It's official: Martin to return in 2006
By Jenna Fryer
AP Motorsports Writer
October 27, 2005CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Any chance Mark Martin had of retiring this year from the Nextel Cup series ended Thursday when Roush Racing said he will drive in 2006.
Martin had accepted that he'd probably have to race next season, but had held out faint hope that Roush could find a suitable replacement for him in the No. 6 Ford. With time running out, Roush locked in Martin to return for a 19th season.
Todd Kluever, who currently drives for Roush in the NASCAR truck series, will replace Martin in 2007. AAA, a new company to NASCAR, will replace Viagra as sponsor of the car.
``I consider the No. 6 car to be one of the top-five most legendary cars in NASCAR history,'' Kluever said. ``I don't think that anybody will be able to replace Mark Martin. He has big shoes to fill, but I'll do my best to try.''
Jamie McMurray was originally tabbed to replace Martin but has been unable to gain an early release from his contract with Chip Ganassi Racing. When he does, he will now replace reigning Nextel Cup champion Kurt Busch in the No. 97 Ford at Roush.
Busch is scheduled to drive for Penske Racing in 2007, but there's still a long shot possibility that Ganassi, Penske and Roush can come to an agreement that permits the drivers to swap teams at the end of this year.
Ganassi, who had been vehemently opposed to allowing McMurray to leave early, has softened in stance and would be open to a deal if he could find a suitable driver to fill McMurray's seat.
As Roush has learned, that's easier said than done these days because of a thin talent pool. Although the Busch Series is loaded with young, marketable drivers, few are ready to step into a big-time Cup ride.
``The driver situation in the garage right now is horrible for replacements,'' Martin lamented earlier this month. ``There is no one who is ready to step into a top car. That's why people are fighting over Kurt Busch and Jamie McMurray -- there's no one available that's ready.
``There are going to be a lot of drivers freed up next year and hopefully there will be some rookies that look like they're ready, but, as of today, there are no rookies that are available that look like they're ready to step into a car like the 6 car.''
Martin had planned to make this season his last after a storied NASCAR career. Considered one of the best drivers to never win a championship, Martin has finished second a heartbreaking four times in the title chases.
Martin has accumulated 35 wins in his 18 years and has started 577 consecutive Cup races.
He teamed with Roush in 1988 to form Roush Racing, which started as a fledgling single-car operation. Today, Roush has five cars -- and all five drivers qualified for the 10-man Chase for the championship -- and has won the past two Cup titles.
``I love my team and Jack Roush too much to leave them with a total empty hole for 2006,'' Martin said of his decision to return.
Martin Posts Third-Place Run at Atlanta
Mark Martin and the #6 Viagra® Racing Team
Atlanta Motor Speedway/October 30, 2005HAMPTON, GA.–Mark Martin and the Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Racing Team racked up their fourth top-five finish of the Nextel Cup Chase for the Championship, running to a third-place finish in Sunday’s Bass Pro Shops 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Martin boasted one of the strongest cars in the field running inside the top-five for virtually the entire race and overcoming an early pit road speeding penalty to post the third place finish.
“If I had cars like that every week, man, I think I could drive until I was 60,” said Martin after the race. “A couple of them just plain outran us, but we really put a whooping on a lot of them today. Who said I was a pessimist. I knew we were good on Friday and I knew we'd have a shot. It seemed to come and go for everybody today. We weren't quite good enough to pull it off at the end, but it was a great run for this Viagra® Team and I'm proud of it."
Martin, who clinched his record fifth International Race of Champions Championship on Saturday, started the race fourth after a strong qualifying session on Friday night. He needed only 19 laps to take the lead from teammate Carl Edwards and he would hold the lead until lap 51 when NASCAR handed it over to Dale Earnhardt Jr. after penalizing Martin for speeding on pit road after the team’s second stop of the day. Martin beat all others off of pit road, but was forced to go to the tail end of the longest line and restart in 26 th position when the field went green on lap 54.
Martin was all the way back up to 15 th place when the race’s third caution was issued just 10 laps later on lap 64. Martin came into the pits again for four tires and fuel. The team posted one of many impressive stops on the day and Martin returned to the field in 11 th place when green flag racing resumed on lap 69. He needed only one lap to break back inside the top 10 where he would run for the remainder of the race.
Although his strategy was to ‘take it easy’ on the tires, Martin broke back inside the top five on lap 98 and he would run there for all but five of the remaining 227 laps. In one of their best outings ever, the Viagra® Racing Team’s over-the-wall crew would posts stops of 12.8, 12.9, 13.3, 12.6 and 12.79 seconds to keep Martin in the front of the field.
A 12.6-second stop under caution on the team’s eighth stop on lap 227 drew praise from team owner Jack Roush, who radioed the team that ‘you guy’s are doing it today,” and sent Martin back out in first place when the field went green on lap 232. Martin was able to hold on to the lead for the next 10 laps, before losing it to Edwards who would end up with the field’s fastest car and the victory on the day.
With the car starting to get ‘loose’ Martin fell back to fourth on lap 280, but rebounded to pass the No. 8 car of Earnhardt Jr. on lap 315 to move back into fourth place. He spent the last 10 laps of the race attempting to run down second place Jeff Gordon, but ran out of time and would have to settle for the third place run. The finish moved Martin to within 143 points of first place Tony Stewart and 100 points of second place. He is currently only 34 points outside of third place with only three races remaining in the 2005 season.
The team returns to action next week at Texas Motor Speedway, where Martin boasts one win, three top-five and four top-10 finishes on nine Cup races.
Ford Racing: News: Ford Post Race Notes and Quotes - Nextel - Atlanta:
MARK MARTIN - NO. 6 VIAGRA TAURUS (FINISHED THIRD)
"When it came time to go racing a couple of them snuck up there and outran us, but, man, we put a whooping on a lot of them today. If I had cars like that every week, man, I think I could drive until I was 60."
YOU'RE OPTIMISTIC AFTER A GREAT WEEKEND.
"Yeah, who said I was a pessimist. I knew we were good on Friday and I knew we'd have a shot. It seemed to come and go for everybody today. We weren't quite good enough to pull it off at the end, but it was a great run and I'm proud of it."
MARK MARTIN PRESS CONFERENCE
THOUGHTS ON LETTING TEAMMATES LEADING LAPS.
"I didn't see that happen. I don't know what you're talking about. I didn't see it. I know Carl didn't let me lead. I didn't want him to. I told those guys, 'Don't say anything to him because I don't want to give it back when I get it.' We had new tires and he didn't, so we just waited until we got up there and went on. We had new tires and I don't know anything about the rest of it. I didn't see it."
HOW MANY GUYS ARE STILL IN THIS TITLE HUNT?
"I'm in (laughter in the room)."
WHAT WERE YOU THINKING WHEN YOU HAD TO DROP BACK AFTER THE PIT ROAD PENALTY?
"When that red light comes on up there you're speeding, so it doesn't matter. We misjudged our speed today. That's the first time that it's happened. If I've got caught speeding before it was because I was over my speed, but I wasn't over my speed today but obviously the red light came on and that meant I was going too fast. So we missed that. That was our fault. I had such a good race car for once I wasn't too flipped out about it. I knew we could come back up through there. We were leading the race pretty easy at the time. As the race went on a couple three of these guys got stronger and we got back where we belonged with what we had. It was just an incredible race car today. If I could drive cars like that, I could race these things until I was 60."
Mark Martin Teleconference
October 28, 2005DAN PASSE: Good afternoon, everybody. Welcome to the last few 2005 Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup teleconferences. Thank you for joining us at this special time. One housekeeping note as we head back to Atlanta, this week's NEXTEL Wake Up Call will take place on Friday, October 28th at 11 a.m. in the media center. The guest will be Greg Biffle.
Today we're joined by Mark Martin, driver of the No. 6 Viagra Roush Racing Ford, and winner of the 2005 NASCAR Nextel All Star Challenge.
Mark, as you know, is part of the second Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup. He is currently in 7th place in the 10 race competition, 140 points behind the leader with 4 races to go. Mark has had some very strong runs in the Chase so far, including a win at Kansas and three top fives and four top tens. Mark has had a long and storied history in Nextel Cup competition with more than 600 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series races starts and 35 career wins. Atlanta has been pretty successful for Mark, where he started there 39 times with 2 wins, 11 top fives and 19 top tens.
Now, Mark, you finished fourth in the March Atlanta race. You've spoken many times this season about your team, how they're your heroes and how you really enjoy working with them. How do you think that everybody is going to come together as this Chase is winding down?
MARK MARTIN: I think they've been coming together, you know. It looks to me like we have pretty much peaked when we hoped to do it. We've been knocking out top fives and top tens, and I'm proud of these guys. I couldn't be happier with the opportunity to work with such great people that have such a strong commitment to, you know, to winning.
DAN PASSE: Now we just have a little bit of time here with Mark today because he's testing at Texas, but let's open it up to our callers.
Q. Good afternoon, Mark.
MARK MARTIN: Hey.
Q. You always talk about, especially this year, the loyalty of the team towards you. Why do you think that they are that way towards you? Is it because of the loyalty you give back to them?
MARK MARTIN: I'm not really sure. I mean, you know, I guess I'm just lucky. I can't be I don't know if they respect, you know. I'm not the most fun. I can't be the most fun driver in the world to work with. I mean, I'm not a comedian. I put a lot of emphasis on effort and not a lot of emphasis on having fun. So maybe they respect my work ethic and how bad I want it and the respect that I give them. They have earned my respect to the highest degree, and I try to treat them with the kind of respect that they deserve.
Q. Do you mind reminding us of your initial feelings or opinions about this idea of the Chase for the Championship when you heard about it, and then comment on how you feel about it as you're two winds down, if that's any different or changed.
MARK MARTIN: Yeah, I hated the Chase, the idea of the Chase. I was sick in my stomach to think that we would make, you know, changes in a historic format for the sake of entertainment. I think I was wrong. I think I've made that clear to everyone that, you know, after the first you know, at the banquet in 2004 I gave (fans?), you know, Brian and NASCAR an apology for being wrong.
Q. What specifically do you think it does well? Why do you think it's successful?
MARK MARTIN: Well, I think it's exciting and more interesting for the fans, and that translates into health for the sport that we love.
Q. And how has it changed things for the drivers?
MARK MARTIN: I don't know.
Q. I mean, is it more exciting and more interesting for the drivers as well?
MARK MARTIN: Probably not the ones that don't make it. You'd have to check with them. I've made it every year, both years, so I don't know. It's been good for me.
Q. Mark, I was wondering if your team had any plans to test at Homestead. Obviously, now with the hurricane and all the damage, there's definitely not testing this week and there may or may not be availability at all before the race, if that would affect your team at all?
MARK MARTIN: You know, we had plans to. But if nobody can, then nobody will. It's just how it is. I didn't realize that, you know, there would be a problem next week. But we'll deal with it.
Q. Do you think that that track will be particularly a problem, not testing, because there has not been a previous race there this season, or will it be because most teams have not had a chance to test there and it will be the same for everyone?
MARK MARTIN: You know, we're all professionals. We all go to these racetracks, different tracks every week. It will be fine. We did test our truck down there, and that was the main thing. We're going to run the truck, the Busch car and the Cup car, so everything will be fine. Look forward to it. I'm expecting to test; but if we don't, we don't.
Q. Mark, after you won your last race, I must have had 100 phone calls from people wanting to know why you didn't do the burnout. I know you've talked about this before. I promised them the next time I talked to you I would ask you about that. Can you redefine that so we're correct in that with your fans.
MARK MARTIN: Sure. Burnouts are for juveniles and for the kids. You didn't ever see, you know, Dale Earnhardt doing burnouts. There were a few spins through the grass, and that's about it. Bobby Allison, Daryl Waltrip, Richard Petty. I'm old school, and Rusty is, too. Last time I saw Terry Labonte win, he just rode it right over to Victory Lane after he won as well. So that's just not our style. My luck, I'd wind up with the same engine parts in my car in the next race and they'd break. So it's just not what I do. I'm old school. It's pretty entertaining to watch these young kids do them, though. They put on a heck of a show.
Q. It's kind of like spiking the ball in the end zone and dancing. You don't think they should be doing it that way?
MARK MARTIN: Oh, I didn't say that at all. I don't think an old man should do it, you know? That's all. I'd say if, you know... I don't know. I just don't think that the old guys should because they never did before. All I'd be doing is copying the kids.
Q. Got it. You were optimistic this weekend. You said, "I'm going to be optimistic, not pessimistic," and you said you thought you had a great car and were going to do well this weekend. You were looking at the glass half full. Then you had a bad time in practice. Now, do you just feel that you do better if you look at things like they might not work out well?
MARK MARTIN: You know, optimism doesn't get results, you know. I'm not a pessimist by any stretch of the imagination whatsoever. Anybody that knows me knows I'm not a pessimist. But certainly there are guys that say they are going to win every single time they go out on the racetrack and they don't, and that would disappoint me. I'm embarrassed that I expected to have a chance to win at Martinsville and didn't, because I said I did. So next time maybe I'll just keep my mouth shut. But I am not a pessimist by any means. It's ridiculous for anybody to say that. But I am a lot more realistic than some people. I know that I have a great team and great cars and a great opportunity and, you know, we're having the year of my career. But at the same time, you know, I can't expect to have everything go my way every time I step out on the racetrack.
Q. I appreciate you doing that. I promised I'd ask those questions, and you defined it clearly. Thank you.
Q. I'm wondering if you can sort of just go through the protocol sometimes on the track. We heard a lot about Greg Biffle racing with Tony Stewart. I don't necessarily think you probably want to comment on that one directly, but what is the protocol when a driver is in that situation, he's racing for a championship, he's trying to stay on the lead lap, is it okay for him to continue to race hard, or is what he should do is let the guy who's leading the race pass him?
MARK MARTIN: It's up to the guys. It's up to every individual to do whatever they think is right. Over a period of time, you know, you typically develop a pattern, and everyone gets to know that pattern and knows what to expect usually from people over a period of time. That's the way it goes. The way you conduct yourself on that racetrack is largely up to you.
Q. So are you saying by a "pattern" then, that given your reputation, sometimes it's okay to race hard like that and sometimes it's not? I don't know. I guess from my perspective, and I think from a lot of people's perspective, they look at it and say, "Okay, the guy is trying to stay in the lead lap, what's wrong with that"?
MARK MARTIN: Because that's only one guy. That's being a benefit to that guy, but what is he doing to the other guy? There's other people that are, you know, hurt by that. So you have to weigh all that out.
Q. Thanks, Mark.
MARK MARTIN: Yeah, I mean, you just have to weigh it out.
Q. I wanted to ask you, you had three of your four runner up finishes in Atlanta. I wondered if you have any memories when you go back there from those finishes.
MARK MARTIN: Of what now?
Q. Three of your runner up finishes in the Cup. The last race was in Atlanta. I wonder if you could reflect on some of those times, and do you think about those when you go back to Atlanta?
MARK MARTIN: No, never crosses my mind. I don't even know what you're talking about there (laughing).
No, never even crossed my mind. That's the way the schedule was back then, and now it's different. You know, for ever the last race was Atlanta. Whether we finished second or we finished third or wherever it was, you know... So I really don't have any that's not what I think about, you know. I think about how we're going to run better next time we go than what we did 10 years ago or something, you know.
Q. Also, this past Daytona when you were at your shop talking about you were pretty resigned to this being your last year, and following through with that, when you knew that you were going to come back next year, is it difficult to get yourself reinvigorated for that at all?
MARK MARTIN: Well, you know, it is. I mean, that's a good question for you to ask, but it's a difficult one for me to answer because I'm just the way I'm dealing with it is not dealing with it. I'm just not dealing with 2006. 2005 has been overwhelming. I've had the laser focus this year, and my team has. We've worked incredibly hard. This is the hardest 10 race stretch that I've ever done in my entire lifetime with all the testing and the schedule and everything that's going on. So, you know, I'm not really going to deal with 2006 until we get past the banquet in New York and then I'll start, you know, trying to decide how it is. I'm going to position things in my mind so that I'm at peace and so that I'm ready to take on 2006 with the same kind of enthusiasm that I did 2005. But I've got to get the banquet behind me.
Q. Talk about your sponsorship over the years with Viagra being the main sponsor. What have you seen throughout your travels in the country as to what that's done to promote men's health?
MARK MARTIN: Well, we have done, together with Pfizer, we've done a lot of men's health awareness. Pfizer has given over 100,000 free health screenings at the racetrack to fans, for example. In some cases these guys found out that they had some kind of condition that they needed to go see a doctor about and possibly get treated for or whatever. It's been something that I would consider very important work that I've done over the past six years with them. They've been an awesome sponsor, and the cause that we have worked on has been a very important cause. I've been proud to have had the opportunity to work on it with them.
Q. As far as your personal workout, how has that evolved or changed over the last several years?
MARK MARTIN: It hasn't changed very much. I mean, it's been it's going on about 18 years now. And I'm older, 18 years older or 15 years older than I was 15 years ago. So I tailor my workout to benefit my age and my body type now maybe different than I did 15 years ago. But for the most part the commitment's the same and the effort's the same. I was in there at 20 minutes after 5 this morning.
Q. Mark, I'm sorry if you've addressed this a lot before, but I'm wondering what your philosophy is on letting a teammate lead a lap for the bonus points, particularly down the stretch of the season.
MARK MARTIN: I think it's everything I would have to say it would be specific to each individual. You wouldn't let someone who wasn't your teammate lead a lap unless you liked them and you thought that they would do the same for you and that's always been that way. Now that there are multiple teammates or whatever, you sort of have to do the same thing. You need to look at it and say, "Yes, I will, because he would," or, "No, I wouldn't, because he wouldn't." It's pretty much straightforward.
Q. Okay. And at Roush Racing, that's something that's left to the prerogative of the driver behind the wheel?
MARK MARTIN: Oh, yeah. Yeah. I've got four teammates in the Chase, and I have different deals with different drivers. All the deals aren't exactly the same.
Q. Yeah, yeah. And that just evolves kind of based on the way they evolve, I assume, or things naturally unfold on the track, or do you actually sit down and have a conversation about it?
MARK MARTIN: Well, we've had a conversation, you know, after Kansas. I've had a conversation with each one since Kansas because we didn't have one before. Everyone needed to understand what the deal was, you know, so that someone didn't give something up that wasn't going to be able to get back. And those are just rare occasions anyway. I mean, an occasion doesn't arise that often. But once in a while, it does. I've got a great relationship with each one of these guys, and we pretty much have an understanding of what we really want to do.
Q. And that's clear in your mind before a race starts; it's not something you're making up on the spot? You know where you stand?
MARK MARTIN: I pretty much, you know I pretty much know where I stand with every driver out there. You know, I would let a number of drivers lead a lap if I could, if they ask. It wouldn't matter to me who owned their cars or what. I have a great relationship with a lot of them, and I know where I stand with most of them. It's not only with teammates. I mean, there are other there's 43 guys out there. Everyone, we race against each other every week, and we know each other. There's guys you would do it for, and there's guys that you wouldn't.
Q. I have a fan question. You were chosen as a favorite driver because you didn't bad mouth the other drivers. His question to you was how difficult was it for you to not bad mouth some drivers over the years?
MARK MARTIN: Probably the hardest one of the hardest you know, there was a recent event this year that happened that was just almost the urge was almost uncontrollable. I just I thought about it long and hard, and I really, really, really, really wanted to, and I didn't. And I am sure glad I didn't.
But I thought about it (laughing).
Q. Mark, I want to go back to the loyalty thing that I brought up at the beginning of the interview.
MARK MARTIN: Okay.
Q. In other sports there are coaches and teammates that seem to have that way of knowing psychologically when to pat someone on the back and when they need to I don't want to say "get stern" but let their feelings be known. Do you think that's one of the reasons why your guys are so loyal, is because you know psychologically where that line is?
MARK MARTIN: I don't think that I'm that good, you know, with that. I understand what you're I understand your question there. I'm not that good with people. I think it's more of the example that I set. I get frustrated like other people. Believe it or not, though a lot of people, a lot of the fans don't see my frustration, I do get frustrated. When I get frustrated, I'm like anyone else. I don't function quite the same when I'm frustrated as when I'm not. So I do give those guys respect, and I appreciate them. I let them know how much, you know, their commitment means to me and all those kinds of things. I try to give them positive reinforcement, and I try to give them credit for what they do and how great they are.
The rest of it, you'd have to ask them. I'm not sure, you know, where the rest of it comes from. But one of the greatest honors I've had is my team staying together for 2005 because we had such a great season in 2004, and our camp was raided and people were trying to steal our guys. These guys stayed because I asked them to stay and because they thought that we could, you know, contend for this championship once again. They did that for me, first. I feel like they did it for me. They may have done it for themselves, but I say they did it for me, and I choose to believe that they did it for me and that's why I love them.
Q. And, finally, how much of your racing game over the years does your mentality of approaching a race play into it compared to how you drive the car?
MARK MARTIN: You know, it may be all the same. See, I believe that I try to deal with everything in reality and I try to look at every competition, you know, with a realistic expectation, which the expectation is 100% -- no limitations, no questions, 100% effort, everything that you have.
