M6M's web site dedicated to NASCAR Driver Mark Martin - #6 - AAA - Ford Fusion - Roush Racing

NASCAR's Mark Martin
2006 Season Articles - October

This page contains information regarding Mark's departure from Roush Racing and his future with MB2 Motorsports.
Martin Gets Caught Up in Crash at Atlanta; Finishes 36th
Martin and the AAA Team were poised for a top-10 finish, before late-race accident
Mark Martin and the #6 AAA Ford Fusion Racing Team
Atlanta Motor Speedway/October 29, 2006
Pat Tryson and the AAA Team did a great job with the car and the setup, but unfortunately we found ourselves in the wrong place at the wrong time, once again.” - Mark Martin after Sunday’s race at Atlanta
HAMPTON, GA. – For the third consecutive week Mark Martin and the AAA Race Team found themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time and they could do little more than watch as yet another top-10 finish went up in smoke around them. Running inside the top 10 with only 16 laps to go, Martin had nowhere to go when a group of lapped cars got together in front of him. In an effort to dodge the happenings in front of them, the No. 14 car of Sterling Marlin came up the track, forcing Martin into the outside wall. The wreck caused severe damage to the No. 6 Ford Fusion and Martin was unable to continue in the race, forcing the team to retire to the garage with a 36th place finish.
"I don't know what happened,” said Martin outside the infield care center. “I haven't seen it yet, but the 14 car just veered up in front of me, so I don't know. I'm just happy that we're running good. I'm proud of the AAA team and I want to thank all the fans for cheering so loud. We're fighting and scrapping for it. We've got three more races and we'll keep doing what we're doing."
Martin battled for much of the day with the car’s handling, but he was able to run in and around the top 10 for the entire race, until getting caught up in the accident. The car’s handling was ‘loose’ early and for most of the race, before getting ‘too tight’ as the sun dropped over the speedway around lap 250. Martin struggled on restarts, but exhibited one of, if not the, fastest cars on the track over the long run.
The veteran had restarted in ninth position and stood to gain position, when the field went green after the day’s eighth caution on lap 304. However, seconds later Martin would see his race come to a premature ending, as he was knocked into the outside wall just after the restart on lap 309.
The finish marked the third time in as many weeks that Martin saw a solid run halted by damage from an accident. Three weeks ago at Charlotte, Martin saw a top-five run come to an end after he crashed into the wall after getting hit by the No. 18 car. Last weekend, Martin’s No. 6 Ford sustained damage to the radiator after cars checked up in front of him on a restart. With three races remaining in the ‘Chase’ Martin is now in eighth position, 201 points out of first.
The team returns to action this weekend at Texas, where Martin finished ninth in the spring. He has one win, four top fives and six top-10 finishes in 11 starts at the TMS. He finished second there last year in the inaugural Fall Cup race there.
Roush Racing is a subsidiary of Livonia, Mich., based Roush Enterprises which operates 14 motorsports teams; five in NASCAR Nextel Cup with drivers Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards, six in the Busch Series with Martin, Kenseth, Biffle, Edwards, Todd Kluever and Danny O'Quinn, Jr., and two in the Craftsman Truck Series with Martin, David Ragan, Michel Jourdain, Jr. and Erik Darnell.

Mark Martin Post Race Notes and Quotes - Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500
Ford Racing: News
October 30, 2006
MARK MARTIN – No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion (Finished 36th)
“I don’t know what happened. I haven’t seen it yet, but the 14 car just veered up in front of me, so I don’t know. We were running good. I didn’t see it yet. The 14 car just veered up in front of me. I’m not sure what happened because you can’t see through all the cars. I don’t know what happened in front of him.”
WHAT ABOUT YOUR CHASE CHANCES?
“I don’t know. I’m just happy that we’re running good. I’m proud of the AAA team and I want to thank all the fans for cheering so loud. We’re fighting and scrapping for it. We’ve got three more races and we’ll keep doing what we’re doing.”

Mark Martin Post Race Notes and Quotes - EasyCare Vehicle Service Contracts 200
Ford Racing: News
October 28, 2006
MARK MARTIN -- No. 6 Scotts F-150 (Finished 36th)
WHAT HAPPENED?
"It got away from me. These things are real sensitive when there are trucks on the outside of you and I should have known better and lifted down there. I thought I was gonna be able to clear David there and I didn't. I should have rolled out of the throttle and let it get away from me."
WILL YOU GET IT BACK IN THERE?
"No, it was just my mistake."

Mark Martin Post Race Notes and Quotes - IROC Race 4
October 28, 2006
MARK MARTIN (NASCAR NEXTEL CUP) Finished Sixth
(On what happened with Ryan Newman) "I don't know; I'd have to watch it. I don't know what happened. Ryan said he was three-wide and someone was inside of him. All I know is it wasn't very roomy out there on the outside."

2006 Mark Martin Nextel Cup Track Notes – Sunday, October 29, 2006
Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 / Atlanta Motor Speedway
No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion
October 26, 2006
DRIVER: Mark Martin
TEAM: No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion
OWNER: Jack Roush
CREW CHIEF: Pat Tryson
THE CAR
Chassis: RK-392 - New car, tested at Homestead last week. It will make its first official run this weekend.
MARK MARTIN – FAST FACTS – ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Mark Martin has tallied 21 top 10's and 13 top fives at Atlanta, with top-five runs in the last four of five races there.

Martin has won twice at Atlanta. Both wins came in the fall in ('91 & '94).

Martin has started in the top 10 in 24 of his 41 races at Atlanta. He has started inside the top five 17 times. He has earned one pole (3/92) and has started on the front row six times.

Martin scored his first top 10 at Atlanta in only this second start there, on November 7, 1982.

Martin has led 924 laps at Atlanta, with 272 of them coming in the last four races.

Martin has three wins and two poles in the Busch car at Atlanta.

QUOTING MARK MARTIN AND CREW CHIEF PAT TRYSON ON RACING AT ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY
Mark Martin:
"Atlanta is a really cool race track. It's a big, fast race track. The pavement has gotten a little older and it has finally given up and made it a really fun place to race. From top-to-bottom, it's one of the best places that we go to race. It usually makes for a great show and a great race. We've been really strong there over the years and we've had some good runs the last few times that we've went there. We've been close to a couple of wins there in the past few races and we finished second in the spring, so hopefully we can break out of our string of bad luck and get a solid finish this weekend.
"We've had really good cars the last couple of weeks and pretty bad luck. My car last week was as good as any car I've had at Martinsville and we got ourselves caught up in someone else's wreck again and were lucky to stay on the lead lap and finish the race. This weekend we need to get the best finish we can, so we can stay within striking distance in the points. There is still a lot of racing left and we haven't given up yet."
Pat Tryson:
"Atlanta has been a great track for us over the past couple of years. Mark really likes racing there and we've been close to a couple of wins there. Hopefully this weekend we can avoid the wrecks and if we run the way we should I know that Mark can take this car to victory lane."

2006 Mark Martin Craftsman Truck Notes – Saturday, October 28, 2006
EasyCare Vehicle Service Contracts 200 / Atlanta Motor Speedway
No. 6 Scotts Miracle-Gro Ford F-150
October 26, 2006
DRIVER: Mark Martin
TEAM: No. 6 Scotts Miracle-Gro Ford F-150
OWNER: Jack Roush
CREW CHIEF: Mike Beam
THE TRUCK
Chassis: No. 43 - Finished second earlier this year at Atlanta and Michigan and won at Fontana.
QUOTING MARK MARTIN AND CREW CHIEF MIKE BEAM ON RACING AT ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY
Mark Martin:
"I love driving that No. 6 Scotts Ford F-150 for Mike Beam and those guys. It's just an awesome team and they give me great trucks each week. Driving that truck this season is some of the best fun I've ever had in racing and I really appreciate the opportunity to work with these guys and I really appreciate all the hard work that each of the guys on the team have put into this season. We have three more races this year and hopefully we'll be able to go out and compete for the win in each of those races."
Mike Beam:
"This will be our second race at Atlanta with Mark in the Scotts Ford F-150 this season. We were able to get a second place in the first one and hopefully we'll be able to go back and compete for the win this weekend. It's always great to work with Mark, especially in the Scotts truck and we are excited about the chance to go out and hopefully compete for another win."

Martin could drive Ford in limited truck schedule
Veteran says he has opportunity to race Chevys in Busch Series
By Ryan Smithson
NASCAR.com
October 26, 2006
HAMPTON, Ga. – Mark Martin’s days with Ford are not over yet.
Martin said on Thursday that his 2007 race schedule will likely include 5-10 races in a Ford in the Craftsman Truck Series. He also said that he is likely to run a 5-10-race Busch Series schedule in a Chevrolet.
At Talladega this month, Martin announced that he would drive a 20-race Nextel Cup schedule in the No. 01 Chevrolet for MB2 Motorsports next season.
Martin said that his Busch plans will involve an unnamed Chevrolet team, possibly one different than MB2.
"I am pretty close to a truck deal," said Martin, who has run 11 truck races this year, winning five of them. "I think the first hurdle has finally been cleared on that.
"I think I will race a Ford truck next year, and five, maybe even 10 races and I think I will race a Busch car five to 10 races in a very exciting variety, possibly three different teams. The Busch team will be a Chevrolet, and the truck will be a Ford, if I race it."
The move to MB2 Motorsports shocked the industry. There is arguably no driver more associated with a team than Mark Martin and Roush Racing -- the two have been together for 19 years -- but Martin did not want to run a full schedule in 2007.
MB2 Motorsports has struggled mightily this season -- the two-car team has scored just two top-10s all season -- but Martin says the team will surprise some people in 2007.
"Things were getting better before I signed on," Martin said. "In the past they have been a great team and a great contender. They started turning the corner."

Roush driver not cleared to run Atlanta
By Jenna Fryer
AP Auto Racing Writer
October 24, 2006
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- David Ragan failed to gain clearance from NASCAR to race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and Roush Racing withdrew its entry for him on Tuesday.
Ragan, recently tabbed to replace Mark Martin in Roush's flagship No. 6 Ford next season, had been scheduled to run in both the truck series and Nextel Cup events this weekend in Atlanta. But he first had to be approved to race on superspeedways, and NASCAR declined to give him the go-ahead.
"The committee met and decided his level would remain at tracks 1 mile in length or less," NASCAR spokesman Kerry Tharp said. "We look at things like experience and qualifications, and his status will continue to be reviewed."
NASCAR did, however, approve A.J. Allmendinger to run the Cup race at Atlanta, even though Allmendinger has only two truck series starts on his resume.
Ragan, on the other hand, has 26 truck starts, seven Busch Series races and two Cup events. But he's wrecked in both of his Cup races, including a three-car accident last Sunday at Martinsville Speedway that infuriated veteran Ken Schrader and other veterans.
"We had a rookie out there that was kind of a dart with no feathers out there, but other than him everything was pretty much sane," Tony Stewart complained.
Schrader picked up a piece of his car following the accident and angrily threw it down before walking to his pit stall.
Ragan, the 20-year-old son of former Cup racer Ken Ragan, was remorseful after the accident.
"(My dad) is probably going to tell me, 'Man, you have got to call Schrader and talk to him,'" Ragan said after the race. "You don't want to make any enemies."
Ragan finished 25th and was on the lead lap at Martinsville. In his first start, in Dover, Del., last month, he completed just 46 laps and finished 42nd.

Bad Luck Continues for Martin, No. 6 Team with 24th-Place Finish at Martinsville
Martin fights to the finish line, after sustaining radiator damage in late race accident
Mark Martin and the #6 AAA Ford Fusion Racing Team
Martinsville Speedway/October 22, 2006
“That was as good of a car as we’ve had at Martinsville, we just got caught up in someone else’s accident again and we were lucky to be able to finish the race.” - Mark Martin after Sunday’s race at Martinsville
MARTINSVILLE, VA. - Mark Martin and the No. 6 AAA race team got their second straight dose of bad luck on Sunday, when Martin was caught up in a late accident during the Subway 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Once again Martin looked poised to notch a top-five finish, but his No. 6 Ford Fusion was struck from behind and knocked into the No. 14 car of Sterling Marlin after the cars checked up for an accident on lap 469. The damage to Martin’s car did not appear severe at first, but Martin soon lost water pressure and the team discovered that the radiator had been punctured and was loosing water. The No. 6 AAA crew worked feverishly to replace the lost water under the remaining cautions, and Martin was able to hang on for a lead-lap finish in 24th position.
"We had a great car today. I was real proud of our effort,” said Martin moments after the race. “We survived it, luckily. Of course, at the end we had a hole in the radiator, so we didn't get a good finish. These guys did a super job. We had a fight and a good race car."
Martin and the team battled adversity from the start at Martinsville, with Martin hitting the wall early in Friday’s practice. The team was forced to go with a backup and qualify with very little practice. Still, Martin rebounded to qualify 25th. He patiently made his way up the field once the green flag dropped on Sunday, breaking into the top 20 on lap 42. Martin was running in 19th position when the second caution of the race was issued on lap 65 and the team was able to pick up five positions to 14th after a 14.43-second stop to take on four tires and fuel.
Martin moved up to 13th just a few laps later and was running there when the team came down pit road for the second time, this time under caution on lap 162. Another quick stop moved Martin into 11th place when the field resumed green-flag racing. Martin remained in 11th before pitting again under caution on lap 244 for right-side tires. Some of the cars in the field opted to stay out, so Martin restarted in 19th place. He made his way to 18th, but pitted again for four tires and fuel under caution on lap 280. With the fresh tires Martin again started making his way through the field, breaking back into the top 15 on lap 316. He had moved his AAA Ford Fusion all the way to 12th when the day’s ninth caution was called on lap 332. Crew chief Pat Tryson again brought Martin down pit road for four tires and fuel.
Martin broke into the top 10 for the first time of the day on lap 371 and moved all the way to seventh, before pitting under caution number 13 on lap 399. Several teams again stayed out, while some took two tires, and Martin returned in 18th position when the field went green on lap 406. Martin again worked his way to 14th place before pitting again for four tires under caution on lap 449. Martin returned in 16th position, where he was running when he got caught up in the accident on lap 469.
With the damage to the radiator, all the team could do was continue to replace the lost water and hope to make it to the end. Martin was able to keep the car on track until the end of the race, while remaining on the lead lap.
The finish dropped Martin to seventh in the Nextel Cup point standings. With four races remaining in the “Chase” for the Cup, Martin is currently 99 points out of first. He trails fifth by 48 points and second by only 60.
Roush Racing is a subsidiary of Livonia, Mich., based Roush Enterprises which operates 14 motorsports teams; five in NASCAR Nextel Cup with drivers Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards, six in the Busch Series with Martin, Kenseth, Biffle, Edwards, Todd Kluever and Danny O'Quinn, Jr., and two in the Craftsman Truck Series with Martin, David Ragan, Michel Jourdain, Jr. and Erik Darnell.

Mark Martin Post Race Notes and Quotes - Subway 500
Ford Racing: News
October 23, 2006
MARK MARTIN – No. 6 AAA Fusion (Finished 24)
“We had a great car today. I was real proud of our effort. We survived it, luckily. Of course, at the end we had a hole in the radiator, so we didn’t get a good finish. These guys did a super job. We had a fight – good race car.”

Mark Martin Post Qualifying Notes and Quotes - Subway 500
Ford Racing: News
October 20, 2006
MARK MARTIN – No. 6 AAA Fusion (Qualified 25th)
ALL THINGS CONSIDERED TODAY, THAT WAS NOT A BAD LAP.
“I’m real tickled with that lap time. My heroes are the guys that work on this car. They’re my champions. We were not good, we made a lot of changes before qualifying that would put us a little more conventional. We’ve got some more to go, but I’m very happy with that run, and happy with this team. And, hopefully we’ll get better.”

Mark Martin Post Race Notes and Quotes - Kroger 200
Ford Racing: News
October 21, 2006
MARK MARTIN – No. 6 Scotts F-150 (Finished 4th)
“Mike Beam and the Scotts F-150 team did a super job here today, executed a great race. We were just a whisker off and we just couldn’t pass. We were fine, we never got passed all day, but we only made one pass all day. That’s what we had.”
LATE IN THE RACE YOU GOT A CHANCE TO RACE AGAINST YOUR TEAMMATE ERIK DARNELL.
“Erik did a great job today; it was an absolutely flawless race for Erik. Super job, and I didn’t want to be the one to mess his day up, so I had to be kind of careful.”

Martin, Yeley share blame for violent wreck
Veteran says he should've seen wave, but Yeley was in bad spot
By Ryan Smithson, NASCAR.COM
October 20, 2006
MARTINSVILLE, Va. -- As simple as it sounds, a lighter-colored racing glove might have made the all the difference in Mark Martin's title run.
Mark Martin did not see J.J. Yeley entering the pits on Lap 240 of the Bank of America 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway last week, and further inspection reveals the strange circumstances that can alter races, championship battles -- even careers.
As J.J. Yeley learned last Saturday night, hitting Mark Martin is like hitting a cop, especially when Martin was hurled into a SAFER barrier at 170 mph.
Simply put, no one wins.
The crash sent Martin to a 30th-place finish and severely damaged his hopes for a Nextel Cup title. Martin comes to Martinsville 102 points behind leader Jeff Burton.
All because of an avoidable crash.
"I might get away from wearing black gloves to green or red," Yeley said. "Something more visible."
Martin said he might have seen Yeley waving had he been wearing a white glove, but Martin also admitted that he had his eyes locked on his rearview mirror.
"That [brighter gloves] is definitely a good thought, no doubt. It is really hard to see in these cars," Martin said. "I was not looking ahead probably when he was waving. I was coming out of the pit when he was waving. I was making sure I was clean and clear going into Turn 3.
"When I looked ahead, he wasn't on the bottom and I was in the gas on new tires. I was doing what I needed to do, unfortunately, I was probably checking behind me when he was waving."
Mark Martin exited his pits after a poor green-flag stop on Lap 240, and because the leader was bearing down on him, he kept his eyes fixed in the rearview mirror. He was trying to make up for lost time, and he had rookie J.J. Yeley directly in his path on the backstretch.
Because green-flag pit stops were occurring, standard procedure calls for each driver to wave his hand up and down while heading down the backstretch. Yeley says he was furiously pumping his hand out the window, but Martin never saw it.
Martin was battling a loose race car, and passing Yeley on the high side was not an option, partly since he had just completed his pit stop, and partly because Yeley was pitting from the second groove.
Because Martin was on sticker tires, the possibility of spinning out in the high groove is exponentially greater, so he hugged the low line. He didn't see Yeley until the last minute. By that time it was too late.
As NBC's cameras rolled, Martin's crew chief, Pat Tryson, angrily motioned toward Yeley as the driver entered the garage for repairs. Yeley said Tryson was also waiting for him after the race.
"Pat was waving and it looked like someone was trying to hold him back," Yeley said. "As I rolled out onto the racetrack after they got the car fixed, his team was loading up their pit box and you could hear guys clapping ands waving and cursing.
"I guess that is just the intensity of their championship run."
According to Yeley, the two apologized to each other when the two tested this week at Homestead.
At the very least, Martin did not see Yeley waving his hand to enter the pits. Yeley, who was wearing a black racing glove for the night race, said that he will consider wearing a glove that is easier to see for night races.
"There is no doubt -- you can't really even see [Yeley waving] on the tape," Tryson said. "[Yeley] was higher up than that when Mark went to pass him down low. What most people do, they pull down at the end of the backstretch, they are on the bottom. It's just one of those things, I guess. That is not the right place to make up time."
Lowe's Motor Speedway also does not house team spotters in a tight-knit area atop the grandstand. Its setup is more spread out, making pit warnings harder to communicate.
The results were disastrous. At the last second, Martin realized that Yeley was intending to pit. Because it was a green-flag stop, Yeley pitted from a slightly higher line. As it turns out, it was directly in Martin's path.
The two touched. According to Yeley, the contact was so slight that it barely damaged his car. After Yeley bounced off Martin, Robby Gordon crashed into Yeley, sending both to the garage.
Martin was not so lucky. The contact sent his Ford violently into the Turn 4 wall. It hit so hard that the impact sent the 3,400-lb chassis completely off the ground.
Yeley saw how hard Martin hit the wall. The accident enraged Martin's team members, several of whom jeered Yeley as he returned to the track after he stopped in the garage for repairs.
"I think [crew chief Addington] Steve went over and talked about what happened," Yeley said. "He just said that he had a horrible pit stop, came out and wasn't paying a lot of attention, he was checking his mirror, looking for the leader, said he never saw me wave off."
Martin agreed that the blame could be split down the middle, and added that Yeley's car should not have been that high in the groove.
"I didn't see him waving and that was my fault," Martin said. "He pitted out of the middle, the second groove, and that was his fault."
"You obviously don't want to take out a championship contender," Yeley said. "But at the same time, we are all out there racing, and like Mark said, it was just a racing accident."
"It was partly my fault, and partly his fault and that is where we should stand."
Yeley has struggled as a rookie this season. It hasn't helped that he has been involved in several accidents in the second half. His accident at LMS was his third in the row.
"It is going to be tough, me being a rookie because automatically I am going to get blamed for making some kind of mistake," Yeley said. "If the roles had been reversed and I had hit him as he was pitting, I know that I would have been blamed even more so."

