NASCAR's Mark Martin
2010 Season Articles - July
MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET -- QUALIFIED 10TH
ON BEING BACK IN POCONO
"Oh, I love racing here. I'm glad to be back here. We're hoping to have a great showing with our HendrickCar.com Chevrolet here. I haven't been comfortable with the car yet. We'll see how that time turns out. I couldn't drive the car hard because it's been giving me mixed signals and we need to get the car a little more comfortable. We're working on it. I'm really proud of these guys."
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES COMING HERE--IT SEEMS LIKE A REALLY FUN, ACTION-PACKED WEEKEND HERE AT POCONO
"Well I think this truck race is going to be awesome. I'm so proud of the guys here for bringing them up here; it's going to be a great show. I can't wait to watch it myself."
TELL US ABOUT THIS WEEKEND
"Well, we sure would like to win with the HendrickCars.com Chevrolet. Everybody needs to check them out at hendrickcars.com. We sure would like to win this thing, but I just haven't been able to drive the car hard. It gives me mixed signals--like snaps, and it just does different things so I'm afraid that I'm going to wreck it. I almost wrecked it a couple times. I feel like I could drive it harder but it's giving me mixed snappy, signals with the backend. We need to get that under control. We really believe in what we're doing right now. I'm really proud of the work that we're doing. We've got a lot of work to go in front of us, but we're working hard and we're getting some speed back. We haven't felt as good about it as we did last weekend in Indy but we're still working."
Mark Martin NASCAR Sprint Cup Preview - Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500
POINTS: With his 11th-place finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway last Sunday, Martin advanced to 13th in the Sprint Cup standings. He trails 12th-place Clint Bowyer by 62 points with six races remaining till the cutoff for the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
EVERYTHING BUT A WIN: In 47 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Pocono Raceway, Martin has scored 19 top-five finishes, 32 top-10s and three pole positions. Pocono is one of only four tracks where Martin has yet to visit Victory Lane. He also has yet to win at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway.
AT POCONO: Martin, who has taken runner-up honors at the tricky triangle six times, has an average start of 8.8 and average finish of 11.1 at Pocono's tricky triangle. He has scored a top-10 finish in five of the last seven events there.
MOST RECENTLY AT POCONO: In June, Martin started 14th and raced into the top-10 at Pocono before being involved in a last-lap multi-car accident. Martin was scored with a 29th-place finish.
POLE SITTER: Martin's next Sprint Cup Series pole position will be the 50th of his career and will place him eighth on the all-time pole winner's list. He has earned three pole positions at Pocono, which leads all active, full-time drivers.
THE NO. 5 TEAM: Under the direction of crew chief Alan Gustafson, the No. 5 team has competed in 11 races at the triangular track, earning one top-five finish and three top-10s. In the team's first Pocono outing with Gustafson at the helm in 2005, it rebounded from a 38th starting spot to finish fourth -- the team's best finish to date with Gustafson.
CHASSIS CHOICE: Gustafson has chosen Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-550 for Sunday's race at Pocono. This is the same chassis that Martin drove to an 11th-place finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway last week.
MARK MARTIN, DRIVER, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM/GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET (ON TAKING THE SAME CAR FROM INDIANAPOLIS TO POCONO.): "That's one of the best cars we've had for awhile. The guys have been working very, very hard on every detail to get our cars to the place we want them to be. I think that we showed improvement at Indianapolis. We qualified well. We ran up front. We just faded a bit at the end. I'm glad we're bringing this car back this weekend. I think the team has a lot of confidence in it, and I think it's one of many steps in the right direction."
MARTIN (ON HIS MOST RECENT RACE AT POCONO.): "We really struggled with the handling of our car all day. The car would be nearly perfect on fresh tires, but as those tires wore out, we lost all grip on the track and just couldn't hold our speed. I think we would have had a decent 10th- or 12th-place finish there at the end, but, as everyone saw, the competition just got crazy on the green-white-checkered restart. When that many cars are on the lead lap, and you've got two laps to duke it out, we're all going to run over one another. That's what happened. It ruined our race and really hurt us in points, but it happens. We just have to take what we learned from that race and apply it this weekend and hopefully gain some of those points back."
Team Chevy From The Driver’s Seat - Mark Martin - Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500
MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM/GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET – 13TH IN STANDINGS
“We really struggled with the handling of our car all day (at Pocono in June). The car would be nearly perfect on fresh tires, but as those tires wore out, we lost all grip on the track and just couldn’t hold our speed. I think we would have had a decent 10th or 12th place finish there at the end, but, as everyone saw, the competition just got crazy on the green-white-checkered restart. When that many cars are on the lead lap and you’ve got two laps to duke it out, we’re all going to run over one another. That’s what happened. It ruined our race and really hurt us in points, but it happens. We just have to take what we learned from that race and apply it this weekend and hopefully gain some of those points back.”
Mark Martin's Future At Hendrick In Mark Martin's
Team owner Rick Hendrick knows better than to talk in absolutes.
Though he knows NASCAR racing is a changeable sport and wouldn’t say definitively that Mark Martin would be in the No. 5 Chevrolet next year, Hendrick did say the No. 5 is Martin’s ride and his call to make.
Ray Evernham, who won three championships with Jeff Gordon as a crew chief at Hendrick Motorsports, raised questions about Martin’s status Friday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, when he suggested that Martin would step aside for the good of the organization to make room for Kasey Kahne, who is leaving Richard Petty Motorsports after the 2010 season and has signed with Hendrick to drive the No. 5 car in 2012.
There were those who suggested that Evernham was functioning as a stalking horse for his former boss. Here’s what Hendrick had to say to a small group of reporters who caught up with him Sunday on the way to the grid at the Brickyard.
Q: Is there an update on the Kasey Kahne situation?
Hendrick: “We don’t have anything to announce yet. I just haven’t made any decisions yet. We’ve been close a couple of times, but nothing that we wanted to do. There’s still a lot of options, and we’re just trying to wait to see what works out the best.”
Q: Will Mark Martin be in the 5 car next year?
Hendrick: “We have a deal with Mark and we’re going to honor that and we want to honor that. Kasey’s known that, so that’s kind of where we are.”
Q: Is there any way that Mark Martin will not be in the 5 car?
Hendrick: “I can’t tell you that because I don’t know. As soon as I tell you that there’s no way … but right now it’s his seat and it’s his call.”
Q: Are you leaving the door cracked?
Hendrick: “I’ve told you guys before that you just never know what could happen. I’m just saying that right now that’s his seat and it’s his ride and we haven’t changed our plans or our ideas in any way since the announcement started. That’s kind of where we are.”
Q: Can you comment on Ray Evernham’s discussion on Mark Martin stepping aside graciously for Kasey Kahne?
Hendrick: “Let me say something to you guys, you’ve known me for a long time. I don’t need anybody to do any dirty work for me. If I have anything I want done, I’ll go to the people—I won’t have somebody else doing it or speaking for me. Mark has made a heck of a contribution to our organization, has and still is. I wish Mark could drive four or five more years. That’s kind of where we are right now.”
Q: What has made this deal so difficult?
Hendrick: “You have sponsors that are conflicted and even though I’m not involved, Kasey’s coming to us in a year (2012), so some of our sponsors are sensitive and then some of the people that want to be involved can’t be involved in over a year, so it has been more complicated.”
Q: Is there something (other than) with Chevrolet involving Kasey Kahne?
Hendrick: “Look, if I tell you what I will do and what I won’t do and I end up doing something different because I never thought about it, then you think I lied to you so I’m keeping all options open with whether it’s a Chevrolet or something else. I’m trying to make everybody happy, all our sponsors, NASCAR, the whole deal. If it wasn’t for NASCAR, it would be real easy for me. I would have five teams next year, and I wouldn’t be going through all this.”
