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

NASCAR's Mark Martin
2006 Season Articles - September

2006 Mark Martin Nextel Cup Track Notes - Sunday, October 1, 2006
Banquet 400 / Kansas Speedway
No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion
September 28, 2006
DRIVER: Mark Martin
TEAM: No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion
OWNER: Jack Roush
CREW CHIEF: Pat Tryson
THE CAR
Chassis: RK-381: RK-381 has posted top-five finishes at Indy and Michigan (August). It finished 12th at Fontana last month in its last run.
MARK MARTIN - FAST FACTS - KANSAS

Mark Martin won the Cup race at Kansas last season, leading 139 laps en route to the dominating victory.

Martin finished sixth at the inaugural Kansas Cup race in 2001.

Martin has a 14.4 average finish in five races at Kansas.

Martin has won 13 races, and posted 68 top five and 109 top-10 finishes at the remaining eight Chase tracks.

Martin has won at seven of the eight remaining 'Chase' tracks.

Martin is one of only three drivers to make this 'Chase' in each of its first three seasons.

QUOTING MARK MARTIN AND CREW CHIEF PAT TRYSON ON RACING AT KANSAS SPEEDWAY
Mark Martin:
"We are excited about going back to Kansas. It's cut out of the mold of the 1.5-mile tracks that have really been our bread and butter over the years. Obviously, we were able to get the win there last year in the Chase and that was really a big win for this team. We were able to take two tires early and get out front in the lead and never really look back. Hopefully, we'll be able to go there and find that kind of formula for speed again and hopefully, we can take this No. 6 car back to victory lane."
"We were pretty good at Dover and it was a good effort by the AAA team, but we were running in the top five and got caught off pit sequence with that caution and we just weren't quite good enough to come back from that. We would have been okay and we ended up with an okay finish, but it could have been better had we not gotten caught a lap down with the caution."
Pat Tryson:
"Obviously Kansas is a special track for this team, as we were able to go there and help Mark get the win last season. It's one of the types of tracks where we really excel and we are excited about going back there this weekend. We are taking one of our favorite cars (RK-381) and hopefully we'll be able to give Mark the right set up to go out and get another win there."

Martin looks to repeat at Kansas
Sitting in sixth, Martin/AAA team hope to propel themselves forward with strong Kansas run
CONCORD, N.C.(Sept. 27, 2006) – Last year Mark Martin used a two-tire pit strategy to take the lead on lap 127 at Kansas and he never looked back. Martin went on to lead 139 of the race’s remaining 141 laps en route to his 35th career Nextel Cup victory. This weekend Martin goes into Kansas in sixth position in the point standings, 75 points outside of first and looking for a solid top-five finish – and perhaps another win – to propel him and the No. 6 AAA team back into championship contention.
“We are excited about going back to Kansas,” said Martin. “We had a great run there last year. Pat (Tryson) made a great call and then gave me a good enough car to stay up front and we went on to earn a big win. I’ve been around long enough to know that doesn’t mean we’ll run the same way this year, but we are excited about going back there and hopefully we can find a way to run up front again and maybe even contend for the win.”
Like the Nextel circuit, Martin’s history as Kansas Speedway is relatively short. He finished sixth there in the inaugural race in 2001, but didn’t finish inside the top 10 there again until last season’s breakout win. However Martin is no stranger to the Midwest racing scene, having cut his teeth on several of the small tracks around the area.
In addition, Kansas Speedway is built from the mold of the tracks that Martin and the No. 6 team have excelled on for years.
“The 1.5-mile style tracks have really been our bread and butter over the years,” said Martin. “We had a lot of success at those types of tracks and they do really suit my style of driving. We haven’t been great at a lot of the tracks this season, where we usually run well, but we’ve been spot on at others. I think this week, if we can get the right setup in the car, we should be a team to contend with.”
Martin is one of two Roush drivers inside the top six and vying for the championship. Fellow teammate and 2003 Cup Champion Matt Kenseth currently sits in second, just a couple of points behind leader and former Roush teammate Jeff Burton.
With eight races remaining in the Chase, Martin boasts 13 wins, 68 top fives and 109 top-10 finishes at the remaining Chase tracks. Martin has a 14.4 average finish at Kansas, where he has two top-10 finishes in five starts.
Roush Racing is a subsidiary of Livonia, Mich., based Roush Enterprises that operates 14 motorsports teams; five in NASCAR NEXTEL Cup with drivers Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards, six in the Busch Series with Martin, Kenseth, Biffle, Edwards, Todd Kluever and Danny O'Quinn, Jr., and three in the Craftsman Truck Series with Martin, David Ragan, Erik Darnell and Michel Jourdain, Jr.