Burton battling good friend Martin for title
By Mike Harris
AP Auto Racing Writer
October 19, 2006
Mark Martin is the most pessimistic driver in the NASCAR Nextel Cup garage.
Through a career that has seen many successes, including four runner-up finishes but no championships, Martin always has been quick to bemoan his fate and accept the downside of the sport.
Last Saturday night at Lowe's Motor Speedway, Martin was taken out by rookie J.J. Yeley, who suddenly darted from the middle of the track toward pit lane and slammed into Martin, sending the veteran hard into the wall.
Within minutes, Martin, who was not injured and had no way of knowing how the points were shaping up at that point, moaned, "The championship is not really something that was meant for me, ever."
That crash certainly could have been a deal breaker for Martin in the Chase for the championship. But, thanks to the problems of other contenders, all it turned out to be was a setback for the 47-year-old Martin.
Heading into Sunday's race at Martinsville, the sixth of 10 races in the Chase, Jeff Burton holds a 45-point lead over Matt Kenseth, with Kevin Harvick, Martin and Dale Earnhardt Jr. all within 106 points of the leader.
When Burton heard what Martin said after the crash, he laughed. He knows Martin and his attitude well.
When Burton joined Roush Racing in 1996, his third full season in NASCAR's top stock car series, Martin was long established as Roush's premier driver and one of the best in the business.
Martin proved to be a great mentor for Burton, eight years younger, and their close relationship easily survived Burton leaving Roush to join Richard Childress Racing in the middle of the 2004 season.
Burton said he still seeks out his friend at the track or calls him on the telephone on a regular basis to talk about racing and life in general.
Now, Martin is nearing the end of his career and Burton is having a renaissance in his, with both among the 10 drivers vying for the 2006 Nextel Cup.
Before Martin wrecked, he and Burton swapped the points lead several times during the race. That prompted someone to ask Burton if Martin is just not meant to ever win a title.
"If Mark Martin is a cursed individual, then life's not fair at all," Burton said. "He's genuinely a good person. He is a kind person you'd want your children to grow up and emulate - except for the pessimism.
"You would like them to be a little more optimistic," Burton added, breaking into a smile.
Martin is in what likely will be his final full season in Cup. He is moving to MB2 Motorsports next season to run a partial schedule.
That means this is probably his last shot at winning the championship that has eluded him for so long. But Martin isn't fixating on the title. He doesn't want to be disappointed again.
"I'm not worried about it," he said, shrugging. "I wasn't before and I'm not now. I'm having fun. If I don't win (the championship), it doesn't matter. I'm having a blast."
Burton, who also would love to win a championship after struggling just to be competitive the past few years, remains a Martin fan, no matter what the outcome.
"If Mark Martin never wins a championship and never wins another race, you know what, it doesn't matter," Burton said. "Because he has had a positive impact on this sport. He will leave it better than when he got here, and he's had a huge impact on a lot of young drivers. He's taught a lot of young drivers the racing etiquette that is proper.
"You know, Mark is the kind of person that deserves a championship, and I can understand that people look at championships as a way of defining greatness. But, with Mark Martin, he is a great driver and he is a great person, with or without a championship."

2006 Mark Martin Nextel Cup Track Notes – Sunday, October 22, 2006
Subway 500 / Martinsville Speedway
No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion
October 18, 2006
DRIVER: Mark Martin
TEAM: No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion
OWNER: Jack Roush
CREW CHIEF: Pat Tryson
THE CAR
Chassis: RK-221 – In 2006, the car finished 11th at Loudon in September. It finished fifth at Richmond and fourth at Loudon in July. It also won at the All-Star Challenge in 2005.
MARK MARTIN – FAST FACTS – MARTINSVILLE - NEXTEL CUP

Mark Martin has two victories at Martinsville (spring '92 and spring '00).

Martin has 20 top-10 and 11 top-five finishes in 39 starts at Martinsville.

Martin posted both of his wins and 10 of his 19 top-10 finishes at Martinsville in the spring.

Martin has three poles at Martinsville.

Martin finished third in his first ever attempt at Martinsville on 9/29/81. He started the race fifth.

QUOTING MARK MARTIN AND CREW CHIEF PAT TRYSON ON RACING AT MARTINSVILLE - NEXTEL CUP
Mark Martin:
"It's pretty much no secret that I don't care much for racing at Martinsville, but that seems to have little to do with success, as they keep reminding me that I have a pretty good record there. I love Pocono and have never won there, so I guess it doesn't matter that much if you love a track or not. Martinsville can be physically demanding and a lot of times you leave there feeling really worn down. Martinsville has always been a real challenge for me, because in the end, it just doesn't fit with my driving style. But, we ran okay there in the spring and we like the car we are taking back this time.
"We had a good run going at Charlotte last week and it's just unfortunate that our night had to end that way. Still, that kind of stuff happens and all we can do is come back as strong as we can and go into this week looking to win the race. We'll keep on keeping on and keep fighting and just see how this thing turns out. No matter what happens, nothing can take away from the effort of this AAA race team."
Pat Tryson:
"Martinsville really isn't our best track, but we've had some pretty good runs there. We are taking the same car that we used at Loudon and Phoenix this year, and it has some pretty good runs, so hopefully we'll be able to get it hooked up and give Mark a piece that he can go out and compete with. We all know what he is capable of here if we can give him the car he needs to get the job done."

2006 Mark Martin Craftsman Truck Notes – Saturday, October 21, 2006
Kroger 200 / Martinsville Speedway
No. 6 Scotts Miracle-Gro Ford F-150
October 18, 2006
DRIVER: Mark Martin
TEAM: No. 6 Scotts Miracle-Gro Ford F-150
OWNER: Jack Roush
CREW CHIEF: Mike Beam
THE TRUCK
Chassis: No. 46 – This car finished 10th at Loudon in September.
MARK MARTIN – FAST FACTS – MARTINSVILLE – CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES

This will be Martin's 14th career Craftsman Truck Series race.

This will be Martin's second truck race at Martinsville Speedway.

Martin has two wins and three poles at Martinsville in the Cup series. He has led 318 laps there.

Martin has finished in the top 10 in 12 of his 13 truck starts.

Martin is scheduled to take part in 14 Truck Series races in 2006, one of 63 total races that he plans to run during his 'encore' Salute To You Tour. Martin has truck races remaining at Atlanta, Phoenix and Homestead.

QUOTING MARK MARTIN AND CREW CHIEF MIKE BEAM ON RACING AT MARTINSVILLE – CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES
Mark Martin:
"I love driving that No. 6 Scotts Ford F-150 for Mike Beam and those guys. It's just an awesome team and they give me great trucks each week. Driving that truck this season is some of the best fun I've ever had in racing and I really appreciate the opportunity to work with these guys and I really appreciate all the hard work that each of the guys on the team have put into this season. We have four more races this year and hopefully we'll be able to go out and compete for the win in each of those races."
Mike Beam:
"This will be our second race at Martinsville with Mark in the Scotts Ford F-150 this season. We were able to get a top-five in the first one and hopefully we'll be able to go back and compete for the win this weekend. It's always great to work with Mark, especially in the Scotts truck and we are excited about the chance to go out and hopefully compete for another win."

Martin's Promising Night Comes to Crashing End in Late-Race Accident
Careless move by No. 18 car entering pits, knocks Martin into wall and out of the race
Mark Martin and the #6 AAA Ford Fusion Racing Team
Lowe's Motor Speedway/October 14, 2006
“…It's not going to get me down. I'm having a good time; having a blast. The AAA car was pretty good tonight and Yeley was up on top in the middle of the track…” - Mark Martin after Saturday night’s crash at Lowe’s Motor Speedway
CONCORD, N.C. – Mark Martin was truly in his element for most of the race Saturday night at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Running at his favorite race track, Martin started seventh and had run virtually the entire race inside the top 10. He took over the Nextel Cup points lead on lap 175 and he passed the No. 8 four laps later to move into the top five for the first time of the race. Martin just completed a green-flag pit stop on lap 239 when moments later his promising night came to a crashing halt, when rookie J.J. Yeley made a careless move attempting to enter the pits. Martin attempted to clear Yeley’s No. 18 car low, but Yeley cut him off, sending him crashing in the wall head on. A testament to NASCAR’s safety initiatives, Martin was able to climb out of the car unharmed, even standing on the side of the car and saluting the cheering fans in turn four.
“I want to thank Humpy (Wheeler) and Bruton Smith and God for the soft walls,”’ said Mark, after leaving the infield care center. “I'm having fun. The championship is not really something that was meant for me ever, probably isn't this year and it's not going to get me down.
“From my viewpoint, he let the 17 pass him on the inside and I was coming too and I didn't know he was going to pit, he was up on top in the middle of the track. Usually when I pit, I get on the inside of the race track and then come off. It's just one of those things that happens. We had brand new tires. We were probably coming faster than they knew, or his spotter knew or whatever, we were on brand new tires. I had no idea that he was going to turn down across the race track.”
Martin was strong all weekend, qualifying strong on Thursday night. Like most of the field he battled with a tight race car for much of the early going during the race, as the crew continued to make adjustments, while rotating two-tire and fuel only pit stops over the course of the race. By lap 163 the adjustments started to pay off with Martin radioing that the car was beginning to loosen up. Martin took the points lead just 12 laps later and told crew chief Pat Tryson that the car was at its best of the race on lap 186 as he powered his No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion into the top five and all the way to third before pitting under green on lap 202.
Martin pitted under green for the 10th and what would be the final time on lap 239 to take four tires and fuel. The team had a problem on the left rear of the car, but points leader Jeff Burton stalled in the pits, giving Martin as much as a 25 point lead when he returned to the track. However, Martin’s point lead and night would come to an abrupt halt, just seconds later as Yeley came down the track and sent Martin’s Ford crashing into the wall.
“That was a bad one,” added Martin. “I wasn't ready to meet my maker tonight. Still, we are having a blast. I want to thank all the fans and I thank the AAA team for giving me a pretty good race car and I was having fun out there. I was on new tires and coming hard and J.J. let the 17 go by on the inside and I was coming hard to do the same and had no idea that he was going to pit from the center of the track. Just thank goodness for all of the safety equipment and the safe walls.”
The accident dropped Martin one place to fourth in the Nextel Cup point standings. Martin now goes into this weekend’s race at Martinsville in fourth place, 102 points behind Burton with five races left in the Chase for the Nextel Cup.
Roush Racing is a subsidiary of Livonia, Mich., based Roush Enterprises which operates 14 motorsports teams; five in NASCAR Nextel Cup with drivers Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards, six in the Busch Series with Martin, Kenseth, Biffle, Edwards, Todd Kluever and Danny O'Quinn, Jr., and two in the Craftsman Truck Series with Martin, David Ragan, Michel Jourdain, Jr. and Erik Darnell.

M6M comments regarding Mark's post race interview:
First of all, I’m happy that Mark was not injured in the race Saturday.
Me so happy too that Mark “had fun.” How many times did he say it in the interview below? Go ahead, count.
It makes it hard being a fan when you read comments like the ones he made below. I know he’s a realist, but come on, you would hope that he could be a wee bit optimistic. No matter what, I’m sure his fans are still pulling for him. It isn't over for the fans.
Mark Martin Post Race Notes and Quotes – Bank America 500
Ford Racing: News
October 14, 2006
MARK MARTIN-6-AAA Ford Fusion (finished 30th)
WAS THE 18 WAVING AS FAR AS YOU COULD SEE?
"You can't see in those cars, I don't know. I want to thank Humpy and Bruton Smith and God for the soft walls. I'm having fun. The championship is not really something that was meant for me ever, probably isn't this year and it's not going to get me down. I'm having a good time, having a blast. The AAA car was pretty good tonight and Yeley came to the middle of the race track. I don't, he let the 17 go, I didn't see it, but from my viewpoint, he let the 17 pass him on the inside and I was coming too and I didn't know he was gonna pit, he was up on top in the middle of the track."
ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO BE SO PESSIMISTIC? THERE ARE A LOT OF GUYS HAVING PROBLEMS TONIGHT.
"I don't know, I haven't seen nothin'. I'm having fun (laughs)." (Watching the TV replay) "It's not far enough back. It needs to be from my windshield, that doesn't capture it, he's already made his commitment from down across the race track at that point. You know it's just one of these things, Matt, I had just passed him on the inside and he [Yeley] was up in the middle of the race track. Usually when I pit, I get on the inside of the race track and then come off. It's just one of those things that happens. We had brand new tires. We were probably coming faster than they knew, or his spotter knew or whatever, we were on brand new tires. Having fun."
YOU LOOK PRETTY GOOD FOR A GUY THAT JUST HIT THE WALL VERY, VERY HARD.
"Yeah, that was a bad one. I wasn't ready to meet my maker tonight. Just you know, having a blast. I want to thank all the fans and I thank the AAA team for giving me a pretty good race car and I was having fun out there. I was on new tires and coming hard and J.J. let the 17 go by on the inside and I was coming hard to do the same and had no idea that he was gonna to pit from the center of the track. I'm good man."
YOU WERE UP IN THE POINTS AND THEN THIS HAPPENED.
"It don't matter. I'm having fun man. You know, it wasn't meant to be and if it was, I'd already have a Cup. They tell me that a lot of people were having trouble anyway but we didn't need to throw that away. We had a good car and a good run and were having fun and we had an accident."
YOU MENTIONED THE SOFT WALLS.
Yeah, I wasn't ready to hang it up here tonight. Thank goodness for all of the safety equipment and the safe walls and Bruton Smith and NASCAR and everyone. I was having fun tonight."
ON THE CHAMPIONSHIP.
"I'm not worried about it. I wasn't before and I'm not now, I'm having fun now."
YOU'RE NOT THAT FAR BACK.
"Hey, I had a better chance before I wrecked (laughs)."
TELL US AGAIN WHAT HAPPENED.
"I came out on brand new tires and I was coming really hard. The 17 went by the 18 going into the turn and the 18 was up in the middle of the race track, I had no idea that he was going to turn down across the race track. I was coming so fast, he probably didn't even know that I was coming. I was there when he went to pit, I had no idea. You can't see in these cars and you can't see. I was looking at the 17 passing him and I though that was what was going on. I thought he was leaving the bottom lane open for the cars that were coming."

Mark Martin Post Qualifying Notes and Quotes - Bank of America 500
Ford Racing: News
October 12, 2006
MARK MARTIN-6-AAA Ford Fusion (Qualified 8th)
"Our car was really good, better than in qualifying in a long time, so I'm real proud of it. I didn't get a perfect lap - not even near perfect - like we do a lot of times, so the car was good enough to kind of cover that up and give us a good starting spot. Hopefully it will be good in race setup."
WITH THE SMALLER FUEL CELLS FOR THIS RACE, HOW IMPORTANT IS QUALIFYING IN REGARDS TO PIT SELECTION?
"Pit selection is important, starting up front isn't, but having a fast race car and being smart is."

Mark Martin Thursday Interview
Ford Racing: News
October 12, 2006
Mark Martin, driver of the No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion, is third in the Chase for the Nextel Cup going into this weekend's race. Martin spoke about the Chase and other issues before Thursday's practice session.
MARK MARTIN-6-AAA Ford Fusion
YOU SAID THAT IF YOU WERE STILL IN THE HUNT FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP AFTER TALLADEGA THAT YOU COULD WIN THIS THING. CAN YOU WIN THIS THING NOW?
"Well, we got through Talladega and we're sitting good. Right now, I hope that we have the performance that we're capable of. We're going to have some strong competition, but we're sitting pretty good. We'll just have to see what happens. If we can string together a six-race hot streak, we'd win this championship, without question."
YOU ARE THE ONLY DRIVER IN THE CHASE WITH NO DNFS THIS YEAR.
"Well, part of that is luck. Mechanically, this is true. It's been a long time since we've had a mechanical failure. But, with today's mechanics, a lot of times what really causes a DNF is a wreck that you can't fix. We've had some wrecks that my guys have been able to fix and get back out, so it isn't like we haven't had bad races. It still makes us proud. We have mechanically been very sound and our guys are incredible. They've been able to put back together some wrecks that I didn't think they could."
TALK ABOUT YOUR ABILITY TO AVOID MAYHEM?
"That comes with time and experience. If you haven't been bitten before, and you're incredibly talented, as some of these guys are, you don't get bitten very often by putting yourself in positions that are risky. But, you do sooner or later. I assess the high-risk situations and try to do best I can with them, and that comes from a lot of years of experience."
YOU SEEM TO BE HAVING MORE FUN THIS YEAR WITH THE CHASE.
"Well, it's incredibly fun. This has been one of the best years of my career, mostly because of the fans and the fans' response has been overwhelming. Second of all, getting a chance to work with AAA on teen driving has been really rewarding for me, and important. Third of all, this team is great. It's awesome to come to work every day and work with these guys. And, lastly, it's been a great performance on the race track, and it's a privilege to be in contention for the championship. We have six races to go, and we've got a great shot at it. We're 10 points out of first place right now. So, with six to go, that's pretty incredible. No matter what happens, we'll enjoy it."
WHAT IS YOUR TAKE ON DAVID RAGAN?
"Well, I've known David since he was even more of a kid than he is today. He is a really fine young man. He's an incredibly talented young race car driver who has reached a level that is astonishing based on the amount of experience that he has. In other words, he hasn't had the experience that a lot of drivers have at his age, and he's already getting it done. He comes from a great family, and that's what makes him such a good, solid person, and I'm going to be watching him with great enthusiasm."
WHICH OF THE FINAL SIX TRACKS MAKE YOU NERVOUS?
"I would say all of them with a little less emphasis on Martinsville, but all of them. Martinsville, the last few times we've been there, we've run well, so I don't dread Martinsville by any means. We should have won Phoenix last time. You can't predict one from the other, but we sure ran good there the first race, so I have great optimism going back there again, and these other race tracks are right up my alley."
BECAUSE THEY ARE MILE-AND-A-HALFS?
"And we excel at tracks like that, handling race tracks with some size to them."
HOW WILL YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR CHAMPIONSHIP HOPES IF YOU COME OUT OF MARTINSVILLE IN THE SAME POSITION YOU'RE AT NOW?
"I'll feel good, but with Martinsville, it will go from six to four to go, and obviously the closer you get to the end, and you're still in contention, you're in better shape than ever. But, it can still go bad and come back to us. It could go bad at Martinsville and still come back to us. There's still a lot more races than people realize, but it is an honor to be in contention in my last round in the 6 car. It's been a blast, and I've been having fun like I told you I was going to do. The fans have supported me this year like I've never dreamed. We're having a good time."
WHAT IS IT ABOUT NEXTEL CUP RACING THAT MAKES YOU NOT READY TO WALK AWAY FROM IT TOTALLY?
"Because I can still get it done and I didn't think I would be able to."
EVEN TWO YEARS AGO?
"I didn't think I'd be able to. In 2003, I was sure that I wasn't going to be able to keep up with these guys any more. We had a tough season in '03 and finished 17th in the points. But, what I've learned since then is that I didn't have a fast car that year. And, I've also felt a lot of love from the fans. I've felt a lot of respect from the competitors, and I made a decision that I wouldn't come back full time after '05, and then I made a decision after Kurt left and they needed me to come back for Roush Racing, but especially for Jack Roush, and even more for Pat Tryson and this team. During that time, I saw a window of opportunity to be able to do what I really wanted to do, which is compete on a limited basis in Nextel Cup in what I hope to be a competitive car. That would be the dream come true for me. I was chasing some dreams in 1974, and today I'm chasing the last bit of those dreams."
WOULD NASCAR BE DOING A FAVOR TO THE DRIVERS TO SHORTEN THE SEASON?
"Yeah, but they'd be hurting the fans, though. I'm a fan, too. Remember, I want to watch some of these things. It's a tough grind, but the fans love it, and I'm a fan. When I'm not driving in '07, I'm going to be on the couch with the remote control telling everyone to be quiet and let me listen. I'm a big fan of this sport and I just think it's for the younger and the strong at heart. When you get to be my age, if you've been doing it 20 or 30 years, and your family is not gone yet - my son's not - you start to need to have a little bit, and phase out rather than dropping completely out. I would miss you guys, seriously. I would desperately miss the competitors, and I would also miss the kind of fan response that I've gotten the last couple of years if it happened all at once. I could do it all at once, but I feel better about doing it in a step. I will know a lot more about how I feel about all of this after the first race in '07 that I sit at home, which will probably be Bristol."
WHY HAS THE FAN SUPPORT CAUGHT YOU OFF GUARD?
"It just feels like it's grown, but maybe I'm just noticing it more. It feels like it's been stronger and more passionate this year than ever. I've been around longer than most of these guys. There aren't many out here, and I've been fortunate enough to have success pretty much all of the way through, and the fans have just shown me a lot of love. I don't know. There are a lot more fans than there were 10 years ago. It seems like they've shown respect because they know that I've been here so long. Even if they're not my fans, if they're Dale Junior fans, but they appreciate the fact that I raced against Dale's dad and knew Junior when he was this high, for example, and they respect that. I might not be their number one guy, but there is some kind of kinship for the fans that have been around that aren't brand new fans. They feel much like the competitors do when we walk through the garage and we see one of the guys that was here in the early 80s, and we've known since then, and we just feel some kind of kinship that is stronger than the guy that we've only known for two years."

