Mark Martin Post Qualifying Notes and Quotes
fordracing.com
June 24, 2005

MARK MARTIN - No. 6 Viagra Taurus (Qualified 3rd)

PRESS CONFERENCE

HOW WAS YOUR LAP?

"Obviously I'm real happy with the lap. I got off to a little awkward start in turn two. I slipped a little bit and when the car caught it wasn't aimed exactly where I wanted it to be, but, overall, it was a great run. We picked up from practice, which most people slowed down or stayed the same. We picked up almost half-a-second, so it's a great run. It's great for the salute tour. We gave our fans something else to cheer about and hopefully we can do the same on Sunday. I'm really, really lucky to be driving for this team."

YOU RUN WELL HERE ALL THE TIME.

"All these races are hard to win. I'm gonna go into this thing with everything we have. Pat Tryson and the whole Viagra team are at the top of their game right now, so we're gonna give it everything we've got and we'll see how it shakes out on Sunday."

WERE YOU NERVOUS DURING QUALIFYING?

"I wasn't nervous watching the other qualifying. I've been doing this stuff a long time. I knew Jeff Gordon would beat us. I thought a few others would. I knew it was gonna be a great starting spot. It was a great lap. It's a fantastic car they gave me to qualify with and I got a real nice lap, but I was not nervous after qualifying. Certainly I was nervous beforehand because if you slip off the race track as my friend Biffle did today qualifying, it makes your Sunday very, very difficult. I've done that before and had that pressure on me today to not do that. We've got our eye on the target here and that is to make the chase and this was one of the bullets we needed to dodge today and then we need to come out of here Sunday with a great run and then go onto Daytona and get through that without being caught up in one of those big wrecks. If we can do that, then we'll be on our way."

DO YOU JUST SHAKE YOUR HEAD WITH JEFF GORDON'S SUCCESS HERE?

"Jeff Gordon is a whale of a race car driver, but everybody in the garage knows that car is incredible. It drives the teams crazy, but it is what it is. Not taking any credit away from Jeff Gordon, but he clobbers everybody with it. That's just the way it is and I think all the teams know that. Everybody is trying to figure it out and it looks like we might be closer than we were last year."

DO YOU HAVE A SIMILAR SETUP WITH YOUR TEAMMATES?

"Biffle doesn't have a setup anything quite like what we've got. The 97 and the 6 are probably closer than the rest of 'em. We're probably a little closer to the 97, but, certainly, if you looked at it you would say we didn't have the same setup. We have different shocks. We have different springs. They might be similar, but they're definitely different."

YOU'VE STARTED FROM THE BACK BEFORE.

"That's right and also I ran off once qualifying - I ran off the track once -- so I've actually started in the back twice here. It's very difficult, but those guys are up to the task and they will have a great day on Sunday I'm sure."

HOW DIFFICULT IS IT TO COME FROM THE BACK? ERNIE IRVAN DID IT ONCE.

"I'm sure they took passing zones since Ernie did that. It can still be done. It would probably be more likely for the 24 to be able to do it than most of the rest of us. He is an incredible race car driver, but I'll say again - that car is just fast. I mean, it just really, really works. You can take the same driver and put him in a car that doesn't work and he just can't quite get the same job done on the race track. All of these guys are great race car drivers in the garage and every team is working to try to make their car work as good or better than that 24."

IT SEEMS LIKE HAVING MORE FUN IS HELPING YOU DO BETTER. IS THAT TRUE?

"I'm so sorry to say that the reason I'm having fun is because my car is running so good and that's pitiful. I should be a better man than that. I should, and that's been one of my frustrations in 2003. I shouldn't let the performance of my car dictate how I feel about my self-esteem and my self-value and all of those things. Obviously, that's a challenge for me and I'm having a ball because I'm driving great race cars and I know this is the last go-round. That makes it fun for me."

Batman Begins sponsorship on the car of Mark Martin
NASCAR-CUP > Michigan, 2005-06-17 (Michigan International Speedway): Friday practice
Image by Autostock

Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

3. Mark Martin — Aside from his third-place finish in the Batman Begins 400, the highlight of Martin's weekend in Michigan was meeting Batman, with the Batmobile, on the track on Friday for a promotional spot for the opening of the movie. Martin's No. 6 Ford also sported a paint scheme featuring the Caped Crusader.

"I've got quite a bit in common with Batman," says Martin. "We're both icons in our respective fields, he in crime fighting, me in racing. We both have butlers named Alfred, and we're both constantly overshadowed by a teammate, he by that show-off and fellow Superfriend Superman, me by one of my several teammates who haven't paid their dues like I have yet still have more to show for it."

Martin has three consecutive top-10s, with two of those third places in races won by Biffle.

"See what I mean," complains Martin.

Martin has always been known as a a road course ace, and deservedly so — he has one win and 13 top-10s in 16 starts at Sonoma. Expect him to lead the way for Roush Racing this Sunday.

Regarding Darrell's comments below: So what if they're not in "The Chase." I don't know about any of you, but I don't want NASCAR to change anything that would be unfair to the rest of the drivers. I don't care which driver or drivers it may be. If you're in, so be it. If not, better luck next time. There are a lot of things that would be "disastrous" (not sports related) but I think the drivers and the sport would survive. - M6M

While we're at it . . . supposing both Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr., didn't make "The Chase." They're not among the top 10 at the moment. How bad would that be for NASCAR?

"I don't think that will happen, [but] if they didn't, it'd be disastrous," Waltrip said. "You can't have a championship without the two biggest stars in the sport involved in it. I don't know how that would play out, Maybe NASCAR would do like they've done other times and make some special rules. They'll think of something."

Road Course Master Martin
Martin, Viagra® Racing Team ready to make right turn at Sonoma

CONCORD, N.C. (June 21, 2005) - Mark Martin and the Viagra® Racing Team will take their “Salute to You Tour” to Sonoma this weekend as the NASCAR circuit takes a right turn for the first time of the season with road course racing at Infineon Raceway. Riding on the momentum of three straight top-10 runs, Martin and the team are hoping to keep their streak alive with a strong run at a track where Martin’s stats have been impressive to say the least.

“I love road racing,” said Martin. “I grew up learning how to drive on the winding, curvy dirt roads of Arkansas and road racing is a lot like that. The only difference is the roads are paved, the cars are a lot faster and the competition is a whole lot steeper.

“Still, it kind of takes you back to your roots in racing and it’s a good test of a driver,” added Martin. “The fans out west are great as well and it’s fun to take the “Salute To You” tour back out there, where we’ve had a lot of success racing throughout the years. Hopefully we can go out on a strong note and put the car into victory lane.”

Martin’s 13 top-10 finishes at Infineon are the most of any driver. In addition, Martin has seven-top five finishes and he won there – from the pole – in 1997. Martin has finished in the top 10 in 10 of his last 11 races at Sonoma and he has finished in the top 10 in 81 percent of his 16 races there. Martin’s lone pole at Sonoma came in the 1997 victory, but he has started inside the top 10 in 11 of the 16 races and inside the top five on eight occasions, including a fourth-place start last season.

Martin has always enjoyed racing on the road courses and his statistics show it. In addition to the win at Sonoma, he has three wins at Watkins Glen - all from the pole - giving Martin four wins (all from the pole) on road courses. Martin’s 30 top-10 finishes on road courses are the most of any active driver.

Martin’s four wins at road courses tie for the ninth most in NASCAR history and his four poles tie for the eighth most.

"I just enjoy the road courses," said Martin. "We've had a lot of success on those type of tracks. They are fun to race on and a lot is in the hands of the driver, so it's always a challenge. We’ve had some really good runs the last few weeks and Pat (Tryson) and the team have just done an outstanding job. Hopefully we can keep that going."

Roush Racing is a subsidiary of Livonia, Mich.-based Roush Industries that operates ten motorsports teams: five in NASCAR Nextel Cup with drivers Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards; three in the Busch Series with Martin, Kenseth and Edwards; and two in the Craftsman Truck Series with drivers Ricky Craven and Todd Kluever.

2005 Mark Martin Track Notes - Infineon Raceway - June 26, 2005
Dodge/Save Mart 350 - Infineon Raceway
#6 Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Ford Taurus
June 21, 2005

DRIVER: Mark Martin

TEAM: No. (6) Viagra® Ford Taurus

OWNER: Jack Roush

CREW CHIEF: Pat Tryson

2004 EVENT WINNER: Jeff Gordon

MARK MARTIN - 2004 EVENT: Start - 4 Finish - 8

Martin Notches Top 10 Finish at Infineon Raceway
Mark Martin and the #6 Viagra® Racing Team
Infineon Raceway/June 27, 2004

Sonoma, Ca. – Mark Martin and the Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Race Team ran to a solid eighth-place finish at Infineon Raceway on Sunday in NASCAR’s first of two road-course races of the season. The team was strong all weekend, posting its second top five start in three weeks, while running times inside the top 10 in all three of the weekend’s practice sessions. The finish was the team’s sixth top 10 of the season.

"We just didn't have the setup to make it a rocket ship,” said Martin after the race. “We had the pit stops, the pit crew, the strategy, the gas mileage and the horsepower. We had the high-speed corners, but in the low-speed corners we were a little slow through those and I had to give up a little bit there. If we would have had the low-speed corners as good as the high-speed corners, we could have run with the top five."

Martin struggled with the car’s handling in the slow-speed corners all day, while experiencing a strong blend of speed in the high-speed corners. The team ran inside the top five for the majority of the first 35 laps, while staying out on fuel and eventually taking the lead on lap 35, thus earning five bonus points on the day. With handling tight in the slow corners, Martin came in the pits under green flag conditions for an adjustment on lap 35 to help the car’s handling. Several other cars were on different pitting cycles and Martin was running in 14th place when he returned to the field.

The adjustment made the car’s handling even tighter, but the veteran had worked his way up to eighth place when the day’s third caution was called on lap 45. When green flag racing resumed, the No. 6 Viagra® Ford was running in sixth place. Martin moved back inside the top five on lap 60, just six lap before the day’s fourth caution was issued. The team came into the pits for an air pressure adjustment to help cure the car’s continuing handling issues. The team reeled in a 14.92-second stop, taking on tires and fuel, and Martin returned to the field in eighth place, as again other cars were on different cycles and did not elect to pit. The stop put Martin within a few laps of being able to go the remainder of the race without stopping for more fuel.

