In 2010, Martin started the year off strong and won the pole for the 52nd Daytona 500.

Martin ran well in the Bud Shootout, but was caught up in the "big one" during a green-white-checker finish and finished 21st.
Martin started the Daytona 500 well, leading the majority of the first 30 laps, but after being stuck in the middle line of the racing pack, he dropped down as low as 33rd and had to pick his way through the rest of the day, eventually finishing 12th.

Martin ran well at California and Las Vegas, scoring back-to-back 4th-place finishes, and advancing as high as 3rd in the points standings, only 49 points out of the lead.
 However, he was less successful in his next three races.
He got caught up in wrecks at both Atlanta and Bristol, finishing 33rd and 35th, respectively.
At Martinsville, Martin was leading the field and running top-5 during most of the day, until a flat tire relegated him to 21st.
 During this stretch of bad luck, Martin fell from 3rd to 17th in the points standings, 214 points behind the leader.

The next three races of the 2010 season saw Martin rally back.
 With a 4th-place finish at Phoenix, 6th-place finish at Texas, and a 5th-place finish at Talladega, Martin jumped from 17th in the points standings to 6th, 169 points behind the leader.

Martin's bad luck struck again in the following three races, as he struggled to get a handle on his race cars.
 A 25th-place finish at Richmond, 16th-place finish at Darlington, and 15th-place finish at Dover caused Martin to fall to 11th in the points standings, 293 points behind the leader.

In the Sprint All-Star race, qualifying was rained out.
 The field was set in the order the drivers drew.
 Martin started 15th and finished the first 50-lap segment in 15th.
 He used a two-tire pit stop to gain position and finished the second 20-lap segment in 3rd.
 He held his position in the third 20-lap segment and finish third.
 Martin lost a spot during the mandatory 4-tire pit stop before the start of the final 10-lap shootout for the $1 million.
 However, as the field took the green, Martin was hit by another car and crashed, finishing 17th.

A week later, Martin returned to Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Coca-Cola 600.
 Martin qualified 11th and struggled much of the race with handling issues.
 However, during a caution with 20 laps to go, most of the field pitted, and Martin opted to stay out.
 He restarted 2nd and finished the race in 4th.

Mark Martin had a season best finish of second at the 2010 TUMS Fast Relief 500.
Martin crashed with 275 laps to go, but managed to work his way up 15 spots with bent fenders and no rear end.
In 2010, Martin started the year off strong and won the pole for the 52nd Daytona 500.
Martin ran well in the Bud Shootout, but was caught up in the "big one" during a green-white-checker finish and finished 21st. Martin started the Daytona 500 well, leading the majority of the first 30 laps, but after being stuck in the middle line of the racing pack, he dropped down as low as 33rd and had to pick his way through the rest of the day, eventually finishing 12th.
Martin ran well at California and Las Vegas, scoring back-to-back 4th-place finishes, and advancing as high as 3rd in the points standings, only 49 points out of the lead.  However, he was less successful in his next three races. He got caught up in wrecks at both Atlanta and Bristol, finishing 33rd and 35th, respectively. At Martinsville, Martin was leading the field and running top-5 during most of the day, until a flat tire relegated him to 21st.  During this stretch of bad luck, Martin fell from 3rd to 17th in the points standings, 214 points behind the leader.
The next three races of the 2010 season saw Martin rally back.  With a 4th-place finish at Phoenix, 6th-place finish at Texas, and a 5th-place finish at Talladega, Martin jumped from 17th in the points standings to 6th, 169 points behind the leader.
Martin's bad luck struck again in the following three races, as he struggled to get a handle on his race cars.  A 25th-place finish at Richmond, 16th-place finish at Darlington, and 15th-place finish at Dover caused Martin to fall to 11th in the points standings, 293 points behind the leader.
In the Sprint All-Star race, qualifying was rained out.  The field was set in the order the drivers drew.  Martin started 15th and finished the first 50-lap segment in 15th.  He used a two-tire pit stop to gain position and finished the second 20-lap segment in 3rd.  He held his position in the third 20-lap segment and finish third.  Martin lost a spot during the mandatory 4-tire pit stop before the start of the final 10-lap shootout for the $1 million.  However, as the field took the green, Martin was hit by another car and crashed, finishing 17th.
A week later, Martin returned to Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Coca-Cola 600.  Martin qualified 11th and struggled much of the race with handling issues.  However, during a caution with 20 laps to go, most of the field pitted, and Martin opted to stay out.  He restarted 2nd and finished the race in 4th.
Mark Martin had a season best finish of second at the 2010 TUMS Fast Relief 500. Martin crashed with 275 laps to go, but managed to work his way up 15 spots with bent fenders and no rear end.
Mark Martin