Ragan Gets the Reigns of No. 6 Cup Series Ford for 2007
October 11, 2006
Roush Racing today announced that David Ragan will be the full-time driver of the team's flagship No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion in 2007. The No. 6 has been the foundation of the Roush Racing stable, dating back to Jack Roush's beginning into NASCAR's premier series in 1988.
"We are very pleased to have David Ragan going into the No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion next season," said Jack Roush. "David is a driver with outstanding talent and as a result of his actions he is the young man I selected to fill the seat. The No. 6 is obviously a special car to me personally and this organization and we are confident in David's ability to step up and get the job done."
Ragan currently shares the No. 6 Scotts Ford F-150 with Mark Martin and also pilots the No. 50 Roush Racing Ford F-150. Ragan started his first career Nextel Cup race at Dover three weeks ago. He is set to make four more starts in the Nextel Cup Series in 2006 and will make his first start in the No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion in next season's famed Daytona 500.
"This is a tremendous opportunity and I look forward to racing on behalf of AAA's millions of loyal members in 2007. Obviously, I've got big shoes to fill and quite a legacy to follow, but I look forward to the challenge and the next chapter of the No. 6 race team," said Ragan.
"AAA has great confidence in Jack Roush and his entire organization, including their selection of David Ragan as the promising new driver of the No. 6 AAA car," said Kristin Warfield, director AAA Motorsports.
We look forward to cheering David on as he competes in NASCAR NEXTEL Cup racing for the first time, and to introducing him to our members and other race fans at tracks and special appearances throughout the coming year."
Ragan has one pole and six top-10 finishes in 15 starts in the Craftsman Truck Series in 2006. He will make his next Cup start at Martinsville Speedway on October 22nd.
Roush Racing is a subsidiary of Livonia, Mich., based Roush Enterprises that operates 14 motorsports teams; five in NASCAR NEXTEL Cup with drivers Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards, six in the Busch Series with Martin, Kenseth, Biffle, Edwards, Todd Kluever and Danny O'Quinn, Jr., and three in the Craftsman Truck Series with Martin, David Ragan, Erik Darnell and Michel Jourdain, Jr.

This Week In Ford Racing
Ford Racing: News
October 11, 2006
Mark Martin, driver of the No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion, came out of Talladega third in NASCAR NEXTEL Cup points. Martin was this week's guest on the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series teleconference.
Mark Martin - No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion
How optimistic are you about your title chances?
"We're in the best position we've been in in many, many years. We have a really strong team. Our cars have been fast most of the time this year and we're sitting better than we have been in any other time than I can remember. There are still six races to go, although I do feel much better getting Talladega behind us, I've done this long enough to know it's quite a chore to pull one of these things off, so we have to go out and continue to run really well and we have to hope that things that we can't control don't bite us. If those things go our way, then we ought to be knocking on the door."
Can you talk about what you've seen in Jeff Burton's resurgence?
He seems to be one of the smarter guys in and out of the car. "He is - both in and out - and he's a great leader. It took him a year or a little bit better to get him and everyone at RCR to get their program on track, but, certainly, they have it on track right now and Jeff Burton has been a part of that. I'm happy to see him succeed and I'm excited that he's having such a great year. It would really be awesome if it could come down to he and I at Homestead."
He kind of races a lot like you.
"Yes, he does. He's very fair and he gets the job done."
How difficult is it today to be fair and get the job done compared to 10-20 years ago?
"It's a little bit different. I don't think it's particularly a lot more difficult, but it is a little bit different. What you have is some of the newcomers, who are all great drivers and they're all fair, but some - because they haven't been bitten as many times - might be a bit more reckless. That's tempered over time with how much you get away with it, what the risk is and what the reward is, so that's the biggest thing. The guys that have been doing it longer usually have a better sense for what the risk versus reward is."
Did you get to see the replay of the last lap at Talladega and the move Vickers made?
"I saw it like everyone else at least 100 times and what happened there is Brian was pushing his teammate and was gonna push his teammate to a win. That's what it appeared like was fixing to happen and when Jimmie went to go on the inside of Dale Jr., the two cars being side-by-side slowed both of them up ever so slightly, and Brian wound up - instead of being an inch behind the 48, he wound up being four inches on him. You don't much want to let off the gas in these things and he went to turn down to follow behind him and he quickly had gone from being actually behind him to barely up on him. Brian was trying to follow the 48. He just got a little beside him before he turned down and I think that was an honest mistake."
A lot of people have looked at your decision with shock and curiosity for next year. Was this about taking more control of your schedule?
"Yes, that was a large part of it. The announcement was very painful for me as well as Jack and it was really difficult. This is not something that just came up. We've been working on trying - 2007 was gonna be a year that I called the shots on my schedule and it just didn't work out. We weren't able to work that out and, unfortunately, it took a change in order for me to do that."
You've had great success in the Truck Series. Is that something you want to go for full-time in 2007 or will you call your shots?
"I want to work what races that work with my system. In 2007, I did not want to stand on the sidelines on Sundays. I also was not willing to sign a full schedule, so, as it turned out, what I had hoped to do was do the truck full schedule and supplement that full schedule with a limited Cup schedule. That particular opportunity wasn't there at Roush Racing. It's gotten changed around a little bit, so now my primary focus for 2007 will be the 22 races with MB2 and my secondary focus will be supplementing that with the racing that I want to do. I'm in it to have fun now. I've chased this championship and these points for 19 years. I didn't really wind up doing in 2006 what I had originally planned, based on it meaning a great deal to Roush Racing for me to come back and fill in for another year, and it's time for me to do what I want and have some fun and get some time off."
When you're second on the last lap at Talladega, do you gamble and go for the win or points race knowing you need those? Also, now that you're leaving Roush are you banned from the meetings?
"First of all, it depends on the situation at Talladega. There was not much risk in Jimmie Johnson to try to win the race. Where he was, the pack wasn't right behind him and he wasn't in a position to lose a whole bunch of positions by trying to make that pass. That pass was a well laid out plan and it looked really good, there was a little mishap or mistake that happened and caused it to all go wrong. That wasn't a high-risk move, it just turned out bad. And, I have not been barred from team meetings I have a wonderful relationship with Jack Roush and everyone there. I have been there for 19 years and helped them build it to the organization that it is today. I'm very proud of it and will always be a part of it and will always be a friend and confidant with Jack Roush on anything that ever comes up in the future."
You have six races to go in the chase. How hard is it to keep your emotions in check with how close you are to winning the whole thing?
"So far everything has been so blurry. This has been, by far, the busiest year of my life and it's been a blur. I've been less obsessed with the results and a little bit more enjoying the moment this year than in the past. But if we're sitting where we are now three races from now, you can believe the anticipation will start to build. We're still six races out and I'm still not feeling - there's still a good bit of racing to go yet before we're really that close. If we could go into the last race and we're 10 points back (laughing). We'll have to wait and see though."
Why do some athletes have a hard time retiring?
"Because that has defined their lives since they were kids. I don't think that it even pertains completely to athletes. I think that it's an unknown time for a lot of people to whatever they have done for a profession throughout their lives. There's an unknown on the other side of that and for an athlete, especially a successful athlete, it's a tremendous life-changing experience to walk away from what has defined their life for so long."
How will this deal be different than what Bill Elliott and Terry Labonte have done?
"There's no guarantees in this business, but there is a lot of strategy in this thing that most people don't see. One is that, for example, to drive Boris Said's car for 12 races, I was concerned that it might be somewhat like that. What I really wanted to do was drive a car that ran full-time and had a full-time sponsor and had a full-time crew and team behind it because that's your best chance in being competitive. Bill's stuff and Terry Labonte's stuff have both been part-time teams and, therefore, they weren't able to be competitive against the guys that do it full-time. You're only as good as the equipment that you're in and I believe that there is great potential, and so do the people at MB2, for improvement over 2006. Don't forget that they won a race in 2004."
Can you size up the last six tracks?
"I love Lowe's Motor Speedway. It's one of my favorites on this whole circuit. I have typically, not always, but typically been really fast there. Then we go to Martinsville and that's a tight little race track. It's somewhat of a wildcard, but not as big as Talladega was. I have had some fast cars there in the last few years, but probably not as fast as Jeff Gordon has, for example, or some of the others. Phoenix, we should have won that race, but we had a problem in the pits. I don't know how we'll run this time, but I know last time there we ran awfully good and I like that place. I love Atlanta and I love Texas, and I love Homestead and have run really good at all those places. Every race is different and with the setups changing like they are, it's real easy to be on the money or off and it's hard to predict who is gonna be the best in each and every race. I think it's something that you don't ever know and what you have to do is just put your best effort in and wait and see what the result is."
Are you surprised at the reaction from fans about driving for Chevrolet next year and how important is manufacturer identity to a driver?
"I'm not surprised. I'm probably more surprised at the reaction of some of the journalists and what has been written than I am the fans. It was a major shock. At the same time I look around and I say I haven't been as successful as a lot of drivers. For example, Bobby Labonte, who has won a championship, and drives a Dodge on Sunday and drives a Chevrolet on Saturday and used to drive a Chevrolet. Nothing is said of that. I don't remember the whole world crumbling when Bill Elliott decided to drive a Dodge. I don't remember the whole world crumbling when Rusty Wallace decided to drive a Dodge. Dale Jarrett decided to go drive a Toyota and, yeah, there was some noise about that, but he won a championship too. I guess the thing is I've been 19 years staying the course and working with Jack Roush to build from scratch one of the strongest organizations in NASCAR racing, and it was just something that no one expects. It was a huge disappointment to Jack Roush and to myself, but after 19 years I wanted to do what I wanted to do and that was not a full schedule, and it was also not standing on the sideline watching Nextel Cup racing. It was something in between and they couldn't accommodate that, so here we are. It is a big shock, I think, to everyone, but I'm excited about my new opportunity. It's going to be really exciting for me. I think that we're gonna surprise some people with the performance and I'm gonna have a lot of time off to do some things with my family that I haven't been able to do for the last 30 years and have some fun on the race track and have some fun off the race track."
It was reported on TV over the weekend by a former NASCAR driver that there was bad blood between you and Jack on this deal. You've said several times on this call that it's not the case. Can you confirm there's no bad blood between you and Jack?
"Yeah, I will confirm that. Rusty misread just a little bit on that situation. The best thing to do here is just sort of take the high road. A lot of people want to play the blame game. 'Why did this happen?' Well, unfortunately, it just happened. You have to remember that NASCAR placed a limit on the number of teams that you could have and Roush Racing has five programs that are all sold out and are set in stone to run for the championship. All five teams made the chase last year and there just wasn't an opportunity for me to do what I wanted to do there. But, fortunately, we all understand that. Roush Racing understands it and I understand it and nobody is mad. Everyone is disappointed. They wish me well and I'm excited about doing something that's a little bit different."
How big of a factor was Bobby Ginn in you changing teams?
"I probably wouldn't have wound up at the 01 if it weren't for Bobby Ginn, but there were numerous opportunities for me to go do what I wanted to do, but Bobby Ginn plays into this because, as you can see, the performance of those cars has picked up in the last six weeks or so. You've seen a noticeable difference since Bobby really got involved and since Slugger went to work over there. They're strengthening their program and they feel like I can play a big role in helping them strengthen their program and get it back on track where it was in 2004 when they won. They're looking at growing the operation. They want me there and they're excited to have me, and I'm excited about a new challenge."
The fact you don't have to take your jet to see your car owner next year, did that play into it too?
"That's pretty interesting too. No. He is a neighbor of mine, but I don't think that really plays a factor. I kind of like flying that thing to be honest with you (laughter)."
Can you give a snapshot of Bobby?
"He's a really good guy. I did a little bit of homework before I dove into this deal. Obviously, there's more to this thing than Bobby Ginn as well. I just want to back up a little bit and say that Jay Frye is the general manager and has been since he left Valvoline as their rep and working with us on the 6 car. So I have a great relationship and always have with Jay Frye. I'm very comfortable with Jay and what he says their long-range plans are at MB2. I did do some homework on Bobby as this thing started to move ahead and everyone that I talked to said that he's a really nice guy and has been incredibly successful. Then when you have a chance to meet him, you understand that he's real easy to talk to. He's really committed to making his race teams the best. He wants to be the best and he knows he's got a long way to go, but that's the way he wanted to do it. He wanted to come into a team that had a long way to go and take on the challenge and try to build it into a powerhouse. They're making moves to get there. It won't all come at once and it won't be as good as it's ever gonna be in 2007, but I expect to see noticeable progress probably even yet this year, and going into next year I hope that I'm able to help them and I hope that we're able to see the results improve steadily."
How do you get there for a meeting at his office?
"I don't have directions yet, but I probably would drive considering it's this close. Probably from his place to the airport would wind up taking as much time as just driving up there. I do look forward to having a little bit more time on my hands. This is something that I really intended to have done in 2006 and I went ahead and committed to doing the AAA deal and, like I said before, it's been one of the best years of my career. But I look forward to backing off and having some extra time on my hands and being able to breathe. This has been the busiest year of my life, by far, and although it's been good on and off the race track, I haven't had a minute to breathe and I'm looking forward to that next year."
How will it feel not driving the 6 car next year?
"That's gonna take a lot to get used to for everybody. It's gonna be a big change, but every other great driver I know has done it. It just hasn't happened for me in a long time, so it'll take a while to get used to."
How did Talladega feel in the truck?
"It was fun and, as a matter of fact, even Sunday's race was a little bit of fun because it was a good outcome and turned out good for us. The new pavement at Talladega was a plus and turned out really well and we had a good weekend on both races."
Why won't you leaving have an affect on performance the rest of this year?
"Because Brian Vickers won Sunday. It kind of shoots that theory down doesn't it? They've been running really good, too, Brian has - top 10, top 5s lately - so that kind of shoots that theory down. It's easy to get on the bandwagon and roll on whatever. Listen, everybody at Roush Racing wants to win and the guys that work on that 6 car have great respect for me and I have the greatest of respect for them. They know that. I've said it publicly over and over again. We want to win now worse than ever before, so this is our shot and nobody is gonna let up."

2006 Mark Martin Nextel Cup Track Notes – Saturday, October 14, 2006
Bank of America 500 / Lowe's Motor Speedway
No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion
October 11, 2006
DRIVER: Mark Martin
TEAM: No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion
OWNER: Jack Roush
CREW CHIEF: Pat Tryson

2006 AAA Team Roster
THE CAR
Chassis: RK-381 - This is the same car that Martin used to finish third at Kansas two weeks ago. The car also posted top-five finishes at Indy and Michigan in August.
MARK MARTIN - FAST FACTS - LOWE'S MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Mark Martin has four wins at Lowe's Motor Speedway, including the 2002 Coca-Cola 600.

Martin has 21 top-10 and 17 top-five finishes at Lowe's. The 21 top-10's are the most of any driver.

Martin has led 1,168 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 finished fourth at Lowe's last fall and won the All-Star race there in 2005.

Martin goes into Lowe's only 10 points out of first place in the Chase for the Nextel Cup.

QUOTING MARK MARTIN AND CREW CHIEF PAT TRYSON ON RACING AT LOWE'S MOTOR SPEEDWAY
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. Every time 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 good run there in the spring and we are hoping to go back and build on that this weekend.
"The AAA Team did a great job last weekend and we were able to get through Talladega in one piece and with a top-10 finish. Now we get to go to Charlotte where we should be able to get down to business, as a track that really suits our strong points and my driving style."
Pat Tryson:
"Everybody knows that Mark really loves to race at Charlotte and I think that his record there really speaks for itself. Our job is to make sure we give him the car that he needs and he'll take care of the rest. We had a good run last week and now we just have to build on that this weekend and over the next few weeks. The guys have really pulled together and we are excited about these last six races."

Mark Martin, Regan Smith sign with MB2 Motorsports
MB2 Motorsports
October 6, 2006
Mark Martin Headlines MB2 Motorsports' 2007 Program
Veteran Driver to Co-Pilot U.S. Army Chevy with Regan Smith
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Oct. 6, 2006) -- MB2 Motorsports announced today that NASCAR icon Mark Martin and rookie Regan Smith will co-drive the team's No. 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet during the 2007 Nextel Cup season.
Joe Nemechek, the current driver of the Army Chevy, will pilot a third MB2 entry in 2007 that will carry the number 13; the sponsorship will be announced at a later date. Sterling Marlin will continue to drive the No. 14 MB2 Chevrolet.
Martin, who will be leaving his longtime ride with Roush Racing after the 2006 season, signed a multiyear contract with MB2.The agreement calls for Martin to drive the 01 Army car in 20 Nextel Cup races in 2007 plus the Bud Shootout (Daytona, Feb. 10) and the Nextel All Star Challenge (Charlotte, May 19). Martin's first points race will be the Daytona 500, Feb. 18.
Smith will drive the Army car in the remaining 16 Cup point races and will also drive an MB2 car in the NASCAR Busch Series.
Along with driving in 22 races in 2007, Martin's extended role with MB2 will be a mentor to the 23-year-old Smith and to MB2's development drivers.
"Our goal at MB2 is to reach a new level, and with Mark joining our organization it not only elevates our presence, but his knowledge and credibility will also be a viable asset to all of our race teams," said team owner Bobby Ginn (pronounced GHIN).
"While Mark brings a wealth of experience to MB2, we are also thrilled with the acquisition of Regan," Ginn added. "He's eager, talented and will be groomed by one of NASCAR's greatest drivers of all time."
Martin, who is currently third in the Chase for the Nextel Cup championship points battle, feels his new role with MB2 offers him an excellent opportunity for doing what he enjoys most and that is to compete as a driver and serve as a mentor.
"Joining MB2 is a win-win situation for me," said Martin, a native of Batesville, Ark. "I not only get to drive, but I also get to teach and I love doing both.I have had a great 9 years with Roush Racing. It was a difficult decision to move on. But right now I welcome the opportunity to drive the U.S. Army car and represent our brave soldiers who are fighting the global war on terrorism."
Smith, who grew up in Cato, N.Y.-- 25 miles west of Syracuse -- has been preparing for this opportunity since he started to drive a go-kart at age 4.
"This is an exciting time for me," said Smith. "Driving an Army-sponsored car in Nextel Cup competition with Mark Martin as your coach is an incredible opportunity. I'm going to listen well and take advantage of what has been presented to me. I am ready to give it all I have in both Cup and Busch."
Smith has been competing in the Busch Series this season, driving the No. 35 car for Team Rensi Motorsports. In his new MB2 Busch ride for 2007, Smith is expected to compete full time in the series.
"Mark Martin is one of NASCAR's greatest competitors and having him come on board will greatly enhance and accelerate our development," said Jay Frye, MB2's CEO and general manager. "This is definitely a red-letter day in MB2's 10-year history. We have the best of both worlds with Mark and Regan -- a Hall of Famer, who will work closely with a talented and aggressive young driver."
Frye also said that Ryan Pemberton will continue as crew chief for the Army car in 2007.
Since his first Cup ride in 1981, Martin has totaled 667 starts, 35 wins, 234 top fives, 372 top 10s, 41 poles and more than $57 million in career earnings. He has finished second four times in the NASCAR Cup final point standings -- 1990, 1994, 1998 and 2002.
Martin, 47, is one of only three drivers who have made the Chase each season since the championship format began in 2004.
It was also announced today that Kraig Kinser and Jesus Hernandez will continue with their MB2 developmental programs in 2007. Kinser's schedule will include NASCAR Craftsman Truck, Busch and Cup races. Hernandez will continue to run the late model series as well as selected ARCA and Truck races.

