Mark Martin has opened his all new Ford dealership, Mark Martin Ford-Mercury, and museum in Batesville, Arkansas. Mark started construction on the state of the art facility over a year ago and is pleased with the fruition of his work.

“It’s just an awesome thing to be able to bring back all of these cars and trophies to the place where it all started and the place that I consider ‘home,’ said Martin. “We have a lot of stuff on display at the museum and I hope that all of the fans will get a chance to come out and share in all of the memories with us.

“Growing up I couldn’t wait to get out of Batesville and go out and see what I could do,” added Martin. “I went off seeking my fame and fortune and I was fortunate to work with a lot of great people and have a lot of success. Now it’s time to bring all of that back home where it belongs to Batesville.”

The state-of-the art museum features several of Martin’s past cars, including the No. 6 Viagra Coca-Cola 600 win car, the ’90 Folgers Thunderbird, the No. 60 Win Dixie Busch car, Martin’s 2005 IROC car that he used to win his record fifth championship, and the ’89 Stroh's Thunderbird. Each car is a part of a display that includes hi-tech mantrons that tell the story of each piece of history.

The museum also has on display a variety of other memorabilia, including several of Martin’s past race helmets and historic firesuits. There are also several personal photo books on display that chronicle Martin’s early success, as well as thousands of pictures and newspaper articles that show Martins climb from local dirt track sensation to NASCAR legend.

“We really wanted to do something that we could share with the fans and the people of Batesville,” said Martin. “It’s been a long road and it’s been a lot of fun and we really wanted to put all of that on display.

“We could have put the dealership anywhere,” added Martin. “But I wanted to bring all of it home. It means a lot to me and I’m excited to share what I’ve been lucky enough to experience with everyone.”