![Mark Martin, 65, Explains the Benefits of Retiring from Racing: “I Don’t Have Time for a Job” Mark Martin, 65, Explains the Benefits of Retiring from Racing: “I Don’t Have Time for a Job”](https://i0.wp.com/image-cdn.essentiallysports.com/wp-content/uploads/Mark-Martin.jpg?class=watermark&w=1200&resize=1200,0&ssl=1)
NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin is one of the greatest drivers in the history of the sport. He began his motorsports career competing on the Arkansas dirt track and progressed to become one of the biggest names on the American motorsports scene. However, after contributing 31 years of his life to NASCAR racing, he finally decided to take a backseat in 2013, at the age of 54.
We’ve seen many drivers stay in the sport in some capacity, but Martin is looking to make the most of his retirement. From renovating his old race cars to moving to different parts of the country and working on his book. The “greatest driver to never win a championship” found his new passion in his free time, which kept him away from a regular 9-to-5 job.
This is how Mark Martin lives his retired life away from racing
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this advertisement.
Dale Earnhardt Jr had been trying to get Martin to appear on his podcast show, Dale Jr Download. While he didn’t make a physical appearance at Bojangles’ studio, he joined the show remotely from one of Bojangles’ preferred locations for his stay, which changes frequently with the seasons.
Sharing his whereabouts and the idea behind relocating every few months, the former Roush Racing driver stated: “We’ve spent a lot of time in western Montana in the summers and Southern California in the winters, or at least three months of that… You won I don’t think so, but we have become best friends with Bentley Warren; He is in the park with us and is very funny. But we have a lot of good friends out there and now we’re starting to come back to Arkansas more, and a lot of things are in the works, you know,” he said on Dale Jr Download.
He also shared his secret project. He is working on his own book, which is expected to reveal and unravel more knowledge about his sporting career. Some stories he tells in his book are so exclusive that not even his wife, Arlene, has heard of them. “There are a lot of things you can’t say when you’re a racing driver, manufacturers, sponsors and different things. So there’s a lot of things like that, we really have a lot of things to do, but we really enjoy being retired. Man, I don’t have time for a job.“
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this advertisement.
Additionally, Martin also shared the moment he realized his skills as a racing driver were declining. Which finally saw him hang up his NASCAR racing boots.
The 2009 season with Hendrick Motorsport allowed Martin to make the big decision in his career.
Receive instant notifications of the hottest NASCAR stories through Google! Click Follow us and tap the Blue Star.
follow us
One thing that keeps the NASCAR driver active despite all the years of racing is his ambition to win races and championships. And, in this sense, Mark Martin was no different and was very close to reaching the highest peak of his career. He finished second in the championship once again. This was his fifth second place finish and his anguish in pursuing the elusive dream.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this advertisement.
But during his time at HMS, his age finally began to catch up with him. “You know, I started seeing a decline in my mental processing, speed, and of course eyesight, probably when I was in my forties. When I was 50 years old, I was already aware of it, and after the 2009 season, when I was teammates with you and everyone at Hendrick Motorsports, we had that incredible season. After that, I could never reach that level and I didn’t like it. In other words, I never experienced the joy of competing,” the Arkansas native added.
Interestingly, we can make a comparison between Mark Martin and JGR’s Denny Hamlin, who, despite his illustrious career, has yet to win the championship. Hopefully, 2024 will be the year fans can see a veteran receive flowers from him for all of his contributions to the sport.
[fifu]
Keynote USA
For the Latest Sports News, Follow Keynote USA Sports on Twitter.