Q: Are you actively searching for sponsorship for Kasey Kahne?
Hendrick: “No. We’ve had a lot of calls. … You guys want to know what’s going on. Mark’s tired of you asking him questions, and I’m probably the guy holding it all up. I want to make sure I do the right thing, and I look at all the different (options).”
Q: Is this very uncharacteristic of you to have something drag out this long?
Hendrick: “It’s my fault—I take 100 percent—but I’ve never signed a driver this early under a four-car cap rule and we do have a lot of options, but those options you have to make everything fit with the sponsors and everything else. We might have a potential player that has a conflict and I’ve got it in contracts that the guy that’s going to drive for me in a year can’t be associated or he comes and he’s got to bring that guy with him in some cases. It’s just a very complicated deal. Is it more complicated than I anticipated? Yeah, but at the same time, I do have options, and I want to make it the best option for everyone involved.”
Q: Is sponsorship the main hang up?
Hendrick: “That’s part of it, not all of it, just part of it.”
Mark Martin Post Qualifying Notes and Quotes - Brickyard 400
MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET -- QUALIFIED 3RD
CLINT BOWYER WATCHED YOUR LAP AND SAID THAT IS WHY YOU ARE ONE OF THE BEST, DID YOU FEEL LIKE THAT?
"It wasn't perfect but boy it was good. I just have to commend GoDaddy.com, the CarQuest team, and everybody at Hendrick Motorsports because I had such a good race car it didn't have to be perfect but it was a good lap. No mistakes just tried to get a little too much maybe in turn four and all, but I am just thrilled that the cars are getting more and more like last year every week now and it is so great to have positive momentum in that direction and I know how hard everybody has worked and I just want to say thanks to all of them and to all my fans for keeping up the faith......we are going to get it back."
DID YOU JUST MUSCLE THAT THING AROUND HERE OR DID YOUR EXPERIENCE GET YOU THAT GOOD LAP?
"No, sir. A great race car. The GoDaddy.com/CARQUEST Chevrolet is strong this weekend. I am really grateful to see the fruits of everybody's hard work. We've been struggling for a while. We've been making progress, had some forward momentum here for several weeks. We're stronger this week than we've been. I believe that we are going to continue on that path for a while until we get back into the form we were last year. I just could have been last if the car hadn't been there. It was a great race car and I had a lot to work with there. I'm just very very pleased. Happy to see the results and see it from all the hard work."
ARE YOU HAPPY WITH THAT DESPITE GOING OUT SO LATE IN THE ORDER?
"I am because we knew we were up against the draw, we also knew we had a good race car and we showed that. Very, very pleased with the outcome. We were strong yesterday and it is nice to see the fruits of everyone's hard work. We've been buried for awhile this season. We've been making progress ever since New Hampshire. This is the strongest car that we have had so far since maybe California, the second race of the season or Bristol or Martinsville for sure. I'm just very proud of the guys for keeping the faith and digging. Man, they have to dig hard. It's hard when you are down to climb your way back. We're part of the way there and we're going to get there."
Mark Martin Friday Media Visit - Brickyard 400
MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET, met with members of the media at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and discussed progress at the race team, racing at Indianapolis, media reports on his future plans and other topics.
WAS LAST YEAR THE CLOSEST YOU HAVE BEEN TO A WIN AT INDIANAPOLIS?
"It was close. We were close here also one other year. We pitted for fuel when we might could have made it. That was really close. We were in pretty good shape for that one, but were marginal on gas. It was a great run for us last year, really awesome."
IS THIS RACE ON YOUR BUCKET LIST?
"You know what, I don't have a bucket list. I've already done everything that anybody could ever ask to do."
WHAT DO YOU THINK WE MAY SEE FROM YOU THIS WEEKEND?
"We've been off lately. We hope that we'll be stronger than we have been. I felt like we made progress in Chicago although the results maybe didn't quite show it. I think we're really heading in the right direction and certainly would like to use this one this weekend to be a spring board for getting where we were last year as far as where we stack on the heap. We're working really hard to get there."
DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE TO RACE MORE AGGRESSIVE NOW THAN 10 YEARS AGO?
"There is more cars, more equal cars. There was just a handful 10 years ago and now there's 35."
DO YOU HAVE TO PUSH IT HARDER TO GET THE WINS?
"I won five races last year and didn't push harder than I ever had in the past. I don't find to get the wins you have to push harder. It's just the racing itself, when you're racing all the time. For me, getting the wins, I had the car to do it and when I had the car to do it that was it. When you're in the middle of the pack is when it really shows, that's when you have to fight like a dog."
HAVE YOU FIGURED OUT SOMETHING IN THE LAST WEEKS TO GET BACK ON TOP?
"There's no doubt in my mind that we started turning a corner at Loudon (N.H.), but the results still aren't or haven't quite shown it. We definitely made gains in Chicago and hope that we will continue those here. It looks like we have. I can't tell you how hard this race team is working and how hard we're going to be working as a team over the next six weeks to try to get back on top."
DID OTHERS CATAPULT AHEAD?
"No, thing have changes. It is that other teams have started getting it together. Last year with Childress and some of the guys. It's also that things have changed and we haven't found the magic. It's just like you kind of scrambled everything up with the changes to the tires and the changes to the bodies and aero stuff. We haven't found the magic combination yet."
ON STRUGGLING COMING TO INDIANAPOLIS
"I don't know how it's different. The approach doesn't change, it's the same. You go out and make your best effort just like we did last year. That's what we'll do this year as well. No difference in the approach."
WHY IS BRISTOL SUCH A SPECIAL TRACK FOR YOU?
"Bristol is the most exciting race track I think that we race on. It's action-packed, it always has been and I think certainly since I've been driving NASCAR been one of the most exciting races to watch. Sparks fly there."
HAVE YOU FIGURED THINGS OUT WITH JUAN PABLO MONTOYA?
"I don't disagree with him, I need to drive smart. Anybody that knows me that well knows I'm not that bright."
HAVE YOU TALKED WITH MONTOYA?
"By text. We're good. Two hot heads that came off the handle. People just didn't know I was a hot head."
DID THE SITUATION AT CHICAGO COME ABOUT BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT RUNNING AS WELL?
"No, that's completely wrong. It had 100 percent to do with the circumstances that happened there after the race. Actually I was pleased with my finish at Chicago. Certainly wasn't frustrated. I was pleased with our finish and our effort. I lost my temper."
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO BRAD KESELOWSKI AND CARL EDWARDS?
"I'm not going to get involved in that one."
DOES IT CONCERN YOU WHEN THEIR DISPUTE WRECKS OTHER CARS AS IT DID IN ST. LOUIS?
"Only if it's my car that gets wrecked. We wreck these race cars, always have, but we wreck them more than we used to and we need to not do that. I'm not a fan of tearing race cars up for nothing or for no reason."
ARE DRIVERS MORE AGGRESSIVE BECAUSE DRIVERS HAVEN'T GOTTEN HURT IN SOME TIME?
"No, that wasn't it. It wasn't that."
ON THE FORMULA 1 POSSIBILITY
"Jeff Burton has been working on me for quite some time. He came to me back in March and seriously approached me about being my agent on the F1 thing. So he is my agent on that so you'll have to talk to him about what my plans are."
