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Sterling Marlin
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Sterling Marlin
Sterling Burton Marlin (born June 30, 1957) is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He last competed in the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour. He formerly competed in the NASCAR Cup Series, winning the Daytona 500 in 1994 and 1995. He is the son of late NASCAR driver Coo Coo Marlin. He is married to Paula and has a daughter, Sutherlin, a son, Steadman, a former NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series driver, and a grandson Stirlin who races for Sterling in Sterling’s No. 114 Super Late Model. Marlin is a member of the NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers list.
In 1983, Marlin was hired by Roger Hamby to drive his No. 17 Hesco Exhaust-sponsored Chevrolet. He posted a tenth-place finish at Dover International Speedway and finished nineteenth in the standings, clinching the Rookie of the Year award. Despite finishing fifteenth in the 1984 Daytona 500 for Hamby, Marlin spent most of the season running for Sadler Brothers Racing, posting two top-ten finishes. He also competed in one race for Jimmy Means and Dick Bahre respectively. Marlin only made eight starts in 1985, seven of them coming for Sadler, his best finish being twelfth at Talladega Superspeedway. He ended his season at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the Miller High Life 500, driving the Helen Rae Special. He finished 29th, after suffering flywheel failure.
Marlin moved over to the No. 1 Bull's Eye Barbecue Sauce-sponsored car owned by Hoss Ellington in 1986. His best finish that season came at the Firecracker 400, where he finished second. Marlin got a full-time ride in 1987, when he was hired by Billy Hagan to drive the No. 44 Piedmont Airlines-sponsored Oldsmobile. He had four top-fives and finished eleventh in points. The following season, he had seven finishes of eighth or better in the first ten races and finished tenth in the standings. In 1989, the team received sponsorship from Sunoco and switched to the number 94. He tied a career-best thirteen top-ten finishes but dropped to twelfth in the final standings. He left the team at the end of the 1990 season. During the 1990 season, he won his first career Busch Series race at Charlotte, driving the No. 48 Diamond Ridge-sponsored Chevrolet owned by Fred Turner.
Marlin signed to drive the No. 22 Maxwell House-sponsored Ford Thunderbird for Junior Johnson in 1991. He had a second-place finish at Daytona to start the season and won two poles at Talladega Superspeedway and the Firecracker 400, and had a total of seven top-fives and sixteen top tens, finishing seventh in the standings. The next season, he had six top-fives, thirteen top-tens and five poles, finishing 10th in the standings. Marlin departed to drive the No. 8 Raybestos-sponsored Ford for Stavola Brothers Racing. In 1993, he had just one top-five and eight top-tens and fell to fifteenth in the standings.
Marlin's first career win came in his 279th career start at the 1994 Daytona 500 driving for Morgan-McClure Motorsports in the No. 4 Kodak-sponsored Chevrolet, the most starts for a driver before his first win before Michael Waltrip's win at the 2001 Daytona 500. In 1994, he had one win, five top-fives and eleven top-tens, and rose slightly to 14th in the standings. He went on to win the 500 again in the following year, becoming only one of five drivers to win consecutive Daytona 500s. The other four men that have accomplished that feat were Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough, Denny Hamlin, and William Byron. He also became the only driver to have his first two career wins at the Daytona 500. Marlin won two more times during the 1995 season (at Darlington and Talladega) for a total of three wins, nine top-fives, 22 top-tens, 472 laps led, an average finish of 9.84, and ranking a career best third in the standings. In 1996, Marlin had two wins, five top-fives, ten top tens, and finished eighth in the standings. In 1997, he scored just two top-fives and six top-tens, and dropped to 25th in the standings, leaving the No. 4 team at year's end.