Chase Focus - Kansas - Mark Martin defends last Cup win
September 26, 2006
Mark Martin, driver of the No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion, is the defending race winner at Kansas Speedway, site of this weekend’s NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race on Sunday afternoon. Martin recently spoke about returning to the Midwest.
MARK MARTIN – No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion
YOUR LAST WIN CAME AT KANSAS LAST YEAR.
“We really ran good there last year and we’ve been pretty strong on a lot of the mile-and-a-half tracks this year, so our program is pretty strong right now. Even though that doesn’t quite qualify as my old stomping grounds, it’s pretty close – closer than a lot of places. I did do some racing at I-70 Speedway in Springfield, Missouri, and there are a lot of fans that get charged up there that don’t get to a lot of the other races that saw me race in the 70s up in that area. There’s always a lot of excitement and enthusiasm from them, so it’s something I look forward to."
HOW HAS THAT TRACK COME AROUND?
“It’s gotten really good. As most race tracks do with fresh pavement, they start off leaving a little bit to be desired and it doesn’t anymore. It’s really awesome and if they’ll keep the paving rig away from that place for a while, it’s gonna be a great place to race for a long time.”
ARE YOU GOING TO BE BUSIER OFF THE TRACK OR ON THE TRACK THESE NEXT FEW WEEKS?
“I have been incredibly busy, but my next couple of weeks are not as intense as the past couple have been and that’s a good thing. I’m gonna get to spend a little bit of time in Arkansas and I’m excited about the things I’m gonna be doing off the race track. The events coming up are pretty exciting for me, so I’m looking forward to on and off the track stuff for the next few weeks.”

ARTICLE: Four-time runner-up Martin looking on sunny side
By Dustin Long
The Virginian-Pilot
September 27, 2006
DOVER, Del. - Start with the walk.
Many older drivers limp, a reminder of when concrete walls weren't padded, cars weren't cushioned, and broken bones were hardly uncommon.
Mark Martin used to wince when he walked. So did those who saw him. His back was crooked; his arms and legs swung at odd angles.
Surgery and stretching straightened most of Martin's physical woes. The 47-year-old still limps and owns a slight shuffle, but it's nothing like his former gait.
That's not his only change.
Stung by a friend's comment that he was too negative, Martin vowed to alter his attitude this season. He would no longer be the dour driver who worried as much as he celebrated after victories. He would project a more positive attitude. Or at least try.
It's not easy to shed a mind-set fueled by the fear of failure.
Then again, why should it be easy during this title Chase? Life hasn't always been easy for Martin, who will go into Sunday's race at Kansas sixth in the standings, 75 points behind series leader Jeff Burton.
Martin battled a drinking problem during the 1980s, auctioned his racing equipment to pay debts in 1983 and mourned his father's death eight years ago.
"He's seen things other people haven't seen in terms of disappointment," says friend and former crew chief Steve Hmiel. Martin also has faced other challenges.
Four times he has finished second to the Cup champion without winning NASCAR's top prize. His points total in 1998 would have won the championship in any of the previous 20 seasons, but Jeff Gordon's record-breaking year left Martin second. Martin lost the 1990 title by 26 points to Dale Earnhardt. Car owner Jack Roush still rues a 46-point penalty NASCAR issued Martin's team that season for an engine piece that Roush said series officials had approved.
