Brad Keselowski Recalls Fond Memories of Racing Against Mark Martin During His Final NASCAR Win: “Glad You Got It”

The last time Mark Martin reached victory lane in a NASCAR race was in 2011 in Las Vegas. The icon was part of the field that competed in the Nationwide Series Sam’s Town 300 and won the event due to Brad Keselowski’s sheer misfortunes. Fourteen years later, the drivers have reflected on that fateful day.

Responding to a post that signified how long it has been since his last NASCAR win, Martin wrote on X, “Seems like last week. “  Keselowski acknowledged the feeling and replied, “Same man Flat tire Glad you got it if I couldn’t.” Keselowski had been in prime position to win after a largely imperfect weekend.

He wrecked his primary car on Thursday and was using his backup car for the race. He also received a speeding penalty to add on to the woes. The driver then nearly wrecked himself again when Reed Sorenson made a dangerous maneuver in front of him. Jumping through all these loops, he found himself in the lead when the white flag flew.

However, fate did not let him off easily. He unexpectedly cut a tire and crashed into the wall. Martin, who was unfolding a brilliant fuel-saving race, cruised to the checkered flag to win his 49th Nationwide Series race. It was Turner Motorsports’ first win in the second tier. Keselowski stumbled to the finish line in third place.

Martin was pleased with himself following the Las Vegas win

Fuel saving was a key strategy that many drivers employed in the race. Martin was the one who did it best. He said after winning, “I just decided I wasn’t going to run out of gas, and then with two to go, I went ahead and stepped on it (because) I figured I was close enough to the finish. Golly, that’s a storybook ending for me.”

He eventually retired from NASCAR at the end of the 2013 Cup Series season. He secured 96 wins across all three tiers, with the Nationwide Series win in Vegas being the final one. Martin held the record for most Nationwide Series wins for 14 years. He is often described as the best driver to never win a Cup Series championship.

The closest he came to the title was in 1990, when he finished 26 points behind Dale Earnhardt. He finished second in the standings in 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, and 2009. He was named as one of NASCAR’s Greatest 50 Drivers in 1998.