After another caution on lap 70, Martin was running in seventh place as the field went green, but the car continued to push in the corners. With handling issues, Martin dropped back to ninth place by lap 76. Another caution on lap 79 added Martin effort to go the distance without taking additional fuel and he would work during the race’s final laps to conserve fuel, while gaining one spot on the last lap for the eighth-place finish.

“This team has been strong but we’ve had things happen every week that have hampered our results,” added Martin. “We had an off day and still ran eighth, so I think that speaks highly of this team."

The top 10 finish moved Martin back up one spot to 15th in the Nextel Cup point race, 185 points behind 10th place. After 16 races, Martin is 103 points behind 11th place.

The finish is Martin’s 13th top 10 in 16 races at Infineon Raceway. The team returns to action next Saturday night in Daytona for the Pepsi 400.

MARTIN READY TO TAKE TO THE ‘ROAD’ COURSE

After three straight top-10 efforts, Martin and the Viagra Racing Team will head to the hills of Napa Valley for the circuit's first road course race of the season, where Martin will be looking to score his third top-five finish in the last four races.

THE CAR

Chassis Number: (RK-204) - The team will run RK-204 at Sonoma this weekend. RK-204 is the same car that Martin used to finish eighth with last year at Sonoma and second in the fall at Watkins Glen.

WORTHY NOTE

Martin has finished inside the top 10 in over 80 percent of his races at Infineon Raceway.

MARTIN AT INFINEON

Martin won at Infineon in 1997 from the pole, one of only five times that feat has been accomplished. His 13 top-10 finishes at Infineon Raceway are the most of any active driver. Martin has finished in the top 10 in 10 of the last 11 races at Sonoma, where he has been top 10 in 81 percent of his races.

Starts: 16
Wins: 1
Top 5's: 7
Top 10's: 13
Poles: 1
Highest finish: 1st (5/4/97)
First time: 6/11/89 (31st)
Last time: 6/27/05 (8th)

ROAD COURSE MASTER MARTIN

Martin is one of the most accomplished road course racers on the Nextel Cup circuit. Martin's four wins at road courses are the ninth most all time and his four poles are the eighth most. Martin's 30 top-10 finishes on road courses are the most of any driver. Martin finished eighth and second in the circuits two road course races last season.

MARKMARTINSALUTE.COM

Mark Martin will make his final run at the Nextel Cup title in 2005. Martin has dubbed 2005 as his "Salute to You" tour, a year in which he hopes to take the time to thank each and everyone that he feels played a role in his success, including team members, fans, NASCAR and the media.

MARK MARTIN - FAST FACTS - SONOMA

Martin won at Infineon from the pole in 1997, a feat that has only been accomplished four other times.
• Martin leads all drivers with 13 top-10 finishes at Sonoma.
• Martin has finished in the top 10 in 10 of the last 11 at Sonoma.
• Martin has competed in 35 career road-course races scoring four victories and 31 top-10 finishes.
• Martin has finished either first or second in 30 percent of every Nextel Cup race at Sonoma.
• Martin has finished inside the top 10 in 81 percent of the NC races at Sonoma and inside the top five in 44 percent of the races.
• Martin's four wins at road courses tie for the ninth most in NASCAR history and his four poles tie for the eighth most.
• Martin has competed in all 16 races at Sonoma, scoring four second-place finishes, in addition to one win.

QUOTING MARK MARTIN AND CREW CHIEF PAT TRYSON - SONOMA

Mark Martin on Sonoma:

"I grew up learning how to drive on those old winding dirt roads of Arkansas and to me that's a lot like what road course racing is like, so I've always like the road courses. The good thing about it is that the cars are a lot faster now, but the competition is pretty steep as well. Sonoma ia a fun road course to race at and we always look forward to going out west and seeing the fans out there. We've had a lot of success out there and hopefully we can go out there and take the Viagra Ford to victory lane.

"Pat (Tryson) and this Viagra Team have really been on their game the last couple of months. We won the All-Star Race and had a good run going in the 600 before we got wrecked. Then we rebounded from that with top-five efforts at Dover, Pocono and Michigan. We are up to fifth in the points and hopefully we can gain some more ground this weekend at Sonoma."

Pat Tryson on Sonoma:

"We are excited about going road racing. We tested Road Atlanta and were pleased with what we saw there. We are taking the same car that Mark finished eighth with at Sonoma and second with at Watkins Glen last season, so it will just be a matter of getting the car right for Mark, as we all know he is one of the best road course racers on the circuit. If we can give him the right car, there is no doubt he can take us to victory lane on Sunday."

Roush cars continue dominance of Nextel Cup Series
Jackson Citizen Patriot
Monday, June 20, 2005

The Formula One race in Indianapolis and the Nextel Cup race in Brooklyn on Sunday had one thing in common: Just six cars competed in each of them.

That was technically true in the Formula One event, where a tire debacle left just six cars on the track for the United States Grand Prix.

It was virtually true in the Nextel Cup race at Michigan International Speedway, where Tony Stewart and his Chevrolet sparred with five impressive Fords driven by Roush Racing drivers throughout the day. Greg Biffle, one of those Roush drivers, held off Stewart at the finish to win the Batman Begins 400.

"We've got great race cars right now," Biffle said. "I'm really focused as a driver, and I just love this racetrack."

The Roush cars dominated the event just as they have dominated the Nextel Cup Series this season. Biffle's win gives Roush eight victories in 15 races, and four Roush drivers are in the top 10 in points. It also was Biffle's series-leading fifth victory of the year and his second straight at MIS.

But Stewart deserves some credit for mixing it up with Biffle, Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards and Kurt Busch. At times, those five Roush drivers and Stewart were locked into the top six spots while the rest of the cars on the grid looked less like powerful stock cars and more like "Herbie: Slightly Loaded."

Stewart actually led the most laps -- 97 -- before finishing second, just ahead of Martin, Kenseth and Edwards. Busch fell to 12th, a finish that moved him into the top 10 in points. But on a day in which Roush Racing dominated, 12th place was a finish that left Busch visibly frustrated as he fired a plastic beverage bottle into a garbage can and waved off interview requests on the way to his hauler.

Stewart was the Stewart of old in the post-race press conference. He barked at a reporter's question, then seemed to imply that Roush Racing and its stable of Fords have an unfair advantage, a popular tactic among NASCAR drivers who finish second.

But even a party pooper like him couldn't ruin the day for the Roush drivers, who gave credit to anybody and everybody involved with the team.

"These cars and the drivers and the crew chiefs are unbelievable," Edwards said. "The engines -- Doug Yates is doing a great job. My pit crew is awesome, too, so for me, I feel lucky to be in this seat."

Martin had similar sentiments.

"Roush Racing has the hottest lineup of drivers in NASCAR, depth-wise," he said. "We don't have an off-team, period, right now. We've got great engines and great drivers and great crew chiefs and really good handling packages."

Great engines, drivers and crew chiefs make for lots of great days. And Roush Racing has had its share of them.

"Win on Sunday, sell on Monday" is a popular phrase in NASCAR. If that's true, local Ford dealerships should hire some extra help for the sales floor today.

Actually, it's too late for that. The way Roush Racing and its Fords have dominated the series this season, those dealers should have hired some new salespeople a long time ago.

NASCAR.com - Conversation: Martin
By Dave Rodman, NASCAR.COM
June 20, 2005

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Veteran Mark Martin continues to get the most out of his "Salute to You" tour during his final full-time season in the Nextel Cup Series.

The week before the Batman Begins 400 he was honored in his adopted hometown of Daytona Beach with "Mark Martin Day."

Martin sat down there to discuss his final season to date, crew chief Pat Tryson and his Roush Racing crew and the state of racing in 2005 and beyond.

Q: Could you ever imagine there being a "Mark Martin Day" in Daytona Beach?

Martin: I've lived here for over 10 years. The first time I came down here, when I was 14 years old, I looked around and said this is the coolest place in the world.

And 20 years later I moved here, so I must really believe that. I love it here.

I've had a great career, and the "Salute to You" tour has been all about saying thanks to the people who helped me build this career.

The honor that was given to me today is just an overwhelming gesture of respect, which is more important to me than all the trophies on the mantle.

So life's good right now.

Q: Are there any feelings of sadness over running your last Pepsi 400 at Daytona next month?

Martin: Not really. This place has not been overly kind to me. It's not been terribly cruel to me, but it's been a racetrack that's been a challenge for me.

I've had a lot of disappointments here. I've had reasonable success with some wins here that mean a lot of me -- especially the IROC wins.

Those were races where fuel mileage didn't come into effect, pit stops didn't come into effect and The Big One didn't come into effect, so when you have that type of racing you could feel good about it.

I'm a guy that keeps my eye on the target, and I don't see much else around me. So I'm not seeing or feeling much sadness (about visiting tracks for the last time).

I'm very excited about 2006, and believe it or not I'm smiling more this year than I ever have, and I think that's because I know this is the last round.

I'm doing it on my terms and I'm doing it very competitively. I wanted to end up at the top of my game, and I believe we'll be able to say that I am doing that -- if not at the top, at least near the top, and that's how I wanted to do this.

Q: What are the biggest challenges of the nighttime Pepsi 400?

Martin: The first one that comes to my mind is missing the wreck. Handling here in July is a big deal, and I love that.

That makes Daytona racing, to me, really racing instead of having to rely on other people -- other drivers -- the draft and all these things that you can't control.

You have to rely on your crew and your team and your handling and all that, for your success and it's the best race from that standpoint because it's usually slicker here in July than it is in February.

Q: Halfway to the cutoff to the Chase for the Nextel Cup, how would you assess your season to this point?

Martin: My season has been outstanding, except for when I couldn't miss the wrecks in front of me. And we've had good enough performance on the racetrack to recover from those, so far.

Today, heading to Michigan we're fifth in the points, though I don't know where we'll be after next weekend (Sonoma) -- so the performance could not please me more.

We are keeping our eye on making that Chase -- and if we make the Chase, then we'll worry about winning the championship. But until then, it's all about making the Chase.

Q: The teams of Roush Racing and Hendrick Motorsports have dominated the season to this point, so when you come up on one of those cars on the racetrack, what aspect are you considering: The horsepower, aerodynamics, who the driver is, or whatever?

Martin: It's none of those, specifically, but it's just all of that. The engines are good, the bodies are good, the chassis and the chassis setups are good and the drivers are good -- it's all working.

It's the same thing as when you're running terrible -- as we did as a group in 2001.

