Mark Martin and his IROC success have been no less than an inspiration in the motorsports industry. While Martin struggled to register a championship win in the NASCAR Cup Series, his dominance in IROC remains unmatched. Agonizingly for him, he finished second in the Cup Series five times. Nevertheless, his prowess behind the wheel was more than commendable, despite not having the horsepower luxury most drivers have today.

While Martin remains “the best driver to never win a championship” in NASCAR, he holds the record for the second-most wins (49) in the Xfinity Series. His Cup Series career saw him register 40 wins, but no competition matched his impressive tally in IROC. Recently, the 65-year-old candidly expressed his mantra for success in IROC.

It is no secret how horsepower has been a matter of discussion ever since the Next-Gen cars were introduced. While the Gen-7 cars brought parity on the track, passing has been a challenge more often than not. In light of this, many drivers have expressed their desire for more horsepower to not only compete stronger but to make the race more happening.

While NASCAR remains reluctant to grant more horsepower to the current setup, Mark Martin expressed how he succeeded with lesser speed. Speaking with Kenny Wallace on his show “Kenny Conversation,”  Martin walked down memory lane. While the duo spoke about their racing days, Wallace asked the five-time IROC championship winner the formula behind his success.

To this, Martin said, “One of the reasons was that I excelled at lower-power cars.” Explaining how his car was underpowered, like how the Xfinity and Truck Series cars are in comparison to the Cup Series cars, he said, “I had to focus on handling and momentum. I became very good at center of the corner speed and momentum and exit speed.”

Martin also added that there were limited areas to capitalize on to gain any advantage, “I actually got back in the gas as soon as I got to the corner, because there ain’t no passing going into the corner, it’s all from the middle off and carrying down back the straightway. So I was good at that. I like to say that you drew for the car. You didn’t know what car you were going to drive until right before the race. I always drew the fastest car.”

Clearly, the 2017 NASCAR Hall of Famer was being modest there. It is amazing how, despite not having the best speed, Mark Martin dominated proceedings in IROC frequently. Not only that, it certainly gives the current generation of drivers the right inspiration to find success with the right technique and strategy despite not having the fastest car.

After all, winning 13 races and five championships in the IROC is no child’s play. In fact, despite having an underpowered car, Mark Martin performed better than Dale Earnhardt Sr. in the competition.

Mark Martin remains proud of his achievements in the IROC

One of the primary reasons for Mark Martin to compete in the IROC was to compete with racers he never could. During his racing days, he raced with Martin Brundle, Emerson Fittipaldi, Dale Earnhardt Sr., Al Unser Jr., and many other great drivers. While the list remains a big one, Mark Martin proudly boasts of what he achieved in the IROC.

Back in June this year, Mark Martin drove demonstration laps at Lime Rock Park when IROC returned as part of the SpeedTour All-Star Weekend. As reported by Racer.com, the veteran driver spoke on some lovely memories from the competition. However, there was one thing he was not able to digest. It was the idea that Dale Earnhardt Sr. would have won more in the IROC had he lived longer.

Back then, Martin said, “I don’t like to toot my own horn but, you know, there are detractors out there that say, ‘well, Earnhardt would have had more, if he would have lived longer.’” Interestingly, he had some valid reasons to fight his case. Martin added, “Earnhardt ran more races than I did. He participated in more seasons than I did. Earnhardt was older than me. He was there way before me. So, it’s a real feather in my cap.”

It is difficult to argue when Martin puts it like that. Nonetheless, it was a blessing to witness both legendary drivers compete against each other in IROC. More than that, it is worth cherishing how well Mark Martin worked his way out despite not having a fast car always. Imagine the heights he would have reached with a consistently fast car.

One thing is for sure: listening to Martin, NASCAR would be more motivated to not increase the horsepower despite the constant demands.