I kind of expect that of everyone, you know, that works with me as well. When we go into an event, that's what I expect. I don't expect a great result; I expect the result to be what it is, you know. My expectation, though, is the effort. I'm pretty demanding in the effort department, but the results, I just try to accept. I've been disappointed a lot in my career, and I try to accept the result on whatever it is, like the day that you led the most laps and no one could touch you and a dollar part broke and you wound up in the garage before the race is over. You can't let that tear you apart. You have to be strong enough to say, "We'll get'em next week." Even sometimes when you know your car might not be that good next week, you still have to say, "We'll get'em next week."
Q. Since you demand so much of yourself and you demand so much of others on the team, would you work for you?
MARK MARTIN: Yes, I would. I feel like I'm yeah, I feel like I'm a good guy. I really treat these guys with respect. The only way that you'll get crossed up with me is not with your limitations but with your lack of effort. That will cause major problems. But if you have limitations, you're okay with me as long as you're digging as hard as you can dig, you know. Those are my kind of people. I've been fortunate the last two years, I've had a whole group of people that have very little limitations and incredible drive and determination and will to work.
Q. I've got a question kind of following up on personnel. There's no doubt that having a strong team is what's going to make the difference these days with the cars being so much alike. It used to be a driver could do a lot with a car, but now it seems that Pit Road seems to make the difference. What does it feel like to you when guys do turn their back, when you do kind of have guys leaving the floor, and what advice can you give Matt Kenseth? It seems like he's going to lose quite a few people this year as well.
MARK MARTIN: Well, Matt will rebound well. Robbie has an incredible talent for picking the people who are able to rise to the occasion rather than going out and robbing folks, you know, that are already getting the job done. That's one of Robbie's strong suits. So those guys will recover. But it is very disappointing at the same time. That is the order of business today in Nextel Cup racing. We need a guy every race team out there looks around and says, "We need a guy, we'll just go pay, we'll just go hire, whatever it takes to get him from whoever." That's what they do instead of growing people, you know, giving them an opportunity and letting them move up and learn and stuff.
That's one of the great things about Roush Racing. There's not a lot of people at Roush Racing that have been robbed from other teams, you know. They're people who wanted to do it and hadn't done it before and had a chance to work their way up. That's part of the business, and it's a tough part. But, you know, I survived all these years with people running at our people, and Matt certainly will survive, you know, his winter here, too, and come back strong once again. That's what real champions do.
Q. Could salary caps end some of the thievery that goes on between the pit crews? You do have so much invested in them. People certainly have reputations as far as who pays the most, has the best benefits. But at some point do you see salary caps coming into play?
MARK MARTIN: I don't really. It's a great theory until you start trying to make it work. Once you start trying to make it work, it's very complicated. I don't think that it would be the answer to the problem. We've just got to keep on working. That's the nature of the business right now, and you just got to keep your head down and keep digging and keep looking for new talent. In a big organization like Roush Racing we have the opportunity to grow these people through the Truck Series and up through the Busch and in the Cup. That's a benefit for us.
Q. Mark, how about being on the October 21st episode of the "Guiding Light"? There's a lot of e mails from people saying they never expected to see guys like you and Carl Edwards on their soap.
Q. Can you tell us a little bit about shooting it. Did you have any reaction to it? Did you watch the episode?
MARK MARTIN: I hadn't seen the episode. They wrote us right into the script. Everybody was wonderful. It was a fun experience for me, and I'm sure it was for Carl as well to see the other side of the camera like that, you know. It was pretty neat. It was neat to see those people. They treated us, you know, with respect and wrote us right into the script. So it was pretty cool.
Q. Can you talk about the bumping and grinding that's been going on lately. The Chase is essentially a playoff, right, so it's kind of like any other sports the intensity goes up, people hit a little harder. Now do you think this is a good thing, a bad thing?
MARK MARTIN: I'm not sure that I've seen any, you know, additional contact based on the Chase. There's some very intense racing that we're doing, and it's very competitive, and we have problems. Right now if there's a problem on the racetrack, everybody in the world knows about it because of the coverage. I don't really see things that much different than they've been in the past.
Q. So you think it's just magnified because of the increased exposure and popularity of NASCAR?
MARK MARTIN: Yeah, and the increased competition, you know, more cars running, more cars the same speed. Those kinds of things are cars don't fall out anymore unless they get wrecked real bad. You know, there used to be a lot of attrition and half the cars running at the end of a race or something, and you don't have that much anymore. So you're going to have a little bit more scrapes out there.
DAN PASSE: All right, Mark. Thank you very much for joining us. Good luck this week in Atlanta.
Thank you, everybody, for your participation.
MARK MARTIN: Thanks, guys.
Ford Post Race Notes and Quotes - Martinsville - Mark Martin
Ford Racings: News
October 23, 2005MARK MARTIN - No. 6 Viagra Taurus (Finished 34th)
"We'll just keep fighting. I'm charged up. I'm excited. After a weekend of my race team fighting like they fought, we've got four more races so we're gonna go see if we can win some."
THOSE TRACKS ARE GOOD FOR YOU.
"They suit us better than this one, although we really had high expectations. See if Mr. Pessimist ever predicts another win."
YOU HAD BRAKE ISSUES BUT WERE MID-PACK MOST OF THE DAY.
"We had a middle pack car and we had to run it too hard on that long green and lost our brakes. The guys battled hard and we did everything we could. We've got four more and we're gonna go battle back. From wherever we're at, we're gonna move up."
Martin forced to backup car
Ford Racing: News
October 22, 2005Mark Martin, driver of the No. 6 Viagra Taurus, was involved in a practice accident and will be forced to a back-up for tomorrow's race. Martin, who qualified 35th, will have to drop all the way to the rear of the field.
MARK MARTIN - No. 6 Viagra Taurus
"I just got high to let the 09 go by me and then it just went straight coming off the corner like a right-front went down and then I hit the wall. Then when I hit the wall I broke a brake rotor and didn't have any brakes, so I couldn't get it stopped."
"I might have been alright. I moved up into the second lane to let the 09 go by me and then when I stepped on the gas to come off the corner it just went straight. There wasn't anything I could do."
YOU WERE ALREADY IN THE BACK.
"Well, it's a few more spots. We're not off to a good weekend so far, but this team is gonna fight to the bitter end."
Ford Racing Post Qualifying Notes and Quotes - Martinsville - Mark Martin
Ford Racing: News
October 21, 2005MARK MARTIN - No. 6 Viagra Taurus (Qualified 35th)
"I'm really disappointed. We qualified 19th and finished third the last time with this car here and we haven't really put a scratch on it since. It's been junk ever since we took it out on the race track. The guys worked real hard on it in practice there and I thought we made some headway, but we probably just made it worse. From the way things look right now, we must have just made it even worse. I don't know. I thought we had made it better. We got up to 26th in practice, but that's gonna be a provisional there."
Mark Martin Interview - Martinsville
Ford Racing: News
October 21, 2005Mark Martin, driver of the No. 6 Viagra Taurus, is fifth in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series point standings, trailing leaders Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart by 51 points. Martin spoke about this weekend's race at Martinsville as well as the rest of the season prior to Friday practice.
MARK MARTIN - No. 6 Viagra Taurus
"I have to be careful about agreeing with that because I love Charlotte so much and Lowe's Motor Speedway, but I was relieved to get through that. We were conservative on things, so we should have been one of the last two blow a tire out, but as the race went - sooner or later it gets to you (laughing). All of the early birds had their trouble and sooner or later that backs up to you, so, yeah, it was good to get that behind us. Our was awesome. It was fantastic. It was a night where we had a few setbacks on pit road - not all pit stuff. We almost had a wreck on pit road."
CAN YOU TAKE A RACE LIKE LAST WEEK MORE IN STRIDE THAN OTHERS?
"It was easier to take because we had a little bit more to say in our destiny there than we did at Talladega. In other words, we could be more conservative on air. We didn't have to put air in when NASCAR came around with the air thing. We were already there. I don't know how many didn't, but I know a lot of them that did have, we were already there and we were already very competitive with all of those things. So it's frustrating if you get caught out. If we would have had a tire problem, then I would have been one of the ones frustrated, but at least we had the opportunity to have more air in our tires, to have more scuffs. The first three sets of tires we put on, my right rears had 20 laps on them. They were 20-lappers. Most of the time you throw them away, so we did things to try to help us. At Talladega you can't. I'm trying to explain to you that it wasn't as frustrating of a race for me as one where I've got no control over the outcome."
DO YOU THINK WAS NASCAR RIGHT IN MANDATING AIR PRESSURE?
"Yes, I do. I don't see a bit of problem with that. They should have been there anyway. We were."
SHOULD THEY MAKE THAT A REQUIREMENT? HOW WOULD THEY POLICE IT?
"No, necessarily I don't. But under the circumstances they were contemplating shortening the race. I think making the teams put air in their tires that were below what they thought they should have been wasn't as bad as saying, 'OK, in 20 laps the checkered flag is coming out.' I think that would have been horrible for everyone."
WAS IT JUST CHARLOTTE OR DO YOU PLAY WITH AIR PRESSURE?
"We play with air-pressure a lot. I can feel tire trouble by how hard it pulls from a tire. I know if it's gonna be a tough one or not."
SO DID YOUR SENSES PLAY INTO GETTING THROUGH LAST WEEK?
COULD THIS CHAMPIONSHIP COME TO YOU BECAUSE OF YOUR EXPERIENCE?
"That helps a little bit, but let's talk about fast learners. Let's talk about Jimmie Johnson. He blew a right-front on lap 27 of the Busch race and he won the 500. So let's don't get all puffed up and think we're smarter than all these people. Let's remember that we've got some fast learners out here, too, and that was a little bit of new situation slightly for some of the high-tech drivers, but some of these guys learn real fast and that's why they're in the top 10. Some of the others that are real fast that didn't learn quite as quick, they aren't in the top 10. So, sure, my experience helps me. I do run my car as fast as I think I can get away with it all the time, and that's rarely 100 percent - except maybe the last 30 laps at Kansas when it was time to let it go. The rest of the time I sense things and feel things and I'm always trying to make my car better. The problem we had at Charlotte was we couldn't protect the right-front because we'd blister the right-rear. If we tried to protect the right-front too much, we'd tear the right-rear off of it. That was a concern, too, and that's the box it really put me in. Usually if it's just protecting the right-front, I can do that. But when I can't protect the right-front because the right-rear is gonna give out, then I'm like, 'Oooh, this is tougher.' So when the tire blew on lap 27 of the Busch race I called Pat (Tryson) immediately. As soon as he hit the wall I said, 'Pat, where are those 15 lappers from practice?' Always before when I do that they always say, 'Well, we already turned them in.' But I had three sets of 15-20 lappers from practice and that's six right-rears. You can make all of them right-rears, so that was six sets of right rears."
SO YOU WERE ON SCUFFS WHEN EVERYONE ELSE WAS ON STICKERS?
"We did go to stickers later on in the race because we used more tires than we expected with all the cautions, and we did run some stickers, but I'm just saying that immediately on lap 27 of the Busch race started making a plan based on my experience. Whereas a high tech driver is up there, 'He blew a tire.' I was like, 'Hey Pat, where are those 15 lappers. You got an 20s? That's six sets of right rears right there.' That stuff does happen, but how much does it help? I don't know. Jimmie Johnson just whooped us."
WHY HASN'T THIS BEEN A BETTER TRACK FOR YOU?
"I don't get along with small, flat tracks. Small, banked tracks I'm real good at."
WAS IT THE SAME IN ASA?
"Yeah, Ft. Wayne, Indiana, Rusty won at the first time he went there, which was a flat half-mile - a lot like Martinsville. I went there and I ran fifth, but when I went to Winchester, which is like Bristol, we won. The race tracks that I'm not my best at are the ones where the rear tires will spin. I'm not the best at a place where the rear tires spin. My specialty is momentum, not stopping and going. My specialty is momentum. That's why with I do lower horsepower cars because I don't stop them. A lot of these guys go in the corner real hard, stop, and go again real good and they get the tires to not spin, and all I ever work on is rolling across the middle real fast, which makes you spin the tires coming off and then I get to driving like a rookie and start spinning my wheels."
DO YOU GO INTO THIS RACE THINKING THAT MAYBE YOU DON'T GAIN POINTS THIS RACE?
"This is the first time I've come to Martinsville in years with a lot of confidence. I can tell you right now that we're gonna win on Sunday. I'm tired of being called a pessimist. It's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard of. We can win here Sunday and I believe that we might. We have the same car that we ran third with. We led this race for a short period of time and we ran third, and it hasn't been scratched since we ran it. It ran good in practice; it wasn't a fluke; it ran good the whole race. It's a good race car plain and simple. I have every reason to believe that we should run good again because we have the same car without a scratch on it."
IT OUGHT TO BE GOOD.
"It ought to be good. Now I've seen it where you come back with the same stuff and it won't work. I have seen that happen, but I have confidence coming in here that we're gonna be good."
DOES IT MATTER WHERE YOU QUALIFY HERE?
"It makes me mad to qualify poorly, but it doesn't have any real major bearing on the outcome. It just irritates me because I'm a competitor and I don't understand why people can beat me that bad. I think we were 19th here in the spring, but the car was really good in happy hour and it was really good throughout the race. I feel really confident, as confident as I felt going into Charlotte, where we run good all the time and where we knew we would run good. I'm very confident."
WHY DO YOU THINK THERE'S A DRIVER SHORTAGE?
"I think in the past the drivers weren't harvested because you didn't need them. There wasn't as great a demand and now we have 38 or 40 really top teams and we may have only had 28 before, so I think we have harvested them for a reason. I'm a big young driver supporter. I've been high on that when you all thought there was something wrong with me. I was criticized for all that and then it happened. But right now there just aren't any that are available that are ready. There are some guys available that aren't here, but they're tied up and waiting for their opportunity with their respective contracts."
IS THAT AN ISSUE WITH DRIVERS BEING TIED UP WITH OTHER GROUPS?
"Obviously, that restricts one or two that might. Maybe in the old days you'd run out and get Clint Bowyer, or you might run out and get Martin Truex. Obviously those guys are pretty much ready to make the step, but they are tied up and spoken for. You have to be forward thinking and think further ahead, and even if you don't think you need it, you need to be on it because Roush Racing probably didn't think they needed it four months ago and now we need more than what we have in our arsenal."
IS THERE A CHANCE YOU COULD STILL RETIRE THIS YEAR OR IS NEXT YEAR A DONE DEAL AS FAR AS COMING BACK IN '06?
"My deal is a done deal now. It's a done deal with the sponsor and all of those agreements are done. If Jamie were to get loose, he would wind up in the 97 car."
WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE RUSTY WINDING DOWN? THAT WAS YOU TOO A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO.
"I came out of Talladega very frustrated with myself for getting into the situation of having to go forward and needing to go forward one year. But I'm really at peace with it because, and I've said before and I think everybody knows, I'm at peace with it because of what Jack Roush has done for me and for what my team has done for me. Even more than Jack Roush, these guys love me and they've never questioned me. They're behind me 100 percent and they've made compromises in their lives so that I could have success on Sunday, but the way I deal with this is I'm not dealing with next year until next year. I can't do it. I will overload. I will short-circuit. I don't know anything about next year. I don't know how I'm gonna deal with it. I don't know how I'm going to use my psychology to get through it. I don't know. I'm not dealing with it right now. I'm not gonna do it."
IT SEEMS LIKE THIS IS 95 PERCENT A FAVOR TO JACK AS FAR AS YOU DOING THIS.
"It started out to be the right thing for Jack Roush and Roush Racing. That was the convincing factor in the very beginning. What it would mean to Roush Racing if I would come back for one year. So that sort of soaked in and then it became apparent what it would mean to the guys that I'm calling my heroes and, to me now, that means more to me than even the Jack Roush thing. But these guys here, I raced for 25th place in 2003. You've all heard me say and I'll say it again, I raced for 25th place. These guys made a winner out of me. I'll do anything for them - anything - because we don't know that I haven't won the championship this year yet. In my opinion, they have given me the best year of my career. It has been. The performance has been awesome. We haven't backed into fifth-place in points this year."
BUT WHAT MARK WANTS IN THE SHORT-TERM TOOK A BACKSEAT.
"I said I was gonna put my family first and as soon as it came up, Jack Roush went to sit down with Matt and Arlene. That's how I'm getting around putting my family first because if they said no, then I wouldn't do it."
"You go talk to them. I'm interested in this, but you go talk to them because I said I was gonna put them first and I'm not going back on that. There are certain things that I won't go back on and if they don't bless it, then we're not going forward."
SO JACK CONVINCED THEM?
"They were fine with it. They were OK with it."
YOU SAID THOUGH THAT THIS TIME NEXT YEAR THEY'RE ON THEIR OWN.
"They're on their own. I promise, they are on their own. (laughing)"
THIS IS SOMETHING WHERE YOU'VE HAD TO PUT ASIDE SOME PLANS.
"I have been disappointed from time to time that I wasn't able to go on and do my truck racing like I planned. What I am excited about is I have already tested my truck. Kevin Harvick has agreed to move the 6 over to my truck, which I would say that is a super stand-up guy, and I have agreed to race that truck six times next year. There is a plan for that truck to run a full schedule and to build that team and have it more ready for me in '07 than it would have been in '06."
AT LEAST IF YOU WIN THE TITLE THIS YEAR YOU'LL HAVE NEXT YEAR TO TRY AND BE THE BEST CHAMPION THERE EVER HAS BEEN.
"Yeah because I was gonna walk away (laughing). My plan was I was gonna go truck racing, but you're right about that. Obviously, there again, that's something I really don't want to contemplate until it's over with because that's another one of those straws. I'm telling you, with all the testing and all the stuff we're doing, there's only so much that a guy can take. Right now, I really want to deal with the stuff at hand and I really don't want to deal with the day after Homestead until we get done with Homestead and that's how I'm working it. I tested last week, next week, the week after, the week before. I mean, this is by far the toughest schedule I have ever been involved in."
RUSTY SAID HE WISHED JACK WOULD LET YOU RETIRE LIKE ROGER IS LETTING HIM RETIRE. HAS HE SAID THAT TO YOU?
"No, not necessarily. Everybody has their own deals. Rusty and I are good friends. I have the greatest respect for Rusty and he was a lot of fun doing that together with him and sharing that together. He may not be as comfortable now that we're not sharing it. We have roots that go back 30 years, so I appreciate that. But, at the same time, this is right for me. This is right for me and I'll feel great this time next year. It'll be a joke if they ask me - totally - and everybody knows that. Everything will be fine, but the situation is just not good for me to step out of the way right now. It would leave the situation in an uproar, so there's just not a suitable solution, especially when they had a sponsor lap over, where the sponsor and the driver ended at the same time. That was not normal for Roush Racing to have set up that way. To secure the sponsorship back in the summertime, they needed me to make a commitment to them and I'm gonna do that."
DOES JACK HAVE MORE ON HIS MIND NOW WITH THIS TEAM LIMITATION ISSUE?
"I might be wrong, but I think that team limitation thing is just a non-issue to me right now. I know that Jack has been upset about it, but I just don't see it. I don't see it happening. Of course, I'm telling you I'm focused. I've got the laser-focus. But Jack seems fine to me. He doesn't seem more preoccupied to me. He likes that stuff. He likes arguing. He likes a good fight. He likes that stuff. He seems like he's into it, to me."
WHAT HAS HE SAID TO YOU ABOUT IT?
"Just in the room and in conversation that he didn't see it coming and all of those kinds of things. He's just debating why it's wrong and he hadn't seen any of that coming. It's not like he seen this stuff coming, and that's why I don't think it'll happen because there hasn't been a long-range plan. It hasn't been thought out. It's not a very easy thing to do. I'm just a little old racer. I don't know. All I know is that seems pretty difficult to me to make happen."
HOW CAN YOU REPAY THESE GUYS YOU CALL YOUR HEROES BESIDES THANKING THEM OR PATTING THEM ON THE BACK?
"Do something like we did at Kansas. That's the best way. You can say thanks and thanks are nice. They make you feel good, but they don't make you feel as good as standing in Victory Lane."
THE MORE YOU WIN, THE MORE THEY MAKE?
"Yeah, but it ain't money. That feeling money can't buy, so it's not like your bonuses or something, it's that photograph in Victory Lane and that feeling you have that you're able to carry for only a few hours. That can't be bought. In fact, no hug, no handshake - it can go a long way, but it can't go as far as that. So we've done that. We had a great time in the all-star race and at Kansas and here we are with a shot at it. We're not done. We can still win some races this year. We can win this championship. If I was leading by 50 points, I would be no more confident than I am right here because I know how hard it is to win these things. Some people don't (laughing). I know how hard it is, so if I was sitting here with a 50-point lead, I'd still be skeptical. Things have to line up. They're gonna have to be meant to be for us to win. Tony Stewart is a perfect example last week."
IT'S HARD TO MAKE UP GROUND WEEK TO WEEK.
