Martin’s route to a full-time Cup career took some interesting twists and turns. His family-owned team performed well, shocking Cup Series regulars and observers when Martin earned two pole positions in 1981.
In five starts that season, he never qualified lower than sixth but he found racing at that level to be a bit tougher than he expected, though he did close the year with a third-place finish at Martinsville. A full season in 1982 nearly broke him, emotionally and financially.
He landed a ride with flamboyant team owner J.D. Stacy in 1983, but that ride evaporated shortly thereafter, and Martin eventually returned to the short tracks, where he would earn his fourth ASA title in 1986.
That landed him a ride in what is now known as the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Success there brought an opportunity to drive for sports car owner Jack Roush, who was making his entry into NASCAR’s Cup Series in 1988.
Martin raced for Roush from 1988 through 2006, and they teamed for 35 Cup wins and 41 Xfinity wins. Before his career ended, he also had tenures at Hendrick Motorsports and Michael Waltrip Racing.
Martin retired at the end of 2013 with 40 career Cup Series wins and was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2017.
His ARCA win at Talladega might not be remembered by many, but it was one that Martin recalls, with great fondness, as beneficial to his career in the long run.
Thirty-eight years later, today’s young drivers are looking for that same level of experience and success as they try to launch their major league stock car careers.
“That was a big year for me because we were sticking my toes into NASCAR,” he said. “We had five NASCAR Cup races, some (Xfinity) races, and that one ARCA race. We learned a tremendous amount. We were a little team with a step van and an open trailer. It was an exciting time in my life for sure.”
Being based in the Midwest was no inconvenience for Martin as he went short track racing, since the majority of his races were in that region of the country, but it nearly brought his Talladega dream to an end before he could even get there.
“I got my engines from Prototype engines, which was based in Illinois,” he said. “They just couldn’t get that engine done. For whatever reason it wouldn’t run the way they wanted it and before we knew it, it was about time to leave for the race.
“I called up Ron Neal, my engine builder, and he said they were having all kinds of problems with it and he was about to pour a beer down the carburetor to get it to make 600 horsepower.”
The engine was completed at the last minute, with very little time to spare. Martin arrived at Talladega and immediately knew the work put in on the engine was worth it.
“Whatever they did must have worked, because we qualified at 196 miles per hour and could run 200 miles per hour in the draft,” noted Martin.
With the win in his ARCA debut in his pocket, Martin went on to other successes at the sport’s biggest and fastest racetrack. He would go on to add two Cup wins there as well, and finish with a total of 24 top-ten finishes.
Talladega was an important part of Martin’s career.
“To me, Talladega just means speed,” he said. “Just pure, unbelievable speed. It was way more kind to me than Daytona ever was for some reason. I had some great races there. I went there in 1986 with my ASA team and didn’t make the race and I watched the race from the stands. It was quite an awakening.
“We sat in the tri-oval and it gave me cold chills to see those cars go by. It’s an unbelievable experience for the fans from the stands.”
Martin, while not involved as a driver any more, has kept a close eye on the ARCA Menards Series since he retired.
“I have really enjoyed the ARCA Series the past few years,” he said. “The cars are beautiful, and I get to watch the young, sometimes really young, future NASCAR superstars cutting their teeth.
“It’s really been enjoyable to watch the past couple of seasons.”