Ford Racing Reacts to Mark Martin Departure
Ford Racing: News
October 6, 2006 - It was announced this morning that Mark Martin will be leaving Roush Racing at the end of the 2006 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup season to join MB2 Motorsports. Below is a statement from Dan Davis, director of Ford Racing Technology.
DAN DAVIS, Director, Ford Racing Technology
"I've had a strong relationship with Mark ever since joining Ford Racing and I speak for everyone at Ford when I say that Mark has earned the right to do whatever he wants as far as his racing career is concerned. He's been the ultimate competitor on the track and a great representative for Ford over the past two decades. That being said, I'm disappointed that Mark may not end his NASCAR career with Ford. We were under the strong impression that Mark wanted to run a full-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series program in 2007 and were negotiating with Roush Racing to provide manufacturer support. We completed that process last week and felt like all systems were go for Mark to compete for the championship in that division next season.
"I know people are going to ask about Ford losing another marquee driver to a competitor, and all I can say is that every situation is different. We feel we support our teams as well as any other manufacturer and that our business model has worked as far as winning championships and being competitive. We don't like it when drivers leave, especially when they're the quality of Mark, but the climate of NASCAR is changing and we've, unfortunately, felt the brunt of it this season."

Jack Roush, left, shakes hands with Mark Martin after he announced that he is leaving Roush Racing after 19 years at a news conference, Friday, Oct. 6, 2006, at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Ala. Martin announced that he will leave Roush Racing at the end of this season to drive a partial Cup auto race schedule for MB2 Motorsports in 2007. Roush has fielded a Ford for Martin in NASCAR's top series every year since 1988. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Mark Martin opts to stay in Cup
Roush Racing
TALLADEGA, ALA. (Oct. 6, 2006) -- Mark Martin announced today that he will continue in the Nextel Cup Series next season, driving the No. 01 MB2 Chevrolet on a limited basis in 2007.
"I consider Mark Martin a personal friend and over the last 20 years we have had a fantastic relationship professionally and personally," Roush said. "Mark will always hold a special place in my heart and a special place in Roush Racing, and I truly wish him all the best in his future plans."
"Jack Roush and I have enjoyed a very special relationship for the past 20 years," said Martin. "Jack afforded me the opportunity to chase my dreams, and there is no way to put in words what he has meant to me, my life and my career.
"The deal to come back with Roush in the No. 6 with AAA really worked out great and gave me one of the best and most rewarding years of my career," Martin added. "AAA has been great to work with and it's really been awesome to work on such important issues. I'm really glad I was able to come back a year and help those guys and Jack out, and we are going to do everything we can to keep chasing after that Nextel Cup for the next seven races."
"When Mark finally reconciled his somewhat conflicting desires, he settled on staying in Cup and running a 20-race schedule. We had no way of accommodating that desire since all of our Cup programs were previously committed," said Roush Racing president Geoff Smith.
"And, NASCAR team limits prevented Roush Racing from putting together an additional team for Mark, so in the end Mark had to move on - in order to stay in the Cup series. He's meant a great deal to this organization and we certainly wish him the best in whatever he chooses to do down the road."
Martin reiterated that his focus over the next seven races will remain on the "Chase" for the Nextel Cup Championship.
"Our focus is on winning this championship," Martin said. "I've been fighting this fight in the No. 6 car for 19 years now, and we aren't about to give up anytime soon. It's the complete focus of our attention, and we'll fight down to the very end for it."
Roush Racing is a subsidiary of Livonia, Mich., based Roush Enterprises that operates 14 motorsports teams; five in NASCAR NEXTEL Cup with drivers Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards, six in the Busch Series with Martin, Kenseth, Biffle, Edwards, Todd Kluever and Danny O'Quinn, Jr., and three in the Craftsman Truck Series with Martin, David Ragan, Erik Darnell and Michel Jourdain, Jr.

Mark Martin pause during a news conference, Friday, Oct. 6, 2006, at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Ala. Martin announced that he will leave Roush Racing at the end of this season to drive a partial Cup schedule for MB2 Motorsports in 2007. Roush has fielded a Ford for Martin in NASCAR's top series auto race every year since 1988. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Mark Martin, Jack Roush and Geoff Smith Press Conference
Ford Racing: News
October 6, 2006
As part of a press conference to announce his racing plans for the 2007 season, Jack Roush and Geoff Smith joined Mark Martin, driver of the No. 6 Ford Fusion, inside the Talladega Superspeedway infield media center. The following is a transcript of the formal press conference and comments from all three participants.
MARK MARTIN -6-AAA Ford Fusion:
"I was 39 years old when I started making my plans for the future. I realize at this time that I was way too early to do that. I thought that at the age that I am right now that I wouldn't be able to compete against these young guys the way that I have in the past. I think that everybody knows that I'm not interested in just riding around. When you can compete like I have been able to the last couple of years at this level of competition, it's hard to step away from. I've got a chance to keep going on a limited basis with great flexibility in NEXTEL Cup competition. It's hard to walk away when you have an opportunity to still have an opportunity to win races. What I'm looking for right now doesn't fit in with what's going on at Roush Racing. I'm very proud of what we've been able to build over the last 19 years. We have five teams at Roush Racing that are all competitive and championship-challenging race teams, and that's evident from what you saw with all five teams in The Chase last year.
"With NASCAR's limitation on the number of teams that you can have, and with all of the programs being set up to be championship-contending teams, there wasn't an opportunity there to split a season with a driver, which would take you out of the Race for the Chase. The deal to come back in '06 with the 6 car and with Roush Racing, and the opportunity to work with AAA on such important issues as teen driving safety has been a great opportunity for me. And, it has given me one of the best years of my career. I really want to thank AAA and Jack Roush for giving me the opportunity to help them out and come back in '06 and work with Pat Tryson and all of the guys on the 6 car, even though that wasn't my long-range plan. I can't thank Jack Roush enough for what he's done for me professionally, but more importantly, what he's done for me personally and all of the things that we've been through together.
"Jack is the guy who gave me a chance when nobody else would in 1987, and for that I've given him 19 years, 19 of the best years of my career in unwavering loyalty, and at this time I have an opportunity to go do something that is going to be a new challenge for me. From this point on this year, I hope that everyone understands that Jack and I are going to be incredibly focused on this chase for the championship. This is the 19th time that he and I have done this together, and it will be the last time that we will do it, and we want to keep our focus on that championship. I hope everyone understands that.
"We talked it over when we wanted to make this announcement. It is something that came up really quick and we wanted to get it done so that we can move forward in chasing this championship. In 2007, I've accepted a position and an opportunity to drive for the 01 U.S. Army car at MB Motorsports to run 22 races and co-drive that car with Regan Smith. This is an opportunity that I'm really excited about. It gives me a chance with great flexibility to do the things that I really loved to do, which is compete on the NEXTEL Cup level and to teach, which are two things that I love dearly. I look forward to representing the U.S. Army, and it's an honor for me to represent the Army and be a part of our soldiers here and abroad."
Q: COMMENT ON CHANGING MANUFACTURERS. WILL IT BE TOUGH FOR YOU?
MARTIN:
"I'm a Ford dealer. Twenty-three years (with Ford)."
Q: WAS THERE ANY CONSIDERATION TO RUNNING THE 88 CAR?
MARTIN:
"Well, to start with, there's a lot of reason why not. To start with, the first one that comes to mind is they're planning on running that car full time. We didn't discuss splitting the schedule up. We had one brief discussion and that was about driving full time. Believe it or not, I had the opportunity to drive a lot of cars full time, a whole lot of cars full time. That was not something that I wanted to do. At this time I don't have any plans to do a personal services (contract) with Chevrolet or whatever. I do have some work to do with Dan Davis at Ford. I still love truck racing. I would drive a Ford truck in the truck series on a limited basis if I had the opportunity."
Q: WITH THIS POTENTIALLY BEING YOUR LAST CHANCE TO WIN THE NEXTEL CUP CHAMPIONSHIP, DOES THIS INTENSIFY YOUR DETERMINATION?
MARTIN:
"It's hard to put in perspective how hard it is to make this Chase. One of the ways is to take first, second and third and make them 11th, 12th and 13th at the cutoff. It's been quite a ride along the way. I don't know if it could get any more intense racing for the championship than it has in the past for me. I would like to see our car right now a little bit faster than what we have been in the last couple of races. We've been a little bit disappointed, and right now with the setups changing and moving around like they are, as much as they are, that could change week to week. If we can turn up the wick have a good run here and go to Charlotte and turn up the wick like we would hope to, we can really make a serious bid for this championship. But, there's seven races left and really what I want to, and what Jack wants to do, is to keep focused on that, on the seven races and making the most of them."
Q: WHY WASN'T THERE SPONSORSHIP AVAILABLE FOR MARK IN THE NO. 6 FORD OR ANOTHER CAR?
GEOFF SMITH, President-Roush Racing:
"This goes back to him being 39 years old and starting out with, 'I'm sure I need to retire completely,' to the realization, 'I can still do this. Maybe we're not going to retire and we're going to do something competitive.' You start putting into motion all of the business things that you've got to do to accommodate that. Last year, Jack had been after Mark, 'Mark, are you sure you really want to do this? You're too doggone good and you've still got it.' And it turned out last year with Kurt leaving, that created the moment for us to go back and say, 'Okay, Mark, do you want to do it again?' He was like, 'Yes, I'll do it again, but don't sign me up for more than that.' But, the deal that we had to make at that moment a year ago excluded continuation of Mark in our Cup programs. That was one part of it. Then, the second part of it was our flexibility to create a program ended in the fall of last year when we were precluded from any additional teams. We were really done at that point in time."
MARTIN:
"Which really would have been necessary to have done a limited program. You have to understand, the 6 car is a championship-contending team. I have too much respect for what we built there to ask, 'Can we tear that down? Can we split that up and take that away from the program?' Number two, there were long-range plans. There was a plan there that was set into effect and one of the things that really stood in our way, we couldn't create a program that fit what I wound up really wanting to do."
Q: HOW IRONIC IS IT THAT YOU COULD WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP THIS YEAR AND NOT WIN A RACE?
MARTIN:
"It's pretty nice to be sitting in third right now. There are seven races to go and we've been very competitive this year. There have been a good portion of this year where we have been faster on the race track than any other year. But, in these last seven races, we're really going to have to turn it up in some of those seven aces. I am not going to miss the chance to savor such a great honor as I've had to be in The Chase again in what could be my last try. It certainly wouldn't happen in '07, obviously; we're talking about a limited schedule. I'm not missing a chance to savor everything that we've been able to accomplish and to say thanks to the fans for all of their support for all of these years and to enjoy it with the people that made it happen."
Q: TALK ABOUT THE DECISION TO RUN A LIMITED TRUCK SCHEDULE AS OPPOSED TO A FULL TRUCK SCHEDULE, WHICH WOULD BE ABOUT THE SAME NUMBER OF RACES AND THE POSSIBILITY OF WINNING A CHAMPIONSHIP?
MARTIN:
"Well, first of all, 19 years of racing for a Cup championship has gotten a little more intense every year, and I don't know for positive that that's what I want to do right now is run for any championship in 2007. That's what Dan Davis and Ford wanted to do and wanted their participation wanted to be, and obviously that's what Jack would like to see. For me, I want to race and have fun. I'm not sure that I'm done with the truck racing. I still love truck racing, but after having the great seasons that I had in '04, '05 and '06, I'm not finished, and I told you all that I'm not finished NEXTEL Cup racing. For one year I'm not going to run the full schedule. After I sit home and watch on TV the first race, whichever it may it be - Bristol or Martinsville - in '07, I'll bet you I can tell you. I'll bet it will take one race for me to know what it is I want to do, but I look forward to that. We haven't decided for sure if it will be Bristol or it will be Martinsville, but it will be one of those two races, I'll probably be home on my couch with the TiVo and the remote control and I'll be watching it. I'll betcha I'll have some more insight after that day."
JACK ROUSH, Owner-Roush Racing:
"I've been chasing my race cars and helping drivers and shuffling crew around the highways and byway all over North America for over 40 years and this is the end of a very, very proud chapter for me. The 20 years that I spent with Mark, Mark spent with me and Roush Racing, considering the brief time we negotiated in 2007 getting reads for 2008, have been the proudest chapter of my racing career and will look back on it as a period of time that really defined what we were and gave us a chance to establish the mores and values that we'd like to be known for today, certainly that we represent for our sponsors. Mark is my dearest friend.
"Outside of my immediate family, Mark is my go-to guy whenever I've got a problem or I've got a concern, I'll give Mark a call and he will commiserate with me, and I do the same with him. I don't expect that to stop. I'm without tears today. The day when we had to face the facts that there was an end that was imminent, I guess it was over a year ago, I almost couldn't contain myself. Mark and I have had a great time together and I certainly wish him well and all of the things that he'll do forward. I think Matt (Martin) will have a great career in the business if he chooses to do that, and as he goes on I'll watch with some interest, but from a safe distance to see how that evolves."
Q: WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE NO. 6 FORD F-150 NEXT SEASON?
ROUSH:
"We're re-evaluating everything, everybody that we've got in the inventory and looking at some people that aren't driving trucks today. I've got one or two names that I'm going to run by Geoff (Smith) and we're going to think about some things that are outside the box, but we certainty want to face off against Toyota going forward for the image in that market. If you look at what truly is an American vehicle, the trucks certainly are that. Ford, Chevrolet and Dodge have been the mainstay of all of the passion that has gone with the people that have had those vehicles for the last several decades. I'm anxious to be involved in that, call it a conflict if you will, and I want to have a competitive, championship-level truck program for Ford if there's any way next year. Tell them what you think, Geoff."
SMITH:
"Specifically, we have manufacturer support for a minimum of two truck teams. We have sponsorship support in place for the one we just announced and we have other sponsorship support that we're very close to for our second one, and Jack is going to need to work on the driver selection. We're good to go and good to stay in the truck series."
ROUSH:
"Mark certainly made a tremendous contribution by being a conduit from the Busch Series, as well as the Cup Series, into the truck series. He carried the technology and he carried the vision he had of what the trucks need to be doing in comparison to where we were with our cars. It wouldn't have been possible to be standing where we are with the truck that we've got, that we think we will compete with next year, if he hadn't participated, and for that Mark will get our thanks no matter how it works out."
Q: HOW MUCH A RELIEF IS IT TO MAKE THE ANNOUNCEMENT TODAY?
MARTIN:
"It is, but this has not been a long time coming. This is something that has moved pretty fast. We've been in a stalled-out mode to some degree and this happened pretty fast from concept to announcement. We're talking about less than two weeks really. I'm ready to get down to business. That's why I went over some prepared notes because I wanted to make sure that everyone understood that we want to get back to the business. That's why we wanted to get it out. We felt like we owed it to you guys, especially, to get the story out and get it set and let us go back to work so we can focus on our racing."

