The ‘Greatest Driver to Never Win a Championship’ in NASCAR is reminiscing this day from 24 years back! Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt were fighting tooth and nail on this day, not personally, and not even professionally. Their relationship dynamic was way too intricate to categorically define what the beating was about.

Martin and Dale Sr had many on-track altercations, where their cars made noise. And the reasons behind it are just surreal. They’re just a fine example of the good old racing days. If you think they threw physical punches at each other, well, keep reading.

Why is Mark Martin having mixed feelings about his rivalry with Dale Sr?

Mark Martin was a formidable racer and has come close to winning a NASCAR Cup Series on several occasions. Out of all the times that he was runner-up in the championship, there was one specific championship that was remarkably the most memorable. The 1990 Winston Cup Series was where Martin led the season through 16 wins, but ultimately failed to clinch the championship.

However, Mark Martin was an absolute ‘King of the IROC.’ He dominated the International Race of Champions with a hattrick win from 1996-1998. Martin debuted IROC in 1990 but didn’t win a race until 1994, followed by the championship win in the same year. Martin also holds record IROC Indy wins for three consecutive years, from 1998 to 2000. Unfortunately, his 2000 Indy win on this very day did not account for more than a race win. It was the final race where he was runner-up to Dale Sr with just a gap of 12 points.

But to his dismay, Dale Sr came second and grabbed the championship by just three measly points. It was a bittersweet moment for Martin, as he tweets remembering the time, “This makes me happy and sad at the same time.“ This incident added yet another feather to both driver’s tragicomic relationship.

But back in the year 1983, Martin was still finding his feet in the Cup Series. He had a great car, which he thought of as “spectacular,” and with which he was certain he could destroy Dale Sr, of course figuratively. As Dale Sr had triggered Martin through his tactics of pestering him from the outside, he faced the wrath of The Kid. By the time of the Michigan race, Martin’s points tally was a far cry from the championship POV, so he snapped back at The Intimidator by flipping him from the outside. Dale Sr lost control, spun out, and wrecked both their cars as a result.

While Martin and Dale Earnhardt had much respect for each other, their competitiveness was also worth witnessing. And Ironhead actually respected Martin much more than other drivers, from even before he got into racing. So, the legendary seven-time Cup champion tried to test Martin of his preparedness for the Ovals. And he continued doing so up until the Loudon race, where Martin doored Dale Sr and pushed him into the marbles. That’s when Dale Sr decided that “Mark has had enough.”

Ever since Martin started his full-time career in the Cup Series, he had switched multiple teams. He finally found a team he could stick with, in 1988. With Roush Racing, Martin spent a good 18 years, wherein he won most of his career races. Despite his changing teams, his Dale Sr rivalry continued unhindered. It seemed like they just loved the idea of challenging each other in the ways they knew best. Outside of the race track drama, the Intimidator actually helped Martin with his Busch Series performance and showed him tapes on how to run races.

What Mark Martin didn’t achieve during the Cup Series, he made up for in other championships

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Mark Martin is a decorated driver and holds the record of winning the IROC for maximum times. He won the esteemed championship for five seasons. The last title win was in 2005 when he made another record of 13 race wins in a year. He is the second-most race-winning driver in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with a tally of 49. He was tagged as the ‘best driver to never win a championship’ by ESPN in the context of his five second-finishes and four third-finishes in the Cup Series.

Mark “The Kid” Martin is truly a legendary driver, with just some bad fortunes. But that’s just no parameter to judge a great racer. He has stood the test of time and proved himself worthy on so many different occasions that he has almost earned an honorary Cup title. But then, some things should be left unaccomplished to keep the driver seem earthly.

What do you think of Mark Martin and his racing career?