Mark Martin wins the True Value IROC XVII Opener. The Race-One Daytona victory gives Martin his 11th career IROC win, tying him for most series wins with Al Unser, Jr. and the late Dale Earnhardt. He also ties Earnhardt with four True Value IROC championships and holds a record of three consecutive titles.

"It was a great race. This place has not been overly kind to me in the past, so this is a little bit of sunshine in our speedweeks. It's been a couple of years since I have been invited to compete in IROC, and I had a wonderful record that I had to think about before accepting the invitation to come back and take a chance at taking some of the shine off that last seven years that I ran with IROC. I really had some spectacular runs in the past, and I decided it was my opportunity to come and maybe make it five championships. So instead of being tied with Earnhardt, maybe I can take that record over myself." - Mark Martin

Mark Martin celebrates his win in the IROC race at Daytona International Speedway, Friday, Feb. 14, 2003, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Paul Kizle)

Mark Martin Wins Opening Round Of IROC
By Mike Harris
AP Motorsports Writer
February 14, 2003

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- A victory in the opening round of the International Race of Champions has Mark Martin well on the way to the goals that brought him back to the all-star series this year.

Martin, a four-time series champion, beat Roush Racing teammate and IROC rookie Kurt Busch to the finish line Friday by 0.123-second - about 1 1/2 car-lengths. That gave him a record-tying 11th IROC victory.

Martin was insulted when he wasn't invited to participate in IROC the past two years because he failed to finish among the top five in NASCAR's Winston Cup series in either 2000 or 2001.

It was the possibility of matching or beating the series record for victories by the late Dale Earnhardt and Al Unser Jr., and the chance to break a tie with Earnhardt for the most IROC titles that brought Martin back.

Martin's win Friday was a big step toward passing seven-time Winston Cup champion Earnhardt and two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Unser on the victory list.

After emerging from his car with a big smile, Martin thanked IROC officials for inviting him back.

"To come back like this after sitting out is special," he said. "I'm the kind of guy that likes being on top and likes being respected. It was very important to me to come out and have a strong year in IROC."

As for matching Unser and Earnhardt, Martin had nothing but praise for them.

"Al Jr. was the best all-around guy I've ever seen ... and, of course, Earnhardt. Everybody knows how tough Earnhardt was to beat," he said.

The winner dominated the 100-mile race for 12 identically prepared IROC Firebirds, leading 21 of the 40 laps, including the final nine.

Busch, one of NASCAR's noted "Young Guns," worked with Martin at the front early in the race, but was penalized after going under the yellow line at the bottom of the banked track to pass World of Outlaws sprint car star Steve Kinser.

"I got inside of him and I saw him starting to move down," Busch said. "Kinser kept coming and coming and coming, and I went below the yellow line to save his car and my car."

As Busch swept past, Indy Racing League driver Felipe Giaffone, also an IROC rookie, slipped in the middle of a three-wide draft, tagged the rear of Kinser's car, and sent Kinser spinning through the grass.

That brought out the only caution flag of the race, and Busch was at the rear of the field when racing resumed.

By the end, he had worked himself up behind Danny Lasoski, another World of Outlaws star. They got into a side-by-side duel on the last lap that allowed Martin to stay out front without challenge.

"Lasoski and I were duking it out," Busch said. "Maybe we should have worked together to get past Mark, but the classiest guy won the race today."

NASCAR's Jimmie Johnson and Greg Biffle, the Busch Series champ, finished fourth and fifth, followed by Kinser, Winston Cup driver Kevin Harvick, two-time IRL champion Sam Hornish Jr., NASCAR truck champion Mike Bliss, Giaffone, two-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves and 2002 Winston Cup rookie of the year Ryan Newman.

Castroneves was the only other driver to get in trouble Friday, getting forced off the track into the grass at nearly 180 mph. Somehow, he got the car back onto the track and under control without even losing the draft.

The next event on the four-race IROC schedule is April 5 at Talladega Superspeedway.

NASCAR driver Mark Martin lifts his trophy after winning the IROC Series
Friday, February 14, 2003, at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla.
(AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

MARK MARTIN WINS - YEAR 2002

Mark Martin takes a victory lap amidst the dollar bills after winning the
No Bull 5 million dollar bonus at Lowe's Motor Speedway
NASCAR-WCS 5/26/2002
Image by Autostock

AP Photos - Chuck Burton

Coca Cola 600 Articles - May 2002

MARK MARTIN WINS - YEAR 2000

April 9, 2000 Mark wins the Goody's 500 at Martinsville.

