Larry Shaw helped Mark and Julian Martin build their first race car. They ended up using a '55 Chevy in Hugger Orange paint. Julian wanted to keep Mark safe, so they placed the seat in the center of the car. His first race ever was on April 12, 1974 at Locust Grove. During that year, he would also race at Heber Springs, Stuttgart Speedway, and the Benton Speedbowl. He won his first race on April 19, 1974 at Locust Grove. He went on to win the first Arkansas State Championship at Benton.

Photo and information used with permission from the David Bull Publication Mark Martin: Driven To Race, by Bob Zeller.

$24.95 Softbound, 9" x 10", 160 pages, 140 color and 55 black and white illustrations, ISBN 0-9649722-3-9

Also Available:
The Publisher's Edition of Mark Martin: Driven To Race
$59.95, Hardbound, 9" x 10", 192 pages, 157 color and 64 black and white illustrations, ISBN 0-9649722-4-7
This special hardcover edition, autographed by Mark, features extra photographs and memorabilia from Mark's scrap books and Mark's complete Winston Cup Career statistics through 1996.

Use of this photo outside of the Mark Martin Fan Page is strictly prohibited.