Popular win for wily veteran Mark Martin

April 20, 10:45 AMAtlanta NASCAR ExaminerJeremy Dunn

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Mark Martin wins first race with HMS (AP Photo/Paul Connors)

The 50 year old Mark Martin flat out dominated the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix by leading 157 of 312 laps at the 1-mile facility.  He passed Ryan Newman with six laps remaining in the race after pitting for four fresh tires.  Newman did not pit. 

Martin became the first driver to win after his fiftieth birthday since Morgan Shepherd in 1993 at Atlanta.  It was Martin’s first win since Kansas in October of 2005 when he was still driving for Jack Roush. 

Martin’s victory prompted congratulations from rivals such as former teammates Jeff Burton, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch, and Greg Biffle, as well as former owner Jack Roush, who had won his 100^th Nationwide/Busch Series race the night before with Biffle behind the wheel.  Additionally, Tony Stewart from Stewart Haas Racing gave Martin a congratulatory visit in victory lane, as well as Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson.

Car owner Rick Hendrick was not present for Martin’s win.  He became the third oldest winner in NASCAR history.  Harry Gant was the oldest driver to win after scoring a victory at Michigan in 1992 at the age of 52.  Shepherd, who still races in the Nationwide Series, was 51 when he won at Atlanta in the spring of 1993.  In 1988, Bobby Allison became the only other 50 plus driver to win a race when he captured the Daytona 500 victory by edging out his son Davey Allison. 

Martin did not celebrate with an ostentatious burnout as some young drivers do, but he paid tribute to the late Alan Kulwicki, the 1992 and the first driver to win at Phoenix in 1988, by doing a Polish victory lap, the backwards celebratory victory lap.

“No burnouts for me.  Just a backward Polish victory lap for my man Alan Kulwicki,” Martin said following his win. 

Dale Earnhardt Jr, who led 63 laps, finished in the 31^st position after contact with his former Hendrick Motorsports teammate Casey Mears, who now drives for Richard Childress Racing. 

Sprint Cup Series points leader Jeff Gordon finished in the 25^th position.

Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Greg Biffle, Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr, David Reutimann, Sam Hornish Jr, and Carl Edwards rounded out the top ten. 

Martin, who is arguably NASCAR’s most respected driver, received praise from several of his rivals following the race, including second place finisher Tony Stewart.

“There is nobody that dislikes Mark, and Mark was responsible for so many of us learning what it took to be a Cup driver,” he said. 

It was his 36^th career win at the Sprint Cup level.