Daytona Beach, Fla. ? A victory in the opening round of the International Race of Champions has Mark Martin well on the way to the goals that brought him back to the all-star series this year.

Martin, a four-time series champion, beat Roush Racing teammate and IROC rookie Kurt Busch to the finish line Friday by 0.123-second — about 11¼2 car-lengths. That gave him a record-tying 11th IROC victory.

Martin was insulted when he wasn’t invited to participate in IROC the past two years because he failed to finish among the top five in NASCAR’s Winston Cup series in either 2000 or 2001.

It was the possibility of matching or beating the series record for victories by the late Dale Earnhardt and Al Unser Jr., and the chance to break a tie with Earnhardt for the most IROC titles that brought Martin back.

Martin’s win Friday was a big step toward passing seven-time Winston Cup champion Earnhardt and two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Unser on the victory list.

After emerging from his car with a big smile, Martin thanked IROC officials for inviting him back.

“To come back like this after sitting out is special,” he said. “I’m the kind of guy that likes being on top and likes being respected. It was very important to me to come out and have a strong year in IROC.”

The winner dominated the 100-mile race for 12 identically prepared IROC Firebirds, leading 21 of the 40 laps.