It was because our engines weren't great, our bodies weren't great or setups weren't great. We just weren't getting it done.

At this time, we've been building momentum ever since 2002, because in 2002 we had a great year. In 2004 we had another really great year. Some of the other guys had a great year in 2003.

It's momentum that's been building, and we've been on the right track since the beginning of 2002, when we just missed the championship by 36 points, or 38 points, or whatever it was -- with a 25-point penalty thrown in there.

So we (Roush Racing) have almost won three championships in a row, instead of just two, so it's been a second and two firsts, and we've been building that momentum.

Q: It seems like you and your crew chief, Pat Tryson, have really grown together recently?

Martin: Well, Pat did a great job last year. Pat came in, in December and had to do our whole program from scratch, and build it to where it was a contender.

So this year, being able to come in and not have to start over again, and just have to rebuild instead of starting from scratch, our progress has been at a more steady and rapid pace.

I think we were able to get out of the box a lot stronger and hopefully we can continue to build momentum. Our cars are fast right now and our communication is good.

Pat Tryson is awesome, and I love Pat.

Q: Is it easy for you to race your guts out on the track, when you have a situation when Pat made repeated trips to the NASCAR hauler after the race at Pocono to fight for your position at the finish?

Martin: We had a flat tire in Turn 1 on the (last) restart, and two guys passed me. I was trying to save my life, because I wasn't going to make it much farther, then I heard on the radio the caution was coming out.

Two more cars passed me and I passed them back, because I wasn't sure where I was supposed to be -- and at the end they scored us fifth. But after they reviewed the tapes, they put us back to seventh, where we should have been, so that's all that was.

But Pat is a fighter -- otherwise our cars wouldn't have been as good as they were last year. He has fought tooth and nail to make sure the 6 car would have the best that it could have each and every Sunday.

Q: After what happened with the tires at Pocono, what's your take on that? Was it camber settings, the wrong tire, or what?

Martin: The people who said any of that must have amnesia. What about Indy (in 2004)?

We had the same tire, and the same issues at Indy. I had two left front tires go down at Indy. I had one go down on a green-white-checker running fourth, and I finished 27th.

So there must have been eight left-fronts go down at Indy -- and there might have been 12 last weekend, at Pocono. It's nothing new. (Pocono) is the only racetrack out there that's similar to Indy.

So obviously there's a phenomenon going on there that we don't completely understand. It's easier to understand the right front than it is the left front.

We didn't have left-front trouble at Pocono (but) we did at Indy. We did some things different at Pocono, and everybody going back will have to do some more things different to make sure that doesn't happen to them.

Q: You're putting together a museum in Batesville, and NASCAR is trying to establish a hall of fame. What is your opinion of that, and what do you think might be your place in it?

Martin: There definitely should be a NASCAR Hall of Fame. I'm looking forward to the day when that is there for everyone to enjoy.

I don't know about myself. I've been fortunate enough to have a great career, but my career has not been -- it pales in comparison to Richard Petty or Darrell Waltrip or Cale Yarborough and so many others, like Lee Petty.

I don't compare to those guys -- like Dale Earnhardt. So I don't know. That's not up to me to decide.

Q: Would you change anything that's occurred in your career?

Martin: No, I wouldn't. If I could've froze time -- if I would have had a pause button, I would've liked to have used it about 10 years ago.

If I was 35 right now I certainly would be signing a new long-term contract, but I'm not 35 and I don't have any regrets and I'm not sad about my decision (to retire).

I'm actually excited about my decision. You just can't turn back the hands of time, and it is time for me to move out of the way and become a fan of Nextel Cup racing.

Q: What excites you the most about moving on? Is it spending more time with Arlene and Matt?

Martin: Probably just having the choice (because) I have no choice in what I do every day. I have a schedule to meet and I don't have any say in it, really, because I have obligations.

I look forward to having the choice of what it is that I'm going to do. That's going to make it really, really fun.

Q: Speak a little bit about your protégé, if you will, Joey Logano.

Martin: Yeah, Joey just won the Hooters Pro Cup race at Mansfield, Ohio, Saturday night. It was only his second race.

He's only three weeks past his 15th birthday and he's been waiting since February to turn 15 so they would let him race.

And he won his second time out. Boy, I sure do wish they would let him drive the 6 car, because he is the one. But it's going to be a long time before he can.

It's just going to be a long time before he can have a NASCAR driver's license.

Q: What's your take on where the young drivers in the sport are coming from these days? It seems there used to be a lot of drivers from Florida in Cup -- and now there's only one.

Martin: It's sort of potluck on where these guys come from. I mean, Rusty [Wallace], Kenny Schrader, myself, Carl Edwards are from roughly the same area.

But it's just such an elite group and it's so hard to break in here that only the real lucky ones ever get a chance to get here. It doesn't really matter where they're from.

Q: Speaking of Carl Edwards, how much has he come to you for advice, and what have you been able to help him with?

Martin: He asks for a lot and I have had to give him none. He asks for a lot more than anyone else that has come along. Carl Edwards is paying attention.

That's just the simplest way I can put it. He's just paying a lot of attention to what's going on. He comes to me at every race and asks me questions.

And if he didn't come to me and ask me questions, I wouldn't tell him anything, because that would mean to me that he wasn't interested in what I might have to say.

I'm watching Carl with great enthusiasm. He races and drives these cars with a fierce desire and he's paying attention.

Q: Are you surprised that he's taken to this level of the sport so quickly?

Martin: No -- that doesn't surprise me because it can be done. You have people that come along like me that are OK.

Then you have people that come along that are like Carl Edwards and they're just better than the rest of them, and that's all I can say about Carl Edwards.

This is just his time in life and he's taking it head-on. This is his time and he's going to make the most of it.

Q: Greg Biffle said recently he had a lot of respect for you, so what did that mean to you?

Martin: I think that was just a gesture of respect from Greg. He didn't ask me a lot of questions, but he may have been paying attention whenever I spoke, and may have really respected the things that I said.

Maybe that's what he was talking about. He didn't come to me every week and ask me all these questions. He'd come to me once in a while and ask me something and I'd tell him whatever I could -- like I would do with anybody that comes along.

But when you have somebody that comes along like Matt Kenseth -- why would he come to me and ask me any questions? He already knew.

He was young when he came into this, too -- but he was there, and he already knew.

And Carl knows most of the answers to the questions he's asking me -- but he's asking them to make sure that he's right. He knows the answers to 75 percent of the questions he asks me.

Q: Some drivers, when asked about respect or the lack of it on the racetrack, cite you as a driver who knows how to race with respect. What does that mean to you?

Martin: Well, it means more to me than all the trophies do. The trophy doesn't make the man.

Fifteen years ago I would have had a different answer to that, but I've learned through the years that the trophy doesn't make the man.

Respect is very important to me and I've been very blessed with a great career and I have had the chance to earn a lot of respect.

Holy Forward Mobility! Martin Powers Batmobile to Third-Place at Michigan
Mark Martin and the #6 Viagra® Racing Team
Michigan International Speedway/June 19, 2005

BROOKLYN, Mich. (June 19, 2005) – Mark Martin and the Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Racing team opted to come into the pits and take four tires after the day’s fourth and final caution with 30 laps remaining in the Batman Begins 400 at Michigan International Raceway. Currently running in fifth, Martin dropped back to ninth as four of the top-six opted to stay out. The gamble would eventually pay off, with Martin using the race’s final 30 laps to tear through the field’s top 10, before eventually powering his special themed “Batmobile” to a third-place finish.

“This was a great effort by Pat Tryson and the Viagra® team today,” said Martin. “The car was the very best it had been all day on that last run and the last adjustment just when you needed it. I couldn't be more pleased. It was another great day for the salute tour and my fans who have supported me all through the years. I just want to support them all.”

Martin found himself running in fifth place when caution was called on lap 168 for the fourth and final time of the day after the No. 40 car went spinning into turn four. Martin and crew chief Pat Tryson opted to come down pit road and take on four fresh tires, as did race leader Tony Stewart. The remainder of the top six stayed out and Martin returned to the field in ninth place when green flag racing resumed on lap 173 with 27 laps to go. Initially Martin struggled on the restart, dropping back to 14th place before regrouping and mounting a march up the field.

Martin broke back inside the top 10 on lap 178. By lap 182 he had moved his Batman Begins/Pfizer Ford to eighth place. Five laps later he had powered his way back inside the top five. He overtook Roush teammates Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth with under five laps to go and was moving in on second place Stewart when the checkered flag fell on the 200-lap event. Martin was one of four Roush cars to finish the race in the field’s top-five.

“It was just a great run by the team today,” added Martin. “We had “Batman Begins” on the car today and maybe that is lucky for us here at Michigan. I just want to thank the people at Warner Bros., we had a great time with them all weekend. We had a chance to see the movie on Thursday and it’s a great movie and we just had a lot of fun. This is the second time we’ve ran a Batman car here and we’ve gotten a second and a third out of it.”

Running a special “Batman Begins” paint scheme, Martin started the day 15th, based on Friday’s qualifying session. He fell back to as low as 17th before the car’s handling eventually fell into place and the veteran began to pick up positions on the track. By lap 13 he was back at 15th, before eventually breaking into the top 10 on lap 26. Martin was running third after the field started to green-flag pit on lap 39. The team caught its first break of the day when the race’s first caution fell on lap 41 just prior to Martin pitting. The team came down pit road the next lap and Martin restarted in second place when the field went green on lap 47. Three laps later Martin was able to overtake fellow Roush teammate Kurt Busch for first place, earning five bonus points. Caution was called on the next lap and Martin restarted in first on lap 59.

The car was not able to run with the race’s leaders and Martin eventually settled into fifth place by lap 69 where he ran for the next several laps. The No. 6 Ford had dropped to sixth, where it was running when the team came down pit road for its second pit stop of the day. A 13.90-second green flag stop helped Martin stay on pace with the leaders and the Batman Begins Ford was back in fifth place once the field had cycled through its stops on lap 99, just one lap shy of the halfway point.

Fast, but not quite fast enough, Martin radioed that the car simply was not as fast as the race leaders, but he consistently ran amongst the field’s top five. He was running in sixth when the team came down pit road under green for its third stop of the day on lap 133 to take four fresh tires and fuel. The team lost a little ground in the pits and Martin settled back into seventh once the field had cycled through. However, by lap 166 Martin had again moved back inside the top five where he was running when the caution was called on lap 168, setting up the team’s strategy to take four and move to the front. Roush driver Greg Biffle went on to win the race.

