Former NASCAR star driver Kenny Wallace shared a clip of Mark Martin discussing how he discovered Matt Kenseth’s talent. During the interview, Martin talked about how he always kept an eye on the late model racing in Wisconsin to look for young, promising drivers.
Kenseth began his racing career by racing on Wisconsin’s short tracks and soon clinched the track championships at multiple tracks. Reflecting on that, Martin claimed he was impressed by Kenseth’s racing skills. He pointed out that the Wisconsin native drove different cars for multiple teams and clinched several victories.
Mark Martin also claimed Kenseth “understood” how to make cars go fast. Later, he met the former NASCAR champion during a Busch Series event at Talladega Superspeedway and talked for half an hour. Martin then went to team owner Jack Roush and asked him to sign Kenseth.
Continuing further, the NASCAR veteran driver explained:
“I left there, went straight to Jack, and I said, Jack, you’ve got to sign this guy. Matt Kenseth, I know you don’t have a spot for him. And Jack didn’t always, I’ll put it this way, he didn’t always do what I told him to do. He didn’t always listen to what I was trying to tell him, but this time, he did. And I was, man. I was not wrong. Matt Kenseth made me, made me proud.”
Mark Martin further pointed out that Matt Kenseth won Jack Roush his first Cup Series championship in 2003. Kenseth drove the #17 Ford for Roush Racing, and Martin also co-owned the car. The former Cup Series driver clinched 24 victories, 126 top-fives, 227 top-tens, and eight pole positions in the #17 Ford.
“Thank God, He Didn’t Hit the Wall”: Mark Martin Recalled the Day He Spun Rick Mast at Charlotte
Earlier this month, in an interview, Mark Martin reminisced about the day he spun Rick Mast at Charlotte Motor Speedway. During the conversation, Martin also discussed his relationship dynamics with Mast and revealed it was a mistake on his end, leading to the crash.
Both NASCAR drivers competed in the Busch Series in 1987. Martin piloted the #31 Lawnmaster Racing Ford, and Mast was behind the wheel of the #22 A.G. Dillard Motorsports Pontiac. The accident happened during the practice session ahead of the main event.
Mark Martin pointed out that his #31 Ford made contact with Mast’s #22 Pontiac on turn three. This led to a massive crash, and the A.G. Dillard Motorsports driver broke his wrist and nearly missed the wall. The former Cup Series driver further explained:
“He turned around backwards, and the windshield flew out of his car. I can see it happening right now. I was so sick about it. I was just trying to get a good angle into the corner and actually touched him in the quarter panel. We didn’t have any problems about it. Thank God he did not hit the wall. He was able to put on a new windshield and get back at it.”
The main event, the Winn-Dixie 300, was held on May 23, 1987. Mark Martin finished the 200-lap race in 11th place, while Rick Mast crossed the finish line in 19th place in his #22 blue Pontiac after qualifying sixth.
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