ON FUTURE PLANS
"I made myself perfectly clear last weekend or over the last several weeks. There is no inclination of any change, but I will tell you this -- there is no road map for me and my future. So don't even start to think about criticizing what I do in 2012 or beyond because I don't know so don't even ask what I want to do because I don't know. I'm going to do what I want to do, but for now I'm going to drive the 5 car. That's what I'm going to do in 2011. That's what I've said all along and I felt very disrespected when the media doesn't accept that. What that means is that you made me look like I am about to get fired. That's very disrespectful, guys. That's what you all are doing. It's very disrespectful and I deserve better than that from you guys. I've always been as straight as I can be and any little bit of waffling that I have done in my whole career was based on being asked questions before I was ready to answer them. I should be able to do the things that I want to do. I went to a limited schedule because I wanted to. I came back full time because I wanted to drive the 5 car. I never said I was going to retire. I said I wasn't going to run full schedule anymore and I changed my mind. I'm going to have a hard time telling you guys what I'm going to do in 2012 and beyond because you pick at that like I'm indecisive. I'm at the point in my career where I get to do whatever in the heck I want to do. Rick Hendrick and Alan Gustafson (crew chief) indicated to me that they wanted me to drive their car as long as I would drive it. After thinking about it, I told them I would drive it through 2011 and that would be long enough commitment for me and then I would do something else. They wanted me to go further than that and I wouldn't do it because it's too far out. I don't have a road map and I don't want to change my mind. I just want to do what I said I was going to do. That's what we're going to do, that's what they want, that's what I want and I don't know why everybody makes such a big deal out of all this. Understand that it will all be put to rest whenever they announce what Kasey (Kahne) is going to do and I understand that, but you should be focusing on that. What is Kasey going to do? Because I have told you what I'm going to do."
ARE YOU STILL HAVING AS MUCH FUN IN THE RACE CAR?
"Last year was the time of my life, but I just had a week and a half off and I'm damn glad to be back at the race track. Just like I told you last year, racing is my life and I don't know what I'll do if I was to ever lose that. I'm not going to lose that anytime soon, it is my life. It is what I want to do and I'm happy to be here at the Brickyard and be surrounded with my team and my guys and fixing to strap in a race car. You can speculate all you want, but when you ask me a question and I give you my best, honest answer and you second guess me and you second guess me and you second guess me, I start to get tired of it. That's where we're at. It's very disrespectful. It really made me feel like it's very disrespectful."
Mark Martin NASCAR Sprint Cup Race Preview - Brickyard 400
PREVIOUS BRICKYARD: In the 2009 Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Martin started from the pole position and led 14 laps before finishing second to Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson. Martin posted a race-best second-place average running position during the event and scored the best driver rating of 128.9 out of 150.
RUNNER-UP FINISHES: Martin has narrowly missed winning the famed Brickyard 400 twice. In both of those second-place finishes at Indianapolis, Martin followed a Hendrick Motorsports driver across the line. In 2009, he took runner-up honors behind Johnson. In 1998, Martin scored second behind Jeff Gordon. In both of those years, Martin also finished second to those respective drivers in the championship standings.
ONE OF FOUR: Martin is one of just four drivers who have competed in all 16 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Martin leads the other three -- Gordon, Bobby Labonte and Jeff Burton -- with a 13.4 average finish at the 2.5-mile track.
BRICKYARD STATISTICS: In his 16 races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Martin has posted six top-five finishes and 10 top-10s. He has led 57 laps and has finished all but one of those events at the historic racetrack.
POLE MAN: Martin's next Sprint Cup Series pole will be the 50th of his career and will rank him eighth on the all-time pole sitter's list. He earned his first pole position at Indianapolis Motor Speedway last year.
NO. 5 AT INDY: Under the leadership of crew chief Alan Gustafson, the No. 5 GoDaddy.com team has earned two top-five finishes and four top-10s in five starts at Indy. The team scored its best-ever finish of second in last year's Brickyard 400.
POINTS: Although Martin dropped to 14th in the Sprint Cup standings following his 15th-place finish at Chicagoland Speedway two weeks ago, he gained two points on the Chase cutoff and now trails 12th-place Clint Bowyer by 37 points.
FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH THE TEAM: It was at Indianapolis Motor Speedway where Martin first sat in Hendrick Motorsports' No. 5 Chevrolet. In October 2008, Martin and the No. 5 Sprint Cup team participated in a Goodyear tire test at the track.
CHASSIS CHOICE: Gustafson has chosen Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-550 for Sunday's race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This is the same chassis that Martin drove to a second-place finish in last year's Brickyard 400.
MARK MARTIN, DRIVER, NO. 5 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET (ON NARROWLY MISSING WINNING AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY LAST YEAR.): "I don't usually say that I want to win one race over another, but Indy is different. Well, Indy and the Daytona 500. Of course, those two stand apart from the rest. I was just so grateful, last year, to have a chance at the win. To be up there, racing with 'Superman' (teammate Jimmie Johnson) and having a shot at winning the thing. I gave it everything I had, and honestly those last three laps or so, I'm surprised I didn't wreck. I was definitely putting it over the edge. There's nothing more I could have done. It's hard to be that close and not win, but you also have to be happy that you were there fighting for it."
MARTIN (ON RACING AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY.): "When NASCAR first started coming to Indy, I thought it was a mistake. I knew what it would mean to the sport to have a race there, but I just didn't think it would happen. I didn't think this type of car, a stock car, would be good on that kind of track. I can honestly say now that I was wrong. I love going back to Indy to race. It's been a tremendous addition to the NASCAR schedule, and I think it's great for all of the stock car fans that NASCAR races on that track."
MARTIN (ON HIS EUROPEAN VACATION DURING THE SPRINT CUP OFF WEEKEND.): "I had a great time over there with (son) Matt and (wife) Arlene. The most amazing thing to me was the architecture and history of the area. There are buildings over there still standing from the 13th century. That is incredible. The human race is so incredibly smart. I'm not sure anything we're building today will still be around in 700 or 800 years. The biggest highlight of the trip was our visit to Stonehenge. It's incredible to look at something and know that it has been standing there for 4,000 years. The entire trip was awesome and something I'll never forget."
ALAN GUSTAFSON, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET (ON FINISHING SECOND IN LAST YEAR'S RACE AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY.): "We had a great weekend last year at Indy. We won the pole, which was really, really cool, then had a solid second-place car throughout most of the race on Sunday. Juan Pablo Montoya had the best car, hands down. But he made a mistake and got a speeding penalty, which put us in the lead. At that time, we had a sizeable lead on second place with not many laps left. Then, unfortunately, the (No.) 88 blew up. That's what changed the race for us. Jimmie (Johnson) got us on the restart. I think our car was better than the (No.) 48. Mark chased him down, we just couldn't get past him. It's so hard to pass at Indy, and that really bit us. It was a bittersweet day. It's great to know that you're that good, but hard to finish second at Indy."
GUSTAFSON (ON INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY.): "Indianapolis is all about tradition. You can't walk into that place and not think about the motor sports history that started there. Growing up, the Indy 500 was a big deal to me. And when NASCAR tested there in the '90s, I remember thinking that that was huge. To have a stock car on the Brickyard. Incredible. Winning at Indy would be incredible. We almost had it last year, and the idea of kissing the bricks, it really does give me chills. That would be an incredibly special moment in my career."
Team Chevy - From The Driver’s Seat - Mark Martin
MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET -- 14TH IN STANDINGS: "I don't usually say that I want to win one race over another, but Indy is different. Well, Indy and the Daytona 500. Of course those two stand apart from the rest. I was just so grateful, last year, to have a chance at the win. To be up there, racing with 'Superman (Jimmie Johnson)' and having a shot at winning the thing. I gave it everything I had, and honestly those last three laps or so, I'm surprised I didn't wreck. I was definitely putting it over the edge. There's nothing more I could have done. It's hard to be that close and not win, but you also have to be happy that you were there fighting for it. When NASCAR first started coming to Indy, I thought it was a mistake. I knew what it would mean to the sport to have a race there, but I just didn't think it would happen. I didn't think this type of car, a stock car, would be good on that kind of track. I can honestly say now that I was wrong. I love going back to Indy to race. It's been a tremendous addition to the NASCAR schedule, and I think it's great for all of the stock car fans that NASCAR races on that track."