The finish was the team’s third straight top-10 and its second top-three in the last three races. The strong run solidified Martin’s fifth place standing in the Nextel Cup Chase for the top 10. He is currently only 10 points out of fourth and 19 points behind third. After 15 races Martin is 269 points out of first.

The team returns to action next week at Infineon Raceway for the season’s first road course race of the year. Martin has finished inside the top 10 in 81 percent of his races at Infineon.

Mark looked so good out there. Forget about giving Tony a run for his money in the future.... pass him !!! - M6M :)

Mark Martin Post Race Notes and Quotes - Michigan
June 19, 2005

MARK MARTIN - No. 6 Batman Begins Taurus (Finished 3rd)

"We were better at the end there. Pat and the guys on the Viagra team did a great job on the last adjustment and we were the strongest we had been all day. This is another great day for my fans and for the salute tour and I just want to thank Pat Tryson and everybody who has supported me over the years. I hope we can keep this going. That was awesome today."

HOW BIG IS MICHIGAN FOR JACK ROUSH?

"They're all important to him, but congratulations to Biffle again. He beat us like a dog out there. I tell you what, we're tickled to death to run third here and get up there and give Tony a run for it on that last lap."

YOU'RE SO SOLID.

"Yeah, it's really awesome. I had a lucky stroke of luck at Pocono. We were running third and were gonna run no worse than third and had a flat tire and should have been about 25th, but the caution came out and I only got passed by a few cars. It was hard to feel lucky, but at the same time it did save us some points because we were in trouble with the flat tire and managed to limp around on the caution and get a seventh place. This was a great effort by Pat Tryson and the Viagra team today. The car was the very best it had been all day on that last run and the last adjustment just when you needed it. I couldn't be more pleased. It was another great day for the salute tour and my fans who have supported me all through the years. I just want to support them all."

HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A TEAM AS DOMINANT AS ROUSH RIGHT NOW?

"No, but you know you have to remember we're in a different era now. It's never quite been like this before either. Golly, look at Bill Elliott and what he did in '85 or whatever year it was. Look at what Darrell Waltrip did a few of those years in Junior's cars, so it's definitely and odd thing. I haven't seen anything like this from '90 on for sure."

WITH AS GOOD AS YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN DO YOU EXPECT NASCAR TO PUT YOU UNDER THE MICROSCOPE?

"I have seen that in the past (laughing)."

BUT IT'S FIVE CARS DOING THIS.

"I think the reason we're running is because we've got great engines right now and we've got great handling packages. Let me tell you, I know it's only my opinion, but I believe that, in my opinion, Roush Racing has the hottest lineup of drivers in NASCAR depth-wise. We don't have an off team period right now, and Hendrick is close to that as well. They're close. They're knocking on that door, but definitely the best lineup of people. We've got great engines and great drivers and great crew chiefs and really good handling packages."

IS THERE A PACK MENTALITY THAT YOU WORK TOGETHER WITH ALL FIVE SO CLOSE?

"No, we don't work together like that (laughing). We're all racing for ourselves. We wouldn't do anything that would hurt one of the other guys that wouldn't help us. You know, if you can give a guy a break and it doesn't hurt you, then you do that. But I'd do that for Jeff Burton, and I would do that for Rusty Wallace as well. I do that for my friends as well as my teammates, but, no, we don't work together really. Those opportunities aren't really there because we're racing against one another for everything as well."

YOU MUST HAVE PICKED THE RIGHT SETUP.

"We ran really good here last time here and so did Biffle, and we run a different setup than Biffle does a little bit, and he ran a lot of what he ran last time and we ran a lot like what we ran last time. We ran second to him last time and third to him today."

ANY REASON WHY THE FORDS WERE SO GOOD TODAY BUT DIDN'T QUALIFY THAT WELL?

"It's just little handling things. We don't have enough tires on an impound thing to find out for sure how they're gonna be at lap 30 or something. When we come here to any race, especially an impound race, if you're working with new setup stuff or you're a little bit outside the box, it can show up later on in the run and not show up in five or 10-lap runs in practice."

YOU'RE HAPPY WITH THIRD AND TONY IS DISAPPOINTED WITH SECOND. WHY?

"No, no. I never saw Tony all day, but I think he dominated, didn't he? I was under the impression that he dominated all day. Anytime you dominate all day and you don't win, you're broken hearted. I didn't dominate. I finished up better than I ran all day, so you've got to be happy with that."

DID BIFFLE'S TEAM JUST NEED CONFIDENCE?

"They started really coming up to speed back in August, really big-time and they've had the speed ever since and they've started being able to close the deal once they built that momentum and built that confidence. All of them were actually doing something that was kind of new to them and as they started closing the deal, they just got better and better at it. They have speed. They have big corner speed. That's serving them well."

WHAT ABOUT THE LAST CAUTION?

"It turned out good for us. We made a chassis adjustment and the car was the fastest it had been the whole race, so we came out. We vacated fifth place for the tires and finished third. One more lap - I had caught Tony - and was able to start trying to work on him, so that was certainly an improvement for us."

IS THERE CONCERN ABOUT A DOWNTURN FOR ROUSH LATER IN THE YEAR?

"Now you know we don't have control over that. We just take it when we can get it and work as hard as we can all the time no matter where you are in the cycle."

BETTER TO GET A STRONG START NOW TO AVOID THAT LATER IN THE YEAR?

"We don't have control over all that. I've been asked a million times about winning races, I'm just glad I won some. I didn't get to choose which ones they were (laughing), or I would have won 34 Daytona 500s, I guess. I didn't get to choose and that's kind of how this is. We're running good right now. We're reaping what we have sewed for a long time. We've been working real hard for a long time and it's showing now."

YOU SEEM TO BE ENJOYING YOURSELF THIS YEAR.

"I really am the happiest I can ever remember right now. I'm very happy. I'm excited about 2006. I'm at peace with what I'm doing right now and if I can keep this up, I can truly say that I'm going out at the top of my game and not just near. I used the near word when I started this season. I would like to go out near the top of my game, but if we can keep this rolling we might be able to justify calling it top."

THE LAST 10 RACES ARE GOING TO BE VERY IMPORTANT FOR YOU.

"Yeah, I can't say what we're gonna do. We're not looking at those now. All we're doing is trying to make this chase. It's still really, really tight. Broken parts and wrecks can destroy the opportunity for us to make the chase. We've already been in two idiotic wrecks already that have really set ups back - two or three - so we can't afford to have that happen. Actually three, otherwise we'd be real comfortable right now and I've got to miss those things if they happen in front of me. I've missed a bunch of them, but I didn't miss three of them."

HOW WAS THE TIRE WEAR?

"The tire wear on the borderline of excessive this weekend on the tire. They could have drove slow like me and made them last longer, but they chose not to. I was concerned about them. I am points racing. I didn't drive very hard until late in the race because in order to finish first, first you must finish."

IS THIS ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF GOOD OLD FASHIONED RACING?

"Thanks for reminding me. I meant to mention that when I came in here. That's good times, man. It reminds me of the old days and my car is running like the old days. It was sweet. It was sweet to go out there and let the fast cars race for it over the long haul. That's what NASCAR was built on. It may not be as exciting as a caution every five laps and restarts and all that crazy jazz, but it's definitely what this sport is built on."

ANYTHING ELSE BESIDE THE CHAMPIONSHIP YOU WANT?

"Yeah, I want to give this salute tour justice. I want to salute the fans, the media, the sponsors and the competitors. It's my way of giving them the respect that they've given me over the years and that's what's really important to me, and it's going well."

Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

4. Mark Martin - Martin's No. 6 Roush Racing Viagra car was the only other Ford, besides that of teammate Carl Edwards, to finish in the top 10. He followed up his third at Dover with a seventh at Pocono, strengthening his points position one notch to fifth, 328 off Johnson's pace. Martin now has seven top-10s on the year, tied for third most behind Johnson's eleven and Biffle's nine.

"And here's the kicker," adds Martin. "Five of my seven top-10s have occurred in races won by Roush drivers. It just reiterates the story of my life: no matter what I do, there's always somebody overshadowing me. If I don't win the Cup this year, I fully expect NASCAR to present me with a lifetime achievement award, and a nice rocking chair."

You have to believe that Roush Racing would not be experiencing the success it has so far this year without the leadership and guidance of Martin. Martin will definitely be in the Chase for the final 10 races, and, with the breaks on his side, could win the coveted title.

NASCAR Fan Jaylene Leibow Wins "Begin The Batman Begins 400" Contest
Michigan International Speedway

Jaylene Leibow has been a fan of NASCAR for many years and watches nearly every race on television with her husband and three kids at their Urbandale, Iowa, home.

Unlike all of her previous races watched on television at home, Leibow will get an unbelievable racing experience this weekend at Michigan International Speedway as she was selected the winner of the "Begin the Batman Begins 400" promotion, which will give her the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to drop the green flag and start the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Batman Begins 400 race on Sunday, June 19 at MIS.

"This is the opportunity of a lifetime and I am so excited about attending my first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race at Michigan International Speedway," said Leibow. "I am thrilled about waving the green flag to start the Batman Begins 400! This was totally unexpected. I didn"t believe it at first."

Leibow and her husband, Robert, will attend the June 17-19 race weekend festivities at MIS, which will also include the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Paramount Health Insurance 200 on Saturday and the ARCA RE/MAX Hantz Group 200 on Friday. As part of their package, they will stay the weekend in a luxury motorcoach in the Walt Michal"s Turn 2 Campground, while also receiving roundtrip airfare from Des Moines to Michigan.

"I don"t think it will completely hit me until I get to MIS on Friday," she said. "I"m so excited to attend my first race and to have my husband with me. I"m a little nervous to start the race, but also looking forward to it. Like the contest website said " this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I can"t believe that I"m the winner." Warner Bros. Consumer Products, DC Comics, and MIS, partnered together for the promotion, which ran from May 23-June 6. The Batman Begins 400 marks the first time a major motion picture has served as the entitlement sponsor of a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series event. Batman Begins", the highly anticipated film from Warner Bros., opened worldwide on Wednesday, June 15.

"First off, I want to thank Warner Bros. for allowing race fans all over the country to enter this contest," said MIS President Brett Shelton. "We look forward to hosting Jaylene and her husband for their first NASCAR race at MIS. This experience will be one that they will never forget and I am excited for both of them."

