It was a race Mark Martin will never forget. March 1st, 2008, was the day JR Motorsports created history, when the team won its first Nationwide Series race. It was the third fixture of the season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and ‘the Kid’ was behind the wheel of a No. 5 Chevy, hoping to give Dale Jr. a race to remember at ‘The Diamond in the Desert.’ Meanwhile, Brad Keselowski was also competing in JRM’s second entry, the #88 Chevy, but was left heartbroken when the checkered flag was waved.
Taking a trip down memory lane, Martin recalled that wild race in Vegas after JR Motorsports sealed its 100th Xfinity Series win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, thanks to ‘generational talent’ Connor Zilisch’s fourth win of the season.
The time Mark Martin robbed his teammate of a win
There’s an old saying that being in front of the pack is the safest place a driver can be. But that didn’t hold true at the 2008 Sam’s Town 300, which saw plenty of late drama. With just five laps remaining, Mark Martin closed the gap to race leaders Brad Keselowski and Carl Edwards, who were running side-by-side and hoping to take the win. The Arkansas-native, hot on their heels, was busy looking for an opening to make the pass, and with the laps ticking down, desperate times called for desperate measures. What followed was total chaos.
Recalling what took place on the Door Bumper Clear podcast, Mark Martin candidly said, “Carl and Brad were in front of me. I had better tires. Carl and Brad were running side-by-side, and they kept running side-by-side. And I’m like, ‘Ya’ll sort this out so I can go up there and win the race.’ So I thought I’ll give Carl a little push, and it wiped out Carl and Brad. Yeah. It wasn’t too pretty, and that man has never forgot it.”
It was a heartbreaking outcome for Brad Keselowski, who had led 12 laps at Las Vegas’ 1.5-mile oval. While the majority of the track stayed out during the 11th caution, Keselowski took a gamble by going into the pits and filled his fuel tank to the brim. The race then went green for 40-plus laps, giving the No. 88 Chevy the advantage as other drivers began fuel stops. Even though his lead was wiped out because of an untimely debris caution with 10 to go, Keselowski wasn’t willing to relinquish his position easily and engaged in a heated battle with Carl Edwards.
But then came Mark Martin. The JR Motorsports part-timer spun his teammate with less than five laps remaining, depriving Keselowski of his first career victory. He even admitted on the podcast, “He (Keselowski) probably had the best car.” Perhaps it just wasn’t meant to be. Echoes of that Truck Series race must have come flooding back for the Michigan-native, who lost his first career Truck win after a late-race spin at the hands of Travis Kvapil. Talk about bad luck, right?
Martin apologized to Keselowski after Las Vegas triumph
The 2008 Sam’s Town 300 was a pretty crazy race. While the headlines were dominated by Mark Martin wrecking Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski, there were plenty of other incidents that took place at the top of the pack as well. Kyle Busch, Bobby Labonte, Tony Stewart, and polesitter Brian Vickers were all involved in wrecks at the front of the field, while Jeff Burton’s engine failure helped Martin’s No. 5 Chevy climb up to third.
But despite JR Motorsports winning their first-ever race, the atmosphere was pretty subdued when the checkered flag was waved. Mark Martin took accountability in the post-race interview, saying, “I’ve got to apologize before we do any celebrating. I hate for that to happen. I didn’t intend for it to turn out that way. But I couldn’t stop it, once it started. I feel real bad for Brad, because he was so close to getting his first victory.” However, irrespective of the circumstances, the result went down in history books as JRM’s first Nationwide Series win.
Years have passed since, and Dale Jr’s team has gone from strength to strength. They are the reigning Xfinity Series champions, with Connor Zilisch, arguably the most promising driver in NASCAR, tearing up the racetrack. What started as a controversial Mark Martin win has evolved into a century of triumphs, with most of them being more convincing than that race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Ultimately, history is written by the victors, and this is JR Motorsports’ time to shine.
The post Mark Martin Recalls Wild JRM Debut Win That Brad Keselowski Never Forgave appeared first on EssentiallySports.