FOXNews.com - CUP: Martin, Kahne Facing Questions About Future
Neither Kasey Kahne nor Mark Martin has had the Sprint Cup season they expected, with the exception of Kahne securing his long-term future by landing a lucrative deal with Hendrick Motorsports.
And while they currently drive for different Cup teams, their lives have been intertwined since April.
Kahne announced in April that he is leaving Richard Petty Motorsports after this season and will replace Martin in Hendrick’s No. 5 car beginning in 2012. His 2011 plans, though, are still undetermined and it is up to team owner Rick Hendrick to find him a ride with another team for next season.
So far, Hendrick hasn’t landed a spot for Kahne. While speculation immediately turned to Hendrick affiliates Stewart-Haas Racing or JR Motorsports adding a Cup team for Kahne, both teams’ co-owners Tony Stewart and Kelley Earnhardt have said recently they have no plans for Kahne or for adding a Cup team next season.
Because of his commitment to Hendrick, Kahne likely would drive a Chevrolet next season, and there are only two other main Chevrolet teams – Richard Childress Racing and Earnhardt Ganassi Racing. Both could expand if the right sponsorship deal is available, but then they would be helping a team and driver that is considered one of their strongest competitors. Phoenix Racing, TRG Motorsports and Tommy Baldwin Racing also run Chevrolets but none have run full races the entire season.
Hendrick recently didn’t rule out Kahne competing with a non-Chevrolet team, which has sparked rumors of a possible deal with Toyota’s Red Bull Racing, especially because of Martin’s long-time connection to team general manager Jay Frye. The question is whether Kahne or Martin would wind up driving for Red Bull next season.
But Martin has said consistently that he will be in the No. 5 Hendrick car next season, fulfilling the final year of his contract. And as recently as a month ago, Martin said he was avoiding reading all the speculation so it doesn’t become a distraction.
“It has affected me to some degree,” Martin said last month at Michigan. “I’m watching less of it on TV and reading less of it on the Internet as of right now. I have to say that options are in the beginning stages of formulating for what [2012] would bring with not a very high sense of urgency since I’ve actually made it clear that I’m going to be driving the No. 5 car next year.”
Speculation has been rampant that that might not be the case, partly because Martin has struggled the last 10 weeks. Martin has finished in the top 10 only once since April and has dropped from sixth to 14th in the standings. He blames the changes to the cars and his team’s reaction to them for his struggles, which has dropped him to 37 points out of the Chase with seven races left before the Chase field is determined.
“We’re better in execution than we were a year ago,” Martin said. “We’re taking what we have and we’re finishing better with it than we did a year ago. Had we been doing as good a job last year as we have this year, functioning in that respect, we wouldn’t have been sweating quite as hard about making the Chase.
“But completion is a moving target. And not only have we had to deal with tires that are different at every race that we go to, but some of the changes to the cars have actually affected the cars more than we realized on the surface. And our competition has either responded or it worked in their favor or both, and elevated them above us in the stack.”
Kahne hasn’t had as much of a change in performance since the announcement about his deal with Hendrick. The week the deal was announced; he finished fifth at Texas and moved up to 22nd in points for RPM.
After that race, he had six lackluster finishes but then posted four top-six finishes in his next five events. He is 17th in the standings and 120 points out of the Chase.
He has consistently said that he will let Hendrick worry about where he goes next year.
“Things change,” Kahne said last month. “Life changes, opportunities change and I’ve said it from the start – I just want to finish strong. I want to do everything I can to be the best driver I can throughout the rest of this year and work with my team and be committed.
“I think everybody here wants the same, so hopefully, it keeps going the way it is and things finish strong for us.”
Move On Over Juan Pablo Montoya, Mark Martin’ Coming Through
Juan Pablo Montoya was incredulous after Saturday’s Cup race at Chicagoland Speedway. He just couldn’t comprehend why Mark Martin would battle him so hard for 15th place. “I don’t understand,” Montoya said. “He just ran the [expletive] out of me on the last lap running for ... 15th place.”
Allow me to try and explain it to you, Juan. Mark has a chance to make the Chase. You, on the other hand, do not.
Going into the Lifelock.com 400 at Chicagoland, Montoya was 246 points out of the 12th and final Chase eligible position. Mark Martin was 19 back.
In order to make it into the Chase, Martin has to pick up all the points he can, wherever and whenever he can. The three-point difference between 15th and 16th could represent a Chase deal-breaker for the No. 5 team. Last year, Brian Vickers beat out Kyle Busch by a mere eight points to make the Chase.
Let’s be clear. Martin did not take out Montoya. No bump and run. No pinching him into the wall. No chopping down on him. He simply ran him hard, clawing and scraping for every last point he could grab. In fact, Montoya finished right behind him in 16th, and by virtue of having led a lap, outscored Martin 120 to 118.
At this point, Martin is 37 points out of the top 12, and sitting in 14th place. Teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the sole obstacle between Mark and Clint Bowyer in 12th. Montoya on the other hand sits 242 points behind Bowyer in 21st. Fighting for a couple of spots here and there will do Montoya no good, but stick a fork in his Chase hopes. What is hard to fathom is why Montoya fails to see past his own situation to recognize the very different circumstances under which Martin is operating.
After the race, Martin allowed, “Maybe I need to drive a little smarter.” I can only assume that he uttered those words with tongue firmly planted in cheek.
Whether he is running for 15th, 32nd or first, the smartest thing Martin can do right now is give no quarter and fight hard for every point.
Feud Of The Week - Martin Vs. Montoya
When Mark Martin blocked Juan Pablo Montoya on a late restart last September at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Montoya said Martin had raced him so clean and so respectful in the past that he wasn’t willing to wreck him to possibly win the race.
Martin probably won’t get that favor again.
Montoya and Martin have always had a healthy respect for each other, with Montoya crediting Martin with helping him adjust to stock-car racing, but they also are two of the fiercest competitors in the Sprint Cup garage. Throw in the fact that both drivers made the Chase for the Sprint Cup last year but currently are on the outside looking in and it’s been a season of frustration for both.
Montoya has had a season of bad luck and Martin has been inconsistent a year after winning five races and finishing second in points.
Those frustrations came to a head Saturday at Chicagoland Speedway, where they battled for 15th on the final lap. In Montoya’s view, Martin raced him a little too hard.
“I gave him room out of [Turn] 4 and we got into Turn 1 and he got into my door and he nearly wrecked me and I nearly wrecked him in the process,” Montoya said.
The two drivers had words after the race, confronting each other even though their haulers were in separate sections of the garage.
Martin, who is still fighting to make the Chase while Montoya is far out of contention, doesn’t agree that the way he raced Montoya was out of line.
“He didn’t like the way I passed him there on the last lap, [saying] borderline stupid driving and suggested I take some smart driving lessons from him,” Martin said before adding, “I’m not going to take no s**t.”
Montoya, who has had his share of run-ins with other drivers the past two years, wasn’t about to back down, even to a respected veteran like Martin, and neither driver seemed interested in putting the incident quickly behind them.
“I don’t understand,” Montoya said. “He just ran the shit out of me on the last lap running for [expletive] 15th place.”
Martin, 51, admittedly races different than he has in the past and says he has to be more aggressive than in previous years. At 14th in the standings and 37 points out of 12th, he is fighting for every point and position he can get in trying to make the Chase. He likely is not going to give an inch to anyone over the next seven races.
