02/13/2016

Daytona History: Mark Martin Wins 1999 Shootout

First win at Daytona for Roush Fenway and Martin, who leads last 16 laps en route to victory

Mark Martin held off a hard-charging Ken Schrader in the finals laps of the 1999 Bud Shootout to earn his first-ever win at Daytona International Speedway.

“I can’t think of a better way to start a season,” said Martin. “We can win this thing when our cars are good enough, and I think they are this season. It’s really hard to get race cars that will run that fast at Daytona with restrictor plates. It’s a lot of horse power by Jack Roush and the guys that work on them.”

Martin led the final 16 laps of the 25-lap event, taking the lead on a mandatory two-tire pit stop on lap 10. The pit stop caused problems for Jeff Gordon and Ernie Irvan, effectively eliminating the two drivers.

The win was the first for Martin in 73 career races at the speedway, known as the “World Center of Racing”. Following a runner-up performance in the 1998 championship race, the win started Martin on a strong note in 1999.

“I just wish that was the last lap of the Daytona 500,” Martin said. “All that says is look at what this team has done from where we were a year ago.”

Roush would score its first points win at Daytona two years later in the summer of 2000 with Jeff Burton.