Mark Martin history at Michigan Speedway
Storybook history for Martin at Michigan

CONCORD, N.C. (June 16, 2005) - Mark Martin is one of NASCAR's most talented seasoned veterans, and his record at Michigan International Speedway attests to that. Martin has competed in 38 consecutive races at MIS, and taken his team to victory lane four times. Martin has completed almost 7,000 laps at Michigan during his impressive career in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series.

Qualifying at Michigan has never been much of a problem for Martin. Although he's had only one pole at the 2-mile track, Martin has started in the top-5 a total of 15 times over his 38 race career at the speedway, and five other times he has started in the top-10. His one pole came in the Miller Genuine Draft 400 in June of 1990, where he ended the day in the fourth position.

Martin had an impressive run of starting positions beginning in 1989, when he qualified in the top five for a string of eight straight races until 1993. The excellent starting positions led to a win, three top-10 finishes and eight top-5 finishes in the four years between '89-'92. Martin's worst finish during that eight race period was 12th.

In the past two years at Michigan, Martin has an average starting position of 20th, with last year's Michigan 400 spring race resulting in a 15th place starting position for the No. 6 Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) team.

But it is Martin's finishes that are the real proof of his talent and consistency at the two-mile track. Only five of his 38 races at Michigan has Martin not been running at the finish. In four of those 38 races, Martin and his team were celebrating in victory lane after the race. Fourteen times he has made the trip to the media center with a top-five finish under his belt, and 11 times he has brought home a solid top-10 finish at the Brooklyn track.

In 1990, Martin began a string of almost nine years worth of consecutive top 10 finishes at MIS, which was interrupted by one race in the fall of 1995 when he finished 38th because of an engine failure. The majority of the finishes at MIS during that string of 20 races were top-5s, and all four of his wins came in those nine years.

This weekend, Martin will run in his 39th race at MIS, with a special paint scheme to promote Warner Bros. new movie Batman Begins, which opens in theatres June 15. Martin will carry the famous 'Batwings' on the hood of his car, and the skyline of Gotham City on the sides. The Warner Bros. movie is also the title sponsor of this weekend's event at MIS, as the race will be called the Batman Begins 400.

Mark Martin Honored at Daytona Internationl Speedway
Daytona Beach resident preps for final NEXTEL Cup Series start at DIS

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 15, 2005) - Hundreds of Mark Martin fans showed up at Daytona International Speedway on Wednesday to help celebrate "Mark Martin Day."

Martin, longtime Daytona Beach area resident who is scheduled to make his final NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series start at Daytona International Speedway in the 47th annual Pepsi 400 on Saturday, July 2, was honored with "Mark Martin Day" in the NEXTEL FANZONE, located in the heart of "The World Center of Racing."

Both Daytona Beach Mayor Yvonne Scarlett-Golden and Volusia County Chairman Frank Bruno delivered proclamations declaring June 15 "Mark Martin Day." The ceremony was emceed by 1975 Daytona 500 champion and NBC Sports analyst Benny Parsons.

Martin, competing in his final full season in the NEXTEL Cup Series, was thankful for the honor and participated in a brief question and answer session with fans.

"I've lived here over 10 years," said Martin, who was joined by his wife Arlene and son Matt. "The first time I came down here I was 14 years old and I looked around said, 'this is the coolest place in the world.' Twenty years later I moved here. I must really believe that. I really love it here.

"I've had a great career. The Salute tour has been all about saying thanks to the people who helped me build this career and the honor that was given to me today was an overwhelming gesture of respect, which is probably more important to me than the trophies on the mantle. Life is good right now."

"This is a day to honor one of Volusia County's notable citizens who also happens to be one of NASCAR's most notable competitors," said Scarlett-Golden. "Throughout his career, Mark has been a wonderful representative of the community, his sport and most importantly his family."

Said Bruno: "One of the best parts of my job is to be able to proclaim a day, especially for a resident of Volusia County and a real hero of the racing tradition in Volusia County."

While Martin has never been able to win a Daytona 500 or Pepsi 400, he has experienced other successes at DIS including four class victories in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, a pair of wins in the Crown Royal IROC Series and a triumph in the Budweiser Shootout.

He's prepping for his 20th and final start in the Pepsi 400 on Saturday, July 2 but is not getting wrapped up in the emotion of his final NEXTEL Cup Series start at Daytona. He says expects to be back at the historic 2.5-mile tri-oval for Speedweeks 2006 competing in the Budweiser Shootout and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race.

"I'm a guy that keeps my eye on the target and I don't see much else around," Martin said. "I'm not seeing or feeling much sadness. I'm very excited about 2006 and believe or not I'm smiling more this year than I ever have. I think that's because I know it's the last round. I'm doing it on my terms. I'm doing it very competitively and I wanted to end up on the top of my game and I think I can certainly say I'm doing that if not at the top or near the top."

Martin has gone from 'greenhorn' to Batman
By Cammy Clark
The Miami Herald
June 16, 2005

MIAMI - The clean-shaven man with short-cropped white-and-gray hair and facial lines that conjure images of a World War II general turned around and looked at the poster-size picture of a young NASCAR driver.

Thick mustache. Brown mop-shaped hair, reminiscent of the style worn by the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show.

The 45-year-old Mark Martin chuckled as he saw the picture, used Wednesday as a backdrop for TV cameras shooting interviews for "Mark Martin Day" in Daytona Beach and Volusia County.

"I was 23 then - 1982," said Martin, who, for the past decade, has lived a short drive from Daytona International Speedway. "That's why the honor given to me today means more than I can describe.

"I was starved for NASCAR racing, coming from Arkansas. I remember the first time I went to Charlotte N.C., they talked about racing on the radio. I said, `This is heaven. I've gone to heaven.' They didn't have that in Arkansas growing up. I was really, truly a real gullible greenhorn."

Twenty-three years later, he has amassed a NASCAR career that few have surpassed: 34 Cup victories, a record 45 Busch Series victories, four Cup championship runner-up finishes and four Cup championship third-place finishes.

While Martin has come to grips that he could end his illustrious Cup career without the coveted championship, it doesn't mean he's willing to fade into the sunset.

He captured Nextel Cup's 2005 All-Star race, and although he has yet to find Victory Lane in a points race this season, he is right in the thick of the race to make the Chase. He's fifth, 328 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson.

This weekend, he tries to drive the "Batmobile" to Victory Lane in the Batman Begins 400 at Michigan International Speedway. He loves that track: In 38 starts, he has 25 top 10 finishes and four victories (although none since 1998).

Holy Horsepower, Batman.

Martin finished second in the fall Michigan race last year, with his No. 6 Ford sporting the Batman Justice League paint scheme. This time, his car will feature the Batman Begins movie paint scheme.

The Caped Crusader - for a race, anyway - joked he's not worried about his cape hindering his driving: "As long as it doesn't get up in my eyes, I'll be fine."

HUMBLE START

But Martin began his career more like "Underdog." The Martin of the 1982 photo was in his first full season in NASCAR Winston Cup racing, and he was his own car owner. It was a far cry from his situation now, driving for the juggernaut Roush Racing team that has won seven races this season and the past two championships. Last week, teammate and first-year Cup driver Carl Edwards, won at Pocono. Martin was thrilled for him.

Times are different.

"In 1982, if I drove legendary owner Junior Johnson's car, I would have won Pocono," Martin said.

But no young drivers had great equipment when they started in those days. "You couldn't get a good car until you served your dues - about 10 years."

Just think what Martin's career numbers might have been if he got an elite ride at 23. He struggled through five tough seasons before he landed a ride with Jack Roush when he was nearly 30.

"And," Martin said, "when I got in a Jack Roush car, it was not that hot of a car in 1988."

But don't think the gullible greenhorn is bitter. On the contrary, Martin is so thankful for his career that his farewell tour from Cup this season is called "Salute to You" to thank the people who have helped him along his journey.

DELIGHTING FANS

In 90-degree heat, about 300 fans showed up for Mark Martin Day. He told them so far there is no replacement driver for his No. 6 Ford. He also said he wasn't retiring from racing, just Nextel Cup, drawing a cheer from the fans.

Martin plans to compete full time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and race in the Nextel Cup Bud Shootout and defend his All-Star victory.

But when a fan asked, "When you win the championship, will you come back and defend the title?" Martin was adamant that he would not.

"You know that I'm not a guy who likes to commit practical jokes or anything like that, but I would really enjoy messing everybody up, NASCAR and Nextel, by winning their championship and not coming back," he said, grinning. "That would be the coolest thing."

Martin saving best for last
By Mark DeCotis
Florida Today
June 16, 2005

DAYTONA BEACH -- In Mark Martin's view, it's not just horsepower, aerodynamics or car balance that explains why Roush Racing has won seven of the season's 14 Nextel Cup points races.

"It's none of that. It's just all of that," Martin said in an interview Wednesday at Daytona International Speedway, where he was honored with his own day as part of the buildup to the July 2 Pepsi 400.

"The engines are good, the bodies are good, the chassis and the chassis setups are good, the drivers are good. It's all working," Martin added.

"It's the same thing when you are running terrible like we ran in 2001 as a group. It was because our engines weren't great, our bodies weren't great, out setups weren't great. We just weren't getting it done."

This year, what is threatening to become a Roush rout hasn't occurred overnight.

"We've been building momentum ever since 2002," Martin said. "We had a great year. In 2004 we had another really great year (when teammate Kurt Busch won the championship). And some of the other guys had great years in 2003 (when teammate Matt Kenseth won the title).

"We've been on the right track since the beginning of 2002. We (Martin) just missed the championship by 38 points with a 25-point penalty thrown in there. We almost have won three championships in a row instead of two."

Martin has a legitimate shot at contending for his first title after four runner-up finishes in his career that dates to 1981. He's fifth in points with 12 races remaining in the 26-event regular season that determines eligibility for the 10-race playoff.

He reiterated that even if he should win the title, he won't be back to defend it in 2006. He's opting instead to run the two all-star events at the Cup level and a full season in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

He also said no decision has been made yet on who will replace him in the No. 6 Ford. He wishes that person could be his protégé, Joey Logano, who at age 15 won his first Hooters Pro Cup race on June 11, becoming the circuit's youngest winner.

"He's been waiting since February to turn 15 so they would let him race," Martin said. "He's won his second time out. Boy, I sure do wish they'd let him drive the '6' car. He's the one, but it's going to be a long time before he's going to have a NASCAR driver's license."