In 1998, he joined SABCO Racing to drive the No. 40 Coors Light-sponsored Chevrolet. He opened the season by winning the Gatorade 125, a qualifying race for the Daytona 500 but three weeks later, he failed to qualify for the Primestar 500, the first race he had missed since 1986. He finished in the top-ten six times and had a 13th-place points finish. In 1999, he won his first pole since 1995 at Pocono Raceway, but dropped down to sixteenth in the standings. In 2000, he won his second career Busch Series race, driving SABCO's No. 82 entry at Bristol Motor Speedway. During the season, he lost teammate Kenny Irwin Jr. in a fatal practice crash at New Hampshire International Speedway. After finishing in the top-ten seven times, he fell back to nineteenth in the overall standings.
In 2001, SABCO's majority ownership stake was purchased by CART & IndyCar championship owner Chip Ganassi and the team switched to Dodge Intrepids. In his first race with the new team, Marlin won the Gatorade 125 qualifying race at Daytona. Three days later at the Daytona 500, on the final lap, Marlin's car made contact with Dale Earnhardt's rear bumper in turn 4, causing Earnhardt to crash into the turn 4 wall, an impact that would kill him instantly. In the following days after the race, Marlin and his family received hate mail and death threats from angry fans of Earnhardt as well as the sport in general who felt that Marlin was responsible for Earnhardt's death. He was eventually publicly defended by two of Earnhardt's drivers, his son and race winner Michael Waltrip, and was also cleared of any wrongdoing by NASCAR's investigation into the accident. He won Dodge's first race in its return to NASCAR at Michigan International Speedway, as well as winning the UAW-GM Quality 500 at Charlotte. He tied his career best points finish of third that season.
In 2002, Marlin had a strong car at the Daytona 500, and towards the end was battling Jeff Gordon for the lead when they made contact, sending Gordon spinning. NASCAR had then red-flagged the race so it would not finish under caution, and stopped the field momentarily on the backstretch. Concerned about a damaged right front fender, Marlin jumped out of his car and started pulling the fender away from the tire. As working on the car is prohibited during red flag conditions under NASCAR regulations, Marlin was sent to the tail end of the field for the restart. Marlin would finish in eighth.
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Sterling Marlin
Sterling Burton Marlin (born June 30, 1957) is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He last competed in the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour. He formerly competed in the NASCAR Cup Series, winning the Daytona 500 in 1994 and 1995. He is the son of late NASCAR driver Coo Coo Marlin. He is married to Paula and has a daughter, Sutherlin, a son, Steadman, a former NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series driver, and a grandson Stirlin who races for Sterling in Sterling’s No. 114 Super Late Model. Marlin is a member of the NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers list.
In 1983, Marlin was hired by Roger Hamby to drive his No. 17 Hesco Exhaust-sponsored Chevrolet. He posted a tenth-place finish at Dover International Speedway and finished nineteenth in the standings, clinching the Rookie of the Year award. Despite finishing fifteenth in the 1984 Daytona 500 for Hamby, Marlin spent most of the season running for Sadler Brothers Racing, posting two top-ten finishes. He also competed in one race for Jimmy Means and Dick Bahre respectively. Marlin only made eight starts in 1985, seven of them coming for Sadler, his best finish being twelfth at Talladega Superspeedway. He ended his season at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the Miller High Life 500, driving the Helen Rae Special. He finished 29th, after suffering flywheel failure.
Marlin moved over to the No. 1 Bull's Eye Barbecue Sauce-sponsored car owned by Hoss Ellington in 1986. His best finish that season came at the Firecracker 400, where he finished second. Marlin got a full-time ride in 1987, when he was hired by Billy Hagan to drive the No. 44 Piedmont Airlines-sponsored Oldsmobile. He had four top-fives and finished eleventh in points. The following season, he had seven finishes of eighth or better in the first ten races and finished tenth in the standings. In 1989, the team received sponsorship from Sunoco and switched to the number 94. He tied a career-best thirteen top-ten finishes but dropped to twelfth in the final standings. He left the team at the end of the 1990 season. During the 1990 season, he won his first career Busch Series race at Charlotte, driving the No. 48 Diamond Ridge-sponsored Chevrolet owned by Fred Turner.
