Mark Martin waves from the winner's circle at Talladega. (David M. Vaughn Photo)

Mark Martin won a wild John Deere 250 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Talladega Superspeedway Saturday, overcoming an early overheating problem, a rival's illegal pass and two last-lap crashes to win his fifth race of the season in just 10 NCTS starts.

The race was the first time the Truck Series ever raced at the newly repaved 2.66-mile Alabama Superspeedway, and by all accounts, it was a rousing success, with clean, hard racing until the event's final lap.

"I think the guys did a spectacular job," said Martin, who now has won Truck, Busch and Cup series races at four different tracks — Talladega, Bristol, California and Dover. "It was a really, really great race. It was a clean race. The pavement worked well. I was really concerned about it and the drivers did a spectacular job today. ... They didn't get over their heads or get too aggressive."

Martin started from the pole but early on encountered problems when a windshield tear-off caught on the grille of his Roush Racing Ford F-150, sending his engine temperatures soaring. He had to pit on Lap 9 to have it removed and fell a lap down. Martin got the "Lucky Dog" during the first caution on Lap 24, a critical break that allowed him to get back into contention.

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