Mark Martin says that Jack Roush gave Matt Kenseth his big break in NASCAR
Mark Martin may not have been a Cup champion but his influence on Matt Kenseth proved invaluable and helped pave the way for others in NASCAR
Martin talked about how he helped Kenseth get a job with Roush Racing at the turn of the century on Kenny Wallace's YouTube channel.
In the late 1990s Kenseth drove for Robert Reiser in the Busch Series. He was quickly becoming famous and stunning the crowd with how well he drove. Martin who worked full-time for Roush Racing at the time was interested after seeing him race in 1997 and 1998. He felt like he was watching himself in the mirrors for a little time.
Also, Martin thought that Kenseth was winning races on his own and not relying on the knowledge of his crew chief. Martin stated, "He knew how to do it." He knew how to get his automobiles to go fast. And I was always drawn to that.
Fate dealt the proper hand when Kenseth and Reiser went to Talladega for a Busch Series race that Martin was supposed to be in.
Martin went on "After the driver's meeting we sat on the stands and talked for about 20 to 30 minutes. I really liked him." "I could tell, you know 100%, that this guy reminds me of a job I used to have." He's a nice guy and a smart guy. It was the correct thing to do. I headed right to the holler to get ready for the race. The race for Busch. Jack was there too.
Martin persuaded Roush that he had to sign Kenseth even though there was no room for him on the squad. The owner of the squad wasn't always true to his word but this time he was. Martin ended with pride in his eyes knowing that Kenseth had never failed him down again. In 2003 just a few years later, Kenseth won the Cup Series championship.
He then raced full-time with the team until the end of the 2012 season when he joined Joe Gibbs Racing. He came back to drive part-time for one season in 2018 then quit the sport for good in 2020. Martin's excitement as he told the story made it plain that he sees bringing Martin to the Roush camp as one of his biggest accomplishments.
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