"That's right. I'm a big boy. I can take a whooping, but I am not a pessimist. I just look at things differently than some guys. I'm the opposite scale of a Wallace. A Wallace is an eternal optimist, but I couldn't live that way. If I thought every race I was gonna win, I'd be brokenhearted 99 times out of a 100. I don't want to be brokenhearted. I want to say, 'Man, we've got a good car and I'm gonna give it everything I've got.' That way if I run second, I don't have to be brokenhearted. That's just how I operate. That's a long explanation to what you said, but these guys are finishing top 10 every week and even if you had a cushion it can go away. It's still a long, hard road. There are five races to go and it's exciting. I hope it's as exciting when we leave Martinsville as it is today. I hope it doesn't spread out after the race."
YOU MUST HAVE A LOT OF PRIDE TO BE IN THIS TITLE HUNT IN YOUR NEXT-TO-LAST YEAR.
"There's enormous pride. That's what I wanted for this year and that's why I was willing to give more of myself than I ever had before - to reach deeper and to work harder at it and all that. That's another reason why I can't deal with 2006 at this time. Today I'm too spent to say that I can keep going. I have to have a break before I can tough up and say, 'Alright, I can do that much again.' I don't know if I can do that much again. I don't want to deal with that right now, but you know what? Worse-case scenario, if 2006 doesn't turn out as good as I hope, at least I can look at 2005 and say that was supposed to be it. Nobody can say that Rusty Wallace and myself haven't gone out at the top of our game. You just can't do it, especially us, especially what we've done. No matter happens next year."
"Yeah, and that hurt me bad. I love this sport. I love the tradition. They were the heroes when I was growing up wishing I could drive. I don't want to see that. I'm so happy to see Gil de Ferren do what he did. I'm so happy for Rusty, who may still win this championship. He's got as good a shot at it as anybody in the chase. Considering the competition, 2005 could arguably be as good as any year of my career. I won seven races in '98 and The Winston. That was a great year, but that was so long ago I can't remember it. So, to me, this is the best."
HAVE YOU LEARNED ANYTHING FROM LAST YEAR'S CHASE?
"We had to play the cards we were dealt last year and our hand is different that we're holding this year, so we're able to do some things differently. So, no, not really. But what I will say is it's gonna have to be a lot tougher next year because these people that didn't make it have got to be getting sick of it. Sooner or later they're gonna learn, and the ones that did make it, they're gonna want to be back in. So I'm telling you, 2006 looks scary to me because there are a bunch of guys that didn't make it that are not gonna go for that again. It's gonna be tough next year if you think about it. From 11th to 20th all of those guys are sitting there looking, 'Boy, this isn't gonna happen to me again.'"
DO YOU FEEL CONFIDENT ABOUT THE REMAINING RACES?
"I feel good about this race, but I feel good about all of them. I feel good about all of them, but I do feel good about this race. Even though I have struggled here, I've also had bright days here, too. Right now I feel like we've got a handle on this place."
IS THERE SOMETHING THAT CAN BE DONE IN THE FUTURE IF A TRACK PROBLEM - LIKE TIRES - IS DISCOVERED DURING TEST SESSIONS BEFORE THE RACE?
"You know what, it's a great question. Lowe's, everyone did everything they could. Goodyear brought the hardest tire they probably have ever made. It worked in May and we didn't have any reason to believe that it would be so marginal, even if one or two guys might have trouble. There was no reason to believe that it would be that marginal. Humpy did everything he could with the race track, short of never messing with it in the first place, and it's got to stop in the future. He's already made mention that he wouldn't do something like that again without conferring with NASCAR, and they've got to tell all these tracks that, 'you don't do anything to the race track without us supervising with you and agreeing.' So everyone did everything they could. No one foresaw it to be as bad as what it was, although there were tire troubles in practice. A lot of times the tire trouble gets less as the week goes on. That being said, I went and tested in Chicago and tore tires up in 17 laps. It was three weeks before the race. I told Goodyear about it and nothing happened. Of course they didn't have a disastrous race, but if you look back there were a lot of tire problems."
MAYBE BECAUSE THERE WEREN'T AS MANY COLORFUL COMMENTS AS SATURDAY NIGHT.
"It was a bad issue because it was the same thing. Right fronts were blowing out, but right rears were tearing up, and if you protected the right front the right rear would just come all to pieces. You can't protect two at once. You can protect one, but you've got to use the other one a lot to do it."
AT THIS STAGE OF YOUR CAREER YOU DON'T HAVE TO CODDLE GOODYEAR. IS GOODYEAR AS PROACTIVE AS THEY USED TO BE?
"It's a massive undertaking because they supply the Trucks and the Busch and the Cup. It's a massive undertaking and to change a tire after Mark Martin goes to test at Chicago and says, 'Hey, this tire isn't gonna work.' For them to change what they're gonna bring three weeks later - it can be done, but they have to be sure that what they've got laid out is not gonna work. I suppose that they weren't convinced that what they had laid out wasn't gonna work. Now, that being said, I'm not a guy that's too soft on them. I think that they should have been paying more attention with that one. I also think they had nothing to do with the Charlotte thing. They couldn't help that and they couldn't have helped it based on the test. The first calls they got from us at the test were, 'This tire is too hard. Everybody is just wrecking. It's too slick. This tire is too hard. You've got to get a softer tire.' Well, they never changed the tire and it wound up not being tough enough. That wasn't their fault."
GOODYEAR DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO TEST AFTER THE SECOND GRINDING.
"I don't know if they didn't have time or if they assumed it should still work because I assumed it would still work. It worked in May and they only ground where it wasn't ground. Logic says they got caught in a box there. That was not their fault. Charlotte was none of their doing."
Mark Martin makes bold prediction at Martinsville
By Bruce Martin - SportsTicker Contributing Editor
October 21, 2005MARTINSVILLE, Virginia (Ticker) Mark Martin figured he was both down and out.
Martin was just taken out of the race at Talladega Superspeedway earlier this month in a multi-car crash caused by Jimmie Johnson 19 laps into the event. Martin was credited with a 41st-place finish and dropped to ninth in the Chase for the Championship, 138 points out of the lead.
Typically discouraged, Martin essentially said "God must not want me to win a championship."
Martin may have spoken too soon.
He arrived at Martinsville Speedway for Sunday's Subway 500 fifth in points, just 51 behind the leaders, Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson who are tied with 5,777 points each.
Since that dreadful finish at Talladega on October 2, Martin rebounded to win at Kansas Superspeedway the following Sunday and finished fifth in last Saturday night's demolition derby at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte.
Those two strong finishes, combined with some unfortunate circumstances in the tire-popping fiasco at Lowe's, has allowed Martin to climb out of the hole he found himself in at Talladega.
And that has allowed Martin to make an uncharacteristic prediction about Sunday's short track race at the flat half-mile oval.
"This is the first time I've come to Martinsville in years with a lot of confidence," Martin said. "I can tell you right now that we're going to win on Sunday. I'm tired of being called a pessimist. It's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard of. We can win here Sunday and I believe that we might."
Martin returns with the same race car he drove to a third-place finish here in April.
"We led this race for a short period of time and it hasn't been scratched since we ran it," Martin said. "It ran good in practice; it wasn't a fluke; it ran good the whole race. It's a good race car plain and simple. I have every reason to believe that we should run well again because we have the same car without a scratch on it."
Martin usually doesn't exude such confidence. In fact, rarely does he boast that he is going to win a race.
Has the 46-year-old racer from Batesville, Arkansas discovered the secret to that elusive championship comes from a winning performance at Martinsville?
"That big trophy is getting closer and closer and he probably has a great race car," said Roush Racing teammate Greg Biffle, who is third in the standings, 11 points out. "The car feels really good for him. He's got a game plan. They've got their game face on. He's ready."
Martin has finished second in the series championship four times but has never been able to win the title . He realizes this season could be his last chance. After all, he announced at the beginning of the year this would be his last season in Cup.
But with Jamie McMurray's contract keeping him at Chip Ganassi Racing though the 2006 season, and with Todd Kluever not set to join the team until 2007, Martin may have to delay his retirement from the series for one year.
Regardless, it's very unusual for Martin to make a bold prediction that he will win a race at Martinsville, where he has only won twice in his career.
"Some people think it's being cocky or having a big head, Biffle said. "People think, 'How can you do that?' I said at California I'd be leading the race by lap five. When you have a great race car and you feel good about it and you've got all this energy and adrenaline going, and you feel like you've got an awesome race car, you feel invincible.
"That's how you need to feel if you're going to win. If you don't think you're going to win and you don't think you're going to run good, you're not."
Martin hopes his experience can be the key to winning his first title; that he can wait for the championship to come to him.
But he is quick to point out a group of fiercely aggressive drivers he calls the "fast learners."
"Let's talk about Jimmie Johnson," Martin said. He blew a right-front on lap 27 of the Busch race and he won the 500 the next time at Charlotte. So let's don't get all puffed up and think we're smarter than all these people. Let's remember that we've got some fast learners out here, too."
Already committed that he will stay in the No. 6 Ford for one more year, Martin is content in realizing that in the next-to-last year of his racing career, he still has championship form.
"There's enormous pride," Martin said. "That's what I wanted for this year and that's why I was willing to give more of myself than I ever had before - to reach deeper and to work harder at it and all that. That's another reason why I can't deal with 2006 at this time. Today I'm too spent to say that I can keep going. I have to have a break before I can tough up and say, 'Alright, I can do that much again.' I don't know if I can do that much again.
Nobody can say that Rusty Wallace and myself haven't gone out at the top of our game. You just can't do it, especially us, especially what we've done - no matter happens next year."
2005 Mark Martin Martinsville Fast Facts - Sunday, October 23, 2005
Subway 500 / Martinsville Speedway
No. (6) Viagra® Ford Taurus
October 19, 2005DRIVER: Mark Martin
TEAM: No. (6) Viagra® Ford Taurus
OWNER: Jack Roush
CREW CHIEF: Pat Tryson
THIS WEEKEND'S RACE
2004 EVENT WINNER: Jimmie Johnson
MARK MARTIN 2004 EVENT: Started 23rd, Finished 12th
MARTINSVILLE, VA. - Mark Martin makes it no secret that Martinsville is not his favorite track on the Nextel Cup circuit. With 43 cars on the small .566 oval it can get really crowded and passing is difficult. However Martin spent the majority of Sunday’s Subway 500 patiently moving through the field. The Viagra® Team started 23rd and Martin spent the first 130 laps of the caution-filled race patiently working his way through traffic and inside the top 15. Martin moved inside the top 10 on lap 182. His momentum would carry him all the way to sixth place and the team looked poised for a top-five finish. However five cautions in the race’s final 84 laps foiled the team’s pit strategy and Martin was forced to settle for a 12th-place finish.
MARTIN LOOKS TO TAKE MOMENTUM INTO MARTINSVILLE
Martin moves into Martinsville after posting a fifth-place finish at Charlotte last Saturday. Martin has now posted top-five finishes in three of the last four and top-seven finishes in four of the five 'Chase' races.
MARK MARTIN AT MARTINSVILLE
Starts: 39
Wins: 2 (-)
Top 5's: 11 (4)
Top 10's: 21 (8)
Poles: 3 (2)
Highest finish: 1st (twice)
First time: 9/27/81 (3rd)
Last time: 4/10/05 (3rd)
10/24/04 (12th)THE CAR
Chassis Number: (RK-274) - The team will run RK-274 this weekend at Martinsville. RK-274 is the same car Martin ran to a third-place finish at Martinsville in the spring. This will be the car's fifth run this season.
WORTHY NOTE
Martin has finished third in his first and last starts at Martinsville.
IN THE POINTS
Martin's fifth-place run at Lowe's moved him up two places to fifth in the Nextel Cup point standings. Martin was also able to close the gap to the leader from 113 to 51 points. Martin is 34 points out of fourth and 40 points behind third.
BREAKING DOWN THE CHASE
Martin has started a total of 111 races at the remaining five tracks that will make up the Chase for the Nextel Cup. He has posted 6 wins, 36 top-five and 60 top-10 finishes at those tracks. Martin has a 13.32 average finish at Chase tracks and he has led a total of 1,814 laps, including 318 at Martinsville.
MARTIN AT 'MARTIN'SVILLE
Though not a favorite of his, Martin has experienced success at Martinsville where he has won twice and boasts 21 top-10 finishes and three poles. Martin posted a strong showing at Martinsville in the spring, finishing third. The finish was Martin's first top-five at Martinsville since he won there in April of 2000.
FIRST AND LAST TIME'S A CHARM
Martin was strong at Martinsville right off the bat, qualifying fifth and posting a third place finish in his first race there on September 27, 1981. Martin finished third there this spring as well. Martin has finished third at Martinsville on six occasions.
RECORD 12th IROC CHAMPIONSHIP ALL BUT LOCKED UP
Martin's dramatic win over Kurt Busch in last Thursday's IROC race was not only Martin's record extending 13th of the series, but it all but locked up what will be his record setting fifth championship in the International Race of Champions.
Mark Martin will make his final run at the Nextel Cup title in 2005. Martin has dubbed 2005 as his "Salute to You" tour, a year in which he hopes to take the time to thank each and everyone that he feels played a role in his success, including team members, fans, NASCAR and the media.
QUOTING MARK MARTIN AND PAT TRYSON ON MARTINSVILLE
Mark Martin:
"Martinsville is a place that I've always hated with a passion, but we've won two or three times there. I"ve always loved Pocono, but I've never won there, so what does that tell you. It's always been a thorn in my side as far as short tracks. People have always told me how well I run there, but it sure never feels that way. It can be physically demanding. Sometimes you leave there worn down, sometimes you feel fine. It's been a real challenge for me, because it really just doesn't fit my driving style. However we had a good run there in the spring and we've been pretty good there the last few times. Hopefully we can put together another top five and keep moving forward.
"We had a good run last week at Charlotte and we just have to keep that going. Pat (Tryson) and the guys have done an outstanding job during the 'Chase' and I don't think that we are anywhere near through just yet."
Pat Tryson:
"We had a good car there in the spring and were able to run up front and get a third place finish out of the race. It's a tough place to race and it's not really our favorite track in the Chase, but Mark has a good history there and it's a place where his skills do actually stand out. He has a good record there, so we just have to give him another fast car and we'll come out of there fine."
CATCHING UP WITH MARK MARTIN
The Miami Herald
October 19, 2005NASCAR veteran Mark Martin is in the thick of the championship battle at the halfway point of the 10-race Chase for the Nextel Cup. Of the 10 drivers in contention, four have won Cup titles (Rusty Wallace, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart) and six have not (Martin, Ryan Newman, Greg Biffle, Jeremy Mayfield and Jimmie Johnson). But no one has been more successful without winning a title than Martin. Each Wednesday, we will follow Martin's quest to add the champion's trophy to his hardware collection.
IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR
Martin avoided tire blowouts and survived bad pit stops to finish fifth at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., jumping from seventh to fifth in the standings -- 51 points behind co-leaders Stewart and Johnson.
IN THE WINDSHIELD
The Chase goes next to Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, where Martin has won twice and posted 21 top 10 finishes in 39 races.
Q&A
Q: What was your mind-set racing at Lowe's Motor Speedway with so many drivers having tire problems?
A: I saw the entire Busch race (the night before), and they had major concerns. I talked with (crew chief) Pat Tryson by phone during the entire race. We came up with a game plan for Saturday, and it did not work. We still blistered left rear tires the entire race, but we were one of the lucky ones because we did not blow one.
Q: How gratifying was it to finish fifth in a race where some drivers said they were scared to death?
A: Well, we had a really good car, and one capable of winning that race, so you hate not winning. On the other hand, a top five was a lot better than a lot of people were able to get, and you have to be grateful you didn't end up in the wall with a torn-up race car.
Q: At the Chase's halfway mark, it appears all 10 drivers still have a shot at the championship. How do you feel about your position now?
A: As we've seen in the past few weeks, anything can happen in these deals. I really can't do much different if I'm down 51 points, 15 points or 250 points. All I can do is take them one at a time and try to win races, run up front and get as many points as possible.
Q: Next up is Martinsville, a half-mile track where you have had many great runs and two victories, but have led only one lap in the past seven races. What is your outlook going there this time?
A: We ran pretty good there in the spring and were able to finish third. We had pretty good races there last year (including a 12th in the fall race), so we hope to get out of there with a good finish. A top five or 10 would make me happy.
Q: Driving for the five-car Roush Racing team, what do you think about NASCAR possibly instituting a limit on the number of cars each owner can run? And will it affect your plans to postpone your retirement to drive next year?
A: I really don't have any thing to say about all of that. I will leave that up to Jack (Roush) and (team president) Geoff Smith and everyone at Roush. I drive race cars, and I'll be in the No. 6 all of next season.
-- CAMMY CLARK
Martin Jumps Back into Title Hunt with Top-Five Finish at Charlotte
No. 6 Viagra® Racing team posts fourth top-seven in five Chase starts
Mark Martin and the #6 Viagra® Racing Team
Lowe's Motor Speedway/October 15, 2005CONCORD, N.C. – Mark Martin and the Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Racing Team survived a wild night at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, escaping the 1.5-mile track with a fifth place finish that moved Martin up two places to fifth and back into serious contention for the 2005 Nextel Cup. In a night that saw numerous cars fall victim to blown tires, Martin and the No. 6 team finessed their way to the top-five finish and moved Martin to within 51 points of the lead.
“We actually had a car that was good enough to contend for the win,” said Martin. “But we had a few minor set backs. We almost had a wreck on pit road and some other minor stuff that kept putting us back to 10 th place or so and it was just hard coming back through the field. Still, we did what we had to do and we’ll take this and move on to the next one. Pat (Tryson) and the team did a great job tonight and I’m really proud of the effort of this Viagra® Race team.”
The race saw 15 cautions, with the majority being tied to tire problems. Martin, crew chief Pat Tryson and tire specialist Jim Davis worked feverishly through the evening, closely monitoring each tire that came off the car to ensure Martin would not suffer the same fate as several cars that went to the garage after blowing tires. While a few of Martin’s tires would show blister wear, the team was able to avoid any serious trouble, ensuring Martin the chance at the solid victory.
Martin started sixth and ran inside the field’s top 10 for the majority of the race’s 334 laps. He broke into the top five for the first time of the evening on lap 49 and ran there until the day’s third caution was issued on lap 61 when the No. 8 car of Dale Earnhardt Jr. blew a tire and collided with the wall. The team came into the pits for four tires and fuel, but Martin almost collided with the No. 19 car of Jeremy Mayfield who was entering pit road just as Martin was exiting. Tryson was able to stop Martin just in time, but the No. 6 team lost valuable time and dropped back to 11 th when the field went green on lap 67.
Martin broke back into the top 10 on lap 94 just before the No. 32 blew a tire and sent out the caution flag for the fourth time of the night. The team again came in for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment and Martin went back out 10 th when green-flag racing resumed. Martin had moved to sixth place by lap 124 when Sterling Marlin’s No 40 car blew a tire and caused the fifth caution of the race. The team again came down pit road for four tires and fuel and a 13.70-second stop sent Martin back out in sixth.
Martin was running in eighth on lap 172 when the No. 29 car blew a right-front tire for caution number seven. This time Tryson opted to put right-side tires only on the No. 6 Ford. The move worked and Martin gained valuable track position up to third when racing resumed on lap 179. Preserving the tires, Martin dropped back to fifth place where he was running when the night’s biggest caution came out on lap 216 when points leader Tony Stewart cut a tire and went spinning into the outer wall. The accident would eventually allow the field to cut into Stewart’s lofty points lead and send out the caution flag for the ninth time of the race.
Having taken four tires under caution on lap 201, Tryson again opted for right-side tires only when the team pitted for the eighth time after Stewart’s spin on lap 217. Several cars stayed out and Martin found himself in 10 th place when the field went green on lap 221. The No. 39 car would lose a tire 22 laps later and Martin would again come in under caution on lap 245 for four tires and fuel. Martin restarted in sixth, but built up little momentum as caution was called just two laps later when leader Elliot Sadler ran over debris that caused his No. 38 Ford to lose a tire and spin uncontrollably into the outer wall. The field was red-flagged for over 20 minutes and Martin restarted in fifth place when the race resumed on lap 259.
Martin was up to second when caution number 14 was brought out when race leader Kasey Kahne lost a tire on his No. 9 car on lap 306. Martin and Tryson opted for four tires in what would be their last stop of the night, while several teams took two only. Martin restarted ninth and would have his work cut out for him with only 23 laps remaining once the field went green. Martin had powered his way to sixth when the night’s 15 th and final caution was issued on lap 330 when Rusty Wallace spun out while trying to pass the No. 25. The caution set up a green-white-checkered finish in which Martin would be able to pass the No. 11 car of Denny Hamlin for fifth place and a spot in the top-five.
Martin, who entered the race in seventh place and 118 points out of first place, moved up to fifth and to within 51 points of first place, which is currently shared by Stewart and eventual race winner Jimmie Johnson. He is 34 points of fourth and 40 points behind third.
