Most of the time with sports, athletes don't get better with age. Athletic competitions are usually not arenas where old men succeed, unless we are talking about shuffleboard or bingo. Mark Martin is the exception. The veteran NASCAR driver picked up his 4th win of the season Saturday night at Chicagoland Speedway. At 50 years old, Martin has found the fountain of youth in what has increasingly become a young man's sport.
NASCAR fans know Martin as the most legendary nearly man in the sport's history. He has 4 runner-up Championship finishes and lost the 2007 Daytona 500 by .020 seconds to Kevin Harvick. Undoubtedly, he is one of the greatest drivers to never win a championship. He semi-retired from competition after the 2005 year, but his great performances in spot duty, and a desire to race a whole season earned him a spot with the #5 team and a full-time ride with superowner Rick Hendrick (below right).
It's also great to see Martin replace his trademark pessimism with a youthful exuberance and optimism this year with Hendrick's team (by the way, the best owner in all of sports, future article tease!). Throughout the years Martin was known for always expecting something to go wrong, but this year has been different as his career has been rejuvenated. This is a man who has dedicated his life to his sport, and is finally getting the recognition he deserves as a great driver.
No matter if you are a NASCAR diehard, or despise it as a redneck sport, you have to appreciate Mark Martin's ability to win consistently at 50. With 4 wins leading the series, he would be a frontrunner for the Cup should he make the Chase. A championship triumph for the old man this year would not only be one of the great racing stories of the decade, but for all of sports.
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