Bobby Ginn, principle owner of MB2 Motorsports, met with media
GM Racing
October 8, 2006
ON THE JAYSKI RUMOR ABOUT MOVING TO FORD:
"No, I don't think so. I have this theory that if you haven't heard a good rumor by noon, just start one. And around here, it's pretty easy to do something. Somebody says something and somebody gets it started and it's pretty easy to spread. But we're a Chevrolet team."
ON MARK MARTIN MOVING TO MB2 MOTORSPORTS IN '07:
"It happened very quickly. We were very fortunate. We had the ability to be flexible with Mark. Our circumstances are quite different than what Jack's (Roush) were. So it worked out well. We were able to give Mark what he wanted in a limited schedule and we get a seasoned veteran and somebody who can help us not only on the track, but at the shop to turn our program around.
FROM THE FIRST TIME YOU TALKED TO MARK MARTIN, HOW LONG DID IT TAKE TO SHAKE HANDS ON THE DEAL?
"Well, Jay (Frye) did most of the work. He's running the team. I'm just kind of here helping. But it took about 10 days. That's about as fast as it could be done."
YOUR TEAM HASN'T DONE THAT WELL THIS YEAR, OR LAST YEAR; SO IS MARK MARTIN GOING TO CHANGE THINGS? WHAT DYNAMIC DOES THAT BRING TO THE EQUATION?
"We started out this year, Jay and I, when I finally made the investment in it and we began in the shop with the blocking and tackling. We knew we weren't going to go out and throw the long ball and go win races the next day. It takes time. So I made a long-term commitment to the plan. We started in the shop. We got some new equipment. We bought a seven-post shaker. We're putting that in now. We bought some computer equipment. Staffing was huge for us, so we started with that. We're going to start an extensive testing program in the off-season. We've got two great drivers in Joe (Nemechek) and Sterling (Marlin) and they can still win a lot of races. We've just got to put the right equipment underneath him. That's team building. To have someone like Mark Martin come in is huge. He's demanding in a good way. He's got a vast knowledge not only of racing, but also the shop and what it takes and he's helped Jack (Roush) for 19 years to put his organization together and we're going to be the recipient, hopefully of those 19 years of experience."
AS A MID-LEVEL TEAM, YOU SUDDENLY LAND A DRIVER THAT GIVES YOU CREDIBILITY THAT MAYBE HASN'T BEEN THERE. ARE YOU GOING TO MAKE A RUN AT THIS QUICKLY?
"Well, I'm definitely coming in to make a run at it. I want to be successful in anything I do. I'm not coming in to make issues or anything. I have a competitive nature. People around me will tell you that I work extremely hard. My job is my hobby and this is part of my job now and I'm going to approach it the same way. There were a lot of teams for sale out there and we looked at a lot of opportunities. I'm a buyer of - or a buy into if - of people. What I kept seeing when I kept going back to the MB2 team I never heard one person say anything but the highest regards about Jay (Frye). You can't say any more than that. You want to have the best equipment and the best engines and all that, but at the end of the day you want to have good chemistry and good people. And it had to fit into my organization, which is very important. So now, we're hitting stride. We are going to look for the best. We've got this announcement and we've got more (announcements) coming. We've hired Regan (Smith) and he's going to mentor with Mark (Martin). We're going to have more of those announcements in the next few weeks and months."
ON BEING IN THE BUSINESS OF NASCAR
"I've been a NASCAR fan all my life. And I wish my sons had spent as much time studying in college as they did in NASCAR (laughs). But we're a huge NASCAR family. That doesn't make you a NASCAR team owner that's going to be good, but it fits into the fact that my business is my hobby. This is something I also enjoy. I'm serious about it. NASCAR fits into what we do. We'll bring a new phase of not only sponsors, but also fans that currently maybe aren't exposed to it, to our business; and our business will profit from it because it's something else for people to do and do it with us. We have very loyal customers. NASCAR fits right into that program."
MARK MARTIN DOESN'T WANT TO JUST DRIVE AROUND. WHAT ASSURANCES WERE YOU ABLE TO OFFER HIM THAT THIS TEAM IS GOING TO BE COMPETITIVE?
'We're making all the right steps. Mark did not make this decision lightly. He's got a tremendous relationship with Jack Roush. He didn't sleep for 10 days. I think the reason it got done as fast as it did was the personal anguish he was going through making a decision without his friend. Having said that, he made sure that we were committed to giving him the ride that he was going to be able to go out there and win races with; and he thinks he can be a contributing factor to how the overall teams works. And he's exactly right. We didn't sit down and write a contract with financial guarantees of how we were going to perform, but if you don't start with a certain level of trust, you're never going to get there. You can't write a contract that says I'm going to build you the best race car and you're going to get the best technology. You've got to have people that you believe in and I think Mark believes in Jay and the team."
PEOPLE IDENTIFY JOE NEMECHEK WITH THE U.S. ARMY, SO WHERE DOES THAT LEAVE HIM?
"We made a decision earlier to move Joe out of the No. 01 next year. That decision did not come as a result of Mark Martin coming in. We are going to a three-car team next year and a four-car team in '08. That's our goal. That's what we're heading for. To do that, I need to get points on the new cars and get them up and going and so we're using this as a way to build owner points and we've got a new number now for the new car and we'll announce the fourth car in the next year or so. Our veteran drivers are going get us there and the young guns that are coming in are going to be our future."
NEXT YEAR IT LOOKS LIKE THERE WILL BE 52 OR 53 FULL-TIME TEAMS. DO YOU HAVE ANY CONCERNS GOING TO A THIRD TEAM WITHOUT OWNER POINTS AND BEING ABLE TO MAKE THE SHOW EVERY WEEK?
"That's why I'm so interested in keeping these veteran drives. 'Up Front Joe' didn't get that name by accident. Sterling Marlin is a great qualifier. Even in a year that we've struggled, he has qualified well at many of the races. Mark is going to start the season off next year driving the first five races. And that's because we want owner points."
WITH MARK MARTIN COMING ON BOARD, ARE YOU SPENDING A LOT MORE THAN YOU THOUGHT YOU WERE IN THE FIRST MONTHS?
"No, I think we're pretty much were we expected to be."
CAN YOU GIVE US AN IDEA OF HOW MUCH? HAS IT BEEN MILLIONS?
"Oh yes, it's been millions. They may franchise one day, but even if they don't and if they hold it to the four car restrictions, to make the teams really competitive where you've got limited amount of track time to test. Four teams get more time. Everybody knows the program. The same thing is true for sponsorships. It's a very expensive proposition. It costs money to go fast. Technology is going to take you to the future. Where we used to have the big muscle cars and engines, today it's technology."
HOW LONG DID IT TAKE YOU TO DECIDE YOU WANTED TO GET INVOLVED IN NASCAR?
"It probably took a couple of years - probably three years. When I made the decision, it was done in 30 days or less than that. And then it took me longer to get the team under control and get the right systems in the right places. That's a work in progress. But the deal was done probably in about 30 days once we made the decision to do it."
HOW MUCH IS A SEVEN-POST SHAKER COST TODAY?
"Oh, a couple of million dollars - and then you have to support it. That's not the tough part. The tough part is having good computer systems to get it done. And then you've got to build a building to put it in."
WHAT'S THE LIKELIHOOD THAT WE'LL SEE MARK MARTIN IN A TRUCK NEXT YEAR?
"He hasn't decided exactly what he's going to do next year. I know he's going to drive, but what he's going to drive or how he's going to do it, we don't know yet."
DO YOU HAVE A SPONSOR FOR YOUR THIRD CAR OR IS THAT GOING TO BE YOUR COMPANY?
"If we don't have a full sponsors, it'll be the company."
HOW MANY MORE PEOPLE DO YOU HAVE TO HAVE TO RUN A THREE-CAR OPERATION?
"Basically you have to add one-half of what you've got right now."
HOW MANY PEOPLE DO YOU HAVE RIGHT NOW?
"We have about 140 full time employees in the shop right now and that's with some overlap with my company too."
HAVE YOU DECIDED ON A TEAM NAME YET?
"It's going to be Ginn Racing next year. When we did it, NASCAR asked us not to change the name in mid-season, and that was fine. We're going to market it under the brand we market our real estate and hospitality operations under."
WAS MARK MARTIN'S SON MENTIONED IN ANY OF THE NEGOTIATIONS?
"We're not blind. We know how important that is to Mark. His son is a good racer and he's coming along. Jay is really the one. He has the relationship with Mark. I was just the support for Jay."
WHAT IS YOUR ROLE OTHER THAN SIGNING THE CHECKS?
"I'm hands-on in my business. I'm always hands-on to some degree. I'm not going to try to build race cars. Where we really are supportive is on the sponsor side. We're working with sponsors who are not currently in NASCAR and some that are. We have a relatively big organization doing marketing and customer relations and hospitality and things like that. So we know how to treat sponsors. That's going to relieve Jay of having to do that and give him more time to actually work in research & developing and testing and all those things. It's hard to do if you're a one-man shop. This will open up a lot of people in North Carolina to do things that we can do with people we already have in the company."
ON LOOKING FOR SPONSORS:
"Sponsors are what drive this sport. Our fans are obviously who we're doing it for. What really puts money out there for the teams and not just for NASCAR is the sponsorship. Sponsors change yearly and conditions change. I think we can help sponsors a lot that we're a marketing company and we understand what it takes to make brand really do something for you and how to use it. But it's no different than real estate or the hospitality business."
WHAT'S THE STATUS OF THE NO. 14 NEXT YEAR?
"I think Waste Management is back. And we've got a couple of others that are close."
WHEN YOU TALKED TO RICK HENDRICK AND TOLD HIM YOU NEED ANOTHER ENGINE PROGRAM FOR MARK MARTIN, DID HIS JAW DROP?
"No, we have a great relationship with Rick. They're engine program is as good as there is out there. And we've got to get the car up to the standard of the engines. But what we do for him is to allow him to obviously do more research development. He's just gotten approval for the new engine. We like that relationship. I don't think he's going to try to expand it much beyond what we have right now. But I think he likes the relationship like it is. This isn't something that he hasn't heard from us before."
IS THERE ANY TRUTH TO THE REPORT THAT YOU GUYS ARE LOOKING AT, OR HAVE ALREADY SIGNED A DEAL TO GO TO FORD NEXT YEAR AND THAT MARK MARTIN IS BUYING INTO PART OF THIS TEAM?
"No."
IS MARK MARTIN GOING TO HAVE ANY OWNERSHIP IN THE COMPANY?
"No. Mark wants to drive race cars. You go talk to him and he'll tell you. He doesn't want to worry about sponsors or endorsements or merchandise. He wants to drive race cars and help us build a race car team. That was the way we were able to accommodate him. He's going to be a very important part of it - along with Sterling and Joe. We've got veteran drivers that have won a lot of races and have been around the track for a long time. We're going to use those guys to help us build the organization."
SO HOW ARE YOU GOING TO BUILD IT IF THOSE VETERANS ARE GONE IN A COUPLE OF YEARS?
"We're putting them with the young guns. We're going to make some more announcements in the next few weeks. Our future is that combination - to take Martin, Sterling, and Joe and put them with the young drivers and recruit and see where the next Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon are."
WHAT'S YOUR GAME PLAN FOR WINNING?
"We have to get the organization clicking. When the organization clicks, winning will come. When we've got the best parts department and the best computer and engineering department and good drivers in place and you've got all of that clicking, then victories will be there."

Mark Martin, left, talks with team owner Jack Roush in the garage area Friday, Oct. 6, 2006, at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Ala., during practice for NASCAR auto racing. Earlier in the day Martin announced that he will leave Roush Racing at the end of this season to drive a partial Cup auto race schedule for MB2 Motorsports in 2007. Roush has fielded a Ford for Martin in NASCAR's top series every year since 1988. (AP Photo/Glenn Smith)
Mark Martin leaving Roush, not Nextel Cup
By Mike Harris
AP Auto Racing Writer
October 6, 2006
TALLADEGA, Ala. (AP) -- There was a time when Mark Martin could not envision himself racing at NASCAR's top level as he approached 50.
But time has a way of changing perspective. Now the stock car star finds he is not yet ready to walk away at age 47.
So instead of retiring from the Cup series and racing for fun in a lower division -- as he has talked about for years -- Martin said Friday he will leave longtime employer Roush Racing after this season to drive a limited Cup schedule for MB2 Motorsports in 2007.
``I was 39 years old when I started making my plans for the future,'' Martin said at Talladega Superspeedway. ``I realize at this time that was way too early. I thought that, at the age that I am right now, I wouldn't be able to compete with these young guys the way I have in the past. And I think everybody knows I'm not interested in just riding around.
``But, when you can compete like I have been able to the last couple of years in this type of competition, it's hard to step away from it."
Martin will take over the No. 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet from Joe Nemechek, who will remain with MB2 and drive a third Cup car for the team that also fields the No. 14 Chevy for Sterling Marlin.
MB2 part-owner and general manager Jay Frye said Martin will drive 22 Cup races, with rookie Regan Smith, a regular in the Busch Series, driving the other 16 Cup events as well as another full season in Busch.
Since joining the Cup series in 1997, MB2 has won only two races -- one in 2002 by Johnny Benson and one in 2004 by Nemechek. Benson's 11th-place finish in the 2001 season points is by far the team's best.
Martin enters Sunday's UAW-Ford 500 third in the points, with a great chance to add a championship to his four series runner-up finishes with the Roush team. If he does so, Roush would have his third title in four years.
When asked about joining a team that has not approached the kind of success enjoyed for years by Roush Racing, Martin hesitated, then said, ``There's a great challenge.
``I don't think it will be easy, but I think we've seen noticeable improvement in those cars the last six weeks or so,'' he added, noting that improvement coincides with the arrival of MB2's new principal owner Bobby Ginn. ``I think the future holds some good things for that team.''
MB2 officials could hardly be more excited about the addition of Martin.
``Mark Martin is one of NASCAR's greatest competitors and having him come on board will greatly enhance and accelerate our development,'' Frye said. ``This is definitely a red-letter day in MB2's 10-year history.''
Martin was expected to end his Cup career at the end of this season and run a full schedule for Roush next year in the Craftsman Truck Series. Team president Geoff Smith said several weeks ago the deal was all ready for Martin to sign. But once Martin decided he wanted to run either a full or limited Cup schedule, his days at Roush were numbered.
NASCAR has initiated a limit of four cars per team, but is allowing Roush to continue to run the five cars he had under contract when the limit was announced late last season. With a still unidentified rookie set to take over the full-time ride in the No. 6 car next year, that left no room for a part-time deal with Martin.
Roush, who has fielded No. 6 Fords for Martin every year since 1988, sat alongside Martin on Friday.
``Mark is my dearest friend outside my immediate family,'' Roush said. ``Whenever I've got a problem or a concern, I'll give Mark a call and he'll commiserate with me, and I'll do the same with him. I don't expect that to stop.''
``I'm without tears today,'' he added. ``The day when we had to face the fact that there was an end that was imminent -- I guess that was about a year ago -- I almost couldn't contain myself. But Mark and I have had a great time together and I certainly wish him well.''
Martin said he is ready to step back a bit next season, but he left open at least the possibility that he could again be racing for a full Cup schedule in 2008 and beyond.
``I'm not finished Nextel Cup racing,'' he said. ``For one year, I'm not going to run the full schedule and, after I sit home and watch on TV the first race, whichever it may be, Bristol or Martinsville in (spring) 2007, I'll bet it will take one race for me to know what I will do. I'll bet I have some new insight after that.''

Martin outruns field for victory in inaugural Talladega truck race
Veteran runs to fifth win in 10 Truck starts in 2006; wins for the third time from the pole this season
John Deere 250/Talladega Superspeedway/October 7, 2006
Started 1st – Finished 1st
“I love these trucks and I love to drive them. Mike Beam and the entire Scott’s team are just awesome and it’s a pleasure to drive for them.” - Mark Martin after Saturday’s win from the pole at Talladega
TALLADEGA, ALA. – In the end, a piece of tumbling trash proved to be the biggest obstacle for Mark Martin and the No. 6 Scotts Team in the Inaugural John Deere 250 Craftsman Truck Series race at Talladega Superspeedway, and it proved only a slight set back. Martin started the race first, led 37 of the race’s 94 laps and moved on to his fifth victory of the season in the series.
“It was just one of those great days,” said Martin after the race. “This Ford F-150 had a great motor in it and this Scotts team did a good job. We dodged a bullet early in the race there with overheating and got that cleaned up and were able to make it back."
Martin started first and lead the fist five laps, before his Ford F-150 began to overheat. The team observed pieces of trash on the grill of the truck and Martin dropped back attempting to remove the trash. However, his efforts were in vain and he was forced to come into the pits under green on lap nine, falling all the way back to 34th and eventually going a lap down on lap 21. However, Martin was able to battle his way back to the lead lap, claim the luck dog after a caution on lap 22 and patiently draft his way back to the front and eventually the victory.
Once back on the lead lap, Martin needed only seven laps to move from 32nd to inside the top 15. By lap 42 he was back inside the top 10, before eventually reclaiming the lead on lap 57. Martin held on to the lead for the next 29 laps, before getting freight trained by a group of cars lead by the No. 30 of Todd Bodine. However, Bodine violated NASCAR rules by passing Martin below the yellow line. One lap later the race’s sixth caution was issued on lap 87 and Martin restarted in third position on lap 90 with four laps remaining. The veteran needed only one lap to retake the lead, before moving on to the victory.
"I wasn't going to give him the bottom,” said Martin. “That wasn't going to happen. When that team started to force the issue, I went ahead and let him have it. Todd knew that he wasn't going to get the inside. I had that spot covered."
The finish was Martin’s fifth win of the season in the Scotts Ford F-150 and his sixth all-time in 13 starts in the series. Martin will return to action in the Craftsman Truck Series in two weeks at Martinsville, where he finished fourth in the spring. The win was also Martin’s third from the pole this season.

TALLADEGA, AL - OCTOBER 07: Mark Martin, driver of the #6 Scotts Ford, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series John Deere 250 on October 7, 2006 at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Mark Martin Post Race Notes and Quotes - John Deere 250
Ford Racing: News
October 7, 2006
MARTIN WINS FOR THE FIFTH TIME IN 2006:
Mark Martin took the checkered flag for the sixth time in his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career with today's victory. Martin won the pole and went to victory lane in the inaugural truck series race at Talladega Superspeedway, and now has wins at the 2.66-mile track in all three of NASCAR's major touring series.
In 10 races this season, Martin has driven to victory lane a series-high five times, and extended Roush Racing's all-time series win mark to 42, the most in series history.
Martin swept both superspeedway events this year with his season-opening victory at Daytona in February.
Ford has now won 77 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races all time, and seven in 2006 with three different drivers (Martin, Cook, Crawford).
MARK MARTIN-6-Scotts Ford F-150 (Finished 1st)
"I'll tell you what, without Mike Wallace's help there I knew we were in trouble because we had all of those Toyotas. I knew Mike Wallace would help me some, and I also knew he'd try to beat me, too. The race was really going to get interesting there before the crash happened. If that wouldn't have happened, it was going to be interesting getting back to the start-finish line. It was just one of those great days. This Ford F-150 had a great motor in it and this Scotts team did a good job. We dodged a bullet early in the race there with overheating and got that cleaned up and were able to make it back."
TALK ABOUT THE PASS BODINE MADE THAT WAS DEEMED BELOW THE YELLOW LINE.
"I wasn't going to give him the bottom. That wasn't going to happen. When that team started to force the issue, I went ahead let him have it. Todd knew that he wasn't going to get the inside. I had that spot covered."
WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF THE RACE STAYED GREEN AT THE END?
"The bottom was that I wound up without a pusher and they were all three wide and four wide back there. Anything could have happened there on that last lap, but I sure would have rather be in the front than in the middle and it got pretty exciting back there it looked like."
YOU'VE WON FIVE RACES IN 10 STARTS.
"Well, I love these trucks and I love to drive them. I hope to drive some next year."

Mark Martin and Jack Roush Post Race Interview - John Deere 250
Ford Racing: News
October 7, 2006
MARK MARTIN -6-Scotts Ford F-150 (Finished 1st)
"There were a couple of keys to that thing working out today. The first thing was we overheated early in the race and got behind, we made a friend coming through in Mike Wallace. Mike and I worked together quite a bit, and there at the end when we were lined up there with all of those Toyotas it was not looking good there. Mike gave me the push that I really needed there on the restart. I know Mike Wallace real well. He still had plans for winning that race. We came off of turn two and everything got pretty crazy there behind him and he wound up getting caught up in the thing. The race was not over yet. There was still a lot of racing to go on from the center of the backstretch over here to the start-finish line, but unfortunately, there was wreck."
Q: ANY CHANCE TO HAVE MARK RUN THE NO. 6 TRUCK PART TIME NEXT YEAR?
JACK ROUSH - Team Owner
"That's an interesting prospect, but unless Ford changes their position on it and the other manufacturers would do the same, we really don't have the prerogative to mix our manufactures and our programs. I don't see that. I'll be talking to Cisco Codina on Sunday and I'll certainly bring that to his attention - is that a possibility? I'll bring that to his attention, but I think it's unlikely."
MARTIN:
"No problem on my end."
Q: WHAT DID YOU LEARN HERE TODAY TO HELP YOU TOMORROW?
MARTIN:
"The surface is really smooth. It's really good. The tire combination for it is incredible. It was good to race on. Today's race was better than I expected for new pavement and I expect tomorrow to be pretty crazy. I think everybody better hang on tight tomorrow. It's going to be exciting."
Q: TALK ABOUT THE DECISION TO PENALIZE BODINE.
MARTIN:
"NASCAR has a rule that you can't pass below the yellow line and the leader is not going to give that inside line up. Todd, he got a big run and I wasn't going to give him the inside. He wouldn't for me; I've raced with Todd a long time. And, he pressed the issue, and when he pressed the issue I gave it up. But, he evidently was below the yellow line. He's the point leader. He's got to think about stuff like that. I've raced for points for a long time, and when you race for points you have to give those kind of considerations when you made decisions like that. I hate it for Todd, I really do, but he wasn't going get on the inside of me there at the end of the race."
Q: THE RACE WAS CLEAN UNTIL THE END.
MARTIN: "I think the guys did a spectacular job. It was the last lap and everybody got racy and there was an accident. Like you said, beyond that it was a really, really great race. It was a clean race. The pavement worked well. I was really concerned about it and the drivers did a spectacular job today. I was really impressed with everyone and I'm hoping that tomorrow goes just as well. As I said yesterday, it's hard to predict what's going to happen. We had a good indication today and we'll just have to hope and see if it goes that well tomorrow, too. The guys did a great job out there today. They didn't get over their heads or get too aggressive. They got to racing big on the last a lap and there was accident, but other than that, they really used their heads and did a fabulous job. I hope tomorrow goes that well."
"It's really awesome to drive that 6 truck. Mike Beam and that team are a dream to work with. They make such nice trucks to drive, and I sure had a good time."

Martin wins first Talladega truck race
By Mike Harris
AP Auto Racing Writer
October 7, 2006
TALLADEGA, Ala. (AP) -- Mark Martin won the inaugural NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday, coming back from a lap down and holding on after series leader Todd Bodine was penalized for passing illegally nine laps from the end.
The 94-lap race on the 2.66-mile oval was just as competitive as expected, with plenty of three- and four-wide racing and the outcome in doubt until half a lap from the end when Mike Skinner, just in front of a huge pack of cars, bumped second-place Mike Wallace from behind and ignited a scary multicar crash.
Nextel Cup star Martin, who drives a handful of truck events, was ahead at that point and, with the field immediately frozen by the caution, drove on to the checkered flag, winning for the fifth time in 10 truck starts this season.
Martin, who started from the pole Saturday, lost a lap early when he had to pit on lap 10 because his engine was overheating. His crew removed a piece of debris from the front grill and Martin, who has now won at least one race here in Cup, the Busch Series and trucks, quickly regained that lost lap on a caution flag and raced back into contention.
"We had a great motor, but I guess we were just lucky, too," said Martin, third in the Cup points heading into Sunday's UAW-Ford 500 on the same track. "Todd was the one who was strong enough to do something and, once he had his bad luck, that was it."
Bodine's Toyota, pulling teammate Ted Musgrave with him, dove to the bottom of the banking as he drove past Martin's Ford heading into the fourth turn on lap 86. But Bodine got his wheels below the yellow out-of-bounds marker during the pass and was immediately black-flagged by NASCAR.
A caution came out moments later when Boston Reid crashed and Bodine and his team used the respite to protest that he was forced below the yellow line by Martin, but was able to get back onto the track as Martin then moved up to give him room.
The argument fell on deaf ears and Bodine had to pit and fall to the rear of the lead lap cars, restarting 27th on lap 91. He then put on a great charge, slicing through traffic over the next four laps to finish fourth.
"It's an interpretation of a rule and everybody's going to see it different," Bodine said, shrugging. "I saw it as a clean pass, but it was a judgment call. It could have been a real bad day in the points, but it turned out to be a good day."
Bodine's penalty left Musgrave in the lead, but Martin shot past him on the restart on lap 91 and led to the finish.
It took NASCAR about 30 minutes after the race to review the videotape and figure out the final scoring.
Skinner was scored second, followed by Musgrave, Bodine, Champ Car star A.J. Allmendinger, in only his second truck race, and David Reutimann.
Series runner-up Johnny Benson finished ninth and, thanks to Bodine's late charge, slipped from 91 points behind Bodine to 113 out with five races remaining.