“It was a great car and a great effort, and I'm really proud of this race team,” added Martin. “They're giving me a shot at it."
The team will return to action next weekend at Martinsville Speedway where he finished third in the spring. Martin boasts two wins, 11 top-fives, 21 top-10 and three poles in 39 starts at Martinsville.
Ford Racing: News: Ford Post Race Notes and Quotes - Nextel - Charlotte
MARK MARTIN - No. 6 Viagra Taurus - Finished 5th
"I really hate it. This car was capable of contending for the win, but we just struggled all night long. Everytime we turned around. We had problems on pit road and just about crashed on pit road. Everytime we turned around we'd just about get there in position where we could go race for it and then we'd have a major setback - not a major setback but go back to 10th or 12th. These guys have given me a golden opportunity here. I hate we didn't do more with it, but it's good to get a top five. That's what you need to do and maybe we can win some more of them."
SOME GUYS SAID THEY RAN 85-90 PERCENT. HOW ABOUT YOU?
LAST WEEK YOU DIDN'T THINK YOU HAD A CHANCE AT THE TITLE, BUT YOU'RE ONLY 50-60 POINTS OUT HALFWAY THROUGH.
WHAT A BIZARRE RACE.
"Yes it was. We had a great run. I guess fifth is a great finish, but it's a little bit disappointing with the car that we had. It was a contender and everytime we'd get in position where we might be able to go up and challenge we'd have a setback. We had a number of problems and had to come back from 10th or 12th everytime we turned around. It was a great car and a great effort, so I'm really proud of this race team. They're giving me a shot at it."
Martin keeps focus on task at hand
By David Poole
The Charlotte Observer
October 15, 2005CONCORD, N.C. - It looks as though Mark Martin will wind up being a victim of his own prophecy.
A year ago this week, as Martin and car owner Jack Roush announced at Lowe's Motor Speedway that 2005 would be Martin's "Salute to You" farewell season of full-time Nextel Cup competition, the driver of the No. 6 Fords talked about the pressure at NASCAR's top level.
"To keep this thing rolling, you have to perform," Martin said that day. "That is the glue that keeps a championship team together, the glue that keeps the sponsors coming back, that keeps the people working on the cars wanting to work at night, come in early, stay late, go on the road, leave their families at home – all of those sacrifices."
Martin was ready – no, make that eager – to walk away from the week-to-week grind of Nextel Cup after 2005.
He never said he was retiring, but promised that whatever he drove in 2006 and beyond would be something he'd have fun in, be it in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series or late models on small tracks around the country wherever he felt like going.
The problem is that Roush needs glue for 2006.
And he's asked Martin to be it.
"At this point it's 99 percent sure I'll be in the 6 car," in 2006, Martin said. "I don't really see any scenario that would bail me out of that."
If it sounds like Martin is not exactly thrilled that what he announced a year ago hasn't gone as planned, it's because he's not.
What's he's trying to do right now, as he competes in this year's Chase for the Nextel Cup, is to simply not think about it.
"I'm very much at peace with it because it doesn't exist in my world at this time," said Martin, who comes into Saturday's UAW-GM Quality 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway off a victory last weekend at Kansas Speedway that left Martin 113 points behind Chase leader Tony Stewart. Martin starts sixth in a race scheduled to begin at approximately 7:20 p.m. Eastern.
"I know it's there," Martin said of the additional year of Cup competition forced upon him by circumstances surrounding the team he's helped Roush build since 1988. "I know I'm going to do it. But it doesn't exist in my world. I am at peace with the things I can't control. My way of dealing with it, my psychology on myself, is it just doesn't exist."
No one is holding a gun to Martin's head to make him drive another year, of course. But his loyalty is such that there might as well be. Roush needs him and that's pretty much all there is to it.
Roush Racing signed Jamie McMurray to replace Martin, but McMurray's contract with Chip Ganassi Racing runs through 2006 and Ganassi has steadfastly maintained that he'll hold McMurray to that contract.
Even if Ganassi relents, however, it's unlikely that would change Martin's status for 2006 now. Kurt Busch has signed to replace Rusty Wallace in the No. 2 Dodges owned by Roger Penske, but Busch also is signed to drive Roush's No. 97 Fords through next year.
If McMurray should become available to Roush for next year, it now seems destined that Busch would make his move, too, and McMurray would drive the No. 97 Fords with Martin returning in the No. 6 Fords for a year.
"The driver situation in the garage right now is horrible for replacements," Martin said. "There is no one who is ready to step into a top car. That's why people are fighting over Kurt Busch and Jamie McMurray. There's no one available that's ready.
"If (Roush Racing) can't do better this time next year, then that's going to be their tough luck. But, for now, I'm not going to leave them hanging. I'm not going to do it. I love my team and Jack Roush too much to leave them with an empty hole for 2006."
Whatever happens next year, Martin's determination to put it out of his mind shows through when he's asked about how important being in the Chase for this year's championship is to him.
"As far as I'm concerned, this is my last chance at a championship," said Martin, who has finished in the top five in the final standings 11 times without winning a Cup title. "If you don't make the Chase, you can't win it. As of right now, I don't expect to make the Chase next year because I know how hard it is.
"Obviously, we will do everything we can, but, like I say, 2006 doesn't exist. It just doesn't, for me but we'll deal with that when it comes to us. I'm not going to work on that right now. I've got a lot of other things to worry about, whether or not I can be as fierce and as focused and all those things in 2006, I don't know if I can. I'll deal with that later.
"All I know is I was able to give more than I ever thought was possible in 2005 because it was going to be my last year. ... I can't do that again. You can only do that once, so I'll have to come up with something else for next year and I don't know what that will be."
Mark Martin needs to start to clinch championship
Atlanta Motor Speedway
Million Dollar Day for Mark Martin in Atlanta
HAMPTON, Ga. (October 14, 2005) -- It's not every day a man can show up to work, flip a switch and collect $1 million. But that's exactly what Mark Martin will do Saturday, October 29 in the Crown Royal International Race of Champions season finale at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Because of his successful Crown Royal IROC season to date, which includes two wins and a runner-up finish in three starts, Martin simply has to start the race to clinch the 2005 Crown Royal IROC series championship.
"Wrapping the season up in Atlanta and getting that fifth IROC title will be right up there on the list of things I've been very fortunate to do," Martin said.
He also added to his list of accomplishments cashing his first $1 million check of the season by winning the NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge in May.
The 2005 season has been a record-setting year for Martin in the Crown Royal IROC series. His 12th win this February at Daytona made Martin the all-time wins leader in the series, surpassing Dale Earnhardt Sr.'s record of 11. He is also tied with Earnhardt Sr. with four championships. That will change on October 29 when Martin starts the season finale at Atlanta Motor Speedway, capturing his series-leading fifth title.
"The success I have had in IROC has meant more to me than anything else in my career," said Martin, winner of 35 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races.
"It means we were able to beat the best in the business on some of those days and we did it for a lot of years in equal cars," Martin said. "That means it is up to the driver to get the job done, so it's very satisfying to me."
Making its debut in 1974, the Crown Royal IROC series pits champions from all forms of motorsports, including the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, NASCAR Busch Series and NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series, World of Outlaws, Champ Cars, Grand American Road Racing series and the Indy Racing League, against each other in an equally prepared Pontiac Trans-Am race car.
Accompanying the Crown Royal IROC race on Saturday will be the EasyCare Vehicle Service Contracts 200 NASCAR Craftsman Truck race.
Mark Martin Post Qualifying Notes and Quotes - Lowe's
MARK MARTIN - No. 6 Viagra Taurus (Qualified 6th) - "It's gonna be a good qualifying effort. It wasn't perfect, but the car was so good that it's gonna be a great start for us. The car has been really good in practice and I'm looking forward to the race."
IT'S FAST.
"The track is real fast. Our car is awesome. It was great in practice and I didn't get as good a lap qualifying as I did on average, but with such a great car it's not gonna matter. It's still gonna be a decent starting spot."
Mark Martin, driver of the No. 6 Viagra Taurus, is coming off his first points win of the season after taking the checkered flag in last week's Banquet 400 at Kansas Speedway. Martin, who tested here at Lowe's Motor Speedway last week, spoke about track conditions and his hopes for the race after Friday's first practice.
MARK MARTIN - No. 6 Viagra Taurus
YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE TRACK SURFACE NOW?
"They've made a huge effort to try to make it better and it's a lot better than it was. It was in very poor shape when we came here to test. So far, so good. I really wish that we could go back before we ever touched it, but it is in good condition and, hopefully, we'll see. Hopefully, the drivers will be able to race without running over one another."
WHAT DID THE RUBBER DO AS FAR AS THE FEEL?
"It's a whole lot faster. The track was incredibly loose when we were here the first day. We only tested one day. Biffle and Stewart were here the second day and I don't think the track was a whole lot better, but the Busch cars came later and they liked it. They said the track was good and they didn't know what we were talking about, so we didn't wreck a race car. We were fast in the test. The car seems fast now. The track seems in great condition. We'll see what happens."
IS IT HARD TO GET GRIP?
"Right now it's not. Right now it's not hard to get a hold of. Right now it rolls the eyes back in your head it's so fast. I guess that's a good thing. That means there's a lot of grip there - way more than there was when the Cup cars tested."
COULD THE SHEAR SPEED MAKE FOR A CRAZY RACE LIKE MAY?
"It could. I don't know. I can't predict what the race is gonna be like. I predicted the May race was gonna be like it was, but I can't predict this one just yet. It's too early to draw a hard line about it, but the shame is that it was great before it was touched. Now it is what it is, and now they're talking about repaving it and it won't be great repaved for a few years. The sad thing is that I don't think there's a driver in the garage that would say they wished it was repaved versus the way it was. It's a great place to race."
WHY DO YOU THINK HUMPY MESSED WITH A PLACE THAT EVERYBODY LIKED WHAT IT WAS?
"He's looking for side-by-side racing, and there was some side-by-side racing but there was no Talladega racing. It was a great place to race. It was just fine. It was rough and everything else. Michael Waltrip and few of them - Kasey Kahne - did run high here, but, for the most part, people ran on the bottom. That's about all you're gonna see here under most conditions. They may change that if they change the banking, but anything with a heritage like this race track, I would have not messed with it. I would have saved my money."
PLACES LIKE HERE AND ATLANTA WHERE SPEEDS ARE SO FAST, IS A MILE AND A HALF TRACK JUST TOO SMALL?
"Atlanta is wonderful to race at, but it's been 10 years since it was paved. And if they won't pave it for another 10 years, it'll continue to be great to race at. Now it is not wicked fast as it was. They don't obviously have to be incredibly fast. You're talking to an old-timer here. I say if the race is too boring, stay home. That's not what Humpy would say. I don't own this race track. I'm not the one trying to fill the seats. I understand everybody has a view on this thing."
IS THIS STILL A GOOD TRACK FOR YOU?
"It is. We won the All-Star race here on it and it's better now than it was in the All-Star race. They've made improvements to it."
SO COULD THIS BE FOR YOU WHERE MAYBE YOU MAKE UP FOR TALLADEGA. MAYBE YOU RUN WELL AND SOMEBODY ELSE GETS CAUGHT UP IN SOME BAD LUCK.
"To answer your question, if I miss the wreck and they don't, then yes. But we don't even know if this is gonna be a crashfest or not yet. It's hard to say. I give the race track a good possibility of being fine for us to race on by Saturday night. Obviously, tomorrow night's race we'll know. We'll know after watching tomorrow night's race what we're gonna deal with Saturday night."
WHAT WAS THE REACTION LIKE SUNDAY NIGHT WHEN YOU GOT HOME AND SAW MATT AND ARLENE?
"It was pretty cool. They were here for the All-Star race and that was incredibly exciting. It wasn't as exciting obviously. Matt is pretty cool. He was like, 'Hey, you want to see what I'm working on up here? By the way, good race.' It wasn't like he was jumping up and down or balloons and everything. It was, 'Oh, by the way, good race.' Arlene is really happy because she knows how much effort goes in by how many people - not just me, but tons of people who are making sacrifices to get a little taste of that once in a while."
2005 Mark Martin Lowe's Fast Facts - Saturday, October 15, 2005
UAW-GM Quality 500 / Lowe's Motor Speedway
#6 Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Ford Taurus
October 12, 2005DRIVER: Mark Martin
TEAM: No. (6) Viagra® Ford Taurus
OWNER: Jack Roush
CREW CHIEF: Pat Tryson
2004 EVENT WINNER: Jimmie Johnson
MARK MARTIN - 2004 EVENT
Started 12th, Finished 13thWhile announcing that Thursday that 2005 would be his final season running for the Nextel Cup, Martin made it very clear that his intention for the remainder of the season was to win races, while continuing to chase this season’s championship.
Martin went out on Saturday night and backed that statement up in grand fashion. Powering one of the fastest cars in the race, Martin started 12th and worked his way forward. The veteran took his first lead of the night on lap 216 and Martin led the race with only 35 laps remaining. However with only 22 laps to go, Martin’s Viagra Ford was caught up in an accident involving lapped traffic. The No. 6 Ford, which had been one of the fastest all evening, sustained major damage in the accident and the team was forced to come into the pits several times to make repairs.
The team worked feverishly to stay on the lead lap and Martin was able to bring home a solid 13th place finish.
FRESH OFF KANSAS WIN, MARTIN HEADS TO 'FAVORITE TRACK' LOWES
After dominating last week's race at Kansas, Martin heads to Lowe's Motor Speedway which he regards as his favorite track on the circuit. Martin won in the All-Star race in May at the 1.5 mile speedway and will look to repeat that success this Saturday night.
THE CAR
Chassis Number: (RK-314) - The team will run RK-314 this weekend at Lowe's. RK-314 finished 11th at Fontana in its last run. The car finished seventh at Indy and 17th at Michigan in its other runs this year.
MARK AT CHARLOTTE
Starts: 41
Wins: 4 (3)
Top 5's: 15 (9)
Top 10's: 19 (11)
Poles: 2 (1)
Highest finish: 1st (4 times)
First time: 5/300/82 (27th)
Last time: 5/29/05 (28th)
10/16/04 (13th)WORTHY NOTE
Martin's four wins at Lowe's tie for the most of any active driver.
BREAKING DOWN THE CHASE
Martin has started a total of 151 races at the remaining seven tracks that will make up the Chase for the Nextel Cup. He has posted 10 wins, 51 top-five and 79 top-10 finishes at those tracks. Martin has a 13.83 average finish at Chase tracks and he has led a total of 2,962 laps, including 1,148 at Lowe's.
MARTIN AT LOWE'S
Martin has four wins at Lowe's, with three coming in the fall race. In addition, he has won twice at Lowe's in the All-Star event, including last May's dominating performance. His 15 top-five finishes are the most of any active driver at the 1.5-mile track and his four wins tie with Jeff Gordon for the most wins by an active driver and the third most ever. In addition he boasts six Busch wins and one IROC win at Lowe's as well.
FAREWELL RUN FOR "WHITE LIGHTNING"
Martin will run the special 'reverse' white Viagra' night race paint scheme for the final time this weekend at Lowe's. Over the past two years the scheme has run 16 times, wracking up six top 10's, three top fives and a win.
RECORD 12th IROC CHAMPIONSHIP ALL BUT LOCKED UP
Martin's dramatic win over Kurt Busch in last Thursday's IROC race was not only Martin's record extending 13th of the series, but it all but locked up what will be his record setting fifth championship in the International Race of Champions.
Mark Martin will make his final run at the Nextel Cup title in 2005. Martin has dubbed 2005 as his "Salute to You" tour, a year in which he hopes to take the time to thank each and everyone that he feels played a role in his success, including team members, fans, NASCAR and the media.
QUOTING MARK MARTIN AND CREW CHIEF PAT TRYSON ON LOWE'S
Mark Martin:
"I tell you what I love Lowe's Motor Speedway. In my opinion, it's the greatest place to race in the world. I can remember the first time that I ever went there in 1981 and thinking 'wow' this is just like a small quarter-mile track somewhere, except it's huge, but you could race just like that. Everytime I go there, the first thing I do after the first lap is radio the team and tell them how awesome that track is. We had a great test there a couple of weeks ago and I can't tell you how excited I am about getting back there.
"Last Sunday was a great win for this team and Charlotte couldn't come at a better time. We had a good car there in the spring and we got caught up in somebody's wreck late in the race. Hopefully this time we'll be able to avoid that and finish it off. Tony (Stewart) has a pretty good lead on all of us, but it's really tight after that. We just have to keep fighting and see what happens."
Pat Tryson:
"I think that we all pretty much know that Lowe's is Mark's favorite place to race and we also know that he can get the job done there. He was dominant in the All-Star race in May and we were good in the 600 as well. It's just up to us to give him a car capable of putting him up front and we all know that he'll do the rest. Our goal is to give Mark a good car and go out and look for two in a row this weekend at Lowe's."
MARK MARTIN FAST FACTS – LOWE’S
- Martin has three wins at Lowe's Motor Speedway, with three coming in the fall race.
- Martin's four wins at Lowe's are the most of any driver.
- Martin won the All-Star Challenge at Lowe's in May. It was the second time Martin has won the event at Lowe's.
- Martin has 19 top-10 and 15 top-five finishes at Lowe's.
- Martin has led 1,148 laps at Lowe's, the most of any active driver.
- Martin has won six Busch races at Lowe's and two All-Star events (1998 and 2005).
- Martin has not finished inside the top 10 at Lowe's in the last six races.
Mark Martin Proves He's a Team Player
By Mike Harris
AP Motorsports Writer
October 12, 2005Last February, Mark Martin showed off a wall with trophies and racing memorabilia displayed floor to ceiling in his Daytona Beach office.
"You know, I've had an incredible career," he said, emotion filling his voice. "But it's time to slow down, to be with my family more and start enjoying what I've been able to accomplish."
The plan was for the 46-year-old Martin to make the 2005 season, supposedly his last in NASCAR's Nextel Cup Series _ a tribute to the fans who have cheered him through a career in which Martin has won 35 races and finished second in the points four times.
No more Cup grind, with 38 weeks of racing each year. But Martin, who still loves driving a race car, was working on putting together a team for NASCAR's Craftsman Truck series and had plans to run a handful of Busch Series events, as well.
Another part of Martin's plan was to finish in Cup with a flourish, leaving Jack Roush, the team owner who has been his friend and biggest supporter since the two got together in 1988, with a third straight title.
Martin made it easily into the 10-man field for the Chase for the championship. He stands seventh, 118 points behind leader Tony Stewart, after winning last Sunday at Kansas City in the fourth of 10 races in the playoff-style format.
Now he and the rest of the Cup drivers head back to Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., where Martin won a non-points event in May.
But whatever happens in Saturday night's UAW-GM Quality 500 and the rest of this season, it will not be Martin's swan song in Cup, after all.
Roush decided Jamie McMurray was the driver he wanted to take Martin's place, but McMurray, under contract to Chip Ganassi, isn't available until 2007. Instead of finding an interim driver, Roush persuaded a reluctant Martin to stay for another year.
"I didn't have to beg him," Roush said. "He saw the need we had, and he agreed to it."
Martin acknowledges he felt he owed it to Roush to help him by staying for another year, but it doesn't make him happy. He says it has taken everything he could muster to accomplish what he has this season.
"All I can tell you is it's a lot more difficult now than it was 20 years ago," Martin said.
Even winning a points race for the first time in more than a year and getting back into the championship fray has not made Martin, an inveterate pessimist, particularly happy.
Asked if the victory in Kansas makes the thought of racing again in 2006 more exciting, Martin shook his head, grimaced and said, "You know that I use strange psychology on myself.
"It really doesn't (make it more exciting), because I know how hard this all is.
"I can't tell you how hard my team and I have had to work to do this," he added. "One of the ways I was able to find enough to do it here this year is because I thought it was the last, and I don't know where I'll find that (next year). I don't know if I can find that much again next year."
Meanwhile, winning the championship that has eluded him for so long would be a gift that Martin would cherish for the rest of his life, but, more important to him would be winning it for Roush and his crew.
"The win (Sunday) was not the most exciting of my career," Martin said. "It was one that is well deserved by my team and, as long as I live, I will remember it for the feeling that it feels like to give it to my team.
"They're the ones that I went to a year ago and said, `Guys, please, let's keep this team together so that I can have one last shot at this thing.' So, no matter what happens from here on out, we've had a great year. We won at Kansas. We won the All-Star race (in May). We made the Chase. Those guys are my heroes."
The feeling is mutual.
Pat Tryson, Martin's crew chief, said the driver has made the difference this season.
"He's just a really, really classy guy. Really, he's carried us more than we've carried him, but there's just a lot of mutual respect between him and our whole team, and that's probably what makes it work," Tryson explained.
So how hard is it going to be to keep the crew of the No. 6 Ford together for one more run in 2006?
"They were all pretty much lined up to stay with Mark for his last year, so now we have to do the same thing for this year and try to get them all to stay again," Tryson said. "It might be a little harder this year, but I'm sure we'll get at least most of them to stay. I know I'm not going anywhere."