Speaking of young drivers, Martin has been vocal about the proclivity youngsters have shown to cause mayhem in Nextel Cup. At the same time, Martin has tempered his remarks by citing the enormous pressures all drivers face at the elite level. He says those demands are one of the main reasons he will not race in Cup beyond 2005.

He provided a glimpse of those demands, saying the thing he most looks forward to is having a say in how he will spend his time.

"I have no choice in what I do every day," he said. "I have a schedule to meet, and I don't have any say it in really because I have obligations. I look forward to having the choice of what it is I'm gonna to do. That's going to make it really, really fun."

It should come as no surprise that Martin says he will leave the sport with no regrets. But one thing is still under his skin, one itch he cannot scratch when it comes to Daytona memories.

"The worst moment was when Dale Jarrett said that he'd go with me and he didn't," Martin said. "I had the dominant car that day (2000 Daytona 500). That was one of the only two times I had a good enough car to win. He didn't do what my spotter said he said he was going to do, and that hurt."

It also should come as no surprise that Martin isn't approaching the Pepsi 400, his final Daytona points race, with any real nostalgia.

"This place has not been overly kind to me," he said, seated in the posh new Daytona 500 Club that overlooks the speedway's trioval area. "It's not been terribly cruel to me, but it's been a racetrack that has been a challenge to me -- a lot of disappointments here. I've had reasonable success with some wins here that mean a lot of me, especially the IROC wins.

"I'm not seeing or feeling much sadness. I'm very excited about 2006 and, believe it or not, I'm smiling more this year than I ever have. I think that is because I know this is the last round, and I'm doing it on my terms."

Contact DeCotis at 242-3786 or mdecotis@flatoday.net

Martin pumped for final DIS Cup start
By Godwin Kelly - Staff Writer
Daytona Beach News Journal
June 16, 2005

DAYTONA BEACH -- Mark Martin was all smiles Wednesday as he accepted official proclamations from local political leaders and accolades from about 300 race fans.

The city of Daytona Beach and Volusia County celebrated "Mark Martin Day" and toasted the veteran stock car driver in a short ceremony at FanZone inside Daytona International Speedway.

"This is a day to honor one of Volusia County's most notable citizens and one of NASCAR's most notable competitors," Mayor Yvonne Scarlett-Golden said before handing Martin the city's proclamation. "He is a wonderful representative of our community."

Frank Bruno, chairman of the county council, was toting a decree from DeLand and kind words for Martin, citing the 46-year-old driver's "outstanding NASCAR career."

Speedway president Robin Braig and former NASCAR champion Benny Parsons also heaped praise on Martin, who has 34 Nextel Cup victories on his resume.

"This is quite an honor," said Martin, who has lived in this area the last 10 years. "This means so much to me."

Martin, a Nextel Cup Series regular since 1988, said this is his last season on the big-league tour. He plans to run a full-time Craftsman Truck Series schedule starting next year.

"I have every intention of racing trucks in 2006," he said.

Martin hopes to exit Daytona on July 2 with his eighth career victory at his hometown track. He never won a Daytona 500 and has one more chance to win his first Pepsi 400.

During his long career, Martin collected four class victories in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, two IROC triumphs and one Budweiser Shootout trophy at the Speedway.

The one race, the one outcome that still troubles the popular driver today was the 2000 Daytona 500.

Martin had one of the strongest cars in the field and following the overmatched Pontiac of Johnny Benson. Behind Martin was Dale Jarrett, a two-time winner of the 500.

Martin was told that if he made a move on Benson for the lead, Jarrett would follow.

Martin went high to pass Benson and Jarrett's Ford sucked up behind Benson, leaving Martin a sitting duck with 13 laps left in NASCAR's premier race.

Martin, who huddled with area media after the ceremony, says that was the worst moment of his Daytona career.

"That was one of only two times I had a good enough car to win (the 500)," Martin said. "He (Jarrett) didn't do what my spotter said he said he was going to do, and that hurt."

After the race that day, Martin was even blunter. "I got lied to," he said five years ago.

Jarrett went on to win and apologized and admitted he left Martin blowing in the wind. Martin, who had led 65 consecutive laps, finished a deflated fifth.

Back to present day, Martin is happy with 2005 to date. He is fifth in points and captured the Nextel Challenge All-Star race a few weeks ago. A four-time runner-up in championship points, Martin is in the thick of the action with 12 races before the "Chase for the Nextel Cup" playoff begins.

"The performance could not please me more," he said. "If we make the Chase, we'll worry about the championship. Until then, it's all about making the Chase."

To make the NASCAR playoff, a driver must either be top 10 in points, or within 400 points of the leader after 26 races. Martin wants to leave his full-time Nextel Cup ride on a positive note.

"At the top of my game, if not at the top, near the top," he said. "That's how I wanted to do this."

He surely would like to make his last scheduled Nextel Cup points start at Daytona memorable.

"I got one more race back here in a few weeks and I hope to put a whuppin' on them," Martin told his sweat-drenched fans Wednesday. "I hope to have the race we've never had here before."

godwin.kelly@news-jrnl.com

Michigan: Mark Martin NASCAR Nextel Cup Teleconference Transcript
June 15, 2005

DANIEL PASSE

Good afternoon, everybody. Welcome to the NASCAR NEXTEL teleconference. There's one quick housekeeping note as we head into Michigan. This week's NEXTEL Wake-Up Call will take place on Friday, June 17th, at 10:30 a.m. in the media center in the Speedway. The guest will be Ryan Newman.

Today we're joined by Mark Martin, driver of the No. 6 Viagra Roush Racing Ford and winner of the 2005 NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge. As we all know, this is Mark's last year in NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series competition, and it will be a great loss to all NEXTEL Cup Series competitors and fans.

In his Salute to You final season, he's currently at fifth place and a strong contender to make the Chase and win the championship.

Mark has a long and storied history in NEXTEL Cup Series competition, with more than 600 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series races and 34 career wins. At Michigan, Mark has had 38 starts, four wins and 14 top fives. Also notable is that Martin's 25 Top 10 finishes at Michigan are the most of any active driver.

This weekend, the No. 6 will be dressed in the Batman Begins (inaudible), which is sure to bring luck to Mark. Last year when the No. 6 ran the Batman Justice League paint scheme, Mark finished second.

Mark, your last win in Michigan was June of 1998. How do you feel about the combination of this team, this car and the track and Batman as we head into this weekend?

MARK MARTIN

It all feels awesome. You know, we have really, really been strong at Michigan the last several times we've run. It's pretty exciting. The Batman Begins is a highly anticipated movie with a lot of anticipation. It's going to be a really cool movie. I can't wait to go see it. It's neat to be a part of, you know, the whole thing. Of course, they're sponsoring the race, as well, not only just our car, but the race Sunday.

The Salute to You tour is going right on schedule, better than I ever could have dreamed, with the win at the All-Star race, that added a little bit of extra pizzazz to some of the things we're doing. We've had some good times already with the fans, and many more cool things planned in the future.

DANIEL PASSE

That sounds great. I'd like to open it up to our callers.

Q. I want to talk about young drivers. We have so many drivers that are under the age of 25 in the Cup Series today. With the exception of a few, Carl Edwards, your teammate, as one, it seems to me when we see the caution flag come out, a lot of the young drivers are involved in it. Are we going too young with some of these drivers? Are we not giving them enough time to experience the whole aura of NASCAR, including the time they have to develop off the racetrack?

MARK MARTIN

Well, now, wait. You know, it's always going to be skewed toward the younger drivers, the accidents. I mean, in 1977, every time there was a wreck in front of me, I was in it. I didn't cause 'em, but I was in 'em. And I couldn't understand how the veterans like Dick Trickle and some of the guys I raced with, why they weren't in them.

A couple years later I figured it out it's just because you miss them more often when you have more experience.

So I think that's something you're always going to deal with. I think that was that way to some degree when we got started in NASCAR, too. But most of the NASCAR drivers that are veterans today had tons more experience racing when we got a chance to race NASCAR. You know, part of that's a learning curve. But it's a different world today.

That's something you're going to deal with. You're going to deal with inexperienced drivers to some degree on the racetrack and off the racetrack as well because the sport is leaning towards younger drivers. But, you know, there's nothing wrong with that. I'm a big supporter of these young guys. They're the best young guys in motorsports right now and there are some more that are younger than them coming that are even better than they are or better than some of them are. So it's a real exciting time in motorsports and in NASCAR, in my opinion.

Q. Does the ABC Program, is that one of the steps forward to give them more experience that may work?

MARK MARTIN

That will work. But that's just a high-profile way that it's always been done. It's always been done that way from short tracks back home to ARCA to Busch to Cup. It's no different than it ever was. It's just that, you know, Ryan Newman made it a little bit more popular because he was a higher-profile guy and all.

But it's an exciting time for NASCAR and motorsports, I'm telling you. Some of these young guys that are coming along are going to make old men out of these 25-year-olds.

Q. How are you going to drive with a Batman cape on?

MARK MARTIN

It works well in the car, believe it or not. As long as it doesn't get up in my eyes, I'll be fine.

Q. You keep saying these young guys, these young guys. What about the young women? You get to see a lot of grass-roots racing because of Matt. You've probably seen a lot more girls in the cars than you did in the days when you were racing. What is the potential for a woman to make it in Winston Cup after this whole Danica explosion that we've experienced in the last month?

MARK MARTIN

I think it's going to happen. I just don't know when and where. You know, obviously Danica has been able to breathe new life into IndyCar racing. I think that's fantastic. Although NASCAR's not gasping for air right now, you know, when it happens to NASCAR, it's going to breathe some more new life into NASCAR, too.

You know, there's nothing and never has been anything stopping it from happening. We just haven't had our Danica Patrick lately. You know, that just hasn't happened to NASCAR, that's all.

Q. Has the equipment stopped it from happening? I've yet to see a woman in the NASCAR ranks have the type of equipment that would give her a fighting chance against the boys.

MARK MARTIN

Well, they have to earn the equipment, just like all the rest of us have. And Danica has earned her equipment and her opportunity. Didn't just materialize out of air. She earned it one piece at a time, starting at 10 years old. And that will have to happen to the NASCAR driver as well.