Marlin signed to drive the No. 22 Maxwell House-sponsored Ford Thunderbird for Junior Johnson in 1991. He had a second-place finish at Daytona to start the season and won two poles at Talladega Superspeedway and the Firecracker 400, and had a total of seven top-fives and sixteen top tens, finishing seventh in the standings. The next season, he had six top-fives, thirteen top-tens and five poles, finishing 10th in the standings. Marlin departed to drive the No. 8 Raybestos-sponsored Ford for Stavola Brothers Racing. In 1993, he had just one top-five and eight top-tens and fell to fifteenth in the standings.
Marlin's first career win came in his 279th career start at the 1994 Daytona 500 driving for Morgan-McClure Motorsports in the No. 4 Kodak-sponsored Chevrolet, the most starts for a driver before his first win before Michael Waltrip's win at the 2001 Daytona 500. In 1994, he had one win, five top-fives and eleven top-tens, and rose slightly to 14th in the standings. He went on to win the 500 again in the following year, becoming only one of five drivers to win consecutive Daytona 500s. The other four men that have accomplished that feat were Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough, Denny Hamlin, and William Byron. He also became the only driver to have his first two career wins at the Daytona 500. Marlin won two more times during the 1995 season (at Darlington and Talladega) for a total of three wins, nine top-fives, 22 top-tens, 472 laps led, an average finish of 9.84, and ranking a career best third in the standings. In 1996, Marlin had two wins, five top-fives, ten top tens, and finished eighth in the standings. In 1997, he scored just two top-fives and six top-tens, and dropped to 25th in the standings, leaving the No. 4 team at year's end.
In 1998, he joined SABCO Racing to drive the No. 40 Coors Light-sponsored Chevrolet. He opened the season by winning the Gatorade 125, a qualifying race for the Daytona 500 but three weeks later, he failed to qualify for the Primestar 500, the first race he had missed since 1986. He finished in the top-ten six times and had a 13th-place points finish. In 1999, he won his first pole since 1995 at Pocono Raceway, but dropped down to sixteenth in the standings. In 2000, he won his second career Busch Series race, driving SABCO's No. 82 entry at Bristol Motor Speedway. During the season, he lost teammate Kenny Irwin Jr. in a fatal practice crash at New Hampshire International Speedway. After finishing in the top-ten seven times, he fell back to nineteenth in the overall standings.
In 2001, SABCO's majority ownership stake was purchased by CART & IndyCar championship owner Chip Ganassi and the team switched to Dodge Intrepids. In his first race with the new team, Marlin won the Gatorade 125 qualifying race at Daytona. Three days later at the Daytona 500, on the final lap, Marlin's car made contact with Dale Earnhardt's rear bumper in turn 4, causing Earnhardt to crash into the turn 4 wall, an impact that would kill him instantly. In the following days after the race, Marlin and his family received hate mail and death threats from angry fans of Earnhardt as well as the sport in general who felt that Marlin was responsible for Earnhardt's death. He was eventually publicly defended by two of Earnhardt's drivers, his son and race winner Michael Waltrip, and was also cleared of any wrongdoing by NASCAR's investigation into the accident. He won Dodge's first race in its return to NASCAR at Michigan International Speedway, as well as winning the UAW-GM Quality 500 at Charlotte. He tied his career best points finish of third that season.
In 2002, Marlin had a strong car at the Daytona 500, and towards the end was battling Jeff Gordon for the lead when they made contact, sending Gordon spinning. NASCAR had then red-flagged the race so it would not finish under caution, and stopped the field momentarily on the backstretch. Concerned about a damaged right front fender, Marlin jumped out of his car and started pulling the fender away from the tire. As working on the car is prohibited during red flag conditions under NASCAR regulations, Marlin was sent to the tail end of the field for the restart. Marlin would finish in eighth.
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