Martin honored 3X at Darlington
DARLINGTON, S. C. » Hall of Famer Mark Martin will be a major presence at Darlington Raceway, just like he usually was during his stellar NASCAR career.
Martin will have not one, not two but three commemorative throwback schemes in his honor when the “Lady In Black” celebrates NASCAR history with its races this weekend.
“It means so much, I can’t even tell you,” Martin told The AP by phone this week leading up to NASCAR’S three top series running at Darlington.
After Friday night’s trucks race, the Xfinity Series races on Saturday before the main event takes place on Mother’s Day with the Goodyear 400.
Martin will be remembered much of the weekend. Brad Keselowski, in his first season driving the No. 6 for Roush Fenway, will drive a blue-and-white scheme that Martin ran for Jack Roush in 2004.
Alex Bowman, in Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 48, will pilot a red-white-andblue machine that looks like the one Martin used in 1993 to win the first of his two Southern 500s at Darlington. Brett Moffitt went way back in Martin’s history with his No. 2 car in the Xfinity race, mimicking the car Martin ran his rookie year in 1982.
Darlington, NASCAR’S oldest superspeedway that opened in 1950, has found a niche on the Cup Series schedule with it yearly throwback celebration, a sort of “Old Timer’s Day” for the sport’s history.
“We’ve had lots of Hall of Famer racers honored at Darlington,” raceway president Kerry Tharp said. “But I can’t remember anyone getting three tributes the same weekend.”
It was enough to lure Martin away from his enjoyable life as a retiree in Montana to make a rare on-track appearance at Darlington.
“It was Moffitt,” Martin said about why he came East. “He took a time when no one knew who I was was or wanted anything to do with me. I had to show up.”
Not too soon after Martin’s start, he routinely showed up on everyone’s radar. He finished with 40 wins in the Cup series, good for 20th all-time. Martin was a modern-day master at Darlington, where the eggshaped, 1.366-mile layout is an acquired taste for NASCAR’S best.