Countdown: Arkansas

With a group of native sons and daughters as diverse as Johnny Cash, Bill Clinton, Sam Walton, Douglas MacArthur, Eldridge Cleaver and Maya Angelou, it's no surprise the Natural State can't be summed up in one easy statement.

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Acquired as part of the Louisiana Purchase and separated from the Territory of Missouri eight years later, Arkansas was the site of a Revolutionary War battle, was occupied by Federal forces during the Civil War and is home of the country's only active diamond mine.

There's Hope in Arkansas, along with the towns of Romance, Apt, Ink, Snowball and Greasy Corner.

Col. Sandy Faulkner wrote a famous song about an Arkansas traveler more than 150 years ago. Collin Raye was on a roll in Little Rock, while fellow country star Lee Ann Womack ended up a little past Little Rock.

Five NASCAR races have been held in Arkansas, but its biggest claim to racing fame comes from a diminutive Batesville boy named Mark Martin.

Best behind the wheel

• Mark Martin, Batesville

	Credit: Jamie Squire/Getty Images
	Inside the Numbers Mark Martin's career stats Series Races W T5 T10 Cup 638 35 227 359 Busch 213 47 99 136 Truck 3 1 2 3 IROC 43 13 36 41

Mark Martin's career reads like a storybook: small-town boy becomes big-time star. However, Martin's tale has taken a few twists and turns along the way.

At 15, Martin began racing on the dirt short-tracks of his home state, earning his first victory in his third start and claiming a state championship in 1974. Two years later, he graduated to pavement racing and moved into the American Speed Association ranks in 1977, competing against the likes of Rusty Wallace, Bobby Allison and Dick Trickle.

He was named rookie of the year that season, then went on to capture three consecutive ASA titles from 1978-80.

The next logical step seemed to be NASCAR, so Martin made his debut at North Wilkesboro in 1981, starting fifth and finishing 27th. He proved to be a quick study, winning poles at Nashville and Richmond. So as 1982 approached, Martin was looking forward to his first full-time season in NASCAR's elite division.

On the track, Martin sparkled, with eight top-10 finishes, good enough for 14th in the points. But when his sponsorship failed to materialize, Martin was forced to sell off his assets early in 1983. He ran a 16-race schedule for a variety of owners, then decided to return to ASA, where he was champion again in 1986.

Armed with the desire to have a successful NASCAR career, Martin ran the Busch Series full-time in 1987. It was a win at Dover that caught the eye of Jack Roush, who decided to hire Martin to drive his Cup team for 1988.

Since then, Martin was accrued 35 victories and has finished second in the points four times. After a disappointing 2003 season in which he was winless and finished outside of the top 10 in series points, Martin turned things around the last two seasons, making the Chase for the Nextel Cup and winding up fourth both times.

His decision to retire from full-time racing in the Nextel Cup Series was put on hold near the end of the 2005 season when Roush asked him to return for one final year, giving him one more chance to complete his impressive resume with a Nextel Cup championship.

We wish ...

Hall of Fame pitcher Dizzy Dean had become a NASCAR driver.

Credit: SI

Jay Hanna Dean of Lucas was the fireballing ace of the St. Louis Cardinals' Gas House Gang, which automatically qualifies him for a position in racing. He won 20 or more game four consecutive seasons, leading the Cardinals to the 1934 world's championship.

After his baseball career, Dean enthralled radio audiences with his colorful idioms and crazy syntax, much like FOX's Larry McReynolds. We can only imagine how Dizzy would have described how "Junior slud in the third turn."

Keeping it on the track

There are currently no NASCAR tracks based in Arkansas.

Gone but not forgotten

• Memphis-Arkansas Speedway, Lehi

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The track that hosted five NASCAR races between 1954 and 1957 may have been 1.5 miles in length, but it was definitely no cookie-cutter oval. It was a high-banked dirt track that demanded a combination of bravery and skill.

Fonty Flock's pole-winning speed of 100.39 mph for the October 1955 race stands as the only time a driver eclipsed the century barrier there, but the races were almost as fast, with three of the five averaging more than 80 mph. The top drivers of the day were up to the challenge, as 52 cars started the 1954 Mid-South 250 -- and winners there included Buck Baker, Fonty Flock, Speedy Thompson, Ralph Moody and Marvin Panch.

The track closed shortly after the 1957 race when a highway construction project blocked access. When the project was completed, the track was abandoned. One later report claimed a farmer was using the former track's infield ponds for catfish.

A word from our sponsor

• Ranger Boats, Flippin

Ranger Boats, which has been involved in several NASCAR charity events, including raffles for the Victory Junction Gang Camp, Jeff Gordon Foundation, Ryan Newman Foundation and Ward Burton Wildlife Foundation, is the nation's largest manufacturer of premium fiberglass fishing boats.