Sterling Marlin was born on June 30, 1957 in Columbia, Tennessee. He is married to Paula Marlin and together they have two children, Steadman and Sutherlin. The reason why Marlin's name is familiar is because he is the son of former NASCAR driver, Coo Coo Marlin. His father introduced Marlin to racing at a young age and started it out by helping Coo Coo Marlin in his shop. Once Marlin was 15, he was his father's tire changer and after a year of diligent work and dedication, Coo Coo Marlin made Marlin his father's crew chief.
Marlin was an all 'round student back in Tennessee. When he wasn't helping his father on the tracks, he was playing high school basketball and football. During his senior year, he was made captain while playing both quarterback and linebacker.
Marlin made his NASCAR debut in a rather untraditional manner. He had to take over his father's spot when Coo Coo Marlin injured himself during the Nashville Speedway in 1976 and he was 19 years old. Although enthusiastic about taking over for his father, he only managed 55 laps suffering oil pump failure in the race. After that, Marlin was given more chances to race. He made two starts in 1978 in which he finished ninth at World 600 and twenty fifth at Nashville for Cunningham. Soon after, Marlin won three Nashville Speedway track championships and soon raced for Roger Hambry to drive his #17 Hesco Exhaust Chevrolet in his first full Cup season. With that, he finished 19th in points and won Rookie of the Year. Later in 1986, Marlin joined Hoss Ellington. That season, his best was when he came second in the Firecracker 400. However, in 1987 he was hired full time by Billy Hagan. With four top-fives and finishing eleven in points, he went on to the next season to get better results and also managed to snag a couple of sponsorship deals.
Marlin made his first career win in 1994 during the Daytona 500 and astonished everyone when he repeated his success the next year. There have only been two other drivers who have been able to do so and they were Richard Petty and Cale Yarborough. Marlin also made history for making his first two career wins the Daytona 500. However, in 2001, his car had made contact with Dale Earnhardt Sr's car which then proved to be fatal. Because of what happened, Marlin and his family was the focal point of hatred and were living in fear because of the death threats they received from unhappy fans. Dale Earnhardt Sr's son, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Michael Waltrip absolved and defended Marlin publically and his name and reputation was cleared as a result of NASCAR's investigation into the tragedy.
In 2002, Marlin had to suffer from a severe neck injury which was the result from a crash in the Protection One 400 at Kansas Speedway. This caused him to miss the remainder of the season. In 2005, Marlin had to undergo another loss. This time it was the passing of his father, Coo Coo Marlin. In 2006, Marlin went under MB2 Motorsports to drive the #14 Waste Management Chevy in tribute to his father. He was quoted as saying, "To drive a car with the same number that my father drove makes the move even more special."
Marlin's son Steadman has also been bitten by the racing bug and as a result, has started racing as well. When Marlin is off track, he is either helping his son with his career, watching Tennessee Volunteer football and collecting Civil War artifacts.
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