Mark Martin storms back to win first truck race at Talladega
By Bruce Martin
SportsTicker Contributing Editor
October 7, 2006
TALLADEGA, Alabama (Ticker) -- Mark Martin's roller-coaster ride ended in grand fashion at Talladega Superspeedway.
Martin went from first to last and back to first, overcoming a lap-down deficit to win Saturday's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series John Deere 250, the first truck race at Talladega.
It was the fifth victory this season for Martin, who won from the pole in a Ford F-150. He also won from up front this year at Daytona in February and at Bristol in August.
"It was a really, really great race - a clean race," said Martin, who averaged 138.207 miles per hour and earned $71,650. "The drivers did a spectacular job."
A massive crash in turn 3 on the final lap forced the race ended the race under caution. Mike Wallace, Derrike Cope, David Starr and Dennis Setzer were involved in the wreck, with Cope's Chevrolet Silverado nearly flipping upside-down. However, Cope climbed out of the wreckage without injury.
Mike Skinner triggered the crash, running his Toyota Tundra into the back of Wallace's Chevrolet. At the exact same time, series points leader Todd Bodine ran into the back of Cope's truck, sending it into the wall.
Bodine had just been penalized by NASCAR officials for driving his Toyota below the yellow line to pass Martin with 10 laps remaining. Bodine was given the black flag for that move just moments before Boston Reid crashed coming off turn 4, bringing out the yellow flag on lap 87.
"I had a big wad of horsepower in this Ford F-150," said Martin, who fell a lap down early in order to remove debris from his grille. "It had a lot of motor. I guess I was lucky the way this race turned out. Todd Bodine had something for us, but I guess I'm lucky the way it turned out."
Because the race ended in so much confusion, NASCAR officials needed to review video to determine the correct order of finish.
Skinner ultimately finished second, followed by the Toyota of Ted Musgrave.
"It was fantastic racing out there," Musgrave said. "I was out there cruising around thinking a milk shake would be good."
Despite being dropped back to the 27th position because of the penalty, Bodine made it all the way back to fourth place. Champ Car star A.J. Allmendinger rounded out the top five in a Toyota.
"It's an interpretation of a rule, everyone will see it different," said Bodine, who entered with a 91-point standings lead over teammate Johnny Benson Jr. "I saw it as a clean pass. I started the pass and was beside him before the yellow line. I thought it was a clean pass, but that's the rule and we have to live with it."
Wallace was upset at Skinner for putting him in the wall and believed he had enough momentum to challenge Martin for the win down the stretch.
"Martin was in front of me, and the only truck I knew who was behind me was Mike Skinner's truck," Wallace said. "The next thing I knew, I was turned around and into the wall. The guy in that truck should drive a lot smarter than that.
"It's a shame we had to go through a last-lap wreck rather than get through it clean, like we could have."
Skinner took responsibility for triggering the wreck.
"I sure wouldn't wreck my buddy's truck just to improve one spot," he said. "I feel horrible about what happened. I feel it was our fault that we ran into him. It was not intentional."
Bodine now owns a 113-point lead over Benson, who ran ninth in a Toyota. David Reutimann finished sixth in a Toyota and remained third in the standings, 255 points off the pace.

Mark Martin Post Qualifying Notes and Quotes - John Deere 250
Ford Racing: News
October 6, 2006
Mark Martin, driver of the No. 6 Ford F-150, returned to the Craftsman Truck Series after a one-race hiatus and grabbed his third pole of the season in qualifying for tomorrow's John Deere. Martin, who last competed in the series at New Hampshire in September, has nine starts this season with four victories, including a win from the pole at Bristol. Martin, who now has three career truck series poles and five victories, captured the pole in his 13th career truck series start with a time of 52.523 seconds and an average speed of 182.320 mph. He is joined David Ragan, his Roush Racing teammate, on the front row for tomorrow's inaugural truck series race at the 2.66-mile speedway (52.682 seconds, 181.770 mph).
MARK MARTIN -6-Scotts Ford F-150 (Qualified 1st)
TALK ABOUT YOUR QUALIFYING RUN.
"We knew that our Scotts F-150 was fast yesterday. That's our truck from Daytona and the guys have rubbed on it a little bit more. It was really good yesterday so I expected it to be pretty fast today, too. I think the race is going to be really interesting. I think it will be a preview of what's coming for the Cup race. Actually, the practice was fun. Those things are just a lot of fun. They're more like driving the cars back before the days of restrictor plates, 25 years ago. I'm looking forward to tomorrow."
YOU MADE YOUR ANNOUNCEMENT FOR NEXT YEAR EARLIER TODAY AND HERE YOU ARE BACK IN THE MEDIA CENTER DISCUSSING YOUR POLE-WINNING RUN IN A ROUSH TRUCK. TALK ABOUT YOUR DAY.
"It is a big day, that's for sure. Well, I love driving that 6 truck, I can tell you that. I've said that all year and I still do. That was one of the things that made the decision difficult because I expected that I probably wouldn't be able to do that again next year. But, what the heck, it's still on the top of my list. We'll worry about that later. We've got a championship to chase and we'll worry about truck racing later."
WHAT ARE YOUR OPINIONS ON THE NEW RACING SURFACE?
"The things that I've seen so far, it's incredibly smooth. The grip is just unbelievable. It seems to be fun. It seems to be, while practice has been pretty calm, it seems to be really good, maybe better than it was. I just hope it doesn't encourage us to get wilder than before. So far it feels more comfortable than the old surface, to run all over and four wide and all of that stuff. The one thing that does concern me is it is very easy to hit the apron. It's hard to see the apron for some reason. I've talked to some other guys that said the same thing - when you touch the apron your car darts to the right. If we're doing a four-wide thing, this could create a situation that we wouldn't want to see. I think right now out there, we're so comfortable that the only issue that we have is keeping up with where everyone is. Two-by-two is nothing keep up with, but the four-by-four thing starts getting crazy and it starts getting really difficult with all of the movement going on out there to keep up with where everyone's at and making sure that you don't make a move that causes someone to get in someone else or something. So far, the surface for me gets real high marks. It's smooth and it's fun."
TALK ABOUT THE ISSUE WITH THE APRON.
"There's a line, a yellow line and you tend to always push the envelope. Running the bottom, you get right down there on it, and I think that the cars drive like a go-kart so much more on this surface. You just barely have to turn the steering wheel and the car really goes. I think we're oversteering our cars some; I know I have been. It's not that you don't really see it, it's just somehow or another it's easy to get on it and, boy, it doesn't like it. It really pulls the front end down when you touch it with that left front."
YOU JUST SAID YOU'RE HAVING FUN AT TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY.
"When they drag me in on the hook I'll have something different to tell you (laughs). Yeah, you're right. There's no telling what you're liable to hear come out of my mouth this weekend."
WILL YOU BE BACK HERE NEXT YEAR?
"I've been working on my tentative schedule, and Talladega is not on it. Who knows? I might change my mind. The cool thing is that it is up to me. Heck, you heard some words like fun come out of my mouth more than once. If it's fun and I have a blast on Sunday, I'll add it to the list. I have cousins that come down here and visit me every time, and we get to BBQ together and everything, and they're like, 'What are we going to do next year?' Maybe I'll just have to come back and have another BBQ and hang out. As of right now, I was looking at letting Regan get some restrictor-plate experience here and looking at doing the 500, for sure, and probably the 400 at Daytona as well and letting Regan get some restrictor-plate time. I'm going to try to balance it up where he gets a good blend of things, and we really work hard to get him prepared for a full schedule in '08."
DID THE TRACK RETAIN ANY OF ITS OLD CHARACTERISTICS?
"This race track really drives a lot different. It's huge, and that's the same as it was, but to drive around it, it's quite different. I'll say again, it's been pretty fun. The packs have gotten pretty big and as long as you know where everyone is, and as long as we work real hard to keep up with all that, I think that we can have an awesome race. We may have better racing here than we have had in the past, if that's possible. We've had some great racing, but so far it seems to be working out better than I expected. It can encourage us to get wild, yes. And, it can encourage us to have some problems, but it won't be a loss of control problem until we actually run into one another or force somebody into somebody else. That's something that we're all going to have to use a lot of self control with."
THERE DOESN'T SEEM TO BE A LOT OF CONCERN WITH THE SPEEDS BEING TOO EXCESSIVE. WOULD YOU BE SURPRISED TO SEE A PLATE CHANGE?
"This weekend? I would. Gosh, I've called it wrong on NASCAR a lot, especially in the later years. It's harder for me to predict. Either I'm getting dumber or they're getting smarter, one or the other. But, yeah, I think everybody is pretty comfortable with what we've got going on. We need to keep these cars going straight. If we keep these cars going straight, it's going to be great for everyone. You know what, there will be more of us at the finish to make it even more exciting if we can keep them all straight."
WITH THE AERODYNAMIC PACKAGE OF THE TRUCK BEING CLOSER TO THAT OF THE CAR OF TOMORROW, DO YOU EXPECT MORE CUP DRIVERS TO RUN TRUCK RACES?
"It's very possible that the truck could be more like the Car of Tomorrow than the Busch cars. Yeah, that's a reasonable thought right there. I haven't driven the Car of Tomorrow yet. It is fun to race those trucks, I'm telling you that. It's a lot of fun, and right now, in my opinion, it's the best racing in NASCAR and I love it. It's something that if I was going to add to my schedule next year, that's first on my list because I still have a passion for that series."
WAS CUP RACING EVER AS MUCH FUN AS YOU'RE HAVING IN THE TRUCK SERIES?
"Well, that's all relative. For me, when I first started running good, let's put it that way, in Cup racing it was awfully fun and it still is fun when you run good. The vehicles are different, they're more equal and it's just more of a challenge to do passes and make passes and get your car better than the competition's. There is more in the truck, as of today, to make your truck handle better than someone else's than there is in the incredibly refined Cup garage. But, yeah, Cup racing is fun. You go ask Reed Sorenson or Carl Edwards or one of these guys that haven't done it very long. They're having a blast every day that they have fenders left on them."
IT'S BEEN SAID OF TALLADEGA THAT THIS TRACK GIVES YOU ENOUGH ROPE TO HANG YOURSELF. WITH THE SMOOTH SURFACE, IS THERE EVEN MORE ROPE NOW?
"I don't want to get that started right away. My prediction was: absolutely, yes. After running on it, I'm not so sure I was right about that. I'm tentatively giving this place high marks and saying that we can have great racing, maybe better than what we've had in the past. I'm seeing the opportunity to make more daring moves than ever before, which may lure us into mayhem, but so far, the practices have been calmer than the practices have in the past almost here. I have great hope that this is going to be fantastic. I think we'll learn more tomorrow, and I think, boy, you better take your heart pills because it's going to be exciting from what I saw with those trucks out there in practice."

M6M note: Comments relating to Mark are within the notes and quotes below.
Roush Racing Post Qualifying Notes and Quotes - Johne Deere 250
Ford Racing: News
October 6, 2006
DAVID RAGAN-50-Roush Racing Ford F-150 (Qualified 2nd)
TALK ABOUT YOUR QUALIFYING RUN.
"It would mean a lot to win the Bud Pole here at Talladega, especially in a Roush truck. But, it's pretty cool because we've got all three trucks in the top 10. I think that our truck is exceptional in the draft, and I think it's going to draft very well along with my other two teammates. We look forward to having a real clean race, and, again, just because our truck is fast by itself, a lot of people tend to think that it might not draft well, but I think there will be 30 to 35 teams out there saying, 'Hey, our truck drafts very well, too.' It should be an exciting race."
WHAT DO YOU FEEL YOUR CHANCES ARE FOR GETTING INTO THE NO. 6 CUP CAR NEXT YEAR?
"I'm not going to try to think about that the rest of the year. I'm just going to think like I have from Mansfield, Ohio, on. I'm going to think about going out there and being patient and try to improve week-in and week-out, and try to reduce my mistakes to a minimum. I think that's what hurt me some in the beginning of the year. I just got out of line too soon at times, and starting here at Talladega, this is definitely a patience race that we'll have to run tomorrow to be around at the end. So, just to go out and continue to do what I've done all year and try to be patient and make good laps and be fast at times and just try to take care of what I can control, and everything else will take care of itself."
COMMENT ON MARK MARTIN'S ANNOUNCEMENT TODAY.
"We are losing Mark as a teammate, but we're not losing him as a friend. I think he's still going to be a guy in the garage that we can to go to, and if we have a problem or concern, I think he'll still continue to help us out. It's been real fortunate to have him around this year. He's helped out our truck program along with the learning curve of Erik and I. I think if we still need anything from a driver's standpoint, we'll be able to go to him and talk to him."
ERIK DARNELL-99-Northern Tool + Equipment Ford F-150 (Qualified 6th, Top Rookie)
TALK ABOUT YOUR QUALIFYING EFFORT.
"Well, I don't think that qualifying is really going to relate to the race tomorrow. We really didn't know what to expect with our 99 Northern Tools + Equipment F-150. We didn't really get to make a real clean qualifying run yesterday. We know it's a lot better in race trim than where it qualified, though. To end up in the top 10, that's a pretty good deal for us."
COMMENT ON MARK MARTIN'S ANNOUNCEMENT TODAY.
"Fortunately, even though we are losing Mark, we still have some great teammates like Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards. Carl ran in the truck series and did very well with that, so we can go to him for information as well. While it is unfortunate that we're losing Mark, we still have a wealth of information to pool from."
DISCUSS THE ROOKIE-OF-THE-YEAR COMPETITION.
"It's definitely been tough. You've got drivers who are aligned with Cup teams, and you have Aric Almirola with Gibbs Racing. You have Kraig Kinser, who was with MB2, is not running the whole thing any more. There are quite a few of us out there who run tough week-in and week out, and we knew coming into this thing that it was going to be tough to win the Rookie-of-the-Year award. Fortunately for us, we had some pretty good races and some of the other rookies have struggled a little bit. We've had our struggles as well, but we've been able to stay ahead of those guys and it looks pretty good going down the stretch here."
It was announced today that Northern Tool + Equipment would sponsor Erik Darnell and the No. 99 Roush Racing Ford F-150 for the final five truck series races of 2006 and full time in 2007. Darnell, who was joined by Roush Racing President Geoff Smith, commented on the sponsorship agreement and Roush's truck series plans for '07.
ERIK DARNELL-99-Northern Tool + Equipment Ford F-150
"I just wanted to say that this is going to be a great opportunity for me and for everyone here at Roush Racing to have Northern Tool & Equipment on the truck. We're looking to start off strong here at Talladega. This is the same truck we had at Daytona and we had a sixth-place run with it there and we're looking to build upon that here. We're real excited about the five races for this year but even more excited to go on for the next couple of years. It's a great opportunity, again, for me and everyone here and we're looking to go out and work for you guys and help you guys out, and we appreciate you for coming on board."
WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES FOR YOU NEXT SEASON?
"Well, just to go out there and run well. This has kind of been a learning season for me, being my rookie season in the truck series. We've had some good runs, but we've had some bad runs as well; we've had some DNFs. We're definitely looking to go out there next year and run for the championship. We've got to finish races, we've got to run up front more than we're doing now and I think we're just kinda getting to the point with the team, me and my crew chief, to where we can kind of jell and we're really getting a real good feel for each other. I think it's going to show up for the last couple of races here at the end of the year, and like I said, we're going to go out next year and we're going to be running for wins and running for the championship."
GEOFF SMITH, President-Roush Racing:
"Of all of the big teams, Roush Racing is the most bullish on the truck series. We think there's untapped value for sponsors in that series and it's fantastic that Northern Tool has signed up for multiple years as a primary sponsor to be the sponsor behind the development of our young drivers over the next several years. Erik, of course, is the winner of the Discovery Channel 'Driver X' contest and he's doing really well and we're expecting even more from him as the near future unfolds. Not only in the long term, but in the short term."
DOES THIS MEAN ERIK WILL BE IN THE TRUCK SERIES NEXT YEAR?
"He's going to be in the truck series full time. We're expecting, and I hope that he's expecting, that by the time this year is over and the team is fully jelled and Erik has his full year of experience under his belt that he's going to be a championship contender in that truck next year full time. Now, whether he does more than that, he may be depending on sponsorship teamed up with one of our Cup guys in the Busch Series for some additional experience along the way. His full-time focus for Roush Racing is going to be for Northern Tool and for Roush Racing to win that truck series championship."
SO, ERIK IS NOT AUDITIONING FOR THE NO. 6 NEXTEL CUP CAR IN 2007?
"Well, by default I guess we just lost one for that contest for the 6 next year. Erik is staying in the truck series and getting another year under his belt. He is still a very young guy with a great future ahead of him as he's been demonstrating all year."
IS THERE ANY TRUTH TO THE RUMOR THAT JACQUES VILLENEUVE MIGHT DRIVE A ROUSH VEHICLE NEXT YEAR?
"The report came over and was translated from Italian, poorly. I didn't really understand what it said, but if it said that he was going to be in a Roush Racing Cup car, the answer is no, we're full up. If the question is whether he's poked around the garage looking for possible opportunities in NASCAR, the answer is yes. I also think it would be fun and exciting for a 35-year-old Formula 1 world champion to be here. But, we do not have a place in our Cup stable. We are constrained. We can only have five. If would could have six, the next announcement that they're about to make would be different."
HOW MANY TRUCK TEAMS WILL YOU HAVE NEXT YEAR?
"We're going to have at least two. We'll be announcing our other sponsorship and other driver pretty soon."
Following the formal press conference, Jack Roush commented further on the departure of driver Mark Martin, driver of the No. 6 Ford Fusion, from Roush Racing following the 2006 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup season outside of media center at Talladega Superspeedway.
JACK ROUSH, Owner-Roush Racing:
IS THERE ANY TRUTH TO THE RUMOR THAT JACQUES VILLENEUVE MIGHT DRIVE A ROUSH VEHICLE NEXT YEAR? "That's a possibility. I know we're in discussions. He came to see us in Detroit and he's been in Charlotte and had discussion around our program and what he can do and the rate of which he could get up to speed. If he's got the stomach for it and if we can find the sponsorship for it, that's certainly a possibility."
WHO WILL BECOME THE NEW LEADER OF ROUSH RACING?
"Mark will be missed, but Greg Biffle is the heir apparent. He's the senior guy and he's been with us through the truck series and the Busch series and the Cup Series, and won championships in both of those on his way. This is first opportunity we'll have to see a driver win the championship in all three of NASCAR's top categories. He is an inspiration to the rookies and has helped them every way that he can. The same goes for Matt, and he's only marginally been here less a period of time than Greg. And, Carl Edwards is coming like a thunderstorm. He's anxious to help everybody him. He's very personable, and people likewise present depth in the management of our rookies and the direction of the programs as we go forward."
SO, THERE WON'T BE ONE DRIVER THAT CARRIES THE BANNER?
"I think that's the case. I personally don't have the view that Roush Racing was all of Mark Martin, and Mark was all of Roush Racing. Certainly, all of the championships that have been won around Mark by the other guys have drawn a lot of attention and demonstrate the balance and ability and commitment on their part."
WASN'T MARK MARTIN KNOWN AS ROUSH RACING?
"Mark Martin was Roush Racing for the early years, for sure. The simple fact is that things that were important for Mark that he said would be involved in the decision making to what he would do were complex beyond my capability to deal with in the timeframe that I had to deal with them and we were the losers. We weren't able to put forward for him a program that was attractive as the one he was able to get from MB2. I had never thought that I ever be in that kind of a competition for Mark's time, but here we are and we lost."
WHO IS GOING TO DRIVE THE NO. 6 CAR?
"I'm not sure. There'll be driver. It will be a rookie driver. The AAA program was predicated on a development driver that would generate enthusiasm for them and their employees and their customers going forward. There's Todd Kluever, who is obviously a rookie that we had. If you asked me six months ago, I said it was Todd Kluever, and in the meantime David Ragan has done a nice job. I'm not sure that we're done looking at just the two of them. We've got seven races, and until we fill in the entry blanks at the end of January, I don't have to make a final decision. I don't owe you guys an answer today, nor any time in the foreseeable future. We'll make best decision we can for AAA and the 6 team and for Roush Racing as to who drives the car at the last possible moment."
WOULD YOU HAVE EVERY ENVISIONED RACING AGAINST MARK?
"In the early years, certainly there was a question as to whether Mark wanted to stay with the program. At least twice when we had discussions around whether you stay or whether you go, and it was a very real possibility at that time. But, as we've moved into our middle ages together - Mark moved into middle age and I've moved out of it - I never really gave this consideration. He was so impassioned to get away from racing, or I felt that two years, that the idea of him making a deal that would be a growth program going forward with another organization was not something that I saw coming."
WHAT IS THIS LIKE FOR YOU PERSONALLY?
"Well, it's finally over. I've been involved in a struggle for the last 18 to 24 months to present to Mark something was interesting and challenging and workable for him, and I don't have that challenge, so I'm some relieved of that."
ARE YOU SAD ON A PERSONAL LEVEL?
"Well, I went to sleep last night and I slept all night. I didn't have any troubles staying awake knowing what I was going to be faced with today. There's a bit of personal disappointment, I guess, in the fact that we weren't able as an organization, and with Ford as a partner, to put together something for Mark that was as attractive as what Jay and the MB2 bunch were able to do. But, I'll move on from that. We've got seven races in front of us and we may win a championship. I don't know how he'll feel if we're able to win the championship for him and he's made a commitment to leave and go do something else. We'll get past all that, and there'll be 36 races plus a couple more next year that we'll have to face, and we'll go week to week dealing with whatever is in front of us at the time, and very quickly the challenges of the moment overshadow the disappoints of the past."
WHEN DID MARK TELL YOU OF HIS DECISION?
"Last Saturday. A week ago from tomorrow."
DID YOU TRY TO GET HIM TO CHANGE HIS MIND?
"The fight was out of me. He said, 'I've got an offer to go do 20 races in a Cup program with guys that I think I can help and with an expectation that is maybe not as great as it would be for what you've got for me.' He said, 'I'm able to pick which races I go to and really cherry-pick and make it suit me and the race tracks I want to be at.' He said, 'That gives me flexibility that there's never afforded by Jack or Roush Rating.' He's anxious to have that this point in his life."