"I want Mark to win the championship so bad, I can't see straight," Kyle Petty said. "I don't want Mark to be remembered... as the greatest driver never to win a championship, because he's such a great race-car driver."
The setbacks on and off the track hardened Martin. He appreciated the good times but ironically, success sometimes only increased the specter of failure. The higher he rose, the further he could fall. That's how the pessimist in him saw it.
So he raced and worked, harder and harder. Yet, distress and defeat were never far from his side.
It was his way of protecting himself, he admits.
"I can't be like Rusty Wallace," Martin said. "Rusty Wallace said before every race he ever drove, 'I'm going to win.' That would break my heart because if I said that, I would believe it."
Although Martin has not won a Cup race this season - he does have four victories in nine Truck races this year - he's learning to relax.
The change came late last season, when Kenny Wallace, who has known Martin for years, called his friend a pessimist on a television program.
"I was just so mad at him for being so upset because he's got (a talent) that most people would give their life for," Wallace said. "I just really felt from the bottom of my heart that Mark was really being unfair to himself."
Martin, who ranks 17th on NASCAR's all-time victory list with 35 Cup wins, was struck by Wallace's comment.
"I said, 'I'm done with that,' " Martin said of his outlook.
He has tried, but the fear returned before the season began at Daytona. Martin said he didn't know what to expect and that he was "very concerned that (this) might be a tough year for me to meet it with the kind of fire that I needed to, but I think by the time we left Daytona... I think we had found it."
The confidence fueled an early surge, and he reached second in the standings after Martinsville in April. Martin talked more about running well and winning without using the requisite qualifiers of "if this happens" or "if that happens."
A midseason slump muted his good vibes. Two races before NASCAR's championship Chase began, he was in the final transfer spot. A 12th-place finish at California and a fifth-place run at Richmond assured him a spot in the Chase for the third consecutive year. Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth are the only other drivers to make the Chase all three years.
Martin wouldn't be a part of that group had he not rallied from 192 points back with seven races left to make the 2004 Chase. That wore him down. This year's run, he admits, felt similar.
"This was horrendous," Martin said of making this year's Chase. "Any time there's an opportunity there, you just can't stand to let it slip. Our competition was so steep. Unless I reached down and found some more, we were going to lose out."
That kind of determination help s the 135-pound Martin motivate his team. They see this withered-looking driver - lines are etched deep in his cheeks and forehead - doing all he can, and it's hard not to do the same.
"He's just a little ball of talent," Hmiel said. "He's grown into being a really nice person and a really good race-car driver, and he doesn't have a lot of airs about him. What you want to do is please Mark... because you know he's giving all he can give."
That formula, and a bit of luck, could help Martin challenge for the championship. But can the new-age Martin remain upbeat during the pressure of a title chase?
That's asking a lot. He'll try.
"I'm going to drive the fool out of that race car, but I am not going to lay awake at night these last 10 races," Martin said before Sunday's race at Dover. "This is the last 10 races after 19 years, and I've laid awake at night most of those races and I'm not going to do it.
"We're right on the verge of greatness. I'm very proud of what we've been able to accomplish, and I'm not going to let it get me down if it doesn't work out."