To his chagrin, neither is Mark Martin.
CATCHING UP WITH MARK MARTIN
The Miami Herald
October 12, 2005NASCAR veteran Mark Martin will postpone his retirement one season and drive the No. 6 Ford in 2006. But Roush Racing's original driver said it does not ease the pressure of trying to win his first Nextel Cup championship. Each Wednesday we will follow Martin's journey to try to finally win NASCAR's top prize.
IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR
The self-proclaimed ''old man'' rebounded from disaster in Talladega, Ala., by striking gold at Kansas Speedway with his first points race victory of the season. He improved two spots to seventh in the standings, 113 points behind leader Tony Stewart with six races to go.
IN THE WINDSHIELD
The Chase next goes to Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., a suburb of Charlotte. In May, Martin won the Nextel Cup All-Star race there. Martin also has four Cup victories and 15 top-five finishes in 41 races.
Q&A
Q: Considering Lowe's is a 1.5-mile track like Kansas Speedway, does your victory give you extra momentum for Saturday night's UAW-GM Quality 500?
A: ``Let me tell you, momentum can be broken by a $1 part. But I will say that I'm really good at Charlotte. I love that place, and I love going there, even if I [had been] last at Kansas. The story is not that I won Kansas but that I run incredibly good at Charlotte.''
Q: Most drivers today seem to celebrate victories with burnouts, but you simply drove to Victory Lane with your crew having to sprint to get there in time. Is that just your style?
A: ``Burnouts are juvenile. They're heck on equipment. They're for kids. You didn't see Dale Earnhardt [Sr.] or Richard Petty do them. I'm old school. . . . I'm not criticizing them. But I'm not a kid. I'm not doing those burnouts. We won the race, and we got our picture taken with the trophy. That's my celebration.''
Q: Although Stewart has a 75-point lead on the field, positions 2-8 in the standings are separated by a mere 41 points. How do you see the championship shaping up?
A: ``Tony has not had a disaster. My prediction is as the Chase goes, almost everyone will have one or two disasters. Without a disaster, Tony will be hard to overcome. . . . But I'm a realist. I know the difference where we're sitting now, and if we had not had our disaster at Talladega. It would still be really difficult to win the championship, even without the disaster. It's a lot tougher situation now.''
Q: Many drivers have complained about the grounding of portions of the track surface at Lowe's, which has led to some crashes in recent tests. What are your thoughts?
A: ``It's not much different than it was in May. I didn't have problems. It's a great challenge. We had a good test and ran good.''
Q: Team owner Jack Roush said truck driver Todd Kluever will take over for you in the No. 6 Ford in 2007. What do you think of your replacement?
A: ``That's a long time from now. Todd is a bright, young driver. But I don't know what I think. That's over a year from now.''
-- CAMMY CLARK
Martin still loves altered N.C. track
By Pete Schnatz - Inquirer Suburban Staff
Philadelphia Inquirer
October 15, 2005There's no mistaking Mark Martin's attitude about Lowe's Motor Speedway.
In a Roush Racing release advancing tonight's UAW-GM Quality 500 at the 1.5-mile superspeedway, Martin said: "In my opinion, it's the greatest place to race in the world."
Coming off his first points-race win of the season on Sunday at Kansas Speedway, Martin is understandably upbeat. He is seventh in the standings, 113 points behind leader Tony Stewart, and has posted three top-10 finishes in the first four Chase for the Nextel Cup events.
Despite an impressive resume at his favorite track in Concord, N.C. - four wins, 15 top-five finishes and 19 top-10s in 41 career starts, plus two all-star event victories - Martin has not placed among the top 10 in his last six visits. And the venue he looks upon with such affection isn't the same, thanks to the decision by track officials to levigate, or grind, the racing surface to provide more grip and, hopefully, improve the competition.
On Thursday night, after posting the sixth-best speed (192.014 m.p.h.) in qualifying, Martin fielded questions about what the changes to the track might mean in the race.
"They've made a huge effort to try to make it better... . I really wish we could go back before they ever touched it, but it is in good condition," he said. "Hopefully, the drivers will be able to race without running over one another."
When NASCAR's stars raced at Lowe's in May, there were 22 cautions that consumed 103 of the 400 laps. Martin was caught up in a multicar accident and finished 28th, and other wrecks claimed fellow Chase contenders and Roush Racing teammates Kurt Busch and Matt Kenseth.
"I predicted the May race was going to be like it was, but I can't predict this one just yet," Martin said. "The shame is that [the racing surface] was great before it was touched."
Not so fast, Mark.
Teammate Carl Edwards, who finished 37th in his track debut last fall but came back to claim third at Lowe's in the spring, offered a very different view.
"I was pleasantly surprised," Edwards said after qualifying eighth at 191.864 m.p.h. "I think the track is really awesome now."
Problems arose after the levigation when teams returned to the track for testing last month. Stewart and Greg Biffle demolished cars in crashes, so officials went back to work laying down rubber on the racing surface to try to provide more grip. Increased grip has meant more speed - maybe too much speed, as Elliott Sadler set a track record with his pole-winning lap at 193.216 m.p.h.
"It's a whole lot faster," Martin said. "Right now, it rolls the eyes back in your head it's so fast."
Tonight's event is the fifth of 10 races in the Chase and the only one to be run under the lights. Fans won't have to look deep in the field to find several of the championship contenders.
Ryan Newman, who set the previous track qualifying record (192.988 m.p.h.) in May, will start on the outside of the front row. Newman is second in the Chase - 75 points behind Stewart, who will start fourth.
Jimmie Johnson, who had the third-fastest speed (192.850 m.p.h.) in qualifying, has won the last three races at Lowe's and finished seventh or better in seven starts since his 39th-place debut at the track in 2001. But due to an engine change, Johnson will have to start from the back of the 43-car field.
Martin will start sixth, Busch has the seventh spot, and Edwards will be alongside him in eighth. Kenseth (18th), Biffle (21st), Rusty Wallace (27th) and Jeremy Mayfield (37th) will hope to take advantage of the faster track in working their way toward the front.
No.6 "Blue Crew" Comes Through in the Clutch
The Viagra® Racing Team over the wall crew key in Martin’s Kansas VictoryCONCORD, N.C. (Oct. 13, 2005) – Mark Martin found himself in the front of the field at the half-way point of Sunday’s Banquet 400 at the Kansas Motor Speedway. Knowing his car worked perfectly in the clean air and with 134 laps remaining in the race the team knew the best way to end up front would be to stay up front. That task would fall not only on the talented driving skills of Martin, but on the performance of Martin’s over-the-wall crew. Twice the team would be called upon to keep Marin in the front of the pack and twice they would fight off all challenges for the lead; thus helping to propel Martin to his 35th career Nextel Cup victory.
“I tell you what, those guys are my heroes,” said Martin. “They help put me in front and then they kept me there. I asked each and every one of those guys to come back this year and they did and then on Sunday they put me in a position to win the race. They got me there and kept me there. All I had to do was drive that thing. I can’t say enough about those guys that go over the wall.”
The team first put Martin in the lead, when crew chief Pat Tryson ‘two tired’ the field on lap 121. The move and a solid stop put Martin in the lead for the first time on lap 122. Martin led for the next 58 laps and it would be up to the No. 6 Viagra® Team to keep him there when the team came into the pits on lap 180 for a green-flag stop for fuel and fresh tires. The team came through in the clutch, knocking out a near perfect 13.60-second stop and holding on to Martin’s lead when the field cycled through its stops on lap 185.
The team would again be called upon when the day’s sixth caution was called on lap 216. Knowing Martin could go the rest of the race on just one more stop, the team came into the pits on lap 222 for what would be its final stop of the day. With the pressure turned up to full heat, the team came through with one of its fastest stops of the year, a 13.20-second stop for four tires and fuel, that put Martin out in front for good when the field went green with only 45 laps remaining.
Martin was able to hold on to the lead and run out to the victory, his first point’s win of 2005 and the “Salute To You” season.
“They got it done,” said Martin. “It’s hard to win a race and with all the pressure in the world on them, those guys were able to get in there and not only give us a good stop, but with the pressure at an all-time high, they gave their best stop and that’s the mark of a championship caliber team. I don’t know if we can come back and win this thing or not, but these guys are all champions in my book – no matter what.”
The team will return to action this week at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, which Martin commonly regards as his favorite track. Martin and the No. 6 Team won there in May in the Nextel All-Star Challenge and they’ll be looking for a return to victory lane this Saturday night.
Roush Racing is a subsidiary of Livonia, Mich., based Roush Industries that operates ten motorsports teams; five in NASCAR Nextel Cup with drivers Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards; three in the Busch Series with Martin, Kenseth and Edwards, and two in the Craftsman Truck Series with drivers Ricky Craven and Todd Kluever.
Martin Posts Dominating Performance in Kansas Victory
Veteran dominates the Banquet 400 for 35 th career Nextel Cup Victory
Mark Martin and the #6 Viagra® Racing Team
Kansas Speedway/October 9, 2005KANSAS CITY, KANSAS– Mark Martin and the Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Racing Team were dominant in Sunday’s Banquet 400 at Kansas Speedway, leading 139 laps and taking the checkered flag in grand fashion for Martin’s first points Cup win of 2005. Martin, who won the All-Star Challenge in May, took the lead on lap 127 when crew chief Pat Tryson implemented a two-tire strategy. Martin would hold the lead for virtually the remainder of the race, never looking back and never being seriously challenged for the lead. Roush teammate Greg Biffle looked to close late, but was never able to move close enough to seriously challenge for the lead.
“It's a really special day for me,” said Martin after the race in victory lane. “I want to thank all the fans for all the great support I've had this year and I have to thank Pat Tryson and the Viagra team. This Ford was incredible today. It reminded me of the old days in a Busch car. It was just awesome. These guys want to win so badly and they believe in me and they made a winner out of this old man today.
“We had a great car we took the lead before the halfway point, so it was almost a relief to cross that finish line,” said Martin. “I had a lot of laps out front to worry about what could go wrong. I thought I could hold off Tony (Stewart), but when I saw Biffle get by him pretty easy I knew I’d have to drive the fool out of the thing like he does to stay in front. I didn’t want to lose and we did what we had to in order to get this win.”
Tryson initially took two tires on the team’s first pit stop under the day’s first caution on lap 17 – the move advanced Martin from 14th to third. He took two again three stops later on lap 121 moving Martin from 10 th to first. Martin would lead the remainder of the race except for pitting cycles. With the field in hand it was up to the Viagra® Racing Team to keep him there, and when called upon the Blue Crew delivered on two separate occasions – keeping the No. 6 Ford in the front of the field.
“The team was just awesome in the pits,” said Martin. “They kept us out in front. Pat made a great move to put us there and clean air was so important. Once we got there, staying there was key, and the team really came through with two fast stops that allowed me to stay in that clean air and ultimately win this thing. These guys are my heroes and I’m sure glad that we were able to give them the win today.”
Martin pitted for the fifth time of the day under green on lap 180. A quick 13.60-second stop kept him in the front of the cycle and when all of the field had cycled through its stops five laps later on lap 185 Martin was back in the lead. The day’s sixth caution on lap 216 would once again set up the stage for the crew’s heroics, and with the race on the line the over-the-wall crew put out one of its best stops of the season, a 13.2-second four-tire stop that sent Martin back out in first when the race restarted on lap 222.
“Like I said, clean air was important and we were able to get out to a good start on both of those last two restarts,” added Martin. “It would have been really hard to get back in the lead if we ever gave it up, so we had to stay there. The team did what they needed to do in the pits and it was up to me to do what I had to do on the track. It was really a team effort and it makes for a great win.”
Martin would have to hold off point leader Tony Stewart on two occasions on restarts. First on lap 222 and then again after caution number seven on lap 228. Martin was able to pull away from Stewart on the final restart with 39 laps to go and he never looked back, holding onto the lead for the remainder of the race and crossing the finish line for the 35 th career Nextel Cup victory.
Martin had started the race 19 th after Saturday’s qualifying effort. He moved into the top 10 on the 15 th lap of the race. He was running 14 th when the day’s first caution was called on lap 17 and Tryson used the two-tire stop to put him up to third. Other than the green-flag pit cycle, he would never run outside the field’s top 10 again.
With the finish Martin has now posted three top-10 finishes and two top fives in four ‘Chase’ races, having contended for wins in both top-fives. He has now led in three of the four ‘playoff’ races, and he earned an additional five bonus points on Sunday for leading the most laps of the race. If not for last week’s 41 st place finish at Talladega, Martin would most likely hold the lead in the standings.
Still Martin advanced from ninth to seventh and cut the advantage between him and first down to 118 points. More importantly Martin trails second-place Ryan Newman by only 38 points, should leader Stewart falter during any point of the remaining six races.
“The wreck we got in last week really hurt, but we’ll just have to keep fighting,” said Martin. “But points race or not, this was a really good win and that’s all we can do. We’ll come back and try to win next week and see where we go from there. This has been the best year of my career and no matter what happens it will always be special. We’ll just keep fighting each week and if the leaders have a problem; we’ll be right back in it.”
The team returns to action next weekend at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, which Martin regards as his favorite track. He won the All-Star race there in May and he boasts four cup wins, 15 top-five finishes and 19 top 10’s at the 1.5-mile oval.
“ Charlotte is next. Woohoo!,” said Martin in the post race press conference. “I love Charlotte - I look forward to going there this weekend.”
Flat Tire Spoils Martin's Chance for Kansas Busch Victory
Mark Martin and the #9 Pennzoil Ford Taurus
Kansas Speedway/October 8, 2005KANSAS CITY, KANSAS – Mark Martin and the No. 9 Pennzoil Platinum Race team went into Saturday’s United Way 300 looking for Martin’s third Busch Series win of the season and his record-extending 48 th career victory. He was in contention for the majority of the race, with Martin running inside the top five for the majority of the race and in second position with only 28 laps remaining. However Martin’s bid at the victory would end on lap 172 when he lost a left-front tire and was forced to come into the pits under green. Martin returned to the field in 22nd place, one lap down. The team was able to get back onto the lead lap, as Martin fought down the checkered flag to get his No. 9 Ford back to 14th.
“Well we had a strong run,” said Martin. “It wasn’t the finish we were looking for because we lost the tire there late in the race. Still, at least we were able to save the race car and come back for a respectable finish. The No. 9 Pennzoil Ford was strong all day and we’ll look for that next win in a few weeks down at Homestead.”
The team started the race eighth and broke into the top-five for the first time of the day on lap 37. Martin would remain in the top five for the remainder of the race until the problem with the tires on lap 172. The highlight of the day in the pits was a 13.76-second stop on under caution on lap 124 that advanced Martin from fifth to third when the field went green on lap 128. Martin would move into second on lap 149 and run behind leader Greg Biffle until he was forced into the pits with the flat tire.
A caution on lap 184 gave Martin the lucky dog and the opportunity to return to the lead lap and fight for position. Martin restarted on lap 185 in 20 th place and had moved up to 17 th when the 10 th and final caution was issued on lap 193. The caution would set up a green-white-checkered finish with Martin gaining one more position to 14th before taking the checkered flag.
Martin will close out his 2005 “Salute To You” Busch schedule at Homestead, where he will run the Craftsman Truck, Busch and Cup races in the season’s final weekend.
NASCAR Nextel Series driver Mark Martin celebrates his victory at the Banquet 400 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kan., Sunday, Oct. 9, 2005. Martin claimed his first victory of the season with an average speed of 137.764.
(AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)MARTIN CONQUERS KANSAS
Ford Racing: News
October 9, 2005Kansas City, Kan. — Mark Martin led a Roush Racing sweep of the top-three positions with his first points-race win of the season at Kansas Speedway. Earlier in the year, Martin won the non-points Nextel All-Star Challenge. Today’s win was his first since the Dover International Speedway spring race in 2004 and is the 35th of his Nextel Cup career.
Martin is the active all-time leading Ford winner and third overall behind Ned Jarrett (43) and Bill Elliott (40). All of Martin's 35 NNC wins have come in a Ford car.
MARK MARTIN - NO. 6 VIAGRA TAURUS - VICTORY LANE INTERVIEW
"I just want to say to Matt [son] and Arlene [wife] that I wish you guys were here. It's a really special day for me. I want to thank all the fans for all the great support I've had this year and Pat Tryson and the Viagra team. This Ford was incredible today. It reminded me of the old days in a Busch car. It was just awesome. These guys want to win so bad and they believe in me and they made a winner out of an old man today."
BIFFLE GAINED AND THEN FELL BACK. DID YOU PULL OUT SOME RESERVE?
"I don't want to lose. I always tell these guys to give me the lead with four fresh tires with the end in sight and you'll never get a fight like you're gonna get from me. I had the race car to do it. I ran as hard as I could run there in the beginning. I maybe saved it a little bit and then when Greg started coming I stepped it up. I could have drove maybe a little bit harder, but I might have wrecked. That's as fast as I could go and keep him behind me."
A THOUGHT ON THE CHAMPIONSHIP
"My thoughts on the championship are they probably slipped out of my hands last week, but winning is great. Leading the most laps and winning probably puts us back close, but it's gonna be a lot harder now than it was gonna be if we could have finished in the top 10 at Talladega."
SEVENTH PLACE, 113 BACK
"That's too far back, but we can go win us some more and you never know. The thing is these guys are my heroes. They're the ones that put me in this chase and they kept it together and kept working hard and they're a championship team and they deserve to be in the chase. We made the chase and unfortunately we had some trouble - big trouble - at Talladega and it may be impossible to dig out of, but I'll love them forever for what they've done for me."
PAT TRYSON, CREW CHIEF
"Once we got out front in clean air he never gave up the lead, except for during pit stops and he just did an awesome job. The car was handling good and he was able to stay up front."
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH MARK?
"Obviously, he's been a veteran that has proven he can win and our team is pretty much the same team that he had when he finished second in points with the exception of one or two people. He's won so many races and it was nice to go to Victory Lane with him in Charlotte and again here and at Dover. Really, he's carried us more than we've carried him, but there's just a lot of mutual respect between him and our whole team and that's probably what makes it work really well."
WAS IT EASY FOR THE GUYS TO STAY ONE MORE YEAR?
"Yeah, it wasn't really hard to get them convinced. They were all pretty much lined up to begin with to stay with Mark for his last year, so now we have to do the same thing for this year and try to get them all to stay again. It might be a little harder this year, but I'm sure we'll get at least most of them to stay."
THOUGHTS ON BIFFLE CLOSING THE GAP LATE?
"It was pretty stressful. Greg was pretty fast all day. He was pretty fast on long runs and most of the long runs early in the race he was coming and catching us there. We were a little worried, but catching Mark and passing him are two different things. He would have been pretty hard to pass for the win, and, like I said, fortunately Greg's car got a little loose one time and gave us just enough cushion where we could hold him off there to the end. Mark never made a mistake and Greg tried as hard as he could."
WHY IS IT MARK HAS SO MUCH RESPECT WITH OTHER COMPETITORS?
"He's just really, really a classy individual. You don't ever hear him about wrecking somebody. Nine times out of 10 he gives everybody racing room and treats them with courtesy out there. If you're faster than him, he lets you go and then he'll race you back later when he catches you. He just treats everybody with respect and he's just been a class individual throughout his entire career."
YOU TOOK TWO TIRES ON THE LAST STOP?
"On the last stop we did four. The stop that originally put us in the front we did two, and then we did four the last two times. It was my decision to do two when we did two that time. We did the one under green was four and then the last one was four under caution. The one that got us the lead the first time was two tires."
CAN HE STILL WIN THE TITLE?
"Anything is possible. I just look at it as we've got to try to make up 20 points a race and I think we made up 20 today, so we just have to do it again next week."
MARK MARTIN
"It was a great race. We had a great car on Friday. We knew that we had a good car. I was very pleased with it. A lot of times when Sunday rolls around and you lay all that rubber down on the race track things change, but this car just kept getting better as the race went. We made very few adjustments. The adjustments we made were really right. Pat made some great calls on pit road. We got the lead before halfway and we led the whole race. That's the formula for heartbreak in my world because more often than not something goes wrong to spoil that, so I was relieved after the race. It wasn't the most exciting win of my career. It was one that is well deserved by my team and as long as I live I will remember it for the feeling that it feels like to give to my team. They deserve to win so much. They're the ones that I went to a year ago and said, 'Guys, please, let's keep this team together so that I can have one last shot at this thing.' So no matter what happens from here on out, we've had a great year, we've had a great race. We've won here. We won the all-star race. We made the chase and those guys are my heroes."