Martin Dashes to Eighth-Place Finish at Talladega; Trails First By Only 10 Points in Championship Race
Martin remains in third, but only 10 points out of first with four of 10 'Chase' races in the books
Talladega Superspeedway/October 8, 2006
"Things are going our way right now. If we can go next week and run like we have in the past at Charlotte, we'll be in good shape." - Mark Martin after Sunday’s eighth-place finish at Talladega
TALLADEGA, ALA. (October 8, 2006) – Mark Martin and the No. 6 AAA Team went into Sunday’s UAW-Ford 500 with a simple game plan. They hoped to simply survive early, make their moves late and with a little luck be around at the end and break a string of horrific wrecks at the 2.66-mile superspeedway. The plan worked to perfection, with Martin drafting his way to an eighth-place finish and more importantly trimming off 60 points in the ‘Chase’ for the Nextel Cup. With Talladega out of the way, Martin now moves to his favorite track, Lowe’s Motor Speedway, trailing first place by just 10 points.
"Pat (Tryson) did a great job calling the race with pit strategy and the car handled great,” said Martin. “We were good there at the end. I would have liked to have been contending for the win, but we weren't fast enough to do that, so we made the most of our day. Things are going our way right now. If we can go next week and run like we have in the past at Charlotte, we'll be in good shape."
Martin started 30th and drifted to the back early, running as far back as 42nd by the second lap. He eventually settled in around 36th place running in the second pack of cars and safely behind the main pack of front runners running three wide and 10-rows deep. Running on the smooth new surface of the track, Martin alternated taking right and left side tires on green flag pit stops on laps 33 and 69. He stayed out under green and led laps 110 and 111 to earn five valuable bonus points in the ‘Chase’, before pitting again on lap 112 for right sides.
Martin pitted under caution for the fifth time of the day on lap 131 for fuel only and he came out in sixth position as the field went green with 55 laps remaining, and he would run virtually the remainder of the race inside the top-10. As with any Talladega race the ‘big one’ is destined to happen and it did on lap 137, but this time Martin was running safely in second position and ahead of the multiple-car accident just a few feet behind him.
Towards the end of the race the lead pack would settle in single file with Martin running in the ninth position. The final caution was called on lap 173 and Martin restarted in ninth with just nine laps remaining. He was able to advance one more spot as the leaders Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson wrecked into each other on the final lap and Martin ran on to the eighth-place finish. His first top-10 finish at Talladega since April of 2004.
"We've sure run better than this here, but we hadn't finished here in forever without wrecking,” added Martin. “I'll take it. It was a great day for us and we're still in this hunt for this thing. We needed to wait after this one to talk about it, and it's nice to be there. Now we have to go to Charlotte and hopefully we can run like we know we are capable of and see where that puts us."
Martin and the AAA Team now turn their attention to Lowe’s Motor Speedway, which Martin regards as one of his favorites on the circuit. Martin has four wins, 17 top-fives and 21 top-10 finishes in 43 starts.
Roush Racing is a subsidiary of Livonia, Mich., based Roush Enterprises which operates 14 motorsports teams; five in NASCAR Nextel Cup with drivers Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards, six in the Busch Series with Martin, Kenseth, Biffle, Edwards, Todd Kluever and Danny O'Quinn, Jr., and two in the Craftsman Truck Series with Martin, David Ragan, Michel Jourdain, Jr. and Erik Darnell.

Mark Martin Post Race Notes and Quotes – UAW-Ford 500
Ford Racing: News
October 8, 2006
MARK MARTIN-6-AAA Ford Fusion (Finished 8th)
"Pat did a great job calling the race with pit strategy and the car handled great. Heck, we were OK there. I would have liked to have been contending for the win, but we weren't fast enough to do that, so we made the most of our day. Things are going our way right now. If we can go next week and run like we have in the past at Charlotte, we'll be good."
WHAT DID YOU SEE ON THE LAST LAP?
"I'm the goofiest thing. I thought the wreck was behind. I had no idea it happened in front me. You can see much with all of these cars in front of you. I thought the wreck happened behind me."
IS THIS THE BEST THAT YOU'VE FELT COMING OUT OF TALLADEGA IN RECENT YEARS?
"We've sure run better than this, but we hadn't finished here in forever without wrecking. I'll take it. It was a great day for us and we're still in this hunt."
YOU ARE NOW WITHIN STRIKING DISTANCE OF THE POINT LEADS.
"We needed to wait after this one to talk about it, but it's nice to be there."

Mark Martin Post Qualifying Notes and Quotes - UAW-Ford 500
Ford Racing: News
October 6, 2006
MARK MARTIN-6-AAA Ford Fusion (Qualified 30th)
"Our AAA Fusion was good in the draft yesterday and so far I really like the new surface here. Our game plan is to try to survive this thing tomorrow. In the last several races here we hadn't even gotten to make a pit stop. I wrecked out of here running fourth, fifth sixth, seventh, something like that. Obviously, we're not going to start up front, so maybe we can be around when it comes time to push the button."
WITH YOUR CURRENT POINT STANDING, DO YOU FEEL THAT THIS COULD BE YOUR BEST CHANCE TO WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP?
"What we're counting on is a great effort from everybody, Pat Tryson and everybody on this Roush Racing team. Our hearts are in it and we're going to give it our best. No matter how it shakes out, it's been a great year for me and for everyone at AAA. I had the opportunity the work with AAA on teen driver safety issues, which are very important to me, and the fans have just been incredible with their support. I'm going to enjoy these last seven races no matter how it turns out, and obviously we're going to try to come out on top."
WERE YOU SURPRISED BY NASCAR'S DECISION TO CHANGE THE RESTRICTOR PLATE SIZE THIS MORNING?
"I always mess up. It's harder to predict, I guess, what NASCAR might do. I predicted they wouldn't do that when it came up yesterday. It's not a big change. It's a small change and if that makes them more comfortable then so be it. It's OK."

Martin returns to Talladega in what could be a make or break race in the Chase
Sitting third in the points, Martin knows importance of 'surviving' Talladega
CONCORD, N.C. (Oct. 4, 2006) -- Mark Martin remembers his first trip to Talladega Superspeedway as a competitor rather fondly. He made his debut on the high-banks of the 2.66-mile lightning fast superspeedway on August 1, 1981, qualifying second, turning laps of over 200 mph and moving on to a four-second victory in the ARCA 200. His memories of his most-recent three trips there are not as fond.
Martin saw his 'Chase' hopes all but shattered last year after getting caught up in a multi-car accident on just lap 19 of the UAW-Ford 500 last season. Martin went into the race in fourth place in the Nextel Cup point rankings, just a mere 21 points out of first. He boasted one of the fastest cars of his racing career at Talladega and was running inside the top five just moments before the 'big one'. Martin left Alabama that day with a mangled race car and a ninth-place points ranking and with his hopes for the Nextel Cup all but shattered.
Such has been the up and down love affair Martin has had with Talladega Superspeedway over the past 25 years of racing. It's a common perception that Martin dislikes Talladega and always has. However, the 20 year veteran of the Nextel Cup circuit explains it differently.
"I always liked Talladega," said Martin. "It was easier to get around than Daytona and I just didn't find it nearly as intimidating. In the beginning we didn't have restrictor plates and handling mattered. Heck, I remember people spinning out there - on their own. It was just a 'big ole' race track that really tested your skills.
"In fact I always had a good relationship with the track," added Martin with a pause. "Before the restrictor plates were added. Eventually it got to where the wrecking was just ridiculous and now you are just so bunched up that you just hope that you can avoid all the trouble."
In an effort to limit the speed of the cars for safety purposes, restrictor plates were added to the cars in 1988 at both Daytona and Talladega forever changing the dynamics of both places. Since then, Martin has found himself caught up in some of the worst wrecks in the circuit's history. With all the cars running in bunches, often times one small mistake or movement by a driver can cause a chain reaction of events that leads to several torn up race cars. Often times Martin has found himself with no where to go and many times he's left those tracks banged up and disappointed.
In fact, Martin has gotten caught up in major accidents in the last three Nextel Cup races at Talladega; each occurring before the team even had an opportunity to pit. Martin has only one top-10 finish at Talladega since 2001, a sixth-place run in 2004, and he has finished 30th, or worse due to wrecks in five of the last nine.
Still, Martin remembers a different time at the track, when drafting was a lot different.
"Back in the day the cool draft was the slingshot," smiled Martin. "Back before you could run the cars wide open, you got a draft and a run on the guy in front of you and you did the slingshot and you could make a pass on him. Then the guy would slingshot you and you did him and he did you, etc. That all ended with the restrictor plate. It was already phasing out with the way the cars were changing but the final straw was the restrictor plate.
"The only thing I don't like about it now is that the cars are just going too slow and they are too packed up," explained Martin. "Back when they didn't get in such big packs and when handling was a big factor it was just a lot more fun for the race car driver.
"The frustrating part about it is that your cars mean more than you do," said Martin. "No matter how hard you try you can't help the team make the car very much better. That's not the case at unrestricted race tracks. The car doesn't mean more than you and you can help the team make the car better. So it can be frustrating. It's just not about helping your team make the car go faster through the corners."
That's not to say that Martin hasn't enjoyed his share of accomplishments running with the restrictor plate. In fact Martin's 34 top-10 finishes at restrictor-plate tracks are more than anyone else, with 19 of those coming at restrictor-plate races at Talladega.
Martin has clearly had his moments at Talladega over the years as well. He swept the poles there in 1989 and he set track race records in both the Busch and the Cup races there in the spring of 1997. Martin has two Cup wins, two poles, 10 top-five and 21 top-10 finishes at Talladega. For his efforts he was named to the Talladega Hall-of-Fame in 2002. All-in-all Martin has won in three different series at Talladega, Nextel Cup, Busch and IROC. He'll make his 42nd Nextel Cup start there this Sunday.
"It's just a different race now," said Martin. "Now it's all about the draft and making the right move, which actually all just depends on what the people around you do. Some guy will make a move and everyone calls it brilliant, but to be honest it's only brilliant if the people around you do the right thing. That can be tough.
"Talladega used to really test your skills as a race car driver," added Martin. "Now it really just tests your patience. I'm not saying that it doesn't take a lot of skill with the draft -- it does, but it's just a different type of skill. You can definitely tell the ones who are really good at that, but if you hang your hat on that type of racing it can be tough.
"But like I said, I always liked the track and racing there," said Martin. "I just don't like restrictor- plate racing. But the fans there are great and we've always had great support there. They love their racing and they come to have a good time.
"For us this weekend I think the goal is about survival," added Martin. "If we can get through this thing without getting caught up in a big one, then who knows, maybe we have a chance in this thing. All we can really do is go there and do the best we can. I've had wrecks in the front and I've had wrecks in the back and I've surely had wrecks in the middle, so there really isn't any secret formula to get through this thing.
"We'll need a car that's fast and most importantly drafts well," added Martin. "But usually we have that. What we really need is luck, and we haven't had that for some time now at Talladega, so hopefully that will change. I mean, we can't be unlucky there every time can we? I guess we'll just go there and see what happens, but no matter what nothing can change the good job that Pat Tryson and this AAA Team have done this year and no matter what, we'll keep fighting for the championship until the very end."
Roush Racing is a subsidiary of Livonia, Mich., based Roush Enterprises that operates 14 motorsports teams; five in NASCAR NEXTEL Cup with drivers Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards, six in the Busch Series with Martin, Kenseth, Biffle, Edwards, Todd Kluever and Danny O'Quinn, Jr., and three in the Craftsman Truck Series with Martin, David Ragan, Erik Darnell and Michel Jourdain, Jr.

2006 Mark Martin Nextel Cup Track Notes - Sunday, October 8, 2006
UAW-Ford 500 / Talladega Superspeedway
No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion
October 5, 2006
DRIVER: Mark Martin
TEAM: No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion
OWNER: Jack Roush
CREW CHIEF: Pat Tryson
THE CAR
Chassis: RK-337 - This is the same car that Martin used to finish seventh in the Budweiser Shootout in February, where he contended late for the win. Martin also ran the car earlier this year at Talladega, where it looked to be his best Talladega car in years, before getting caught up in a multi-car accident on lap 20.
MARK MARTIN - FAST FACTS - TALLADEGA

Mark Martin's pace in the 1997 Winston 500 at Talladega set an all-time NASCAR Cup record for the fastest race ever run, as Martin won the caution-free event with an average speed a 188.354 mph. He covered the 500-mile distance in two hours, 38 minutes and 18 seconds.

Martin has two victories at Talladega, with both coming in the spring race (1995 and 1997).

Martin has gotten caught up in accidents and finished 30th or worse in his last three races at Talladega.

Martin has finished in the top 10 in 49 percent of his 75 restrictor-plate races.

Martin's 34 top-10 finishes in restrictor plate races are the most ever.

Martin is one of three drivers to have competed in all 75 restrictor-plate races.

QUOTING MARK MARTIN AND CREW CHIEF PAT TRYSON ON RACING AT TALLADEGA
Mark Martin:
"Over the years I'm quite sure that I've made my opinion of restrictor-plate racing pretty well known. The fact is, I used to love going to Talladega before the plates, but now I pretty much go there with the expectation of wrecking, based on what usually happens there. We've wrecked in the front, wrecked in the back and wrecked in the middle. It seems we just can't avoid getting caught up people's wrecks there."
"Pat (Tryson) and the team did a great job last week at Kansas and we really need that top-five finish to stay in this thing. This weekend, if we can get through Talladega without getting caught up in the middle of another big wreck, we just might have a chance. One thing for sure, we are going to go down fighting."
Pat Tryson:
"I think that everyone knows the key to Talladega is not getting caught up in an accident. Mark is really good on those tracks and we've run well in the restrictor-plate races, but I can remember the last time we actually did a pit stop at Talladega, before we had to go to the garage to either try and fix a badly damaged race car or load one up. Hopefully our luck there will change this weekend and we'll get a good finish and come out of there in good shape in the points."

FOX Sports - NASCAR - Report: Former F1 champ to drive in NASCAR in '07
October 4, 2006
Only days after NASCAR announced it would run its first points race in Canada on the road course named after his late father, former Formula One champion Jacques Villeneuve may have joined the stock car series.
According to the Italian sports daily Gazzetta dello Sport, Villeneuve has signed a deal to race with Roush Racing and will move back to Canada from his base in Europe.
Shopping at an Ikea store in Montreal, Villeneuve and his wife were asked by La Presse reports about the Italian report. The 1997 F1 champion said, "I'm retired" and "they're only rumors", but he did not deny the report.
Roush Racing owns five cars in the Nextel Cup Series and also has Busch and Craftsman Truck teams. Mark Martin will not be racing in the No. 6 car in 2007, and no replacement has been named.
If he took over the ride, Villeneuve would become the second F1 driver to move to NASCAR next year, joining Juan Pablo Montoya who will drive the No. 42 car that Casey Mears is leaving at Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates. Montoya is scheduled to make his stock car debut on Friday at Talladega Superspeedway in an ARCA race (8 p.m. ET on SPEED).
On Monday, NASCAR announced that it would run a Busch race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal on Aug. 4, 2007. The elder Villeneuve also raced in F1 and died in a practice crash before the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix.

Report: Villeneuve signs with Roush Racing
TSN : AUTO RACING - Canada's Sports Leader
October 4, 2006
According to the Italian sports daily Gazzetta dello Sport, the former F1 champion has inked a deal to race with Roush Racing. The report also indicated that Villeneuve would move back to Canada from his current home base of Europe.
Roush Racing told ESPN that the story is not true and no contract has been signed with Villeneuve.
Villeneuve and his wife were spotted Tuesday at an Ikea store in Montreal by reporters for La Presse. When asked about the Italian report, the former world champion smiled and said, "I'm retired."
Asked if he was moving to Montreal, Villeneuve responded by saying, "they're only rumors" but he stopped short of denying the report.
Villeneuve's PR manager tells autosport.com that while the Canadian is speaking with people in North America, "nothing is signed."
Roush, one of the leading Ford teams in the Nextel Cup series, currently campaigns cars for Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, Jamie McMurray, Carl Edwards and Mark Martin. However, Martin is scheduled to retire at the end of the season which would create an opening for the Canadian.
Roush also runs six cars in the Busch Grand National Series, which will be making its inaugural stop in Montreal next season.
Villeneuve has maintained that if he were to run in NASCAR in 2007, it would most likely be at the Nextel Cup level, but you can expect a strong push to be made for Villeneuve and other Canadian drivers to take part in the Montreal race.
Villeneuve would be the second Formula One driver to make the switch to NASCAR this year, joining Juan Pablo Montoya who will race for Chip Ganassi's team in 2007.

