Sterling Marlin is a retired NASCAR racing car driver, son of NASCAR driver Clifton “Coo Coo” Marlin. He was born on the 30th of June, 1957, in Columbia, Tennessee, USA.
How rich is Sterling Marlin? Sources estimate his net worth at $40 million as of early 2017, accumulated over his racing career which lasted from the mid-1970s until 2010. His annual salary has been estimated at $3 million.
Sterling Marlin Net Worth $40 million
Marlin played quarterback on his high school football team, and played on the basketball team, at Spring Hill High School in Tennessee. He began his driving career at the age of 19, in 1976, filling in for his father who was injured. He began at Nashville Speedway, and finished his first race in 29th place out of 30, due to a faulty car part. He continued to race, eventually becoming a three time champion at Nashville, consecutively between 1980 and 1982. He was hired a year later to drive for Roger Hamby, a former driver between 1977-1981, sponsored by Chevrolet. Whilst working under Hamby, he was rewarded with the Winston Cup Series Rookie of The Year Award.
Marlin quickly earned himself a reputation as an excellent driver, frequently finishing within the top ten. In 1994 and 1995 he won the Daytona 500, one of only three drivers to win consecutively, then in 1996 he won the Winston 500. These successes helped contribute significantly to his overall wealth. In 1998, Marlin joined the SABCO racing team, and won his first race of the season, the Gatorade 125, later purchased by CART in 2001.
Marlin experienced tragedy, when in 2001 he was involved in a crash with fellow driver, Dale Earnhardt. After their cars touched at high speeds, Earnhardt hit a wall, and died of his injuries – Marlin finished the race in seventh place. He later received criticism, and even threats from distraught racing fans, though Earnhardt’s family insisted that it had been an accident, and Marlin was in no way responsible for the terrible event that had taken place.
In 2006 Marlin returned to Chevrolet, and would continue to drive a Chevrolet until the end of his professional racing career, with MB2 Motorsports, Ginn Racing, and Phoenix Racing.
Marlin retired from racing on the 18th March 2010. He had accrued, over the course of his career, ten wins, 216 top ten positions, and finished in a top ten position for year end point standings six times. He now owns a Dodge dealership in Tennessee.
In his personal life, Marlin married Paula Hood in 1978, and the couple have a grown-up son and daughter; his son has also been involved in racing. In his spare time, he still enjoys driving, and competes at Fairgrounds Speedway. Marlin was one of a group of people who formed the Tennessee Racing Association, an organisation created to ensure the preservation of the Fairgrounds Speedway. He also is a collector of Civil War memorabilia and artefacts. Marlin has revealed that he is suffering with Parkinsonism, a degenerative nerve disorder. He has not, however, allowed his disease to stop him from enjoying recreational racing.
