NASCAR Star Mark Martin Named Grand Marshal of 2015 World’s Shortest St. Patrick’s Day Parade

NASCAR star and Arkansas native Mark Martin will be the celebrity Grand Marshal at next year’s World’s Shortest St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The parade takes place March 17 in downtown Hot Springs.  The parade’s entire route is the 98-foot length of Bridge Street, known as the world’s shortest street in everyday use.

According to  a news release sent by Paul Johnson for Visit Hot Springs:

“Martin was born on January 9, 1959, in Batesville, Arkansas. He now lives in Daytona, Fla., with his wife and four children. However he keeps in touch with his roots by running the express trucking his father started, J-Mar Express, in Searcy, Arkansas. Martin started his racing career in 1974 in a car built and sponsored by his father.  In 1989, he won his first NASCAR Winston Cup at the North Carolina Motor  Speedway. He soon became the sixth modern era driver to win four races in a  row (he won at Watkins Glen, Michigan, Bristol and Darlington). In 1997 he broke the all-time Bush series record to win the race. He is still the career wins leader in the Bush National Series with 47 wins.”

“In early September Martin returned to the Roush Fenway Racing team as the team’s driver development coach. Martin was the first driver hired by team owner Jack Roush when he founded his NASCAR operation in 1988. The two went on to become one of the most successful duos in sports history, accumulating 83 NASCAR wins, four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) Championship runner-up finishes, and building Roush Fenway into the winningest team in NASCAR history.”