Tire strategy gives Roush driver first win since last fall
Posted: Sunday April 09, 2000 10:19 PM

MARTINSVILLE, Va. (AP) - Of all places, Martinsville?

Mark Martin shocked even himself Sunday, emerging almost unscathed from near-constant hazards brought by a track record-tying 17 cautions and making a late gamble on old tires pay off as he won the Goody's 500 at Martinsville Speedway.

"We stole one today," he said after his second victory on the tight, .526-mile oval in 29 career starts. His only other victory came in this race in 1992.

"For my race team to win at Martinsville with me is the biggest victory that they could ever have, because I'm terrible here and I know it," he said.

Martin, a non-factor as Rusty Wallace dominated the first 436 laps, went ahead for the first time when he stayed on the track during a caution with 64 laps to go. He never let teammate Jeff Burton get close during the run to the finish.

"Once we got to the lead man, I just ran like a dog, you know, ran like a dog," Martin said after his 32nd career victory. He became the eighth different winner in as many races, a record for the start of a season, and the fourth Ford.

"I figured Rusty would be coming for sure. I never saw the lead, but I thought he was the man all day and I figured he'd bounce right up through there," he said.

Instead, Martin pulled away to a victory he shared with many.

"There's so much to say here," he said in Victory Lane. "Special thanks to Jeff Burton and (Burton's crew chief) Frank Stoddard. We ran so pitiful in practice yesterday that we went to 'em begging to help us and they did."

Martin said he never considered pitting for tires after going in front.

"I was hoping to get a top 10 finish, and nobody came and nobody came and nobody came," he said. "Right now this feels like the biggest win of my career."

Burton, Martin's teammate with Jack Roush Racing, finished second, followed by Michael Waltrip, Jeff Gordon and defending points champion Dale Jarrett.

It was the first 1-2 finish for Roush drivers since August 1998 at Bristol.

"Me finishing second today is borderline a felony," said Burton, a native of South Boston, about 60 miles from the track. "We might need to spend a few hours in jail before we go home, because we didn't deserve to finish second."

Wallace, who led 343 laps, wound up 10th in his 500th career start.

Defending race champion John Andretti, third when the race went to green for a six-lap dash to the finish, was hit from behind by Waltrip in a pileup in the first turn, wound up on the strip of grass in the turn and finished 14th.

"There's no excuse for it," said Andretti, who ran to Waltrip's car after the race and appeared to be screaming at him. "It's just real upsetting to get spun out for no reason."

Waltrip said the mishap "hurt my heart."

"I would rather finish 15th than have happen what did," he said.

The bizarre finish was set up when Jerry Nadeau hit the wall in turns three and four on the 436th lap. Wallace and the rest of the leaders, including No. 2 Dale Earnhardt and No. 3 Ward Burton, pitted for tires, putting Martin in front.

Wallace, who routinely pulled away from his challengers all day, was 10th after the stops, nowhere near as strong and never got back into contention.

"I just couldn't believe it when I'm sitting there running 15th and 13th and going, 'Man, how in the hell did this happen?'" Wallace said. "But it was all track position. ... With 50 and 60 laps to go, I should never have pitted."

Wallace led 230 of the first 253 laps when brake heat melted the seal around his right front tire, causing him to nearly crash in turn two before limping around the track and into the pits under a green flag. He got four tires, but was two laps down in 31st position when he got back onto the track.

He needed only 73 laps to get both of them back, one by blazing through the field and the other thanks to an opportune caution with the leaders in the pits, but he couldn't duplicate the run on fresh tires after Martin went ahead.

"I thought we had the best car out there all day," said Wallace, who started from the pole. "It was red-hot and it's unfortunate. That's all I can say."

He just couldn't duplicate the performance on new tires at the end.

The 17 cautions slowed the race for 112 laps, tying the record set in 1980. The race also featured 14 lead changes among eight drivers, and Martin's victory moved him to just 36 points behind points leader Bobby Labonte, who was 12th.

Busch Series

Mark Martin continued to dominate NASCAR Busch Series competition at Darlington Raceway by winning the Dura Lube 200. Martin led for a large percentage of the race, trading places with Jeff Burton for the race lead.

Jeff Burton, Elton Sawyer, Jeff Green, and Ward Burton rounded out the top-5.

Mark Martin wins his 10th career IROC event. Photo © 2000 by Harold Hinson

True Value IROC Race
August 4, 2000
Indianapolis

Martin celebrates his first win in 2 years
Coca Cola Racing Family 600
NASCAR-WCS 5/26/2002
Lowe's Motor Speedway
Image by Autostock