In its 75-year run, NASCAR has witnessed multiple Cup Series champions. To date, 35 different drivers have won a Cup Series title, with a fair number of them winning multiple times. The most successful of the lot are undoubtedly Richard Petty, the late great Dale Earnhardt, and Jimmie Johnson. They are the most revered because they have clinched 7 NASCAR Cup Series titles each, a record. However, just like there were these champions, there were other drivers who lost out on those titles. Some of them always came so close, yet remained so far from that elusive title. One of the biggest names in the Cup Series arena to meet such a fate was Mark Martin.

The now 64-year-old has been in the stock car racing scene since 1981. Martin has never won the Cup Series title, but he did amass 40 career wins over the span of 31 years. In addition to that, he was the runner-up on five different occasions, namely in 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2009. In his prime, Martin was a formidable opponent and is a 5-time International Race of Champions winner. He also boasts of several accolades, like two Southern 500 wins, a Coca-Cola 600 win, two Winston 500 wins, and an All-Star win.

Why is Mark Martin the greatest non-champion NASCAR driver?

Admittedly, he has never won the Daytona 500, though he came extremely close in 2007. Kevin Harvick managed to pip him across the line by 0.020 seconds, denying him a chance to take his tally to 41. Interestingly, Martin’s last win came in 2009, when he triumphed at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway. It is worth mentioning that he could have been the 1990 Cup Series champion.

Unfortunately, a parts infraction saw NASCAR dock him 46 points and he ended the season, 25 points adrift of Dale Earnhardt. Without that penalty, Earnhardt would have not equaled Richard Petty, and Martin would have been the champion. In 1998, he recorded a 7-win season but had the misfortune of going up against a certain Jeff Gordon. Finally, his final season as a serious championship contender saw him up against an in-form Jimmie Johnson.

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How has Martin’s Cup Series career panned out?

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When he made his Cup Series debut all the way back in 1981, he pretty much played musical chairs with different teams. To be precise, until the 1987 season, he had driven for six different teams. 1982 was his first full-time season, driving for Martin-Reeder Racing. Unfortunately, the organization struggled with consistency, and the two parted ways at the end of the season. So in 1983, he joined Jim Stacy Racing but left after seven races. He then hopped around to different teams before the 1987 race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.

In 1988, the Roush Racing era began, and he stuck with the organization for several years. His tenure in the iconic #6 car lasted all the way until 2006, winning 35 races for them. In 1990, he held the championship lead for much of the season, holding it for 16 races. Unfortunately, that only lasted until the final two races, when Dale Earnhardt leapfrogged him and took the lead. His 46-point penalty also did not help.

Mark Martin is arguably the greatest Roush Racing driver

Once Martin joined the newly formed Roush Racing, it was as if he had come alive. Admittedly, 1988 was a bit of a learning curve for the driver, but once 1989 arrived, he really hit the ground running. It all kicked off when Martin won his first race at the Rockingham Speedway (previously called the North Carolina Speedway). Later on, he went on to finish third in the points standings. From there on, Martin never looked back and became a massive title threat for many seasons.

Mark Martin also arrived on the scene at a time when NASCAR boasted of a hugely competitive field. Additionally, if one had to compare him to other drivers who won races, but never the title, he is in an elite company. To be precise, he is right up alongside Junior Johnson and even Denny Hamlin. Though one must remember that Hamlin still has a chance to snatch the title, as long as he avoids Playoff elimination.

Why did the NASCAR veteran struggle in his early years?

When Martin first started out in NASCAR, it was clear that he was hugely talented. However, the bad news was that many sponsors were not convinced of his prowess on the racetrack. Owing to that, he was only able to scrounge a handful of race starts that he tried to make the most out of. During that tenure, he notched up four Top 5 finishes with a best finish of 3rd at Martinsville in 1981 and Darlington in 1983.

It didn’t help that he often changed teams a lot, so his race results were spotty at best. Finally, Jack Roush came knocking and Mark Martin jumped at the opportunity. It didn’t take long to repay the faith with his maiden race win in 1989. After that, the rest was history, as he achieved a total of 35 wins and four runner-up finishes in the championship alongside Roush Racing. Later on, he got another big break when Hendrick Motorsports came and recruited him.

How did Mark Martin perform at Hendrick Motorsports?

When the Hendrick offer came, it was at a time when Martin was considering calling time on his career. After the 2007 season, he explored a part-time gig but evidently did enough to impress HMS. So when Rick Hendrick tabled a full-time multi-year contract for his #5 car in 2009, Mark Martin pounced immediately. With his new outfit, the veteran driver snatched five more wins and finished as the runner-up in his first season.

The full-time gig continued throughout 2010 and 2011 but opted to run part-time in 2012. At the time, he competed for Michael Waltrip Racing for two years. 2013 would mark his final season in NASCAR, and he ran part time for MWR, Joe Gibbs Racing and Stewart-Haas Racing. Finally, at the end of the 2013 season, he called time on his long and illustrious career.

In his overall career, Mark Martin has won 96 races in all three divisions, yet never won a single championship. All of this was in spite of 17 top ten points finishes in the Cup Series, including 13 top five points finishes. To make matters even more incredible, he managed to snatch four wins in a row in the 1993 season during his Roush Racing days.

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