Q. Have you seen a lot more girls around Matt's age coming up through the ranks than you've ever seen in the past?

MARK MARTIN

I've seen some girls coming up through quarter midget racing and all that were outstanding and were as good on a national level as any of these guys. But, you know, what happens is along the way there's not nearly as many girls as there are boys, and along the way a certain percentage of the girls and a certain percentage of the boys get distracted and, you know, don't wind up fulfilling their potential, so it doesn't happen. But that happens to boys and girls.

Q. Mark Martin Day tomorrow in Daytona, official proclamation. Can you talk about that a little bit?

MARK MARTIN

Yeah, it's kind of weird because, gosh, I hadn't ever -- you know, if you asked me, I had never done anything at Daytona (laughter). It's cool. I remember coming down here in 1973 and '4 as a young teenager and thinking that Daytona Beach was the coolest place on earth. I can't believe that not only do I live here but, you know, somebody thinks enough of me to give me the honor.

Q. Really the Pepsi 400 is a starting point for the second half of the season. It will be first track where you're going to be in your last race with the Pepsi 400. Have you thought about that at all?

MARK MARTIN

I sure haven't. I know kind of where you're going with asking the question, you know, because I've been asked the questions a lot this year. Possibly when we get into the last time at some of these racetracks, maybe it will trigger something in my mind and I'll realize it. But so far, when we went to Vegas, I never thought about "This is the last time I'm going to race here in a Cup car." I'm just really not concerned about all that.

I am really, really busy. I've never been so busy in all my life. I barely have time to eat, sleep or do anything else that's essential. We're working real hard at the Salute to You tour and doing some cool stuff with the fans and taking care of our great sponsors and, first and foremost, trying to keep our eye on the target performance-wise with this race team.

Q. As a competitor, can you give me sort of a brief description about the differences between the Daytona 500 and the Pepsi 400, how they feel, what you have to go through?

MARK MARTIN

You know, I've never really differentiated that much between the two because you still have the same challenges either race. The 500 is seemingly a very long race, almost a marathon. It's a tough race to seem to run all day and finish without events. You know, it seems to be a very eventful race mechanically and accident-wise and everything else, whereas the July race is a little more straightforward, you know, a little bit more normal feeling race.

Q. Has the attitude towards women in NASCAR changed? I think before not only didn't they have the equipment, but nobody I think wanted to give them the equipment. Now there's sort of this bracing of women and an effort to promote women. Has the attitude changed, and if so, why?

MARK MARTIN

First of all, you missed the mark on a couple things there. The statement you made that no one wanted to give them equipment, that's not true. That is not true. When you're Danica Patrick and you're 10 years old and are standing next to another 10-year-old and you're go-kart racing or quarter midget racing, that's your opportunity. And if you go out there and you win, win, win, you have to do that. Every boy that is in NASCAR today did that. They went and they won and they won and they won and they made their opportunities. The same goes for the females. You know, they have to do the same thing.

It is just not -- there haven't been the stand-outs, you know, have not been there all the way through the ranks, all the way up until their mid 20s. In the old days, they had to race till they were 30 before you'd ever get a shot at NASCAR. Now you're getting a shot at late teens or early 20s, and people are taking notice.

That's one of the things that has helped, I think, you know, along with the sponsorships that are out there today. You can make a great package. I mean, just look at Danica and her success. That could be done in NASCAR. That can be done in Formula One, for crying out loud. Can you imagine the stir? I mean, that would be so cool. That thought just came to my mind.

There's no physical reason why it can't happen, and there's also no reason why it won't happen. It just takes the right person with the right tools, with the right drive, with no distractions, being in the right place at the right time to get the opportunity and, bam, it could happen.

Q. The sponsorship with the movie, in other sports it seems like fans suffer sponsorship. They change the Fiesta Bowl to the name of a title sponsor Fiesta Bowl. In NASCAR, it's more embraced when a sponsor shows up and pours money in. Why is that different?

MARK MARTIN

Let me tell you, I'm not very bright, but let me tell you my analogy on that. There was football before the Fiesta Bowl. See, and the fans don't feel that a sponsor for the Bowl is really necessary, the old school. The new guys don't care. The new fans, heck, they grew up, that's the way it is. Who cares? To them - this is my opinion now - to the old-school people, they feel, you know, resentful toward that.

In racing, it's different. It can't happen without sponsors. And it wasn't anything like it is today when we had much smaller sponsors. So the race fan understands that it is absolutely critical to have those sponsors for the races as well as for the teams and everything because we can't make it on television revenue. We can't even come close, you know, to racing on the revenues from television or on the revenues from ticket sales and television. You couldn't even come close.

So it's a real different adventure comparing the two.

Q. Do you have any idea this past weekend what was shredding everybody's tires?

MARK MARTIN

This is not new. We had the same problem at Indy, if you'll recall back. In fact, I was running fourth, and they had a green/white checkered and my left front blew out on the last lap and I went from fourth to 27th. And there were a lot of left fronts that blew out at Indy. This is the only racetrack that is similar in a lot of ways to Indy.

We were totally confused about the Indy thing. But I'm not even a bit surprised about the Poconos race with this after seeing what happened with Indy. You're talking about a combination of huge right rear springs, big camber settings on the left front, and low air pressures, and no way to identify what it is. We still don't know is it really camber? Is it really air pressure? Is it really the right rear spring? Is it all of them together? If it's all of them together, how much do the guys that blew out have to back off in order to not blow left fronts out?

It's more difficult than right front tires. You know, when you blow a right front tire out, it's air pressure or camber, that's all, you know, you figure. And so you take -- you put some air in it and you take some camber out. Well, it's not as clear-cut on the left front because you don't really know what of the three things it really is and what of the three things will really help it.

So it's a little bit harder to determine and it's also harder for the teams to fix their problems.

Q. Rusty has talked a lot about next year, he's going to be helping his son's racing career. How is your son's racing doing? How involved do you plan to be?

MARK MARTIN

I don't plan to be deeply involved in his racing next year. I will help him. But, you know, it is -- it's not the focus of my life. The focus of my life is to be a great dad and to support him in whatever way he wants. If the focus of his life was to race, and he came to me, you know, with needing my help, then I'd turn the world upside down for him.

But, you know, we're just having fun. He's 13 years old. And something that I think is incredibly important is for him to be a kid, for him to be 13 years old. And next year he's 14, and I want him to be 14. I want him to have the opportunity to have a childhood and to be a teenager without having to make a lifelong commitment at 13 years old and, you know, never have an opportunity to enjoy being a young man.

So I will help him do whatever it is, no matter what that might be.

Q. You were talking about all the young guys in the sport today. How are the discussions coming on who's going to be in the 6 car? Anywhere close to making an announcement?

MARK MARTIN

To be real honest with you, there's been more discussions on that than I've been included in, so I don't really know. I can't really answer your question. I don't really know where they're at right now because they've been working on it and I've been real busy and haven't had a chance to be involved in that.

Q. Nothing that can convince you to be that guy?

MARK MARTIN

No. I won't do it. I'm sorry. I know I've disappointed some people, especially Jack Roush. But I've made my decision. You know, I made that commitment when I was 15 that I was speaking about to you before. I don't regret it. I've had a great career, more success than I could have ever dreamed of. But before it's too late, I'm going to start having fun.

Q. You said it today, and I know you are a fan of the young talent, it was nice to see you going over to Kyle after Dover, but that's the kind of guy you are. Could you give us some short takes or impressions on three guys in particular, Carl, Kyle Busch and Brian Vickers, just your impressions?

MARK MARTIN

They're all really, really tremendous race car drivers. Very fine young men. Just spectacular. It's guys like that that are putting Mark Martin and Rusty Wallace -- I shouldn't speak for Rusty. It's guys like that that are putting me out of business. They're fantastic.

I would like to say to everybody, Joey Logano turned 15 three weeks ago, and in his very second Hooter's Pro Cup race he qualified sixth and won the race. Like I say, I think Joey Logano is going to be pushing those guys toward going out of business in 10 years.

Q. I wondered about Joey and the 6 car.

MARK MARTIN

I would put him in that car in a heartbeat. I'm tell you, he's ready. He's good enough to do it.

Q. I wonder if he has a sister. What are you going to do if you win this title? Are you going to defend it?

MARK MARTIN

No.

Q. Unbelievable.

MARK MARTIN

I would really, really enjoy -- you know, not that I'm a guy who likes to, you know, commit practical jokes or anything like that, but I would really enjoy messing everybody up, NASCAR and NEXTEL, by winning their championship and not coming back (laughter). That would be the coolest thing.

Q. Are you absolutely serious?

MARK MARTIN

I'm serious as a heart attack.

Q. About your venture into the Truck Series next year. Next week they're at Milwaukee, a track that the Cup Series doesn't race on. Which track that the Cup Series doesn't run on are you most looking forward to getting a chance to run on?

MARK MARTIN

You know what, I hadn't thought about that. That's a good point, Milwaukee would certainly be one of them. That was -- in ASA, that was our Daytona 500, going to Milwaukee, our Daytona Speedway. That's probably the one that comes most to mind when I think of that.

But, you know, I think it's just going to be a ball. I really look forward to it, just the whole Truck Series. I'm really excited about it and excited about 2006.

Q. Has there been any talks about you maybe doing a race or two this year at all at a track that maybe the Cup Series is running the same weekend or are you going to wait till next year?

MARK MARTIN

Well, not that I'm making an official announcement, but it is our plan to run Homestead, which would be Truck, Busch and Cup all at Homestead, you know, wrapping up that weekend. So that is our plan right now, to run the Truck at Homestead.

Q. This past weekend, exactly what did that victory at Pocono mean to Jack Roush Racing?

MARK MARTIN

Well, you know, gosh, with all the success that Roush Racing has had, that's one that hasn't worked out. Jeff Burton has been a spectacular driver at Pocono with Roush Racing, and Ted Musgrave, as well. Just never had worked out. Now they've just added one more success to the record.

Q. Is the thrill as big now as it was when you first started, when you were in contention for the Chase for the Championship? You're fifth in the standings. Is the thrill still the same when you're that high in the standings?

MARK MARTIN

Oh, I'm so cautious to guard myself from brokenheartedness that, you know, I still look at it like I'm not going to make it. That's the way I preserve myself.

I'm very concerned about making it because of the competition. I know that we're just one or two more wrecks and a blown motor away from missing the cut. And those things I can't control, see. If I could control all those things, then we'd be in, we'd make it no problem.

Q. Do the point standings make you think about that more, your past times?

MARK MARTIN

Coming close is a good thing, not a bad thing (laughter).