Montoya retaliated last year against Tony Stewart at Homestead-Miami Speedway. At 21st in the standings and 242 points out of 12th, he can pretty much kiss the Chase goodbye and go for broke – even if it means using his bumper – in trying to win.
Though neither driver needs driving lessons, the incident could lead to lessons in what happens nowadays following such confrontation. Though there might not be retaliation, they probably won’t cut each other any slack in the future.
They get an off week to cool down. Montoya’s wife is expecting their third child early next week and Martin is on a European vacation with his family.
The break may do them both some good, but it’s pretty certain they’ll be focused when they return to the track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway July 23.
“Am I going to take some driving lessons?” Martin said with a wry smile. “Maybe I will. Maybe I need to drive a little smarter.”
Mark Martin's manager refutes Red Bull reports
Benny Ertel, Mark Martin's business manager, told Sirius' Dave Moody that Randy Pemberton's report that Martin would be at Red Bull Racing in 2011 was untrue.
Ertel called the reports "aggravating," saying his driver has grown tired of answering the same questions, week after week. "It's the same thing, over and over again," Ertel said. "We walk into the media center and someone immediately raises their hand and asks about where Mark will be racing next season. Mark has answered the question a thousand times and it's always the same answer. 'I will be driving the #5 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports next season.' That's as simple as it is, but some reporters just don’t listen."
"Randy Pemberton went on Sirius NASCAR Radio the other day and said Mark will be driving for Red Bull next season," said Ertel. "There's not a shred of truth to that statement, and he never bothered to ask Mark, Rick Hendrick or anyone else about it. If he had asked, he would have been told -- in no uncertain terms -- that it was a load of hooey.
"I don't know what's so difficult to understand," said Ertel. "Mark Martin will drive the #5 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports next season. Period."
Well, that's a pretty strong statement, isn't it? It certainly isn't any different from what Martin has said ever since the Kasey Kahne to Hendrick in 2012 announcement was made.
But while the deal to 2012 is done, 2011 isn't. And given that 2011 comes before 2012, it's kind of a big deal. Plus, the wholesale "blame the media" approach seems a little bizarre in this situation given that Pemberton has been the only media member to report that Martin was leaving Hendrick Motorsports.
This being said, as long as Kahne's 2011 plans remain up in the air, the speculation is going to continue.
Martin needs reversal of fortunes at Chicagoland - - NASCAR
When Mark Martin arrived at Chicagoland Speedway last July for the 19th race of the 2009 Sprint Cup season, he was a genuine feel-good story. When he left Chicagoland after winning the race, he was a feel-great story.
This weekend, as Martin returns to Chicagoland for Saturday's LifeLock.com 400, he sure could use another big fat old shot of feel good. Because the fact is, unless he can reverse what has become a two-month streak of poor finishes, his quest for a first Cup championship may go all Titanic on him and his team.
Even though he is 13th in points and only 39 points out of the 12th and final Chase berth with eight races to go before the playoff starts, Martin is in real danger of missing this year's Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
Martin has one top-10 finish in his past nine races. During that span, he has four finishes of 21st or worse, two DNFs and has led just five laps.
Before the slide, Martin was sixth in points.
Martin's finger has come nowhere near the panic button, however. In fact, after a 16th-place finish at Michigan last month, he said that in a way, this year has been better than last to this point in the season.
"Well, we're not performing," Martin said, "but we are. We're better in execution than we were a year ago. We're taking what we have, and we're finishing better with it than we did a year ago.
"But competition is a moving target. And not only have we had to deal with tires that are different at every race that we go to, but some of the changes to the cars have actually affected the cars more than we realized on the surface. And our competition has either responded or it worked in their favor or both and elevated them above us in the stack. In this business as a moving target, you can't always be at the top of the stack, no matter who you are. No one ever does."
It appeared that good times were about to return for Martin and the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports team last week at Daytona. Martin led his first laps—five of them—since he led one lap at Talladega in April. It also was the first time he led multiple laps since Martinsville in March.
He was running near the front and with enough car to, if not win, get a top five. Then, with about 20 laps to go, he was wrecked and his car burst into a ball of flames.
"It was a disappointment," Martin said of going flambe. "Me and my guys battled and fought for everything we could get there and we got in one accident and we were just trying to finish it off there and there wasn't any way to miss that one."
Chicago could be the place where Martin reverses his fortunes. Three of his best finishes this season have come on 1.5-mile tracks—fourth at Las Vegas and Charlotte and sixth at Texas.
And at Chicagoland, Martin has been very good. His average finishing position of 12.6 is fifth best for drivers who have driven in all nine races there. He has led 239 laps.
And then there is the fact he will start Saturday night's race as the defending champion.
"It was an incredible win. An incredible weekend," Martin said. "We were so good all weekend we could have completely skipped the final practice. And, if you remember, we got the win on Rick's (Hendrick, team owner) birthday. One of those absolutely perfect nights."
Martin won't need perfection this Saturday night. But something relatively close sure would feel good.
If The No. 5 And No. 88 Can Help Each Other, Both Martin And Junior Could Make The Chase
I was all set to write a blog comparing the relative fortunes of the No. 5 versus the No. 88. I was going to talk about the failure of Hendrick Motorsports’ strategy of symbiosis and the ironic fact that resource sharing between the two teams has helped the No. 88 yet hurt the No. 5. Then I looked at the numbers.
There is no doubt that Dale Earhnardt Jr. is in better shape this season than he was at this point last season. After the first 18 races of 2009 he was ranked 21st. Currently, he is ranked 11th.
Mark Martin, on the other hand, is currently ranked 13th just like he was after 18 races in 2009. Granted, at this point in 2009 he had already visited Victory Lane three times, but his relative position in the standings is actually stronger now. He’s 39 points out of 12th as opposed to the 65-point deficit he was facing at this time last year.
Alan Gustafson, crew chief for the No. 5, talked about the team’s inability to adjust to the spoiler in a timely manner. The spoiler was implemented in race six. Mark Martin’s average finish in the middle third of the season, however, is 11.8. Compare that with the other six-race segments of 2010 and it’s substantially stronger.
Mark Martin, average finishes:
Races 1 – 6, 18.1
Dale Earnhardt Jr., average finishes:
Races 1 – 6, 14.5
If you look at the two drivers’ average finishes over the last 12 races – the spoiler races – they are virtually identical.
Junior’s overall average is slightly better than Martin’s; 15.1 compared to 16.2.
No, as much as I would like to say that the revamped relationship between the two teams caused them to meet in the middle, the numbers tell a different story. They’re actually running about the same.
Clearly, Junior has made up some ground over last year, and while Mark’s lack of wins suggests he’s lost some, his average performance is actually on par with 2009.
There are eight races until the Chase field is set. As of now, neither team looks like a shoe-in and neither looks like they’re going to start challenging for wins. If they’re not hurting one another by watering down the resources available, let’s hope they can help each other find berths in the Chase.
Randy Pemberton says Mark Martin will drive for Red Bull in 2011 - From the Marbles - NASCAR
On Sirius' The Morning Drive, SPEED's Randy Pemberton said that Mark Martin would move to Red Bull Racing in 2011, clearing the way for Kasey Kahne to move straight to Hendrick Motorsports. Pemberton didn't say which car Martin would be in. As of now, Red Bull currently has Brian Vickers contracted through 2012. Scott Speed's contract expires at the end of this season.
Pemberton's brother, Ryan, is a crew chief for Red Bull Racing. Ryan Pemberton has also worked with Martin in the past; the two teamed to nearly win the 2007 Daytona 500 when Martin ran a partial schedule.
However, it's important to note that Martin has said innumerable times that he has every intention of honoring the final year of his contract with Hendrick to drive the No. 5 car. And those comments take on additional meaning given Martin's lashing out at all the speculation during a taping for Thursday night's "Race Hub," a show on SPEED.
