Sterling Marlin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sterling Marlin |
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Marlin in 1996
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| Born | Sterling Burton Marlin June 30, 1957 Columbia, Tennessee, U.S. |
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| Achievements | 1994, 1995 Daytona 500 winner 1996 Winston 500 winner 1980–1982 Nashville Speedway USA Track Champion |
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| Awards | 1983 Winston Cup Series Rookie of the Year 1995, 1996 Tennessee Professional Athlete of the Year 2002 Tennessee Professional Athlete of the Year Nominee Fairgrounds Speedway Hall of Fame (2009) Named one of NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers (2023) |
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| NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
| 748 races run over 33 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 3rd (1995, 2001) | ||||||
| First race | 1976 Music City USA 420 (Nashville) | ||||||
| Last race | 2009 TUMS Fast Relief 500 (Martinsville) | ||||||
| First win | 1994 Daytona 500 (Daytona) | ||||||
| Last win | 2002 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 (Darlington) | ||||||
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| NASCAR Xfinity Series career | |||||||
| 77 races run over 17 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 29th (2005) | ||||||
| First race | 1986 Winn-Dixie 300 (Charlotte) | ||||||
| Last race | 2008 Pepsi 300 (Nashville) | ||||||
| First win | 1990 All Pro 300 (Charlotte) | ||||||
| Last win | 2000 Cheez-It 250 (Bristol) | ||||||
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Sterling Burton Marlin (born June 30, 1957) is a famous American former stock car racing driver. He is best known for winning the Daytona 500 race twice in a row, in 1994 and 1995. Sterling is the son of another well-known NASCAR driver, Coo Coo Marlin. He is married to Paula and has a daughter, Sutherlin, and a son, Steadman, who also used to race. His grandson, Stirlin, now races for Sterling's own team. Sterling Marlin is considered one of NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers.
Contents
Sterling Marlin: A Racing Star
Early Career and Big Wins
Sterling Marlin started his NASCAR career in 1983. He was named Rookie of the Year, which is a special award for the best new driver. He had a great start, finishing tenth in a race at Dover International Speedway.
In 1986, he joined a new team and had a fantastic second-place finish at the Firecracker 400 race. The next year, in 1987, he raced full-time and finished 11th in the overall points standings. He continued to do well, finishing tenth in the standings in 1988. In 1990, he won his first race in the Busch Series (now called the Xfinity Series).
From 1991 to 1997, Sterling Marlin became a top driver. He joined Junior Johnson's team in 1991 and had a second-place finish at Daytona. He also won two pole positions, meaning he started the race in first place.
His biggest wins came in 1994 and 1995 when he won the Daytona 500 two years in a row. This is a very rare achievement, and he is one of only five drivers to ever do it! He also won two more races in 1995 and finished a career-best third in the overall standings. In 1996, he won two more races and finished eighth in the standings.
Facing Challenges and New Teams
In 1998, Sterling Marlin joined SABCO Racing. He won a qualifying race for the Daytona 500, but later in the season, he missed a race for the first time since 1986. He still managed to finish in the top 10 six times that year. In 2000, he won his second Busch Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
In 2001, his team changed to Chip Ganassi Racing and started using Dodge cars. Sterling won another qualifying race at Daytona. During the 2001 Daytona 500, there was a crash on the last lap involving Sterling and another driver, Dale Earnhardt. Sadly, Earnhardt passed away from the crash. Sterling and his family received many angry messages from fans who thought he was responsible. However, NASCAR's investigation cleared him of any blame, and Earnhardt's son, Dale Earnhardt Jr., publicly supported Sterling.
After this difficult time, Sterling had a very strong year in 2001. He won two races and tied his career-best finish of third in the points standings. In 2002, he led the points standings for 24 weeks, which is a long time! He won two more races that year, including his final Cup Series win at Darlington Raceway.
Later in 2002, Sterling had a serious crash at Kansas and broke a bone in his neck. This injury forced him to miss the rest of the season. He was replaced by Jamie McMurray, who won a race in Sterling's car.
In 2003, Sterling didn't win any races but had 11 top-10 finishes. He came very close to winning at Bristol but was involved in a crash. In 2005, his team decided to bring in a younger driver, so Sterling left at the end of the season. He missed one race that year to attend his father's funeral.
In 2006, Sterling joined MB2 Motorsports and drove the No. 14 car as a tribute to his father. He had one top-10 finish that year.
Later Years and Retirement
In 2007, Sterling continued to race part-time. He qualified for several races but was later replaced by another driver. He tried to qualify for a few more races that year and managed to race in two of them.
In 2008, he failed to qualify for the Daytona 500 but raced in a few other events. He also drove for Phoenix Racing. In 2009, he continued to race a limited schedule. His last career start was at Martinsville, where he finished 35th.
Sterling Marlin officially announced his retirement from racing on March 18, 2010.
Life After Racing
After retiring from racing, Sterling Marlin owned car dealerships in Tennessee. In 2012, he shared that he had been diagnosed with Parkinsonism, a health condition that affects movement. He has had surgery as part of his treatment.
In 2011, Sterling helped create the Tennessee Racing Association to help keep Fairgrounds Speedway active for racing. He is now fully retired from racing in both NASCAR and local races. He lives on a ranch in Tennessee.
On TV
In 2003, Sterling Marlin appeared on the game show Family Feud as part of a special NASCAR episode. He played against fellow driver Elliott Sadler and won the game!
See also
In Spanish: Sterling Marlin para niños