JACK ROUSH
"I don't feel like we had a sweep because we didn't have all five in the top five, but certainly we had a good spread. The different race tracks wind up having a characteristic that suits maybe the package that one set of engineers put together or one set of drivers like. We really like the tire that Goodyear has given us this year. We like the fact that NASCAR cut an inch off the spoiler last year. If you get the car setup so you have to turn it with the front end, there are problems coming for it as a number of the teams have and we've had on some occasions. But the formula for what the car is has a lot of speed in it for mile-and-a-half race tracks if you've got the courage and if you've got the feel for where the speed is. Happily, Mark and all of our guys have got that. We haven't been great at road racing. Obviously, we haven't won a road race for a while. We certainly haven't been the heat at restrictor plate races, even though we've got the same engines that are doing a great job there. So we're not great every place we go, but we have been fairly deliberate about putting our emphasis on race tracks that are the most fun and race tracks that have the greatest opportunity for a driver to make a big difference as opposed to Daytona or Talladega, where it's almost like Russian Roulette to go to those places. If Roush Racing, if Mark Martin can't do his business at Kansas City or at Charlotte or at Atlanta, well then we're in desperate trouble and we're definitely not on our game. But what happened here today is reflected in that the cars were well driven, they were well prepared by hard working teams and the judgments that the crew chiefs made were just excellent. The crew chief stands as captain of the ship. He's the supreme commander as he stands on top of his pit box. I don't interfere with him and nobody else does. He makes his decisions - two tires, no tires, gas only, whatever - and Pat was the man of the hour today. He got two tires on the car early, had the car good enough and understood what he needed to do so that it would be meaningful and would get him ready for later. There were two times when Mark got a little bit in trouble with track position based on not having a car exactly the way he wanted it and not overdriving it, and Pat was able to put him in contention with two tires and had it where it would work. So the tires did a great job. Pat did a super job and all the guys stood in their spot and did what they needed to do. That's what we've got to do for the trust that our sponsors put in us, for the business arrangements we've got with Ford and NASCAR and for all the trust and support we get from our fans."
WAS THIS PRACTICE FOR WHEN NASCAR ALLOWS YOU TO ONLY HAVE THREE CARS?
"This is the third time this week you've tried to get my goat. My goat is pretty much gone where you're concerned (laughter). We actually had four in the top five and I'm as proud of the fourth one as I am the front three, except for Mark. I'm really proud of him and what they were able to do. Mike Helton said at the banquet this year, and I thought it was a compliment at the time, that Roush Racing looked like it might be headed toward a dynasty. There have clearly been dynasties before. Hendrick had one for a period of time. Petty's had one forever. The Wood Brothers had one for what they did. Junior Johnson, and so forth. I thought it was a compliment, but I'm not sure what NASCAR will do. I was specific as I want to be in my comments with regard to the meeting that I wasn't invited to, that I still haven't received any official notification of nor any indication of an intention or plan to change policy, but we'll be in this business as long as we can make business sense out of it as long as either myself or somebody around me that is strong enough cares to lead the darn thing. Whether it's three teams, two teams or one team or five teams count us in."
MARTIN CONTINUED
DOES A WIN LIKE THIS MAKE THE THOUGHT OF RUNNING NEXT YEAR MORE INTERESTING FOR YOU?
"You know that I use strange psychology on myself. It really doesn't because I know how hard it is to be Greg Biffle. I know how hard it is to be Kurt Busch or Carl Edwards or Matt Kenseth when he's having his day. So to be real honest with you, it doesn't do anything because I know how hard it is. This is what I want for my team and for us to go out again in '06 and for me to think that we can do this again is something that I won't go there. That's way, way too hard. I can't tell you how hard my team and I have had to work to do this. One of the ways I was able to find enough to do it here this year is because I thought it was the last, and I don't know where I'll find that. I don't know if I can find that much again next year. We'll just have to wait and see and worry about next year when this one is over with, but right now we have an opportunity to win a number of races and you never know. All we can do is keep racing our tails off."
HOW MUCH DO YOU ENJOY THESE WINS LATE IN YOUR CAREER?
"The all-star win was overwhelming for some reason. I'm not sure why. The thrill, the excitement of it. The invert, how difficult it was. I guess maybe the accomplishment. I felt like I really contributed to that win that night. I drove a heck of a race. Today, is great. It's more of a relief. For over half the race I was sitting there wondering what was gonna get in between me and winning that thing. But every time, especially, I don't care who you are, every time you win could be your last but especially for guys like D.J. and myself. Certainly, this one puts it closer to the end of my career in Cup and I'm happy for that, although this one came in dominating fashion I would say. It came in a strong enough way to say that you could see that happen again this year with that race car. That is the car I ran Dover and, man, we ran good there. We ran so good that we took two tires and still finished fourth when everybody took four at the end. It was a good car there. All I want to think about is these last six races. That's what my focus is on. I've got the blinders on and I can't see anything else."
HOW DO YOU FEEL WITH FOUR MORE 1.5-MILE TRACKS COMING UP?
"Charlotte is next. Woohoo! (laughter). I love Charlotte. I look forward to going there and I look forward to going to Atlanta. Texas has been a slight thorn in my side. It shouldn't be after this weekend. We're planning on borrowing Kurt's car again for Phoenix, so I feel good about that. We finished seventh at Loudon and that was the first top 10 I've had there in forever, so Phoenix should go OK. I'm excited about going to Homestead. I get to drive my truck. I was down there testing it Monday and Tuesday and is it gonna be a ball. That was a Ford F-150 Roush truck."
THOUGHTS ON LAP TRAFFIC LATE IN THE RACE?
"I wasn't freaked out about lapped traffic because they were fairly aware that there were 10 laps to go. They were pretty good, solid guys. Kevin Lepage and guys that were solid. They knew what was going on. There wasn't a huge concern. Besides, I spent 20 laps with Biffle breathing down my neck and I actually had some space. He gained and gained and gained and then I started pulling out inside the last 10 laps and getting some breathing room. So once I was able to put some distance back between us, I knew that I had a cushion and new it was gonna be hard for him to get by me. Obviously, getting detained by a lapped car could have cost us, but I wasn't real concerned about it based on the guys we were catching."
DO YOU FEEL YOU STILL HAVE A CHANCE AT THE TITLE?
"I just would have like to have gotten beat this year - beat. We still have a chance at the championship, but we have an 80 percent as good a chance as we had before. Before it was gonna be real hard because it's real competitive. If you look at the finish of however many races we've run - four in the chase - every race seven of the chasers finish in the top 10. How are you gonna make up 140 points like that? Be realistic. I'm just realistic, that's all. It could happen. Everybody else in the chase can turn upside-down or whatever - have a disaster - but realistically it's just gonna be a whole lot harder. You could conceivably win every single race the rest of the year and if whoever is leading the points finishes second in every race it won't happen. That's real."
ROUSH CONTINUED
THOUGHTS ON LETTING TEAMMATES LEAD A LAP WHEN YOU MIGHT LOSE THE TITLE BY FOUR POINTS
"That's what I'm thinking. I heard Mike [Calinoff], the spotter for Kenseth, saying he wouldn't give five points or four points to his mother. Of course, knowing Mike that fit just perfect. I don't expect them, in fact I'll be real disappointed if they pull over and let one another have an advantage. The thing I stand on pit wall watching and cheering for is I look forward to the day when they roll one another up in a ball coming off Turn 4 for the checkered flag because when that happens, and it hopefully will happen, I'll gain and they'll gain and we'll all gain a little credibility for the fact that it is about winning the race. We all work hard. I see to it that they all work hard to help one another, but at the end of the day we owe it to our sponsors. There's not a pecking order with our sponsors. There's not a pecking order with our teams. Mark has got to go earn his stripes against Carl Edwards or Todd Kluever or whoever else is sitting there. That's just the way it is. That's the trust that we have that we carry and giving somebody points that might wind up determining the championship against one or the other or another competitor is certainly not kosher and that's not where we're coming from."
MARTIN CONTINUED
IT'S TWO STRAIGHT WEEKS FOR VETERAN DRIVERS TO WIN. HOW MUCH HARDER IS IT NOW?
"All I can tell you is it's a lot more difficult now than it was 20 years ago. It's nice. It was really great to see D.J. win at Talladega and this was good for me, but it gets more difficult as you go."
MARTIN TAKES BITE OUT OF POINT DEFICIT
Ford Racing: News
October 9, 2005BY TEAM FORD RACING CORRESPONDENT
Kansas City, Kan. — Mark Martin won Sunday's Banquet 400 at Kansas Speedway, and Roush Racing plucked four of the top five spots at the finish— the second time this season that Roush has done what no team had done before.
The question now, where do we go from here? The Ford Five, all but conceded the 2005 championship after packing the championship roster at Richmond last month, can't seem to gain on serene points leader Tony Stewart, who broke up Roush's clubby finish with a fourth-place Sunday afternoon.
Martin crew chief Pat Tryson, who pulled the right strings in Sunday's dominating victory, was the most sanguine among the Ford contributors.
"I just look at it as we've got to try to make up 20 points a race, and I think we made up 20 today, so we just have to do it again next week," the big fellow said matter-of-factly.
True. Martin went from 138 marks behind to 113, with the bonus for leading the most laps—139 of the 267, including all but seven of the last 146. It's also true that Martin gained only from ninth to seventh in the standings, and under NASCAR's overcrowded format for determining a champion that leaves all sorts of boulders in the way.
"Everybody else in The Chase can turn upside-down or whatever, have a disaster, but realistically it's just going to be a whole lot harder," said Martin, who has finished second for the championship four times.
"You could conceivably win every single race the rest of the year, and if whoever is leading the points finishes second in every race it won't happen. That's real."
The full truth is, no one knows what to expect out of NASCAR's second-year system, under which 10 drivers are grouped at equality with 10 races to go, and then turned loose to run for the grand prize.
Leader Stewart, showing almost unearthly calm through the playoffs, came to Dover with a 20-point lead ahead of Greg Biffle. Stewart staggered, finished 18th, and fell to fifth, 23 behind Jimmie Johnson. Then, at Talladega, Stewart finished second while Johnson struggled, and Tony suddenly had his lead back.
Stewart came to Kansas with a four-point edge on Ryan Newman, who immediately ran into trouble, bashing in his left-front fender while bouncing off someone else's wreck. Newman managed to hold second place but slid to 75 marks behind.
The Ford Five certainly did all it could do Sunday, with Martin winning, Greg Biffle second, Carl Edwards third and Matt Kenseth fifth. Those four led 258 laps, leaving little for anyone else. Basically, the Ford heroes had run the table, then looked around to find that Stewart still held all the coins.
"They're going to have to have another off day like they did at Dover, and we're going to have to not get a flat tire in order to close on them," said Biffle, who now is third in points, 88 behind. "Just 10 points a race isn't going to do it, and what are the chances of me finishing second the next six races?
"We can only do as good as we can do and can't really worry about the outcome of the 20 [Stewart]."
The star of the day, however, was Martin, who at 46—and in what was supposed to be his final season in Cup—made his first win of the season genuine and convincing. That leaves only one of the playoff contenders, Rusty Wallace, without a victory.
"Pat made some great calls on pit road," Martin said. "We got the lead before halfway, and we led the whole race. That's the formula for heartbreak in my world because more often than not something goes wrong to spoil that, so I was relieved after the race.
"It wasn't the most exciting win of my career. It was one that is well deserved by my team."
Actually, Martin counted his win at the Charlotte all-star race in May as tops in excitement, but that one does not count in the standings.
Tryson hauled Martin into contention with a couple of well-times two-tire calls during pit stops. Martin started 19th, but Tryson got him the lead on lap 122 with a two-tire stop under caution—Mark's first lead of the day.
The team also chose two tires during its green-flag stop on lap 185. That set up Martin for the tactically correct four-tire call during the final cautions stop on lap 219.
The show wasn't finished yet, although Martin never gave up the lead. Biffle began to crowd Martin around lap 240 and nosed around hoping for Mark to waver.
"I'll finish second to Mark Martin any day of the week," Biffle said. "He drove his butt off out there and made two tires work. I was just waiting for Mark to make a mistake, but that's highly unlikely for Mark Martin to make a mistake."
Biffle finally slipped a bit with 10 laps to go, allowing Martin to breathe, and Mark eased to victory by half a second.
MIKE BRUDENELL: Martin has the drive needed for Cup challenge
By Mike Brudenell - Free Press Columnist
Detroit Free Press
October 11, 2005Rich Ceppos, publisher of Detroit-based AutoWeek magazine, remembers hitching a ride with Ford's Mark Martin around Road Atlanta, one of the country's most demanding road courses, 10 years ago.
Ceppos, an accomplished racer, treasures the experience to this day.
"He dazzled me with his skills," Ceppos said. "I was very, very impressed with his ability."
At the time, Martin was 36 years old, at the prime of his racing career. A decade later, he's still at the top of his game.
On Sunday, Martin -- one of NASCAR's most admired and respected drivers -- made it look easy in winning at Kansas and keeping his hopes alive in the Nextel Cup Chase for the Championship.
Ceppos isn't surprised.
"He's incredibly fit and works at it harder than most of the other guys," Ceppos said of Martin. "He lifts weights, watches what he eats and is so very smart."
Ceppos, who has driven in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, recalls Martin taking him on the hot lap at Road Atlanta, talking calmly as they reached 170 m.p.h.
"Mark's the complete racer," said Ceppos, who lives in Ann Arbor. "He wins in Cup cars, on ovals and road courses, and in IROC cars on superspeedways. He's the best driver never to have won a Cup championship."
Martin, a four-time runner-up in NASCAR's premier series, notched his 35th Cup victory Sunday and his first for 2005. He moved from ninth to seventh in the standings.
With six races remaining in the Chase, Martin, who drives the No. 6 Viagra Taurus for Roush Racing, is 113 points behind leader Tony Stewart. Ceppos believes Martin can play catch up.
"If he hasn't got the car to win a race, Mark will settle for second or third, whereas some guys will crash trying to win," Ceppos said. "Mark is just so sharp. He'll take the points, while others hit the wall."
During his Road Atlanta experience, Ceppos was just as impressed with Martin's attitude as his skill behind the wheel. "He never talked it up, never made himself out to be anything special," Ceppos said. "He's a very humble and decent guy."
In winning on Sunday, Martin credited his crew with getting him to victory lane. "I want to win so bad, and they believe me," Martin told the Associated Press after the race. "They made a winner out of an old man."
Ceppos thinks Martin is modest.
"With all the aero changes on Cup cars in recent years, these things can be a handful to drive," Ceppos said. "But not, it seems, for Martin. He can drive a loose car, a tight car -- it doesn't seem to matter. He beats drivers half his age."
Martin and the Chase head to Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., this weekend for the UAW-GM Quality 500. Though Chevy's Jimmie Johnson, who is fifth in Chase points, has owned the place in recent years, Martin has four wins there, his last in 2002.
"Mark's hanging in there," Ceppos said. "I really think he can win another race this year. He's a real master."
Martin wins Banquet 400
Luck finally on his side in Kansas Speedway victory
By Jim Pedley - The Kansas City Star
October 10, 2005Mark Martin was right where he didn’t want to be as the laps wound down at Kansas Speedway.
He was in the lead.
That was where he didn’t want to be because in Martin’s world, temporary success is only a prelude to long-term disappointment.
Late Sunday afternoon, Martin’s world was stood on its head.
There was no intervention of bad luck, there was no miracle finish by another team or driver.
Martin led the final 48 laps and never really had reason to check his rearview mirror as he eased to victory in the Banquet 400.
The victory was the first for Martin since June of last year, when he won at Dover International Speedway.
It came in the fourth race of the 10-race Chase for the Nextel Cup Championship, just one week after the front end of his car was mashed in at Talladega.
The win also led a Roush Racing effort that swept the top three places. Greg Biffle finished second, and Carl Edwards of Columbia was third.
Martin said his predominant emotion after the race was relief.
He was relieved that disappointment had not overtaken success one more time in a career that has been defined by coming close.
“We got the lead before halfway, and we led the whole race,” said Martin, who has finished second in the Nextel Cup points standings four times. “That’s the formula for heartbreak in my world because more often than not, something goes wrong to spoil that. So I was relieved after the race.”
Sure, there was happiness connected with the victory. But Martin said most of that happiness was for the team and crew that a year ago he had begged to stay with him for one more season.
“It wasn’t the most exciting win of my career,” Martin said. “It was one that is well-deserved by my team, and as long as I live I will remember the feeling that it feels like to give to my team. They deserve to win so much.”
There are probably a lot of people in racing who would say Martin deserves to win a race or two more, that he deserves to feel good for himself.
Especially around these parts.
Martin, a native of Batesville, Ark., was a familiar face at Midwestern short tracks in the 1970s. He has raced in Nextel Cup since the early ’80s and won 35 races.
His quiet, clean driving style has made him a fan favorite, and the people in the grandstand showed their feelings for Martin in the final laps and when he popped out of his car in victory lane. Nobody seemed particularly disappointed when Martin eschewed the popular new-school celebration of spinning doughnuts at the start-finish line.
The fans weren’t the only ones who were happy for Martin.
“I was really excited following him,” Biffle said. “That sounds kind of funny. Don’t get me wrong. I was going to pass him if I could, but I was real excited following him. You’ve got a lot of time to think about stuff at this track, and I’m just picturing him buckled down in that race car giving it all he’s got every single lap.”
Biffle never really got close enough to pass Martin late in the race. The final margin of victory was over a half a second, and at 185 mph, that’s several car lengths.
Even if Biffle would have gotten to Martin’s rear bumper, he still would have had to make the pass.
And that — passing for the lead with the green flag waving — was something nobody was able to do Sunday.
Pat Tryson, Martin’s crew chief, said that they were a little worried about Biffle. “But catching Mark and passing him are two different things,” Tryson said.
The victory allowed Martin to make up a bit of ground on Chase leader Tony Stewart. But Martin waved off the notion that the victory made him a serious contender to make up the rest of the ground.
Not because of points — he’s 113 back of Stewart — but because of the strength of competition.
“If you look at the finish of however many races we’ve run, every race seven of the Chasers finish in the top 10,” Martin said. “How are you going to make up 140 points like that? Be realistic. I’m realistic, that’s all.”
This would have been Martin’s final season had his owner not convinced him to stick around for one more because Jamie McMurray of Joplin, Mo. — the driver hired to take Martin’s place on the Roush team — has been unable to get out of his contract with another team.
Martin, 46, was asked whether the victory made the thought of one more year more palatable.
“One of the ways I was able to find enough to do it here this year is because I thought it was the last,” Martin said. “I don’t know where I will find that” next year.
A lot of people in racing hope he finds it somewhere.
Martin leads Roush sweep at NASCAR Banquet 400
By Bruce Martin - SportsTicker Contributing Editor
October 9, 2005KANSAS CITY, Kansas (Ticker) - Just one day after NASCAR officials said they wanted to limit the number of cars a team owner can field, Jack Roush responded in a big way on the race track.
All five of Roush Racing's cars finished in the top 15 at Sunday's Banquet 400 at Kansas Speedway, with Mark Martin winning in dominant fashion.
It was Roush's 12th Nextel Cup win this season and Martin's 35th career victory, breaking a 52-race winless streak.
Roush Racing swept the top three spots and had four cars in the top five.
"It wasn't a sweep because we didn't have all five in the top five," Roush said. "They (NASCAR) did their best to try to aggravate me earlier this weekend and let's just say I'm aggravated. This is the third time this week they've tried to get my goat and my goat is pretty much gone. I'm not sure what NASCAR will do but we will be in this business as long as we make business sense out of it.
"Whether it's three teams or four teams or five teams, count us in."
The only non-Roush Racing car in the top five was fourth-place finisher Tony Stewart, who leads the Nextel Cup standings by 75 points over Ryan Newman.
Greg Biffle is now third in the standings, 88 points back, followed by Rusty Wallace (90) and Jimmie Johnson (95).
Martin's Ford Taurus finished 0.558 seconds ahead of teammates Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards. Stewart's Chevrolet Monte Carlo was fourth, followed by Roush Racing's Matt Kenseth.
"We got the lead before halfway and we led the whole race, and that is a formula for heartbreak in my world because more often than not, something goes wrong to spoil that," Martin said. "I was relieved after the race. It wasn't the most exciting win of my career, (but) it was one that was well deserved by my team."
It's the same Roush Racing team that Martin approached after last year's "Chase for the Championship" when he asked them to keep the group together to make another run at the title.
"As long as I win I will always remember it for the feeling that it feels like to give to my team," Martin said. "They deserved to win so much. They are the ones I went to a year ago to say, 'Guys, please let's keep this together so that I can have one more shot at this.' Those guys are my heroes."
Martin started 19th but quickly was able to drive his way to the front at the 1 1/2-mile oval. He took the lead for the first time on lap 122 and led the next 58 laps. He regained the lead on lap 185 and stayed out front for the next 33 laps, giving it up for two laps during a pit stop sequence.
Martin would lead the final 48 laps to score the victory his first since Dover in June 2004.
With 50 laps remaining, Michael Waltrip's Chevrolet engine blew up, bringing out a yellow flag with Martin in the lead.
Martin was back in the lead after the yellow-flag pit stops and hit the accelerator when the green flag waved on lap 222. His Ford was able to pull away from Stewart's Chevrolet but some frantic racing on the track with Kenseth, Edwards and Bobby Labonte going three wide down the frontstretch ended with Labonte's Chevrolet in the wall in the first turn for another yellow flag on lap 224.
