#55-Mark Martin might not be as tall as Shaquille O ‘Neal, enjoy the punching power of boxer Jake LaMotta or the foot speed of football star Marshall Faulk, but the 30-year NASCAR veteran’s stature in the sports world is as large as any of the guests who will attend Monday’s 27th annual dinner to benefit the Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis. Celebrities across the sports world will gather at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City for the Great Sports Legends Dinner. ‘I can ‘t wait for this,’ said Martin who won ‘t be racing at New Hampshire this weekend but returns to action at Dover on Sept. 30. ‘It’s humbling to be included with all those superstars. I feel very blessed. This is an awesome event to raise money for a fascinating project. I can ‘t thank the folks at Toyota Racing for letting me participate. This dinner raises a lot of money so that someday paralyzed people can walk again. We ‘ve all had friends or family who ‘ve battled paralysis so we know what we are up against. But the doctors with the Buoniconti Fund and the Miami Project believe we will beat it someday. It’s an honor to play even a small part in that effort.’ Martin, 53, a 40-time NASCAR Sprint Cup winner, joins stars like Bob Costas, Tony Perez, Joe Torre, Alonzo Mourning, Lisa Leslie, Lorena Ochoa, and Emilio Estefan at the dinner.(MWR)(9-22-2012)