"I had to quit following the sport because it kinda made me sick. The media didn't understand and didn't get it and couldn't seem to deliver the message correctly. They only delivered the message they wanted to deliver, which was sensationalized ... it was disgusting."
It's unclear who or what Martin was specifically referencing, but it's important to note that speculation and "what if?" scenarios are absolutely inevitable given the situation Kahne and Hendrick Motorsports have put themselves in. If Martin is talking about that speculation and the dozens of scenarios tossed forth, Hendrick and Kahne could have announced their 2011 plans with their 2012 plans. Instead, the barn door to next year was left wide open.
As for his post-2011 plans - assuming that the status quo is kept at Hendrick for another season - Martin said that he was unsure of what was in store for 2012 and beyond.
"This time next year, if nothing suits my fancy, then I'll wait until something does. Some of that's driving and some of it's not. I'm gonna do what I wanna do, and how do I know what I want to do a year and a half from now?
Currently, no one knows - except maybe Kahne and a select few at Hendrick Motorsports - what the plans will be for Kahne in 2011. And the longer that decision takes to make, the more that the situation turns into a mini NASCAR version of LeBron-mania. And aren't we all sick of that?
Mark Martin NASCAR Sprint Cup Race Preview - LifeLock 400.com
DEFENDING WINNER: Mark Martin, driver of the No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, went to Victory Lane last year at Chicagoland Speedway, scoring his fourth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win of the 2009 season. Martin started 14th and took the lead within the first 42 laps. He went on to lead a race-high 195 laps and earn his first career win at the 1.5-mile racetrack.
POLE MAN: Martin's next Sprint Cup pole will be the 50th of his career and will place him eighth on the all-time pole winner's list. Martin never has started first at Chicagoland, making it one of six tracks where he has yet to earn the pole position.
POINTS: With eight races remaining until the Chase for the Sprint Cup, Martin ranks 13th in the standings, just 39 points behind 12th-place Carl Edwards. Martin has scored five top-five finishes and six top-10s during the first half of the season.
CHASSIS CHOICE: Gustafson has chosen Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-600 for Saturday evening's race at Chicagoland Speedway. This is the same chassis Martin drove to a fourth-place finish in the May 30 race at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway.
MARK MARTIN, DRIVER, NO. 5 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET (ON LAST YEAR'S WIN AT CHICAGOLAND.): "The restarts at the end of that race were intense. I just knew, from earlier restarts, that the guy on the outside had the upper hand. I didn't want to be out there, but I had to. Jeff (Gordon) was down on my inside with new tires, and I thought, 'This may not work, but I'd rather him be more vulnerable than me.' Once those guys got together and we took the lead, I knew I wasn't going to let anyone catch us. It was an incredible win. An incredible weekend. We were so good all weekend that we could have completely skipped the final practice. And, if you remember, we got the win on Rick's (Hendrick, team owner) birthday. One of those absolutely perfect nights."
MARTIN (ON THE GODADDY.COM TEAM HALFWAY THROUGH THE 2010 SEASON.): "Well, obviously we haven't won the races we won by this point last year, but I do think this race team is better than it was a year ago. We've struggled a little with the switch to the spoiler and that's cost us, but we're learning. And we're getting stronger. Our communication level is much higher than it was in our first year together. And the fight I see in these guys is incredible. No one gives up. Ever. No matter where we finish, I'm always proud of the guys on this GoDaddy.com team."
ALAN GUSTAFSON, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET (ON LAST YEAR'S WIN AT CHICAGOLAND.): "We had a nearly perfect Chevrolet for the last 200 laps of that race. When Jimmie (Johnson) got by us on the one restart, we saw why he's as good as he is. He knew our weakness -- that we were too loose at the start of runs -- and exploited that to take the lead. The race from that point really went by in a blur until about three laps to go. We had a great car, but we also had an extremely intelligent and patient driver behind the wheel. When everyone else was racing real hard there at the end, he could've gotten right in the middle of that. It's almost like he can see ahead of the action and know how it's going to turn out. He just backed off the gas then drove right by them. It was a great win. The best kind of win. To go out and dominate all night, that's how I wish every race was for us. It would be boring for the fans, but perfect for us."
GUSTAFSON (ON THE KEY TO DOMINATING A RACE.): "Everything has to be right -- from pit stops to the car to pit stalls to the way you call the race to the way the driver drives the race; you just have to do everything right. When you get in that situation, though, the kind of ironic thing is it was probably easier than running 10th. When things are lined up right for you, you can knock them down pretty easily. As you're doing it, it's like, 'Man, this is the way it should be.' I won't say it's easy because that's not accurate, but it feels that way."
GUSTAFSON (ON THE SETUP THE NO. 5 TEAM WILL TAKE TO CHICAGO.): "There's been quite a few changes, but we're going to start where we raced last year just to try to quantify the wing to the spoiler. There's also a tire change, and obviously the track has aged. But that's where we're going to start, and I'm sure we'll have to deviate from it. The world keeps turning and things change, but we're going to start there to give us a solid footing. The nice thing about having such a good car at Chicagoland is now we can go back there with the same stuff and not question if it was good. We know it's good. Now we can just focus on what's changed. That's going to help us out."
GUSTAFSON (ON HIS TEAM AT THE HALFWAY POINT OF THE SEASON.): "I think the team's done well. The work ethic has been great, and the energy and execution have been good. We've just struggled for performance. We haven't had the speed in the car. I don't know that I would put that on the team guys. That's more my responsibility and Mark's responsibility. For whatever reason, we've struggled there some. That's something we've got to work out. I'm pleased with the team. I'm not pleased with the performance, but I don't know that you ever are. So we've just got to push forward. That's the biggest thing. You can't look back. I don't know that I could put a grade on it, but I think that the team has done a really good job. We've just got to find a little more speed in the car."
From the Driver’s Seat - Mark Martin - LifeLock 400.com
MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET -- 13TH IN STANDINGS: "The restarts at the end of that race (2009) were intense. I just knew, from earlier restarts, that the guy on the outside had the upper hand. I didn't want to be out there, but I had to. Jeff (Gordon) was down on my inside, with new tires, and I thought, 'This may not work, but I'd rather him be more vulnerable than me.' Once those guys got together and we took the lead, I knew I wasn't going to let anyone catch us. It was an incredible win. An incredible weekend. We were so good all weekend we could have completely skipped the final practice. And, if you remember, we got the win on Rick's (Hendrick, team owner) birthday. One of those absolutely perfect nights."
Mark Martin Post Race Notes and Quotes - Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola
MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 CARQUEST AUTO PARTS/GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET, involved in multi-car accident on lap 147:
WHAT HAPPENED FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE AND ARE YOU OK FROM THE FIRE IN THE CAR?
"The fire was outside, it wasn't inside. It wasn't as bad as it looked. No big deal. It is a disappointment to be in a wreck as hard as we fought and as hard we worked. My guys did an awesome job battling through things. I wish we hadn't been in that wreck. There was no way. I couldn't see anything and I couldn't get down. My spotter said get down. Well, I was going too fast, there wasn't no getting down. My spotter said get down, but I couldn't get down. I was going too fast.
"It was a disappointment. Me and my guys battled and fought for everything we could get there and we got in one accident and we were just trying to finish it off there and there wasn't any way to miss that one."
Mark Martin Thursday Media Visit - Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola
MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 CARQUEST/GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET met with media and discussed his views of Daytona and Talladega, taking his family to Europe, Hall of Fame nominees, and more.
CAN YOU CLAIM DAYTONA TO BE YOUR HOME TRACK?
