Poll Position

Ever sit around and wonder, “Who are the most powerful athletes in professional sports?”

OK, neither do we, but we sure scoured the list when we came across it. Turns out one of our own – an Arkansan, that is – made the cut.

NASCAR driver Mark Martin, it seems, is the 96th most powerful athlete in professional sports, according to Businessweek.com. The 52-year-old was ranked 41st last year.

A couple of notes about methodology: No coaches, owners, managers, executives or retired athletes were considered. Also, the ranking is comprised of on-field and off-field attributes such as raw statistics and endorsement potential and endorsement earnings.

For the record, Martin’s overall earnings in 2010 were about $11 million. He also enjoys a sponsorship by GoDaddy.com.

And, finally, here’s what Businessweek.com had to say: “A granddaddy of stock car racing, Mark Martin drove his first Nascar race back in 1981 and is still going strong, with winnings of $3.3 million in 2010. ESPN calls him the ‘the best driver never to win a championship,’ but it doesn’t seem to hurt his sponsorships.”

Oh, yeah, No. 1 on the list? Peyton Manning.