Born: January 9, 1959 From: Batesville, AR Lives: Daytona Beach, FL Drives: #5 Kellogg's/Carquest Chevrolet For: Hendrick Motorsports Teammates: #24 Jeff Gordon#48 Jimmie Johnson#88 Dale Earnhardt Jr Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson Best Year: Finished second 4 times (1990,1994,1998,2002) Career Wins: 39
Mark Martin, driver of the
Hendrick Motorsports
#5 Kellogg's/Carquest Chevrolet in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, is a NASCAR racing veteran who brings his tremendous wealth of experience to the team. Born in 1959 in Batesville, Arkansas, Martin has been racing since the age of 15. The road to NASCAR's top flight has not been easy but Martin has worked very hard to earn his success.
At the age of seventeen, Martin began racing in the American Speed Association, winning Rookie of the Year in his first year and then winning the championship three times in a row. He dabbled in NASCAR from 1981-1983 but lacked the necessary funding to be successful. He managed to form his own team during that time and score several top ten finishes before exhausting his funds and returning to the ASA. In 1987, he made his way back into NASCAR in the Nationwide Series. A sensational win in Dover caught the attention of team owner Jack Roush, who offered him a drive with the Roush Team.
Martin proved to be a great fit at the Roush Racing team, forming what ended up being the longest driver-team relationship in NASCAR history at 19 years. During that time, he proved his worth with a number of poles and race wins and consistently finished in the top ten. His first Sprint Cup win was in 1989 at Rockingham in the AC Delco 500 at the North Carolina Motor Speedway, where he beat out Rusty Wallace to take home the victory.
Now with
Hendrick Motorsports
in the #5 Kellogg's/Carquest Chevrolet, he continues to uphold his reputation for consistently good results.
Mark Martin is a self-proclaimed fitness nut and spends much of his spare time working out. He also advocates a healthy lifestyle. Mark is a licensed pilot who enjoys flying his private plane in his free time as well as to and from races. He also enjoys spending time with his wife Arlene and their five children at their home in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Martin is also involved in charity work. He participates in the Caring Hands Program, which raises money for Big Brothers Big Sisters as well as awareness and helps recruit volunteers for the program, which matches young people with mentors to help set them on the right track. He is also a big supporter of the
Victory Junction Gang Camp,
which is a camp for terminally ill children founded by fellow NASCAR driver Kyle Petty and his family. The camp offers the chance for ill children to enjoy a summer camp environment that is safe and medically equipped, arranged in groups with other children who have similar ailments. As Mark's charity of choice, he does all that he can to help support
The Victory Junction Gang Camp.