Q. Are you definitely doing the Truck Series next year?

MARK MARTIN

I haven't officially announced that, but that is what I want to do, and that is what I plan on doing. But, I mean, I haven't announced it. So therefore if I didn't -- somebody couldn't say, "You said you were going to and you didn't." I can't do that yet. I will make an announcement officially when we sign a sponsor and a partner for the thing. But, you know, it is my intention to race the Truck for Jack Roush on a full schedule.

Q. Last week here at Texas Motor Speedway Dan Wheldon kind of fired a warning shot at NASCAR, saying the series has tremendous momentum, the quality of racing has really improved. He kind of said, "NASCAR, watch out, boys. Here we come." Do you see anything, IRL or anybody, being a threat to NASCAR as far as fans, sponsors, any of that?

MARK MARTIN

Well, I think that the comment that Dan made there was just, you know, a reaction to being bombarded and pressured after winning the Indy 500. Not being there, I couldn't say for sure, but I would assume that it came after being wore down.

Obviously the IRL has momentum, especially with Danica Patrick and all the exposure that that's brought to them. That's breathed some new life into IndyCar racing that just wasn't there before. They have great racing on those particular racetracks, like Texas and all.

So they certainly are on the upswing. I don't think they're going to put NASCAR out of business.

Q. Jamie McMurray was on a show last night saying that he can see the writing on the wall, that he's 29 years old and he doesn't see himself being in anywhere close to the length of time that you have been in the sport. How do you see the evolution changing? Do you think there will be a place for veterans down the road or is that like a pipe dream because of the commitment?

MARK MARTIN

I don't think a lot of veterans are going to want to run the full Cup schedule at 50 years old, you know, in the far future, number one. And I think that it would take a spectacular veteran to pull it off in the far future because of the pressure that will be put on to perform against youth.

Q. You talked about being too busy to be reflective this season. Do you think being reflective or sentimental too much would make you unfocused?

MARK MARTIN

You know, gosh, I don't know. For some weird reason, all that just hasn't existed in my world yet. I'm a guy that always looks at the target, and all that just really doesn't have much to do with the real target. At the same time I am very proud of the success I've had. I am building a museum at my new Ford dealership in Arkansas, in my hometown, to display all of that, to sort of share that with the world, with the race fans, put it that way.

I don't want to keep going because this is the time for me. But at times I wish that I was 15 years younger, you know, and at this point in my life. But who doesn't? You know, so the reality of it is that it is time. The reality isn't that I can't do it any more; it's that I choose this time, you know, so I can get out with my dignity and pride rather than hang on by a thread as long as I possibly can.

Q. Has it not really been that hard to treat this year just like it's any other season?

MARK MARTIN

I think the reason that I'm able to come to terms with this so much is because it's by my choice, you know. It's not like, well, I'm having to drop down the scale of competitive cars in order to keep going. I've chose -- this is my choice. I haven't been forced into this position. That evidently must make it easier for me.

Q. Off-the-wall question. The TV show FX 360, what was that like to be filmed in its reality form? Have you watched it?

MARK MARTIN

I've watched the rough cuts of it. I haven't watched the program, but I know what's on because I saw the rough cut. We do get editing rights.

It was not as intrusive as I expected. Made really great friends with the crew, really friends. Was slightly uncomfortable at times, but very little. And that had to do with, you know, my being -- maybe getting embarrassed, you know, that I went somewhere and had TV cameras following me, let's say, going to the dentist, for example. You know, it was embarrassing because I don't like -- I get embarrassed about -- you know, if I'd had been standing there, I'd be saying, "He thinks he's big, look at him, got them cameras following him everywhere." Know what I mean?

For the most part, it was much less intrusive than I expected and made great friends with the crew.

Q. I know you like your privacy. When I saw your name was going to be listed on this season's event, I was a little surprised.

MARK MARTIN

It was a part of the salute. That's part of it. I absolutely turned it down last year. If I had signed a new contract, I certainly would have turned it down this year. But it was important to me. I felt like it was an opportunity to show my fans to get to know me a little bit better yet. So that's why we did it. I'm really happy with the show. I think it turned out well.

DANIEL PASSE

Thank you very much. Thank you, Mark, so much for joining us. Best of luck in Michigan. Thank you, everybody, for participating.

2005 Mark Martin Track Notes - Michigan International Speedway - June 19, 2005
Batman Begins 400 - Michigan International Speedway
#6 Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Ford Taurus
June 14, 2005

DRIVER: Mark Martin

TEAM: No. (6) Viagra® Ford Taurus

OWNER: Jack Roush

CREW CHIEF: Pat Tryson

2004 EVENT WINNER: Ryan Newman

MARK MARTIN - 2004 EVENT

JUNE 20, 2004 - Michigan International Speedway
DHL 400 - Started 15th, Finished 34th

Martin was amongst the field's fastest cars in both of Saturday's practice sessions and the team's hopes were high going into the race. In the end, the No. 6 Ford would prove to be one of the fastest cars in the race, but a failed transmission at the start of the race would prove to end any chances the team had at a top finish. Seconds after the green-flag dropped, Martin was off the pace and radioed his team that the car would not go. After making it around the track for one lap, the team came into the garage and used quick work to replace the transmission, but Martin would be 18 laps down, in 43rd place and out of contention when he returned to the race on lap 43. Martin was one of the fastest cars on the track all race, but finished in 34th place.

IN THE POINTS

Martin's seventh-place run at Pocono moved him into fifth in the Nextel Cup point standings. He is currently 25 points behind fourth and 328 points out of first.

MARKMARTINSALUTE.COM

Mark Martin will make his final run at the Nextel Cup title in 2005. Martin has dubbed 2005 as his "Salute to You" tour, a year in which he hopes to take the time to thank each and everyone that he feels played a role in his success, including team members, fans, NASCAR and the media.

MARTIN TAKES BATMOBILE BACK TO MICHIGAN

After a strong run and a seventh-place finish at Pocono last weekend, Martin will return to Michigan International Speedway, where he will once again carry the colors of the 'Caped Crusader' on this No. 6 Ford. Martin finished second at Michigan last fall and he will look to improve on that by one spot this weekend, when he looks for his fifth win at the two-mile speedway.

THE CAR

Chassis Number: (RK-231) - The team will run RK-231 at Michigan. RK-231 ran to a third place finish two weeks ago at Dover. The car also finished fourth at Darlington and seventh at Fontana this season.

THE BATMOBILE RETURNS

Martin will run RK-231 this weekend at Michigan. RK-231 has been the strongest car in the stable this season, posting a third place finish at Dover two weeks ago and a fourth place at Darlington in May. The car also finished seventh at Fontana in Feb., and posted several clutch runs down the stretch in 2004, including a second-place finish at Michigan last year while running the special Justice League Batman paint scheme, where it earned the nickname of the Batmobile.

HOLY HORSE POWER BATMAN - MARTIN TO RUN BATMAN BEGINS PAINT SCHEME

Martin will run a special Batman Begins paint scheme at Michigan this weekend. Martin has a history with the Caped Crusader at MIS, where he finished second last fall running a special Batman Justice League Paint scheme.

WORTHY NOTE

Martin's 25 top-10 finishes at at Michigan are the most of any active driver.

AT MICHIGAN

Starts: 38 (19)
Wins: 4 (1)
Top 5's: 14 (9)
Top 10's: 25 (12)
Poles: 1 (1)
Highest finish: 1st (4 times)
First time: 6/20/82 (33rd)
Last time: 8/22/04 (2nd)
6/20/04 (34th)

MARTIN AT MICHIGAN

This will be Martin's 39th run at MIS, where he boasts four wins, 14 top fives, 25 top 10's and a pole.

WINNING AT MICHIGAN

Martin boasts four wins at Michigan International Speedway, where he first won on August 19, 1990. Martin has won three more times at MIS, with the last trip to victory lane coming on June 14, 1998.

MARK MARTIN FAST FACTS - MICHIGAN

• Martin's 25 top-10 finishes at Michigan are the most of any active driver.
• Martin has four wins at Michigan in the Cup car, the third most of any active driver.
• Martin has led 21 races at Michgan for a total of 841 laps, including 46 laps led there last fall.
• Martin has finished in the top 10 in five of his last seven at Michgain.
• Martin boasts two Busch wins at Michigan.
• Martin finished second at Michigan last fall.

QUOTING MARK MARTIN AND CREW CHIEF PAT TRYSON - MICHIGAN

Mark Martin on Michigan:

"I can't wait to get up to Michigan. Michigan is a great track, where if you have a good car you can really pass some people. We were really good there last fall and had one of the cars to beat. We had a problem in the pits that hurt us late, but we rebounded and came back to finish second, so we are excited about going back up there and hopefully closing the deal.

"We'll be running a Batman Begins paint scheme for the race and that should be a lot of fun. Everyone knows that we had a lot of success there last year with the Batman cars in both the Busch and Cup races, so hopefully we'll be able to take the "Batmobile" to victory lane this weekend."

Pat Tryson on Michigan:

"Michigan is a great track for Mark. We are taking the same car that ran there last fall and we are pretty excited about going back there weekend. We had a great run there, with a second place finish and we'd like nothing better than to get a win this time. Mark has a great record at MIS, so it'll just be up to us to give him what he needs to put that car into victory circle."

Sports: Martin's protege a winner at just 15
By Times Staff
St. Petersburg Times
June 14, 2005

Mark Martin was waxing about the future of NASCAR in general and his No.6 Ford in particular last week when someone asked whom he would like to see replace him when he retires from Nextel Cup racing after this season.

Martin left many nodding knowingly - they were faking - by naming someone he considers one of the best young drivers in America: Joey Logano.

Martin's sleeper is not secret anymore. But he certainly gets credit for being well ahead of the curve.

Logano, 15, became the youngest ever to win a USAR Hooters Pro Cup event on Sunday when he won a 250-lap Northern Division race at Mansfield (Ohio) Motorsports Speedway.

"I really didn't plan on winning this soon," said Logano, who held off series veteran Mardy Lindley in a green-white-checker finish. "I thought we might be able to win a race this year sometime, but I never thought it would be in the second race that I ever ran."

The series produced NASCAR driver Brian Vickers , who held the record as youngest winner (16).

After the race, Logano took a congratulatory call from Martin, who said Logano is "already ready" to race in Nextel Cup.

"That was cool," Logano said.

Another good call by Martin.