"Yeah, I can. It's kind of strange but certainly can do that. I've been here since 1994 so (wife) Arlene and I were just talking about that. It's been a long time. I've been down here a long time. Matt (son) was just a little bitty fella."
AS WILD AS TALLADEGA WAS BACK IN THE SPRING, COULD IT BE EVEN WILDER OR IS THE HANDLING FACTOR GOING TO SEPARATE THINGS OUT SO WE WON'T SEE ANYTHING SIMILAR?
"Well, that's a really good question. It can't lend itself to quite the last Talladega because of exactly what you said. Wore-out pavement, bumpy, and that wore-out pavement by the way, I think every one of us is partial to it. And it is more narrow. So when we come back in February, it will lend itself more toward the last Talladega race but it's still going to be not quite as wide. So it's still going to be a little bit more hairy. This is going to be a blend, a nicer blend of handling and drafting and packs and it's going to be a nicer blend I think than Talladega. But the thing that I saw in February here that I was really surprised, we weren't able to separate ourselves like we had been in the past. We stayed packed up or locked on to one another even when it got almost down to one-two-three-four cars running together. We weren't able to shed one another like we had been in the past. So we may still have that. And that may have been a function of the tire being better or something, but we weren't able to shed these guys like I'd like to. I like to race Daytona where after a little while you can really do one-on-one racing and not rely quite as much on packs and pushes and those kinds of things. I don't think it's going to separate out that much even this time based on February. But it'll certainly be a nicer blend."
ON DALE EARNHARDT JR. RUNNING THE NO. 3 WRANGLER CHEVROLET IN THE NATIONWIDE SERIES THIS WEEKEND
"I think it's really an awesome sight. I know that a lot of our fans weren't around during that era but a lot of them were, too. And for all the ones that were, they really get it. I certainly share the same feelings and it's good to see Junior in it and it's good to see it happening. So, I think it's met with really warm reception from everyone that was around in that era."
YOU'VE NEVER BEEN A FAN OF RESTRICTOR PLATE RACES, BUT DO YOU FAVOR DAYTONA OVER TALLADEGA?
"Yes, without a question, yes."
AND THE NEW PAVEMENT WILL CHANGE THAT?
"Yes. That will change that as well. But you know what's weird about that? I won twice at Talladega. So that's how ironic it is. But I do enjoy racing here more than Talladega because of what we just discussed about it being more of a blend of handling and a little bit more one-on-one kind of racing than just 100 percent total major chaotic pack whatever line you're in works or doesn't work and you don't always have a lot of input on the results the way the Talladega race goes today. And so with the new pavement, it will lend itself more toward that. It's still going to be Daytona. It's still going to be narrow. And it's going to probably be pretty doggone hairy. I would have to say that it should be incredibly exciting for the fans because it's going to be all new everything and it's definitely going to pack the cars up and going to lend itself to what we do. It's going to lend itself to what we do at Talladega even more. So pull your straps down tight and let's go."
DO YOU HAVE ANY OFF-TRACK ACTIVITIES LIKE AVIATION THAT TAKES YOU AWAY FROM IT BUT THAT GIVES YOU AND EDGE TO YOUR RACING?
"Well, I am an avid aviator, but I'm a business aviator. And I say that sort of unfortunately because I think doing aerobatic flying and lessons would make me a better business aviator but I'm not really into that. I don't really like getting sick to my stomach and I don't like really getting scared and all those different things. So to answer your question, I do have some thing on the pilot side that are coming up that are exciting for me; moving in and moving forward and stepping up one step in aircraft and in training and those kinds of things. But I have promised Matt and Arlene I would take them to Europe and obviously I thought I was going to be retired by the time he graduated. And when I made the deal to not be retired when he was graduated I decided that I would buckle down and do it. They waved the green flag on signing the deal with the No. 5 car and I'm waving the green flag on our European vacation. So we're going after Chicago and we're pretty excited about it."
HOW IS BEN KENNEDY DOING IN YOUR LATE MODEL CAR AND DO YOU THINK HE HAS A FUTURE IN DRIVING?
"Oh, he rocks man. He is doing so awesome. He's top three every week. I think we got a win with him about the second time out, or third time out, and he's racing against David Rogers, who has got a couple of years on me. When I came down here as a kid he was hard to beat. And he's racing David Rogers and Tim Russell and the Andersons, who are legendarily tough to beat in Late Models down here. And he's beating some of them every week. There is usually maybe one in front of him, or two; but some of those cats are behind him as well. To answer your question, I think he could do this without question. I just don't know if he will. And the part about the wheel part is probably will be pressure from external pressure for him to use the things that he's learned as a driver to help in the business side. Now I'm just guessing. He's been in my program now for two and a half years and I think from what I've seen, I see that. I tell you what. He is such an incredible young man and Lisa should be so proud of him. He is just really, really a fine young man. And he's racing tonight and he's going to show up right before qualifying and not practice the car and qualify the car without practice because he's in school. School comes first. And he loves racing. Last year when I went to the race track, and I got to the pits, he was cleaning his race car. And all my guys were off running around doing whatever they were doing. So I don't mean to be long-winded about this but I really am impressed with Ben Kennedy. He's such a fine young man and he's one hell of a race car driver too. And he has so much talent that I think he can do this but I don't know if he'll follow it all the way to the Cup level or if he will have pressure to move him into the other side of that. But whatever he does, what he's doing now will make him better. I think being a driver is going to make him better if he ever does get into the management or any facet of NASCAR because he'll understand the other side as well. He's a very impressive young man."
IS MATT (MARTIN, HIS SON) STILL MARINES BOUND?
"No he's not. He just straightened his Mother out though, I will say straightened her out night before last when she said that she sure was glad he was going to college instead of the Marines. He said "I still might go to the Marines, I'm just going to college right now". So he hasn't closed the door on it, but I think we all are excited that he is going to be around instead of shipped right off. We would miss him. He's going to go to college right here in Daytona and get acclimated to college life because he has done home school since fifth grade so it is going to be a little bit different for him. So that is where he is at right now. Not interested in racing. I'm very very proud of him. He is really turning out to be a fine young man. He is smart."
YOU ARE THE ALL-TIME LEADER IN THE NATIONWIDE SERIES WITH 48 WINS, KYLE (BUSCH) JUST PICKED UP NO. 36 AND DOESN'T SHOW SIGNS OF STOPPING ANY TIME SOON, FIRST OF ALL WAS IT TOUGHER TO WIN WHEN YOU WERE COMPILING YOUR RECORD OR DO YOU THINK IT IS TOUGHER TO WIN IN THAT SERIES NOW? AND ESPECIALLY WITH THE NEW LOOK OF THE NEW NNS CAR, DO YOU EVER HAVE THE INKLING OF MAYBE GETTING BACK IN ONE OF THEM?
"I guess I will work backwards here. The inkling of getting back in one of those, I have to say, not presently, but that can always change. I'm not dying to get back in it, although the change in car is interesting. A new challenge always opens it up for excelling the learning curve beyond your competition or whatever. It's not crossing my mind. I'm really focused on the No. 5 car and working with Alan (Gustafson) at this point in time and a little bit of energy conservation. I expend quite a bit of energy with my training program and probably more than I ever did before. Between that and what I do with the No. 5 car and all was really a nice load on my plate. I like the load right now that is on my plate. I'm able to really spend quality time with family and stuff.
"Records are going to fall and I am going to stand there and watch them. Just as Jack Ingram stood and watched his fall. It is not going stand the test of time, but that is ok too. That still doesn't lessen what I did, what I managed to do. It is a different time, just as Jack Ingram's stuff was a different time as well. It is a different time and Kyle is an incredible talent that got started really young and didn't have to ride around in middle-of-the-pack stuff proving himself. He is an incredible talent and so is Joey Logano and he is incredibly young too and has lots of time.