Marked improvement
By Jerry Bonkowski, Yahoo! Sports
October 1, 2006
I can't get this vision out of my head.
It's of a certain veteran driver doing nothing more than biding his time during the first nine races of the Chase for the Nextel Cup, driving under the radar, earning one consistent finish after another along the way.
And in the final race of the Chase at Homestead, he's right in the thick of things when it comes time to decide who will be the 2006 Cup champion.
I'm talking about Jeff Gordon, right? Wrong.
Jeff Burton or Dale Earnhardt Jr.? Nope and double nope.
Rather, something tells me that when everything is said and done, the highest-finishing Chaser in Sunday's Banquet 400 at Kansas Speedway could very well once and for all shake his reputation of always being a groomsman but never a groom in Cup racing.
I'm talking about Mark Martin.
With the way he stuck to it Sunday, finishing third despite driving what he called early on in the afternoon the worst race car he has ever had in his career, I'm suddenly starting to think quite optimistically about the championship chances of NASCAR's noted pessimist.
I've watched Martin for years, but I can't seem to recall a gutsier performance than Sunday's. He could very easily have given up, chalked up his fate to bad luck for the umpteenth time in his career and gone home with maybe a 25th- or 30th-place finish.
And that kind of result appeared to be inevitable, as frankly, the handling on his No. 6 Ford sucked. No matter what crew chief Pat Tryson tried, the car just would not perform to Martin's liking. The car was so off that Martin even went a lap down at one point.
But by the time the race had hit the 200-lap mark, Martin's car finally had begun to come around and Tryson figured he'd go for broke. He knew the race likely would come down to fuel mileage, so he told his driver to drive strong but smart.
"On the last run, we switched into a fuel-saving mode and ran a little bit easier," said Martin, who won this race last year but already had dug himself too a deep hole in the '05 championship race. "We put a little bit of gas in the bank and it was great strategy by Pat and our team based on not having the sheer speed to get up there and race with the leaders."
Given the circumstances, Tryson was going to be happy with whatever finish Martin could eke out. But likely no one could have predicted the strategy would put the No. 6 in the top five.
And it's no wonder that with the exhausting workout he had behind the wheel Sunday, Martin climbed out of his car after the race and promptly dropped to the ground, physically, mentally and emotionally spent.
But when all was said and done, the worn-out Martin was the top-finishing Chase driver in a race that very easily could give him momentum he can ride all the way to the championship. Sunday's performance alone vaulted him three spots to third in points.
Sure, Martin has to get through the wreck-fest next Sunday at Talladega, a place that has not been very hospitable to him in recent years. Martin has just one top-10 (sixth in spring 2004) and one other top-20 (15th in fall 2004) in his last nine races there.
But Sunday could give Martin some luck and optimism heading to NASCAR's largest race track, where he does have two career wins (the last being in spring 1997).
"Based on my past experience, my expectation would be to wreck next week at Talladega," Martin said with a laugh. "But so far I haven't had a disaster, so let's go see what happens. If we come through Talladega, we might have a chance."
A chance to pull off one of the biggest upsets in NASCAR championship history. And what a story that would be – one made even better by playing out just before Martin retires from Cup racing, as he plans to do at season's end.
But regardless of how the next seven races of the Chase play out, Martin made a solemn promise Sunday: "We're still in this thing and we're going to fight it all the way to the end."

Martin becoming NASCAR's Brett Favre
By Chris Jenkins
AP Sports Writer
October 2, 2006
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) -- Despite having more than a few gray hairs, he still has some competitive gas left in his tank. And his wishy-washy musings about retirement are becoming an annual tradition.
Mark Martin, it seems, is becoming NASCAR's Brett Favre.
Will he retire? Will he come back? And does his team really want him back?
For football fans in Wisconsin, these questions have become as much a part of winter as snowmobiling and ice fishing. Favre has taken his fans on a frustrating roller coaster of retirement-related waffling for the past several offseasons, only to return each time.
Now a similar Groundhog Day scenario is playing out with Martin in NASCAR.
At the beginning of last season, Martin was certain that it was his final year in the Nextel Cup series. He established a yearlong series of fan events he called the ``Salute to You Tour,'' a way to thank his fans for their support.
He began making plans to semi-retire to the Craftsman Truck Series, a NASCAR minor league where there's less pressure and fewer off-track demands.
But in the middle of last season, Martin suddenly opened the door to driving a few races in 2006. Then Kurt Busch abruptly signed a deal to leave Roush Racing and the team needed a full-time driver. Martin changed his mind.
So 2006 must be Martin's last year in Cup, right?
Well, not so fast.
Roush Racing president Geoff Smith said Sunday that he's ``at least 50 percent sure'' that Martin won't drive full-time in the Cup series next year.
Then again, Smith says, ``three years ago, I was 100 percent sure he wasn't going to race a car again.''
Does that clear it up for you?
Smith said he has a deal ``totally in place'' for Martin to race in the truck series next year, but the deal can't be completed until Martin figures out his Cup plans.
``We have a man who's not ready for retirement, exactly,'' Smith said. ``I'm pretty sure he's ruled out that this is the time in his life where he's ready to drive (wife) Arlene on her errands every day.''
At this point, it seems unlikely that Martin will be back in Roush's No. 6 car next year. But that doesn't mean he won't be in the Cup series.
One week, he was rumored to be the replacement for Dale Jarrett at Robert Yates Racing. The next, he was supposedly trying to buy Robert Yates Racing.
Now, perhaps, he's back to his original plan of driving for Roush in the trucks but could still do a partial Cup schedule with a small team co-owned by driver Boris Said.
``If we get a sponsor, then we'll be talking,'' Martin said Friday. ``But first we have to have the sponsors.''
And Martin has previously said that if he drives a partial schedule next year, he could come back to Cup full time in 2008.
Sound vaguely like anybody you know, Cheeseheads?
Favre dragged out his retirement decision for months this year, suggesting in various interviews that he had lost some of his competitive fire and wasn't happy with the moves the team was making in free agency.
Favre apparently decided to return after listening to a radio interview with former NFL quarterback Phil Simms, who suggested that Favre should play as long as he can.
Which begs the question: What if Simms told Favre to open a taco stand instead?
Favre still hasn't made it clear whether he'll play next year, and recently opened the door to the possibility that he could play for another team before he retires.
Sheesh. When it comes to making retirement decisions, these guys could make professional boxers blush.
But that's where the similarity ends.
Favre already has a championship ring. Martin has come agonizingly close to winning a title several times in NASCAR, only to be denied.
Perhaps that explains the different ways they look at the world.
At 36, Favre has managed to retain an air of childlike optimism -- sometimes to a fault.
No matter how depleted his supporting cast was last season, Favre always felt like he could make a big play. He threw a career-worst 29 interceptions.
And this year, he opened training camp by saying that this was the most talented, if least experienced, team he has ever been a part of -- causing others around the league to wonder whether he had been spending too much time in the sun. The Packers are 1-2 going into Monday night's game in Philadelphia.
But in Martin's world, a lucky horseshoe is just another heavy thing that you'll probably end up dropping on your foot.
Martin is 47, but looks older. A self-described ``eternal pessimist,'' Martin has taught himself to expect the worst so he'll never be disappointed.
An example: After finishing third in Sunday's race at Kansas Speedway, boosting him to third in the standings, Martin said he figures he'll just crash at Talladega Superspeedway next Sunday and lose any shot at the championship.
``Based on my past experience, my expectation would be to wreck next week at Talladega,'' Martin said. ``But so far, I haven't had a disaster, so let's go see what happens. If we come through Talladega, we might have a chance.''
And if not, there's always next year.
Maybe.

Fuel Mileage Gamble Nets No. 6 AAA Team Third-Place Finish at Kansas; Martin Moves to Third in Points
Martin moves to third in Nextel Cup points standings, 70 out of first and one point behind second
Mark Martin and the #6 AAA Ford Fusion Racing Team
Kansas Speedway/October 1, 2006
“We're still in this thing and we're going to fight 'til the very end.” - Mark Martin after Sunday’s third-place finish at Kansas
KANSAS CITY, KANSAS (October 1, 2006) -- Mark Martin and crew chief Pat Tryson gambled big in Sunday’s Banquet 400 at Kansas and the payoff was huge, with Martin finishing third in the race and moving from sixth to third in the Nextel Cup point standings. Martin pitted for the last time taking four tires and fuel on lap 196 of the 267-lap event. Martin returned to the field in 14th position, but was able to conserve fuel during the rare long green flag run to end the race; surviving for the third-place finish while the majority of the field either ran out or were forced to pit for gas late in the race.
"The AAA team just really worked hard today, I'm proud of these guys,” said Martin after the race on pit road. Pat and the AAA team have struggled this weekend with the handling on our car. They made some changes for the race today and made a little bit of progress, but we were still a little bit off so on the last run, we switched into a different mode - into a fuel-saving mode and ran a little bit easier. We put a little bit of gas in the bank and it was great strategy by Pat Tryson and our AAA team based on not having the sheer speed to get up there and race with the leaders."
Martin battled with the car’s handling for virtually the entire race, with the No. 6 Fusion starting out ‘too loose to drive,’ before eventually turning into what Martin at one time described as the tightest race car he had ever driven. All the while, Tryson and the team continued to work in the pits to correct the car’s handling, while using pit strategy to improve their position on the track.
At one point Martin went a lap down to the leader after pitting under green on lap 125 while running in 20th position. However the day’s sixth caution was issued only five laps later and Martin was the recipient of the lucky dog free pass. Running in 17th position, the team used the opportunity after the seventh caution on lap 144 to take two tires, and Martin returned in seventh place when the field went green on lap 149. Martin reported a few laps later that he was happy with the car’s handling, as he advanced to sixth place just before the race’s ninth caution was issued on lap 171.
The team again came down pit road for four tires and fuel and the No. 6 AAA over-the-wall crew responded with a 12.51 second stop that sent Martin back out inside the top-five for the first time of the race. After another quick caution a few laps later, Martin got tangled up with lapped traffic and fell back to 11th position by lap 192. Four laps later the race’s 11th and final caution was called on lap 195, setting up the final scenario that would see the team take on as much fuel as possible, while Martin used his experience to save just enough fuel to go the final 71 laps of the race.
Martin started the race in 19th position based on Friday’s qualifying session, and was forced to deal immediately with the ‘tight’ nature of the car. He fell back to 20th by the time caution number one was called on lap 11. The team called for a two-tire stop and Martin returned in 15th position. He eventually drove his way inside the top 10 by lap 34, but dropped back to 12th and the car continued to handle poorly. The team made wedge and air pressure adjustments under caution on lap 59, but the car began to ‘push horribly’ over the next run, with Martin falling back to as far as 20th on lap 114 as Martin lost the lap after the green-flag stop just 11 laps later.
“We were really struggling with the car at different parts of the race today,” added Martin. “I had to slow down a little bit, or I would have wrecked like they did. We even went a lap down at one point, but we were able to get that back with the caution. In the end, we did exactly what we had to do. I want to really praise Jack Roush and Doug Yates for the carburetor on my car and for giving me the opportunity to put a little bit of gas in the bank there on that last run. We saved enough fuel, to where I actually ran hard the last lap because I was just racing to get to the white flag because then if we ran out we were at least the first car one lap down or whatever. It was a good race for our AAA team, we did a real smart job today."
The top-two finishers ran out of gas on the final lap of the race, and Martin came just short of pulling off the surprise victory. Still the team left Kansas with a top-five finish and their highest position in the points since leaving Martinsville second in March.
"Well, the race is on,” added Martin in the media center after the race. “That's what the fans deserve and that's what the competitors get. We needed a race like this today for us and we'll just see what happens.”
With the finish Martin moves to third in the point standings and trails first place Jeff Burton by just 70 points and second by a single point with only seven races remaining in the “Chase” to determine the Nextel Cup Champion. The series heads into Talladega Superspeedway next weekend, where Martin has two wins, but has gotten caught up in major accidents in his last three starts.
“Based on my past experience, my expectation would be to wreck next week at Talladega,” joked Martin. “But so far I haven't had a disaster, so let's go see what happens. If we come through Talladega, we might have a chance.
“We're still in this thing and we're going to fight 'til the very end."
Roush Racing is a subsidiary of Livonia, Mich., based Roush Enterprises which operates 14 motorsports teams; five in NASCAR Nextel Cup with drivers Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards, six in the Busch Series with Martin, Kenseth, Biffle, Edwards, Todd Kluever and Danny O'Quinn, Jr., and two in the Craftsman Truck Series with Martin, David Ragan, Michel Jourdain, Jr. and Erik Darnell.

Mark Martin Post Race Interview - Banquet 400
Ford Racing: News
October 1, 2006
MARK MARTIN - No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion (Finished 3rd)
"Pat and the AAA team have struggled this weekend with the handling on our car. They made some changes for the race today and made a little bit of progress, but we were still a little bit off so on the last run, we switched into a different mode - into a fuel-saving mode and ran a little bit easier. We put a little bit of gas in the bank and it was great strategy by Pat Tryson and our AAA team based on not having the sheer speed to get up there and race with the leaders."
HAVE YOU EVER SEEN THAT KIND OF FINISH?
"Remember, I've been around a long time and seen some pretty crazy stuff. The only thing was usually when that many run out, there weren't that many on the lead lap. In the old days there were fewer cars, so it wasn't quite that dramatic, but, yeah, everybody tried to make it and a lot of them didn't. I want to really praise Jack Roush and Doug Yates for the carburetor on my car and for giving me the opportunity to put a little bit of gas in the bank there on that last run."
THE GROOVE WAS HIGHER THAN EVER HERE. HAS THIS SPEEDWAY ARRIVED?
"We won last year. I certainly thought it arrived last year (laughing). It was really good last year. Personally, I did not care for the tire this year. It was a lot more fun to race last year. This was quite a struggle for the teams this year. This tire seemed to be way hard and have a big swing from a full load of gas to empty gas, and it was much more of a handful. But, yeah, the track is awesome. It's good."
DID YOU RUN OUT OF GAS ON THE FINAL LAP?
"No, I had plenty. We saved enough. I actually ran hard the last lap because I was just racing to get to the white flag because then if we ran out we were at least the first car one lap down or whatever."
IT SEEMED A LOT OF GUYS SPUN OUT IN THREE AND FOUR. ANYTHING GOING ON THERE?
"The tire, in my opinion, was too hard and you had to loosen your car up. It had a real huge swing from being full of gas to empty gas, so you had to start the car out ridiculous loose, and then the tar strips, I almost crashed early in the race up there because the tar strips were slick. Later in the race, I don't think they were as slick, but I never ran across them again. I need to finish, so I just stayed away from them."
YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE POINTS.
"Well, the race is on and that's what the fans deserve and that's what the competitors get. We needed a race like this today for us and we'll just see what happens. Based on my past experience, my expectation would be to wreck next week at Talladega (laughter), but so far I haven't had a disaster, so let's go see what happens. If we come through Talladega, we might have a chance. But, honestly, this was what we needed today. We had hoped to come here and run to third, but we had to switch our strategy at the end because we weren't real fast, so we just slowed down and saved gas instead. As luck had it, it played out where gas mileage came into play."
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT WHEN THE FUEL SAVING MODE WAS MADE?
"I'll be honest with you, the decision wasn't made soon enough by my crew chief. He waited until 20 to go and really until about 15. He told me we were gonna be about a half-a-lap short and then he started nagging me about 15 to go to save gas and I thought, 'Man, I should have been working on it a little bit before now,' but he thought we were a half-a-lap short based on what he saw and I was in a position where I didn't have to race real hard, so I was able to probably bank a lap or two there. We didn't start saving from the get-go. We didn't start saving gas very much until about 20 to go."
IS FUEL MILEAGE SOMETHING WE'RE GOING TO SEE MORE OF THE REST OF THE YEAR?
"Well, to be real honest with you, I don't expect to see it a lot because typically we get a debris caution that doesn't come into play. I don't expect to see that a whole lot the rest of the year - once in a while maybe - but it seems like parts fall off these cars more than ever before."

Mark Martin Post Race Notes and Quotes - Banquet 400
Ford Racing: News
October 1, 2006
MARK MARTIN - No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion (Finished 3rd)
"They [the crew] just really worked hard, I'm proud of these guys. We're still in this thing and we're going to fight 'til the very end."
HOW TOUGH IS IT TO RIDE SLOW HERE?
"It's all really hard, especially when we thought we might win and when we stepped back on it. It's a great effort by this Ford Fusion. What was going through your mind when everyone was running out of fuel on the last lap? "We didn't run out on the last lap, we starting sucking air, so we were okay."
WAS IT SQUIRRELY OUT THERE TODAY?
"Naw, you just have to drive within your means."
DESCRIBE THE RACE FOR YOU.
"See, I'm not as talented as some of those guys, so I had to slow down a little bit, or I would have wrecked like they did. It was a good race for our AAA team, we did a real smart job today."

Mark Martin Post Qualifying Notes and Quotes - Banquet 400
Ford Racing: News
September 29, 2006
MARK MARTIN -- No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion (Qualified 19th)
"It was good. I was actually pleased with the time. I overdrove, just slightly, turn three and that cost me a whisker, but we were good enough to probably get us a pretty good starting spot here. It's better than what we practiced. We were 22nd in practice and I believe that will wind up better than 22nd. I hope it does."
YOU WON FROM 19TH LAST YEAR.
"Yeah. We need to make it better tomorrow and I certainly have every bit of confidence that we will. We'll have time to work on it and maybe get the car just a little bit better. It was pretty good in race trim today, so we'll take that and refine on it tomorrow. It's all about how you perform on Sunday."

Mark Martin Friday Interview
Ford Racing: News
September 29, 2006
MARK MARTIN -- No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion
DOES THIS RACE KIND OF GET LOST IN THE SHUFFLE WITH SOME OF THE OTHER TRACKS IN THE CHASE?
"I don't know. It was a pretty good one for us last year, so we're glad to be here."
HAS THE TRACK CHANGED SINCE OPENING?
"This is a great place for me because I grew up racing not that far from here, really. I have a lot of fans from up in this area. I raced at I-70. I raced in Springfield, Missouri. I have a lot of fans that don't get to come to a lot of other races, so they come down here."
DENNY HAMLIN SAID THE CHASE IS A BLAST. DO YOU SHARE THAT FEELING?
"Probably for a guy that it's his first time and for a guy that it's his last time it's not that stressful. For everyone else in between it's probably too early to get stressed. They don't even know yet if they're really in the running for it yet. As we get closer, the stress level will, but I'm just having a good time here with being in it again and I'm thankful to AAA and all my fans."
CAN YOUR NOTES TRANSLATE FROM LAST YEAR?
"A lot of times you hope and would expect that they would be really good, but things are evolving. We were a contender to win the first race at Dover with the very same car and the very same setup we were around a fifth-place car. So we're coming in here saying using last year's setup is probably not gonna be enough. We're gonna try to move forward."
JEFF BURTON SAID HE GOT A LOT OF HIS MINDSET FROM YOU. DID YOU TALK A LOT DURING HIS SLUMP AND DO YOU TALK NOW SINCE YOU STARTED OUT AS SUCH CLOSE TEAMMATES?
"We talked, but we didn't discuss directly. He never used me as Dr. Phil for his win drought. We have used each other from time to time to on other issues, but Jeff is a strong person. He is a guy that I look up to and look to for strength from time to time and I think that he feels the same. I think he handled going five years without a win incredibly well, considering he won 17 in a similar amount of time before that."
DO YOU THINK YOU BOTH LOOK AT THE CHASE FROM THE SAME PERSPECTIVE?
"I think it's more of the person. I look at it the way I do and we do look a lot alike at things because I think that we approach our racing alike. Jeff has great respect for the sport and for the many people who are in it, and I think he should be well respected for that. I look up to him a lot just because of the respect that he gives the sport in general."
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT KANSAS?
"It's a great place to race. The asphalt has cured to the point where it really is an incredible place to race on. This is almost like home for me. I did a lot of racing in Springfield and I-70 -- not far from here."
ANY UPDATE FOR NEXT YEAR, ESPECIALLY WITH THE 6 CAR?
"I really don't have anything new to talk about right now."
HAVE YOU MET WITH BORIS THIS WEEK?
"Boris and I haven't even discussed things that much."
ANY TIMETABLE FOR THAT?
"If we get a sponsor, then we'll be talking, but first we have to have the sponsors."
IS THE TRUCK DEAL COMPLETED YET?
"It's not complete yet. There's no rush. We've got a target and the target is the chase here and making the best out of great opportunity and trying to have some fun. We're just trying to do our job here."
DO YOU FEEL ALL OF THE ROUSH CARS TO BE GOOD HERE?
"I expect them all to be good. Right now we're pretty much on it as of last week, so we hope to have it going again this week the same way."
WHAT DID THAT WIN HERE LAST YEAR DO FOR YOU?
"We felt great. That was exactly what you need to do if you want to be a championship contender. Like I said before, every win is a big deal in this sport."
HOW DO YOU VIEW THE CHASE NOW WITH IT THINNING OUT A BIT?
"There's a ton of movement right now because you've only had two races. It's still wide open. Every race you'll have movement and you'll have less movement as we get closer to the end."