)
2. Eddie Matthews (Baseball)
3. Wes Unseld (Basketball)

#40

1. Gale Sayers (Football)
2. Elroy Hirsch (Football)
3. Bill Laimbeer (Basketball)

#39

1. Roy Campanella (Baseball)
2. Larry Csonka (Football)
3. Dominik Hasek (Hockey)

#38

1. Curt Schilling (Baseball)
2. George Rogers (Football)
3. Rocky Colavito (Baseball)

#37

1. Doak Walker (Football)
2. Shaun Alexander (Football)
3. Lester Hayes (Football)

#36

1. Robin Roberts (Baseball)
2. Gaylord Perry (Baseball)
3. Jerome Bettis (Football)

#35

1. Phil Niekro (Baseball)
2. Frank Thomas (Baseball)
3. Rickey Henderson (Baseball)

#34

1. Walter Payton (Football)
2. Shaquille O’Neal (Basketball)
3. Hakeem Olajuwon (Basketball)

#33

1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Basketball)
2. Larry Bird (Basketball)
3. Tony Dorsett (Football)

#32

1. Jim Brown (Football)
2. Magic Johnson (Basketball)
3. Sandy Koufax (Baseball)

#31

1. Greg Maddux (Baseball)
2. Reggie Miller (Basketball)
3. Dave Winfield (Baseball)

#30

1. Nolan Ryan (Baseball)
2. Ken Griffey Jr. (Baseball)
3. Orlando Cepeda (Baseball)

#29

1. Rod Carew (Baseball)
2. Eric Dickerson (Football)
3. John Smoltz (Baseball)

#28

1. Cale Yarborough (Auto Racing)
2. Marshall Faulk (Football)
3. Bert Blyleven (Baseball)

#27

1. Juan Marichal (Baseball)
2. Carlton Fisk (Baseball)
3. Vladimir Guerrero (Baseball)

#26

1. Rod Woodson (Football)
2. Wade Boggs (Baseball)
3. Billy Williams (Baseball)

#25

1. K.C. Jones (Basketball)
2. Fred Biletnikoff (Football)
3. Gail Goodrich (Basketball)

#24

1. Willie Mays (Baseball)
2. Jeff Gordon (Auto Racing)
3. Kobe Bryant (Basketball)

#23

1. Michael Jordan (Basketball)
2. LeBron James (Basketball)
3. Ryne Sandberg (Baseball)

#22

1. Emmitt Smith (Football)
2. Elgin Baylor (Basketball)
3. Jim Palmer (Baseball)

#21

1. Roberto Clemente (Baseball)
2. Tim Duncan (Basketball)
3. David Pearson (Auto Racing)

#20

1. Barry Sanders (Football)
2. Mike Schmidt (Baseball)
3. Frank Robinson (Baseball)

#19

1. Johnny Unitas (Football)
2. Bob Feller (Baseball)
3. Tony Gwynn (Baseball)

#18

1. Peyton Manning (Football)
2. Dave Cowens (Basketball)
3. Charlie Joiner (Football)

#17

1. John Havlicek (Basketball)
2. Dizzy Dean (Baseball)
3. Matt Kenseth (Auto Racing)

#16

1. Joe Montana (Football)
2. George Blanda (Football)
3. Whitey Ford (Baseball)

#15

1. Bart Star (Football)
2. Hal Greer (Basketball)
3. Tom Heinsohn (Basketball)

#14

1. Pete Rose (Baseball)
2. Ernie Banks (Baseball)
3. AJ Foyt (Auto Racing)

#13

1. Wilt Chamberlain (Basketball)
2. Dan Marino (Football)
3. Alex Rodriguez (Baseball)

#12

1. Tom Brady (Football)
2. Terry Bradshaw (Football)
3. John Stockton (Basketball)

#11

1. Mark Messier (Hockey)
2. Isiah Thomas (Basketball)
3. Elvin Hayes (Basketball)

#10

1. Pele (Soccer)
2. Fran Tarkenton (Football)
3. Chipper Jones (Baseball)

#9

1. Ted Williams (Baseball)
2. Gordie Howe (Hockey)
3. Bob Petit (Basketball)

#8

1. Cal Ripken Jr. (Baseball)
2. Yogi Berra (Baseball)
3. Troy Aikman (Football)

#7

1. Mickey Mantle (Baseball)
2. John Elway (Football)
3. Craig Biggio (Baseball)

#6

1. Bill Russell (Basketball)
2. Stan Musial (Baseball)
3. Julius Erving (Basketball)

#5

1. Joe DiMaggio (Baseball)
2. Johnny Bench (Baseball)
3. Brooks Robinson (Baseball)

#4

1. Lou Gehrig (Baseball)
2. Bobby Orr (Hockey)
3. Brett Favre (Baseball)

#3

1. Babe Ruth (Baseball)
2. Dale Earnhardt (Auto Racing)
3. Allen Iverson (Basketball)

#2

1. Derek Jeter (Baseball)
2. Rusty Wallace (Auto Racing)
3. Charley Gehringer (Baseball)

#1

1. Oscar Robertson (Basketball)
2. Ozzie Smith (Baseball)
3. Warren Moon (Football)

#0/00

1. Robert Parrish (Basketball)
2. Jim Otto (Football)
3. Al Oliver (Baseball)