"Is it harder to win? I say may be as hard as it has ever been or harder right now to win if you are not one of those Gibbs car. They really, really have it going and that's probably how the competition felt about my car, the No. 60 car. They probably felt like that but there wasn't two of them (LAUGHS). The No. 60 didn't run when I didn't drive it which was an additional talent really to not be there every week and still be sharp enough to be on your game when we did run. I think the Nationwide races are really hard to win right now. It is obvious if it's not the No. 18 and the No. 20, they are pretty scarce."
WE HAVE A NEW LIST OF HALL OF FAME NOMINEES COMING OUT TODAY, A LIST YOU MIGHT BE ON SOMEDAY IF YOU DECIDE TO STOP DRIVING
"I think that will be a long way down the road, there are some very important people that are going to be on there for a long time to come."
IF YOU ARE A VOTER, HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT COMPARING DRIVERS, WITH WINS OR CHAMPIONSHIPS, OR HOW WOULD YOU MEASURE THEM FOR CONSIDERATION TO BE ELECTED IN THE HALL OF FAME?
"My thinking would be that it should not be on numbers. I think people in the sport know, they just know. I don't think you use crippling numbers. They know about the sport and they know who rose about and who did what and was able to do and accomplish what with what, with what group, in what period of time or whatever. There are some really really important numbers guys too like David Pearson. I don't or exactly sure what Cale's (Yarborough) numbers look like. I was just starting to get a taste of the sport in their heyday as a kid. So I don't know, I'm not from NASCAR region. I didn't come in the '60s, I wasn't here. I don't that much about... I don't know an enormous amount about prior to those guys. To me, it is really really important to the integrity of the Hall to put the guys back there, the important people back there need to go in. I know it's good to bring...I just think that Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon are going to have to wait. If I was voting, I would have to say that the people the sport and got this thing going. You asked my opinion and my opinion is we are going to have to stay strong on putting in the people that built this sport and did the stuff before we get to the more current or the people that have great numbers."
Mark Martin NASCAR Sprint Cup Race Preview - Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola
ONE OF FOUR: Daytona International Speedway is one of just four active tracks where Martin has yet to earn a points-paying NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory, joining Pocono Raceway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway. Martin made his only trip to Daytona's Victory Lane in the exhibition Budweiser Shootout on Feb. 7, 1999. The NASCAR veteran started 13th and went on to lead 16 laps in the 25-lap affair.
HOMETOWN CREW CHIEF: Martin now lives in Daytona Beach, but his crew chief, Alan Gustafson, also considers the area home. Gustafson grew up in Ormond Beach, just seven miles north of Daytona International Speedway. After graduating from nearby Seabreeze High School, he enrolled at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, which is located less than one mile east of the track. Gustafson's one Daytona victory came in the July 2007 NASCAR Nationwide Series event.
POINTS: Martin is 11th in the Sprint Cup standings after finishing 21st last weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. He is just 79 points back of 10th-place Greg Biffle.
CHASSIS CHOICE: Gustafson has chosen Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-560 for Saturday night's race at Daytona. It is the same chassis that Martin drove to a 12th-place finish in the 2010 Daytona 500 and most recently to a fifth-place finish at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway in April.
GUSTAFSON HONORED: Gustafson will be the guest of honor Wednesday evening at the Stewart-Marchman-Act Foundation Dinner at the Daytona 500 Club in the infield of Daytona International Speedway. Martin will introduce his crew chief and friend before Gustafson speaks. The dinner will be followed by a silent auction to raise money for the Stewart-Marchman-Act Foundation. For more information, visit www.s-mf.org.
MARK MARTIN, DRIVER, NO. 5 CARQUEST AUTO PARTS/GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET (ON LOOKING FOR HIS 50TH POLE POSITION.): "I know. We've been waiting all year for that one, right? After earning the most poles last season, and then starting this season with the Daytona 500 pole, it looked like that one would happen pretty quickly. But, really, this year we've been concentrating on our finishes rather than our starts. And they both play hand-in-hand. Track position is really important, even more important now than it's ever been before. We haven't given up on qualifying by any means, don't get me wrong. But race trim and getting our car good for race day is the most important thing for us right now. That pole is coming, though. Who knows, maybe we'll get No. 50 this week."
MARTIN (ON WINNING AT DAYTONA.): "I honestly don't even think about having not won yet when I go to Daytona, or any of the tracks I've never won at. Instead of looking at the negative side of it, I look at it more on the other hand. I'm grateful for the tracks I have managed to win at in my career. Rather than expecting to win, like I'm owed that, I feel more fortunate to have the success I have had. Things that I've earned, you know? Hopefully I will win at Daytona one day, but I don't focus on the fact that I haven't won there when we're there."
MARTIN (ON REPAVING DAYTONA.): "I think it will be interesting, to say the least. Anytime a track gets new pavement, it's really, really fast. I think it will likely lend itself to big packs and more wrecks like Talladega does. I don't know, for sure, if that will happen with Daytona. We'll have to see when we test there in January."
ALAN GUSTAFSON, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 CARQUEST AUTO PARTS/GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET (ON THE OPPORTUNITY TO GAIN POINTS AT DAYTONA.): "It's a high risk-reward racetrack . The risk of an accident is larger there than at other tracks, but if you can avoid that and get a good finish, the reward could be quite a bit higher, especially if your competitors get caught up in a wreck. There can be a big points swing there. Of course, you don't want to bank on that. You just have to be smart and try to take care of your business. You just try to exploit your opportunities."
GUSTAFSON (ON HOW THE TEAM PREPARES FOR THE HEAT AND HUMIDITY OF DAYTONA.): "Currently our pit crew is going through heat training, which is a really good way for them to acclimate their bodies to the heat. It's one of those deals where you know you're going to have to face it; you know you're not going to be comfortable either way. It's just a matter of getting your body used to it. We could go all summer and train indoors and then go to the racetrack, and it's just a huge shock to your body. Mentally it's a distraction more so than physically. Mentally you have to get prepared for it. You're out there in the heat, you're sweating and you don't give it any thought, whereas if you're not prepared for it, you're just thinking about how hot it is. If you're worried about how hot it is, then you're not going to perform."
GUSTAFSON (ON BEING HONORED BY THE STEWART-MARCHMAN-ACT FOUNDATION.): "It's very flattering they chose me. I don't know that I would have chosen me. But it's cool, and I want to make the most of it. The way I look at it is if I can do what I love to do -- racing -- and I can take what I do and use it as a tool or a vehicle to assist somebody else so their life can be better, then that's awesome. I don't think you can ask for anything more. And to have Mark introduce me is neat. I've got a great relationship with Mark, and for him to be one of the people there, that's going to be a big draw for the foundation. It's not every day you get to have someone as accomplished as him do that for you."
Team Chevy from the Driver’s Seat - Mark Martin
MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 CARQUEST/GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET – 11TH IN STANDINGS
“I honestly don’t even think about having not won yet when I go to Daytona, or any of the tracks I’ve never won at. Instead of looking at the negative side of it, I look at it more on the other hand. I’m grateful for the tracks I have managed to win at in my career. Rather than expecting to win, like I’m owed that, I feel more fortunate to have the success I have had in my career. Things that I’ve earned, you know? Hopefully I will win at Daytona one day, but I don’t focus on the fact that I haven’t won there when we’re there. I think repaving the track will be interesting, to say the least. Anytime a track gets new pavement, it’s really, really fast. I think it will likely lend itself to big packs and more wrecks like Talladega does. I don’t know, for sure, if that will happen with Daytona. We’ll have to see when we test there in January.”
Mark Martin Post Qualifying Notes and Quotes - Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500
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