Mark Martin surprised the NASCAR world when he announced he was leaving long-time owner Jack Roush to join Ginn Racing and the No. 01 U. S. Army Chevrolet.
The surprise continued in the Daytona 500, when Martin finished second, his highest finish in 23 career starts. Martin went on to lead the point standings for the first four weeks of the season, bringing doubts that he would step away from the car at Bristol as originally planned.
Martin, who has been lured out of retirement a handful of times in recent years, surprised once again by staying true to his word and turning the wheel over to rookie Regan Smith. Martin’s decision snapped a series-high 621 consecutive race streak.
Even with Martin missing two of the seven races, the No. 01 Chevrolet sits fourth in the owner point standings, unchartered territory for the team.
Crew chief Ryan Pemberton credits the turnaround to Martin’s presence within the organization. “A guy like Mark brings so much to an organization and we are just starting to see some of the payoff with that, ” Pemberton said.
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