Martin Not Ready for the Rocking Chair Just Yet.
Story and photo by Drew Hierwarter
At the end of the 2006 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, Mark Martin announced his retirement. After twenty five years of racing at the top level of the sport, he was ready for a break. A break from the travel, a break from being away from his family, a break from the pressure of being one of the sport’s super stars. He wasn’t going to stop racing completely, but he did want to cut back on the number of races for a year or two and just ease out of the sport gradually.
For the next two years, Martin shared a ride at Ginn Motorsports with Aric Almirola and Regan Smith and only drove in 24 of the 36 races on the schedule. When Ginn merged with Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Martin was part of the deal and in 2008 he drove in another 24 races. During those two seasons Martin realized that the competitive fire still burned hot and bright and wanted to run for the championship one more time. In stepped Rick Hendrick with an offer to drive full time 2009.
Knowing that he would be driving the best equipment in the business, backed by the best personnel, he took the deal. The result was a resurgent Mark Martin who has proceeded to drive like a man half his age. He was a threat to win every race and it was just a string of bad luck that produced a best finish of only 16th through the first four events of the year. Then the team got the monkey off their back and turned in a string of four top tens culminating with a win at
Coming into Darlington last week the team was cautiously optimistic about their chances at the storied old
It took a call by crew chief Alan Gustafson to get the car to the front. Martin and seven other cars stayed out of the pits during the 15th caution period of the race on lap 321, but that was all Martin needed. With his car running in clean air at the front of the field, he was able to pull away from a charging Jimmie Johnson and get his second win in the last four races.
After the race Martin said of his Hendrick teammate; “I thought he was trying to snooker me, lollygag back there and all of a sudden mash the gas, and I’d be off-guard. I was trying to save gas, but I couldn’t let him get near me, because I know how tough he is.”
Of his crew chief Gustafson, Martin said; “Alan Gustafson is absolutely the best. I may have been his childhood hero, but I’m living a second childhood now — and he’s my childhood hero.”
Nobody is talking about Mark Martin retiring any more. In fact, the team made the announcement this weekend that Martin has signed on with Hendrick for the full 2010 season. Martin is running better, having more fun, and being more competitive than he’s been in a long time. In a sport that is being dominated more and more each year by young guys like Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, and up and comers like 18 year old Joey Logano, Mark Martin is the senior citizen. But he’s not ready for the rocking chair just yet. He’s now totally focused on winning races and contending for the championship. Don’t bet against Mark Martin making the Chase for 2009. After twenty seven years of trying, the elusive Sprint Cup Championship just may be within his grasp.