The leaders stayed off pit road when the green flag waved with 41 laps to go. Martin was in front of Stewart and Biffle. Biffle was able to use some aggressive tactics to get past Stewart for second place as the race was within 30 laps of the finish.
Edwards passed Stewart for third with 12 laps to go. Up front, Martin breezed to an easy victory.
"This is a really special day for me," Martin said. "I know how hard it is. This is what I want from my team. This reminded me of the old days in the Busch car. The car was so awesome. You'll never get a fight like you will from me and today I had the race car to do it.
"I could have driven a little bit harder but I might have wrecked. Leading the most laps and winning puts me back in the points race."
Martin moved up two spots to seventh in the standings, 113 points out of the lead. Because he was involved in an early crash last Sunday at Talladega, it makes his chance of winning the 2005 title more difficult.
"That's too far back but we had some big trouble at Talladega," Martin said. "It may be impossible to dig out of it but I will try my best."
Biffle said he was hounding Martin like a cat, ready to pounce on him.
"It's really hard to make Mark Martin make a mistake," Biffle said. "Man, I was driving the wheels off the thing. That's all we had. It was a tough run. We wanted to gain more points than we did, but we're gaining on it."
Even though it was a dominating day for Roush Racing, there was a bit of dissension involving Kurt Busch and Matt Kenseth. Busch's crew chief, Jimmy Fennig, reportedly requested that Kenseth move over so that Busch could get the five extra bonus points for leading a lap.
Kenseth refused, saying that in a tight points race, there aren't going to be any free points exchanged between teammates.
"I think the 97(Busch) is mad, but we help each other a lot ... but when you get in the Chase you've got to get all the points you can," Kenseth said. "It would be pretty stupid to give somebody a free five points and lose the championship by four at the end of the year."
Martin is 46 years old and his victory came one week after 48-year-old Dale Jarrett won at Talladega to snap a 98-race winless streak.
"The All-Star win in May was overwhelming for some reason," Martin said of his win at Lowe's Motor Speedway. "I'm not sure why ... the thrill, the excitement of it. I felt like I really contributed to that win that night. I drove a heck of a race. Today is great. It's more of a relief. For over half the race I was sitting there wondering what was going to get in between me and winning that thing."
Both drivers said they are treating their latest victories in a special way because they realize there aren't many more wins left in the latter days of their career.
"Every time you win could be your last but especially for guys like DJ and myself," Martin said. "Certainly, this one puts it closer to the end of my career in Cup and I'm happy for that, although this one came in dominating fashion."
It certainly did and that is why Martin leaves with a check for $339,725. He averaged 137.774 miles per hour in a race that was slowed by seven caution periods for 28 laps and featured 16 lead changes among 12 drivers.
Martin's car was the class of the field, leading three times for 139 laps of the 267-lap race.
"It came in a strong enough way to say that you could see that happen again this year with that race car," Martin said. "All I want to think about is these last six races. That's what my focus is on. I've got the blinders on and I can't see anything else."
Martin dominates in much-needed Cup victory
By Mike Harris
AP Motorsports Writer
October 9, 2005KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) -- Mark Martin is probably NASCAR's best known pessimist.
As Martin raced toward a victory Sunday at Kansas Speedway that would keep his slim championship hopes alive, he couldn't shake the feeling that something would keep him from Victory Lane.
``We got the lead in the first half of the race and just stayed out front and that's a formula for heartbreak in my world because, more often than not, something goes wrong,'' Martin said.
Not this time.
Teammate Greg Biffle did give the 46-year-old Martin a late scare, but the veteran racer remained out front for the 35th victory of his career. It was Martin's first points victory -- he did win an exhibition event in Charlotte in May -- since June 2004 at Dover.
To do it, Martin had to hold off his Roush Racing teammates -- a lot of them.
Martin and Biffle led a team sweep of the top three spots and another Roush driver, Matt Kenseth, finished fifth.
But the last laugh might belong to Tony Stewart, who finished fourth and extended his Chase lead from four points to 75. It was Stewart's 15th top 10-finish in the last 16 races and, more important, his third in the first four events of this year's 10-race Chase for the Nextel Cup championship.
Biffle, another of the 10 drivers in the Chase, passed Stewart for second place 30 laps from the end of the 267-lap Banquet 400 and went after Martin, cutting a lead of about 20 car-lengths to less than half of that.
But Martin was able to hold on, leading Biffle and Carl Edwards to the finish line. Martin jumped from ninth to seventh in the standings, 113 points behind Stewart with six races left in the Chase.
``That's too far back,'' said Martin, that pessimism showing up again. ``We can go and win us some more and you never now. But it's going to be a lot harder now than it was going to be if we could have finished in the top 10 at Talladega.''
Martin's crash early in the race Oct. 2 at Talladega Superspeedway relegated him to a 41st-place finish and, worse, cost him valuable points, sending the four-time series runner-up tumbling to ninth place, 138 points out of first. Sunday's race was a bit of redemption for Martin, who took the lead for the first time with a two-tire stop on lap 122 and wound up leading three times for 139 laps, including the final 48 trips around the 1.5-mile D-shaped oval.
Crew chief Pat Tryson knows what it is going to take to get his driver back into the title battle.
``I said after last week that we've got to try to make up 20 points a race,'' Tryson said. ``I think we made up 20 points today, so we just have to keep doing that.''
Asked if he was worried when Biffle began to catch him in the waning laps, Martin said he was determined not to let that happen.
``I don't want to lose,'' he said. ``I always tell these guys, 'You give me the lead and four fresh tires with the end in sight, and you'll never get a fight like you'll get from me.' I had the race car to do it.
``I ran as hard as I could run there, in the beginning maybe saved a little bit, and then when Greg started coming I stepped it up. I could have drove maybe a little harder, but I might have wrecked. That's as fast as I could go and keep him behind me.''
Biffle won five of the first 15 races this season but has not visited Victory Lane since. Yet he said he was not really frustrated by finishing second to his revered teammate.
``Don't get me wrong,'' Biffle said. ``I was going to pass him if I could. But you have a lot of time to think around here and I was just picturing him buckled down in that race car giving it all he's got, just thinking about him winning. I'm probably as happy as he is that he won today.''
All five Roush drivers are in the Chase field and four of them finished in the top, with polewinner Matt Kenseth finishing fifth. Reigning Cup champion Kurt Busch, the fifth Roush driver, finished 14th.
Title contenders Jimmie Johnson and Rusty Wallace finished sixth and seventh, with Casey Mears, Ricky Rudd and Jeff Gordon rounding out the top 10. The other two contenders, Jeremy Mayfield and Ryan Newman, finished 16th and 23rd.
Newman, who came into the race trailing Stewart by just four points, got caught up in a crash early in the race and spent the rest of the day trying to make an ill-handling car work.
He fell 75 points behind Stewart, with Biffle 88 points down. Only 28 points separate Biffle from eighth-place Kenseth, with Wallace, Johnson, Edwards and Martin in between.
Stewart, who had to shut down the cooling belts on his Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet after it threw an alternator belt early in the race, was not feeling well after the checkered flag because of the heat. He was pleased with his third top-five finish in the first four Chase races but not ready to talk about winning his second championship.
``This is like being in week 16 of a 36-week season and talking about points,'' Stewart said. ``There's still a lot of time left. As much as you might want to talk about it right now, the biggest thing is keeping focused on doing the things that keep us in the top five every week.'
Martin dominates in much-needed Kansas victory
By Gary Graves, USA TODAY
October 9, 2005KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Mark Martin wouldn't dare declare that his (Nextel) Cup prospects runneth over with Sunday's Banquet 400 victory, but NASCAR's eternal pessimist ran well enough to at least see his glass as half-full.
From a Roush Racing standpoint, such an outlook would have been an understatement in a race the team owned from start to the 1-2-3 finish by Martin, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards, with teammate and pole sitter Matt Kenseth fifth behind Chase leader Tony Stewart. This Roush quartet also combined to lead eight times for a whopping 258 of 267 laps at 1.5-mile Kansas Speedway, a track that had brought mixed results over four years. (Related item: Banquet 400 results)
That inexplicable blip becomes part of Roush's sterling record at intermediate length tracks, and now it heads to Lowe's Motor Speedway outside Charlotte, where Martin won the non-points Nextel All-Star Challenge in May. But do Martin a favor: Look elsewhere for a favorite, and don't read too much into his 35th career victory.
"We got the lead before halfway and led the whole race, and that's a formula for heartbreak in my world because more often than not something happens to spoil that," said Martin, who led three times for 139 laps in ending a 52-race drought.
The Roush Racing drivers were due some good fortune after being mostly invisible in the first three of the Chase for the Nextel Cup races.
There was optimism heading to Kansas, though, which was borne through four top-10 starting positions. What they didn't foresee was an utter walkover, in which their leads were yielded briefly during pit stops before being regained when the field cycled through.
But to hear team owner Jack Roush, maybe they did see it coming.
"If Roush Racing (or) if Mark Martin can't do his business at Kansas City or Charlotte or Atlanta, then we're in desperate trouble and definitely not on our game," Roush said. "What happened here is reflected in that the cars were well-driven, they were well-prepared by hardworking teams and the judgments that the crew chiefs made were excellent."
Particularly when it came to pit stops, when Roush cars excelled after taking on fresh tires. In Martin's case, new tires corrected some early balkiness after he started 19th and he soon found himself in the top 10. The four he took on during his final stop made the difference against Stewart and Biffle.
"The stop that originally put us in front we did two (tires) and then we did four the last two times," said Pat Tryson, Martin's crew chief.
Then again Martin was due some good fortune after being erased last week in a multicar wreck at Talladega Superspeedway and falling to ninth in points.
Martin controlled Sunday's second half of the race, taking his final lead at lap 220 and steadily pulled away from Biffle after taking over second following a spirited battle with Stewart.
Moody Mark
By Jerry Bonkowski, Yahoo! Sports
October 9, 2005KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Come on, Mark, you've got to stop being so pessimistic.
Instead of celebrating Sunday's Banquet 400 triumph at Kansas Speedway – his first points win since June 2004 – Mark Martin quickly went from joyous to melancholy, claiming his chances of winning the championship this season still are pretty much shot.
"My thoughts on the championship are they probably slipped out of my hands last week [at Talladega]," Martin said in victory lane.
With six races left and any number of potential scenarios that still could play out, how can you say in good conscience that your season is over, Mark? For as far as you fell in the standings after Talladega, don't you subscribe to the theory that what goes down must eventually go back up?
There seemed to be plenty of reason to be happy on Sunday.
Didn't you just dominate a race, picking up 25 points in the standings and climbing to within 113 points of overall first-place Tony Stewart by leading 139 of 267 laps and taking the checkered flag?
You did win, though you were sure it wouldn't turn out that way.
"We got the lead before halfway and we led the whole race," Martin said. "That's the formula for heartbreak in my world because, more often than not, something goes wrong to spoil it."
Didn't you just earn your 35th career Cup win, your first since June 2004 at Dover (Del.), snapping a 52-race winless streak?
Your fans, to whom you dedicated your farewell tour, most certainly had bolstered their hopes that you might finally win a title, but you would have none of it.
"[One hundred thirteen points] is too far back, but we can go and win us some more and you never know," Martin said. "We made the Chase and unfortunately we had some trouble – big trouble – at Talladega and it may be impossible to dig out of."
Instead of lamenting how you fell five places in the standings to ninth after Talladega, couldn't you have been happy that you're back up to seventh place? Why do you completely rule out the possibility that Stewart or Ryan Newman or Greg Biffle could suffer misfortune in the half-dozen races remaining?
Really, Mark, how can you be so sure everything is going to turn out so good for the Chase drivers ahead of you in the standings while you once again are dealt a poor hand?
To hear Martin moan and groan and put a sour taste on what could have been one of the better feel-good stories this season on Sunday, is, well, depressing. Someone hand me a bottle of Prozac.
Yet there's a method to Martin's madness. He may be pessimistic by nature, but he's also a realist. He's not going to sugarcoat things or give false hope when reality begs to differ.
That's why, while Martin can bring you down, he also is brutally honest in a sport where answers often are colored to make sponsors happy rather than telling the real story of how a team performed.
Martin doesn't give fluff answers. He tells it like it is, even if it makes him seem like a whiner and complainer. He doesn't mean to come across that way, but reality to Martin is, well, reality. It's not trumped-up fakery. What you see is what you get.
The reality is Martin indeed still has a long way to go. He's not going to try and justify where he is in the standings. He can't look back at what happened at Talladega and laugh at his misfortune. It's just not in his makeup.
Tryson is a bit more optimistic, however, saying the team's title hopes aren't yet gone.
"Anything's possible," Tryson said. "I just look at it as we've got to try to make up 20 points a race and I think we made up 20 today [25, actually], so we just have to do it again next week."
As for Martin's take on his team's title chances.
"I just would have liked to have gotten beat this year – beat," Martin said. "We still have a chance at the championship, but we have an 80 percent as good a chance as we had before [wrecking at Talladega].
"Before it was going to be real hard because it's real competitive. If you look at the finish of however many runs we've run – four in the Chase – [in] every race seven of the chasers have finished in the top 10. How are you going to make up 140 points like that? Be realistic."
You have to respect Martin for having the guts to respond that way. Other drivers would hem and haw and stare into space for some elusive answer that makes them look smart or clever, even though deep down at times they feel as pessimistic as Martin can be.
While Martin is resigned to the fact that when it comes to winning the championship, he'll once again wind up close but with no cigar by season's end, he allows himself a slight indiscretion of sorts: He's still hopeful, but he's not going to hold out a lot of hope, either.
"It could happen," he said. "Everybody else in the Chase can turn upside-down or whatever, have a disaster. But realistically, it's just going to be a whole lot harder. You could conceivably win every single race the rest of the year and if whoever is leading the points finishes second in every race, it won't happen. That's real."
Yes, Mark Martin is pessimistic. He sees the glass half-empty rather than half-full. And his thoughts can, at times, seem depressing and negative.
Martin isn't going to stop being the way, but he's not going to give up, either. The spirit may be a bit defeated, but the body is still ready to put up a fight to the bitter end. He may truly have lost the championship at Talladega, but damn it, he's still going to keep trying until time runs out for sure.
"I don't want to lose," Martin said. "I always tell [the team] to give me the lead with four fresh tires with the end in sight and you'll never get a fight like you're going to get from me."
And even though his negativity can be a downer at times, you can't get more real than that.
Mark his word, Martin isn't done
By David Poole
The Charlotte Observer
October 9, 2005KANSAS CITY, Kan. - Mark Martin kept waiting for something to happen to him in Sunday's Banquet 400, and something finally did. He won.
"We got the lead before halfway and we led the whole race," Martin said after winning for the first time in 53 races. "That's a formula for heartbreak in my world because more often than not something goes wrong to spoil that."
So after he led every one of the last 146 laps that were theoretically possible - the seven he didn't lead from Lap 122 on all came during pit stops situations - Martin said he mainly felt relieved.
"It wasn't the most exciting win of my career," Martin admitted, an opinion that might be shared by the crowd of 82,000 that also might have liked to see something a little more dramatic. "It was one that was well-deserved by my team, so as long as I live I will remember it for that feeling."
Martin's 35th career victory was his first since winning at Dover in June 2004. But it's the second time this year that Martin has won the week before racing for keeps at Lowe's Motor Speedway - he won the Nextel All-Star Challenge in May the week before the Coca-Cola 600, too.
Now, he heads into Saturday's UAW-GM 500 looking to help Roush Racing bring the five-car team's dominance this season on this style of track to the Charlotte track where Jimmie Johnson, who drives for Hendrick Motorsports, has won four of the past five points races.
At Kansas on Sunday, Martin and teammates Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards swept the top three spots. Matt Kenseth, another Roush driver, finished fifth.
Jimmie Johnson was sixth and Rusty Wallace was seventh, and both of them also are in the Chase for the Nextel Cup.
The problem for all of them, however, was that Chase drivers swept the top seven positions in Sunday's race. And Tony Stewart was the one who joined them, finishing fourth between Edwards and Kenseth.
Stewart came into the fourth of 10 races in the Chase leading Ryan Newman by four points in the championship standings.
But Newman went to the back of the field for the start of the race after his team had to work on his transmission after qualifying at this impound event.
Newman's No. 12 Dodge was damaged when Brandon Ash got spun out in Turn 2 on Lap 17, and he spent the rest of the day in futile effort to fight back.
Newman wound up 23rd, and that leaves Stewart 75 points clear of Newman in the standings and a logjam that's behind him. Biffle, Wallace, Johnson and Edwards are all within 20 points of Newman.
Martin moved up two spots to seventh in the standings, 113 points back. But he's still smarting from a 41st-place finish last week at Talladega, where he got swept up into one of those track's big wrecks on Lap 20 and said he felt his chance to win a championship "probably slipped out of my hands."
It might help, though, that four of the six races left come on 1.5-mile tracks like Kansas and like Charlotte. Roush cars led all but nine of Sunday's 267 laps, and of the team's 12 victories this year, half have come on similar tracks.
"We're not great at every place we go to," Roush said. "But we have been fairly deliberate about putting our emphasis on race tracks that are the most fun and have the greatest opportunity for a driver to make a big difference - as opposed to Daytona and Talladeaga, where it's almost like Russian roulette.
"If Roush Racing and if Mark Martin can't get business done at Kansas or Charlotte or Atlanta, then we're in desperate trouble and we're definitely not on our game."
Martin was dead on his game Sunday. Biffle seemed to be closing in over the final stages of the race, but before he really got close Martin squeezed the trigger on his No. 6 Ford a little bit harder and kept Biffle at arm's length.
"Don't get me wrong, I was going to pass him if I could," Biffle said. "But I was excited to be following him. You've got time to think about stuff at this track, and I was just picturing him buckled down in that car giving it all he's got every single lap."
Martin didn't want to sound unexcited about breaking his winless streak, but he said he wasn't as overwhelmed after Sunday's race as he was after winning the all-star event in Charlotte in May.
"I'm not sure why," Martin said. "I felt like I really contributed to the win that night. I drove a heck of a race. Today is great. ... But all I want to think about is these last six races. That's what my focus is on. I've got the blinders on, and I can't see anything else."
Martin and Kluever Test Together at Homestead
October 7, 2005CONCORD, N.C. - Roush Racing teammates Mark Martin and Todd Kluever spent two days this week testing their Ford F-150s at Homestead-Miami Speedway in preparation for next month's race. Martin drove a brand new truck which he will race there in November and Kluever piloted a Ford R&D truck. Both drivers felt the two days were very beneficial for their programs.
"I had a great time testing the truck," Martin said. "Roush built a great truck for me to race at Homestead and this is an opportunity for us to get a head start on our program for next year. I plan to run about a half-dozen truck races in 2006 so I want to be ahead of the game. We figured out quite a bit and the truck was pretty fast. I'm pleased with what we've got."
Kluever did not turn as many laps as Martin, but also felt the test would be helpful when they return to south Florida next month.
"I didn't run nearly as much as Mark, but watching him and listening to him was very valuable," Kluever said. "The things he learned from testing his new truck will carry over to my No. 50 truck as well. Mark is going to be tough to beat at Homestead, but I think we'll be every bit as competitive based on what we learned here. It was really cool to be able to spend two days testing with him. He has so much experience and knowledge that he is willing to share with me. It's a huge benefit for me."
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season finale will be at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Friday evening, November 18.
Roush Racing is a subsidiary of Livonia, Mich., based Roush Industries that operates 10 motorsports teams; five in NASCAR Nextel Cup with drivers Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards, three in the Busch Series with Martin, Kenseth and Edwards, and two in the Craftsman Truck Series with drivers Ricky Craven and Todd Kluever.
Martin changes gears, will return to Cup racing
Veteran says there are no suitable drivers available to take over his car on Roush's team.
By Angelique S. Chengelis / The Detroit News
October 7, 2005
Ezra Shaw / Getty ImagesMark Martin: "I have to say that at this point it's 99 percent sure I'll be in the 6 car. I don't really see any scenario that would bail me out of that."
So close:
Mark Martin has never won a Cup championship, but he has finished second four times:
1990: 26 points behind Dale Earnhardt
1994: 444 behind Earnhardt
1998: 364 behind Jeff Gordon
2002: 38 behind Tony StewartIt was not his intent, but Mark Martin almost certainly will be back in his familiar No. 6 Ford next year, racing in the NASCAR Nextel Cup series for Livonia-based owner Jack Roush.
This was supposed to be Martin's last shot at a Cup championship -- he has been runner-up four times -- as he fazed out of Cup competition to focus on the Craftsman Truck series.
But his replacement, Jamie McMurray, must fulfill his contract with Chip Ganassi Racing for one more season, and unless something drastically changes, Martin will return for his final season in 2006.
That's right -- final season.
"I have to say that at this point it's 99 percent sure I'll be in the 6 car," said Martin, 46. "I don't really see any scenario that would bail me out of that.
"I'm very much at peace with that. ... Maybe getting old agrees with me, I don't know."
Martin was fourth in Chase points entering last weekend's race at Talladega. But he was caught in a multi-car wreck and finished 41st. Now, with seven races left, Martin is ninth.
