March 22, 2006

By Rebecca Gladden

Rebecca Gladden

A year ago, NASCAR driver Mark Martin embarked on what was to be a year-long "Salute to You" tour, heralding his pending retirement after 24 years of Nextel Cup racing.

What a difference a year makes.

After an unprecedented set of contract negotiations last season involving drivers from the Roush, Penske and Ganassi racing teams, Martin was prevailed upon by team owner Jack Roush to stay in the No. 6 car for another year. Martin reluctantly agreed and, like the retirement tours of aging rock musicians, his Salute to You tour became - unofficially - the Salute to You tour, Part One.

Perhaps it's just as well.

One of the most respected racers in the Nextel Cup garage, Martin has qualified for the Chase for the Championship and finished in the top 5 in driver standings for two seasons running. In fact, rather than slowing down, Mark has added more races to his busy schedule this year, including several Busch, Craftsman Truck series, and IROC races. Martin is currently 4th in Nextel Cup points and is leading the truck series, having won two of the first three truck races.

When Martin announced the Salute to You tour in October, 2004, he dedicated it to everyone who had contributed to his racing career over the years, but especially to his loyal fans: "Without the fan support we have, we wouldn't be doing what we do," Martin stated at the time. "We'd all probably still be racing around some dirt track somewhere. The fans have been great over the years and we are going to do our best to thank them and everyone else over the course of my 'Salute to You.' We really do salute the fans."

Courtesy Mark Martin Museum

In just a few weeks, Martin will unveil his latest offering to the fans, the Mark Martin Museum, located in his hometown of Batesville, Arkansas.

The museum is scheduled for a Grand Opening on April 14-15, 2006. Martin will be on hand both days to meet with fans, sign autographs and answer questions.

Among the items in the state-of-the-art museum are many pieces of memorabilia that will appeal to Martin devotees, including:

• The Stroh's car from Mark's 1989 first Cup victory
• His 2005 IROC Championship car
• The million-dollar winning car from Lowe's Motor Speedway
• Mark's 1955 Chevy and personal Roush Mustang
• Thousands of pictures, news clippings, and personal photo books..along with racing suits, helmets, trophies, and more.

"It's just an awesome thing to be able to bring back all of these cars and trophies to the place where it all started and the place that I consider home," said Martin on the museum's website, www.MarkMartinMuseum.com. "We have a lot of stuff on display at the museum and I hope that all of the fans will get a chance to come out and share in all of the memories with us.

"We really wanted to do something that we could share with the fans and the people of Batesville," Martin added, in keeping with the Salute to You sentiment. "It's been a long road and it's been a lot of fun and we really wanted to put all of that on display. We could have put the dealership anywhere, but I wanted to bring all of it home. It means a lot to me and I'm excited to share what I've been lucky enough to experience with everyone."

The museum is handicapped accessible.

The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN. Although we may not always agree with what is said, we do feel it's our duty to give a voice to those who have something relevant to say about the sport of auto racing.