547 - Mark Martin: When Dale Earnhardt Tested Me

Dale Earnhardt Jr. welcomes NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin back to the Download to discuss his early days in the sport and how he came to be a chassis setup guru. Mark explains that he and his father, Julian, were both mechanical enthusiasts and began attending drag and short track races in Arkansas before traveling to the Daytona 500 in 1973. Eventually, Julian’s interest wandered to the pit area and he became a part owner of a dirt late model that competed at nearby Batesville Speedway. One night, while scraping mud off the car between events Mark expressed to his father: “How about we build one of these for me next season?” The rest is history.

Mark explains that his expertise in chassis setup came from his years competing in asphalt late models with the American Speed Association. After buying a car from legendary Michigan builder Ed Howe and working with his setups, Mark took inspiration from fellow competitors Junior Hanley and Gary Balough on how to take things to the next level. Dale Jr. was especially interested in a setup Mark stumbled upon using no right rear spring, to which Mark gives a detailed explanation of how the discovery came to him while testing at Winchester Speedway. The discussion also covers Mark’s failed first attempt at NASCAR Cup racing, turning down an offer to drive for Harry Ranier, his long relationship with Jack Roush, and his years of competing with Dale Jr. in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. 

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