Martin said that knowing he almost certainly will be back next season does not reduce the pressure to push through these final races for that elusive series championship.
"As far as I'm concerned, this is my last chance at a championship," Martin said. "If you don't make the Chase, you can't win it. As of right now, I don't expect to make the Chase next year because I know how hard it is.
"Obviously, we will do everything we can, but like I say, 2006 doesn't exist. We'll deal with that when it comes. I'm not gonna work on that right now.
"Whether or not I can be as fierce and as focused and all those things in 2006, I don't know. I will deal with that later. All I know is I was able to give more than I ever thought was possible in 2005 because it was gonna be my last year. So I'll have to come up with something else for next year, and I don't know what that will be at this time."
Martin said this season, featuring his "Salute to You Tour" geared toward the fans, lived up to every expectation he had.
"It's all been the best anybody could ever ask for," Martin said.
But Martin said the adulation from what was supposed to be his farewell tour should not be confused for his reasons for returning next season. This is not about delaying retirement for another round of pats on the back.
"That's way wrong," Martin said. "First of all, the driver situation right now is horrible for replacements. There is no one who is ready to step into a top car. That's why people are fighting over Kurt Busch (heading to Penske Racing) and Jamie McMurray. There's no one available that's ready."
Martin said he owes it to Roush and the crew to return. After all, he said, he asked his crew members to stick around for him this season, and they did.
"I'm not going to leave them hanging," Martin said. "I love my team and Jack Roush too much to leave them with a total empty hole for 2006.
"There are gonna be a lot of drivers freed up next year and hopefully there will be some rookies that look like they're ready. But, as of today, there are no rookies that are available that look like they're ready to step into a car like the 6 car. I'm sure that 12 months from now the situation will look better."
Martin takes blow in points, but still hopeful of title
By Mike Harris
The Associated Press
October 7, 2005Mark Martin has been through this before.
A four-time runner-up in NASCAR's top stock car series, Martin isn't going to let a little adversity in the latest championship chase get him down.
Martin got caught up in a multicar crash last Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway, relegating him to a 41st-place finish and costing the veteran a bundle of points in what could be his final shot at a Nextel Cup title.
Heading into Sunday's Banquet 500 at Kansas Speedway, Martin is ninth in the standings, 138 points behind leader Tony Stewart. That's not the end of his chances, but it definitely puts Martin in a deep hole with seven races to go in the Chase for the championship.
"We are looking forward to getting back out on the track and getting to race some," said Martin, who completed only 19 laps before the crash sent him to the Talladega garage area. "I don't think I even broke a sweat.
"We took a big hit in the points, but we'll just have to keep fighting our way back. This team doesn't give up."
Martin, who planned to retire from Cup racing at the end of this season, now expects to be back in the No. 6 Roush Racing Ford in 2006, filling in until Jamie McMurray finishes his obligations with Chip Ganassi Racing and moves to the Roush team.
But, just in case McMurray – or someone else – winds up in the 6 next year, Martin wants to get the championship he has chased for so long.
"We're close enough, and there are still enough races, we can get back in it," he said. "Last year, Jimmie Johnson got off to a bad start (in the 10-race Chase), then he won a bunch of races and wound up losing the championship by eight points. So we know we can get back into it, and I like the tracks that are coming up for us."
Martin and all four of his Roush teammates – reigning Cup champion Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards – have been strong all year on 1.5-mile ovals. Starting with Kansas, the so-called intermediate tracks make up five of the final seven events.
"I'm definitely looking forward to getting back out on a 1.5 and seeing what we can do," Martin said. "Those types of tracks have been our bread and butter, and we are hoping that we can get a strong finish this weekend and see what happens from there."
In God’s hands
Veteran Martin believes title hopes not up to him
Carthage Press: Sports Index
October 6, 2005TALLADEGA, Ala. — Mark Martin Sunday said if it’s God’s will, he might still win a Nextel Cup championship.
But Martin’s hopes for the 2005 crown took as big a hit as that which was delivered to his No. 6 Ford in Turn 1 at Talladega Superspeedway, only 19 laps into the UAW-Ford 500.
“It’s hard to fight God’s will and [Sunday] God’s will was for me to finish about last,” Martin said. “I’d have a championship by now if it was God’s will.
“We’re gonna take what we can get this year and see what happens going forward and see if everybody else in the Chase flips before the race is over.”
In the end, despite Martin’s car immediately being loaded in its hauler and relegated to the 41st position, problems among the other Chase contenders rendered his deficit less than he initially feared.
At half distance, more than half the Chase contenders had been involved in mishaps, including the point leader coming into the race, Jimmie Johnson. Tony Stewart finished second behind Dale Jarrett and regained the point lead for the second time in three Chase races. Martin fell from fourth, 21 points behind to ninth, but only 138 points back.
Martin, who can rarely be confused for an optimist, was pessimistic about his title hopes after the wreck — even considering Johnson came from more than 250 points back last year to lose the title by eight points.
“It hurts [but] what are you going to do?” Martin said. “It would have been hard to win this championship if I would have got a top 10 [so] you figure it out.”
The wreck occurred when Martin was running in the top 10, as comfortably as he could in a draft of more than 30 cars, when the top-five cars of Elliott Sadler, Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. tangled in front of him. Martin ran into Sadler; slowed, turned and was hit by Michael Waltrip’s car. Martin then spun around, was hit head-on by Mike Skinner and driven into the outside wall.
“All I saw was the 38 [Sadler] out of control in front of us and we all know how that had to have happened,” Martin said. “Once somebody wrecks in front of you there’s not much to do to get involved.
“I got hit from behind and hit the guys in front of me [because] you can’t stop as fast in these cars as a car that is wrecking can stop. It’s impossible to slow down fast enough, so I got hit both from behind and I hit the guys in front of me. We just kept hitting stuff.”
The accident was a rude ending for Martin, whose dislike of restrictor plate racing is well known.
“I just want to say one thing — the fans are the only ones that can do something about this,” Martin said. “No one else can — the drivers can’t, the owners can’t and NASCAR’s not gonna do anything about it.
“I doubt if the fans can, either. I know that it’s exciting racing to watch, but I didn’t even get a sweat worked up.”
Martin, who said fixing restrictor plate racing at Talladega would involve cutting the banking on the track, thus making it unlikely to occur, finally said his demise had left him emotionless.
“I don’t really have any other than I’m glad this is over with,” Martin said. “Maybe they won’t fix the thing and I won’t have to go back out — that’s kind of how I feel about it, right now.
“These guys are incredible and they can fix anything, but this one is gonna be a challenge.”
Crew chief Pat Tryson elected not to fix the No. 6, whose extensive damage included both front-lower A-frames being ripped from the chassis.
CATCHING UP WITH MARK MARTIN
The Miami Herald
October 6, 2005In a NASCAR Cup career that started in 1981, Mark Martin has finished in the top five in the championship standings 11 times. But the original Roush Racing driver has yet to win the grand prize. Each Wednesday we will follow Martin's latest -- and perhaps last -- quest to hoist the champion's trophy.
IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR
Almost the worst-case scenario happened at Alabama's Talladega Superspeedway. On just Lap 20, Martin got caught up in a wreck started by Jimmie Johnson and finished second-to-last to drop from fourth to ninth, 138 behind leader Tony Stewart.
IN THE WINDSHIELD
The Chase goes next to Kansas Speedway, which has hosted only four Cup races. Martin has only one top-10 finish at the 1.5-mile oval, and he has one DNF.
MARTIN Q&A
Q: Ryan Newman joked after Sunday's race that he'd like to see Talladega become a dirt track. What would you like to have done to the track?
A: If they would take some of the banking out of the track, they could take the [restrictor] plates off and then we could race. That would put the racing back in the drivers' hands. It would separate the field, and you wouldn't see the stuff you saw last week.
Q: After almost the worst-case scenario happened to you at Talladega, what do you think about going to Kansas?
A: Well, first of all, I walked away, so it wasn't near the worst-case scenario. But we just have to go to Kansas and look for a win and at least get a top five and try to climb back in this thing. There are seven races left, and we'll have to make the most of them all.
Q: Does it take any pressure off you to win a championship, knowing you have one more crack at it next season?
A: As far as I'm concerned, this is my last chance at a championship. If you don't make the Chase, you can't win it. As of right now, I don't expect to make the Chase next year because I know how hard it is. Obviously, we will do everything we can, but like I say, 2006 doesn't exist.
Q: Loyalty is the main reason you said you were returning for the 2006 season, but are you excited considering the good season you are having?
A: I'm not excited about 2006. First of all, the driver situation in the garage right now is horrible for replacements. That's why people are fighting over Kurt Busch and Jamie McMurray. There's no one available that's ready. My heroes are the guys that put me in this Chase. I went to them a year ago, many of them had career opportunities, and I selfishly asked them to please give me one more chance at this thing. And they did. . . . I'm not gonna leave them hanging.
Q: I understand you are testing your truck at Homestead this week. What are your plans?
A: I'm driving the truck this year at Homestead, and we'll run five to seven times next year to get ready for 2007 so we can be competitive right out of the box. My truck will run the full schedule in 2006 with another driver or two when I cannot be in it myself. I'm looking forward to driving in trucks.
-- CAMMY CLARK
2005 Mark Martin Nextel Kansas Fast Facts - Sunday, October 9, 2005
Banquet 400 presented by ConAgra Foods
Kansas Speedway
#6 Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Ford Taurus
October 5, 2005DRIVER: Mark Martin
TEAM: No. (6) Viagra® Ford Taurus
OWNER: Jack Roush
CREW CHIEF: Pat Tryson
2004 EVENT WINNER: Joe Nemechek
MARK MARTIN - 2004 EVENT
Started - 18th
Finished - 20thMartin and the team were optimistic going into the race and had one of the fastest cars throughout the event. Martin drove the Viagra® Taurus to the front of the field, but he suffered two cut right side tires after running over debris midway through the race. The incident put Martin down a lap and although he was able to battle back onto the lead lap, he was never able to make up for the lost track position. The team worked at it all day, but in the end would have to settle for 20th position.
MARTIN, NO. 6 VIAGRA® TEAM LOOK TO REGROUP IN KANSAS
NASCAR's Chase for the title moves to Sweet Home Alabama and Talladega Superspeedwday this weekend. Due to its unpredictable nature Talladega is considered by many the wildcard of the Chase, where drivers will hope to mount a strong run, while at the same time avoiding the 'big one.'
THE CAR
Chassis Number: (RK-315) - The team will run RK-315 this weekend at Kansas. RK-315 finished fourth at Dover two weeks ago in its first and only other run.
AT KANSAS
Starts: 4 Wins: -
Top 5's: -
Top 10's: 1
Poles: -
Highest finish: 6th 9/30/01
First time: 6/30/01 (6th)
Last time: 10/10/04 (20th)WORTHY NOTE
Kansas is the only Chase track where Martin has never posted a top-five finish.
IN THE POINTS
After getting caught up in the 'big one' at Talladega early, Martin fell to ninth in the points. He is currently 138 points out of first place. However, he is only 62 points out of third and just 40 behind fifth.
BREAKING DOWN THE CHASE
Martin has started a total of 156 races at the remaining seven tracks that will make up the Chase for the Nextel Cup. He has posted 10 wins, 51 top-five and 80 top-10 finishes at those tracks. Martin has finished inside the top 10 in 51 percent of his starts at the remaining 'Chase' tracks. He has an average finish of 14.4 and he has led a total of 2,964 laps. He has led just two laps at Kansas, the lowest of any 'Chase' track.
MARTIN AT KANSAS
This will mark the fifth time that Martin and the Nextel Cup circuit has visited Kansas Speedway. Martin finished sixth in the inaugural event in 2001. Martin has a 17.7 finish at Kansas, mostly aided by engine problems in 2002 and an accident in 2003.
Mark Martin will make his final run at the Nextel Cup title in 2005. Martin has dubbed 2005 as his "Salute to You" tour, a year in which he hopes to take the time to thank each and everyone that he feels played a role in his success, including team members, fans, NASCAR and the media.
QUOTING MARK MARTIN AND CREW CHIEF PAT TRYSON ON KANSAS
Mark Martin:
"We are looking forward to getting back out on the track and getting to race some. We didn't get a lot of laps last week at Talladega - I don't think I even broke a sweat. I'm definitely looking forward to getting back out on a 1.5 and seeing what we can do. Those types of tracks have been our bread and butter and we are hoping that we can get a strong finish this weekend and see what happens from there.
"Last week was a tough one. You go in to those things knowing that that kind of thing can happen at Talladega and you just hope that you don't get in it. We haven't done a very good job of not getting in it and we were once again in the wrong place at the wrong time on Sunday. We took a big hit in the points, but we'll just have to keep fighting our way back. This team doesn't give up and we'll just keep fighting back and see what happens."
Pat Tryson:
"We are really looking forward to running Kansas this weekend. We are taking the same car that we had a really good run with at Dover two weeks ago and the team is ready to get back to some series racing. We had some really bad luck at Talladega last week, so were are hoping that is behind us and we can get back to the business of winning that championship."
MARK MARTIN FAST FACTS – KANSAS
- Martin finished sixth at the inaugural Kansas Cup race in 2001.
- Martin has a 17.8 average finish in four races at Kansas.
- Martin has won 10 races, and posted 51 top five and 80 top 10 finishes at the remaining seven Chase tracks.
- Kansas is the only Chase track where Martin has yet to score a top five finish.
2005 Mark Martin Busch Kansas Fast Facts - Sunday, October 8, 2005
United Way 300 presented by Yellow Transportation and Sprint
Kansas Speedway
#9 Ford Taurus
October 5, 2005DRIVER: Mark Martin
TEAM: No. (9) Ford Taurus
OWNER: Jack Roush
CREW CHIEF: Pat Tryson
2004 EVENT WINNER: Joe Nemechek
MARTIN LOOKS FOR THIRD BUSCH SERIES WIN IN 2005
Mark Martin and the Red Apple No. 9 Racing Team will be looking for their third Busch Series win in 2005 when they take the green flag this Friday night in the Richmond International Raceway, where Martin finished second in the Busch race in the spring.
THE CAR
The team will run RK-296 at Richmond. RK-296 is a new car making its first run.
IN THE BUSCH SERIES
Martin made a name for himself in the Busch Series, taking a series record 45 checkered-flags from 1987 until he 'retired' from the series in 2000. Martin has posted an additional two wins this year, boosting his record total to 47. All in all Martin has run 211 Busch races, collecting 135 top-10's and 98 top-fives. Martin has won 22 percent of all the Busch races he's entered and finished inside the top 10 sixty-four percent of the time. Martin has led 5,232 laps in the series.
ON THE POLE
Martin won his career 28th career pole last month at Richmond. The pole tied for the most career poles ever in the Busch Series.
AT KANSAS
This will be Martin's first run in the Busch Series at Kansas. Martin has four runs in the Nextel Cup Series at Kansas, posting a 17.7 average finish and a sixth-place run in the inaugural race there in 2001.
RECORD 47 CAREER VICTORIES
Martin will be going for his record-extending 48th win in the Busch Series. Martin's first win in the Busch Series came on May 30, 1987 at Dover. His last win in a Busch car came in March at Las Vegas. It was Martin's second Busch win of the season. Despite running a limited schedule of 15 races or less, Martin won at least two Busch races each year from 1993-2000, including six-win seasons in '92, '96, '97 and '99.
BUSCH IN 2005
This will be the seventh of eight scheduled Busch starts for Martin in 2005. Martin will make his final Busch start of the season in the finale at Homestead in November.
QUOTING MARK MARTIN AND CREW CHIEF PAT TRYSON ON BUSCH RACE AT KANSAS
Mark Martin:
"We had a good test there a couple of weeks ago in the Busch car and we are looking forward to going out and running the race. Pat (Tryson) and the entire Busch Team have done a great job this season and we’ll be gunning for win number three this weekend.”
Pat Tryson:
“We are taking a new car this weekend that we haven’t run this season. We tested at Kansas two weeks ago and liked the car so hopefully we’ll be able to put the Pennzoil No. 9 car in victory lane for the third time. We’ve been really good on the 1.5’s this year so hopefully we’ll be able to do it again.”
MARK MARTIN FAST FACTS - KANSAS BUSCH RACE
- This will be Martin's first Busch race at Kansas Speedway.
- Martin has finished inside the top seven in five of six Busch races this season.
- Martin's 47 wins in the Busch Series are the Series record. He has two win in six starts this season.
- Martin's 28 career Busch poles tie for the most ever in the series. He has one this season.
Ford Racing: News: Ford Post Race Notes and Quotes - Nextel Cup
MARK MARTIN - NO. 6 VIAGRA TAURUS (FINISHED 41ST)
"Somebody spun the 38 out. That's about all I saw - the 38 spun. I just want to say one thing, the fans are the only ones that can do something about this. No one else can - the drivers can't, the owners can't and NASCAR's not gonna do anything about it. I doubt if the fans can either. I know that it's exciting racing to watch, but I didn't even get a sweat worked up. You just can't go against God's will. I'd have a championship by now if it was God's will. I'm OK and we'll finish this one off and worry about next year next year."
WHAT ARE YOUR EMOTIONS?
"I don't really have any other than I'm glad this is over with. I didn't even work up a sweat. Maybe they won't fix the thing and I won't have to go back out. That's kind of how I feel about it right now. These guys are incredible. They can fix anything, but this one is gonna be a challenge."
WHAT HAPPENED?
"They had a big wreck in front of me."
ANYTHING YOU COULD HAVE DONE? ARE YOU OK?
"I'm like a mule. I can take it. The safety devices are incredible today. We used to take those kind of whoopings without all that stuff and it was a lot worse. This one is over with and we'll pick up and go on. I told some guys a while ago that it's hard to fight God's will and today God's will was for me to finish about last. I'd have a championship right now if it was His will, so we're gonna take what we can get this year and see what happens going forward and see if everybody else in the chase flips before the race is over."
WHAT ABOUT YOUR TITLE CHANCES NOW?
"It hurts. What are you gonna do? It would be hard to win this championship if I would have got a top-10. You figure it out."
WHAT DID YOU SEE?
"I just saw the 38 spinning. You guys saw it. I haven't seen it yet. All I saw was the 38 out of control in front of us and we all know how that had to have happened. I don't know how it happened because I didn't see it."
HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED?
"Once somebody wrecks in front of you there's not much. I got hit from behind and hit the guys in front of me. You can't stop as fast in these cars as a car that is wrecking can stop, so it's impossible to slow down fast enough so I got hit both - behind and I hit the guys in front of me. We just kept hitting stuff."
Martin's Day Comes to Short End at Talladega
Martin had used a strong car to drive into the top-five, before a lap 20 accident brought his story to an early close
Mark Martin and the #6 Viagra® Racing Team
Talladega Superspeedway/October 2, 2005TALLADEGA, ALA.– Mark Martin and the Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Racing Team got off to a strong start in Sunday’s UAW-Ford 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Martin started the race 24 th and used an extremely fast race car - combined with his mastery of the draft - to move into the top five by just the 14 th lap of the race. Sporting what looked to be his best Talladega car in years, Martin was poised for a move to the front when he got caught up in a multi-car accident on just the 20 th lap of the 500-mile event.
Jimmie Johnson made contact with the back of the No. 38 car sending Elliot Sadler into a spin that would cause a chain reaction that would see Martin’s No. 6 Viagra Ford virtually destroyed. Martin was trapped on the high side with nowhere to go. Once his car went rolling down the bottom of the steep track he was hit again. The team would be unable to repair the car and their day would come to an end after only 19 laps completed.
"Somebody spun the 38 out,” said Martin moments after emerging from the infield care center. “That's about all I saw - the 38 spun. I just want to say one thing; the fans are the only ones that can do something about this. No one else can - the drivers can't, the owners can't and NASCAR's not going do anything about it. I doubt if the fans can either. I know that its exciting racing to watch, but I didn't even get a sweat worked up. We are out here running around at 185 mph in 230 mph cars and there just isn’t anything that the drivers can do about it.
"Once somebody wrecks in front of you there's not much you can do,” added Mark. “I got hit from behind and hit the guys in front of me. You can't stop as fast in these cars as a car that is wrecking can stop, so it's impossible to slow down fast enough so I got hit both - behind and I hit the guys in front of me. We just kept hitting stuff."
Martin went into the race only 21 points out of first place and in fourth place. He left Talladega all the way back in ninth and 138 points out of first.
“It hurts our chances,” said Martin. “It would have been hard to win a championship if we finished 10 th today and now it’s that much harder. We’ll dig in and we’ll keep fighting. We’ll just have to see what happens and if everyone else in the chase has this happen. We’ll keep fighting, that’s what this team does.”
The wreck was Martin’s fourth this season in a restrictor plate race, with all four occurring with Martin running inside the field’s top 10. Martin was involved in multi-car crashes at both Talladega races, as well as the Twin 125 and Pepsi 400 at Daytona.
The Viagra® team will regroup and take to the track next weekend when the chase for the championship resumes at Kansas Speedway, where Martin has one top 10 in four starts.
