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Biography
Sterling Marlin has experienced the pinnacle of exhilaration in Winston Cup racing, as he won consecutive Daytona 500s in 1994 and 1995. In 2001 he has traveled a new road in his 16th full season in the sport as he races a new Dodge Intrepid for owner Chip Ganassi.
Marlin struggled in 2000, with one top-5 finish and seven top-10s en route to a 19th place finish in the final point standings. Perhaps telling the tale of his odd and frustrating season was that his best race was a runner-up finish to Jeff Gordon on the road course at Sears Point.
Marlin, the son of Winston Cup legend "Coo Coo" Marlin and the 1983 Winston Cup Rookie of the Year, made his 500th career Winston Cup start last season, when one of his highlights was a victory in the spring Busch Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
While he is perhaps best known as only the third driver in Winston Cup history to win back-to-back Daytona 500s, joining Richard Petty and Cale Yarborough, Marlin has a successful short track background, including Nashville Speedway USA championships in 1980-82. He made his Winston Cup debut in 1976, replacing his father after a crash broke his shoulder. He has won eight times in Winston Cup and also won the Winston Open in 1988-89 and 1993.
Marlin was a football standout at Columbia High in Tennessee and was named "Tennessee Professional Athlete" in 1995-96. He played in four bowl games and was team captain as a senior, playing quarterback and linebacker. He also played basketball in high school and continues to be a huge Tennessee Volunteers fan.