Mark Martin Post Race Notes and Quotes - Dover 400
Ford Racing: News
September 24, 2006
MARK MARTIN -- No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion (Finished 14th)
"We were a touch off, so when it happened we were not able to recover. It would have taken us longer to recover than it would have if we had been just a little quicker. We were just a whisker off and we were gonna get away with that until we got a lap down on that pit sequence. That's two races where we ran better than we finished, but we haven't had a disastrous finish. If we can go to Talladega and not wreck, we'd make all of that back up."

Martin Finishes 14th at Dover; Remains Sixth in Point Standings
Untimely caution, costs Martin, No. 6 AAA Team shot at Monster Mile top-five
Mark Martin and the #6 AAA Ford Fusion Racing Team
Dover International Speedway/September 24, 2006
“It really was a good effort by this No. 6 AAA Team…We just weren’t quite good enough to come back from going a lap down on that caution." - Mark Martin after Sunday’s 14th-place run at Dover
DOVER, DEL. – Mark Martin and the No. 6 AAA Race Team fell victim to an untimely caution on lap 297 of Sunday’s Dover 400. Martin had been running inside the top-five, but found himself trapped a lap down and in 18th position after the caution. Martin would be able to fight his way back to 14th position, but he would be unable to gain the lap back, having to settle for a top-15 finish in the second of 10 races in the Nextel Chase for the Cup.
“It really was a good effort by this No. 6 AAA Team,” said Martin. “The car was pretty good and we were able to get up to the front on some strategy. Once we got there we were able to run pretty well and even pull away a bit. But, when we had that caution catch us a lap down, we just weren’t able to recover.”
“We were a touch off, so when it (the caution) happened we were not able to recover,” added Martin. “It would have taken us longer to recover than it would have if we had been just a little quicker. We were just a whisker off and we were going get away with that until we got a lap down on that pit sequence. That’s two races where we ran better than we finished, but we haven’t had a disastrous finish. If we can go to Talladega and not wreck, we’d make all of that back up.”
Marin and crew chief Pat Tryson opted to stay out under caution on lap 204 and used the strategy to move into the top five to fourth when the field went green on lap 213. Martin would run inside the top five for the proceeding 73 laps, climbing to as high as third as the top-five pulled away from the rest of the field. Martin came down pit road under green for four tires and fuel on lap 286 and after a 13.86-second returned to the field in 22nd, as they waited for the remainder of the field to cycle through its stops. However, the caution would wave just 11 laps later, putting Martin’s No. 6 Ford a lap down and ending his shot at a top-five finish.
Martin would spend the remainder of the race fighting for the lucky dog position as the first car one lap down. However, the race would see only one more caution and Martin would be unable to regain his spot on the lead lap, having to settle for the 14th-place finish. Several other ‘Chase’ competitors experienced problems, and Martin retained his sixth-place position in the point standings, remaining 75 points behind first place.
Martin started the race seventh after a top-10 qualifying effort on Friday and moved up to sixth by lap 11. However, as would be the case for most of the race, the No. 6 Ford Fusion would start out handling loosely before becoming extremely tight over the course of the run. Battling the tight conditions of the car, Martin fell back as far as 24th by lap 67. Martin was able to rebound and move back inside the top 15 by lap 125. The team used a 13.3-second stop under caution on lap 166 to move up to 12th position when the field went green on lap 169. Three laps later Martin powered his way into 11th position, before the car once again became too tight over the long run.
The team delivered its fastest stop of the day with a 12.67-second four-tire stop under caution on lap 186, that preserved Martin’s place inside the top 15 despite that fact that several cars either stayed out or opted for two tires only. Caution number eight was called on lap 204, setting up the team’s strategy to stay out for track position, as Martin returned in fourth and was able to remain in the top-five and pull away from the field, before coming into the pits for tires and fuel under green on lap 286, setting up the final scenario.
With eight races remaining in the 10-race ‘Chase’ to decide the 2006 Nextel Cup Champion, Martin is currently in sixth place; 75 points behind first place. Martin trails fifth place by 21 points and his only 57 points behind third. He lead 10th by 149 points and seventh by 27.
Roush Racing is a subsidiary of Livonia, Mich., based Roush Enterprises which operates 14 motorsports teams; five in NASCAR Nextel Cup with drivers Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards, six in the Busch Series with Martin, Kenseth, Biffle, Edwards, Todd Kluever and Danny O'Quinn, Jr., and two in the Craftsman Truck Series with Martin, David Ragan, Michel Jourdain, Jr. and Erik Darnell.

Mark Martin Post Qualifying Notes and Quotes - Dover
Ford Racing: News
September 22, 2006
MARK MARTIN -- No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion (Qualified 9th)
"The car drove good in mock qualifying and it drove good in qualifying. I didn't get a perfect turn one, but that didn't cost us much because the car was good enough and drove good enough that it seemed to be happy to recover from that. I think it's a great starting spot. I'm very pleased. Anytime we qualify in the top 10 we're gonna race good. We feel real confident in how we're gonna race and now we don't have a terrible starting spot to have to deal with, so we're off to a good start this weekend. There have been a lot of smiles around our camp today."

Mark Martin - Friday, September 22, 2006 Interview
Ford Racing: News
September 22, 2006
Mark Martin, driver of the No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion, has four NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series wins at Dover International Speedway, including three straight fall race triumphs from 1997-99. Martin spoke about the second week of the chase as part of the weekly Nextel Wake-Up Call.
MARK MARTIN -- No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion
"It's awesome. It's obviously one of my favorite places to race. It always has been. The stats don't show near the performance that we've had. I can remember coming up here, out of the first 15 times I came up here, at least half of the time we blew a tire out and piled the wall while we were running really good. So there's been so many times when wins or top fives were foiled by tires blowing out, so it doesn't even show how well we've run here over the past and how much I love this place."
AS A COMPETITOR AND TEAMMATE, CAN YOU RATE THE YOUNG GUYS COMPETING FOR THE 6 CAR NEXT YEAR?
"That's a hot potato isn't it? I wasn't prepared for that one. I thought we were gonna talk about racing here. We have some bright, young talent at Roush Racing and we've spent some time evaluating and choosing these guys. The final decision to be made will be made by Jack and the folks at Roush Racing and by AAA. That's really as far as I need to go with it because I've been focused on making the chase and now I'm focused on trying to make the most of the chase and have a good time while doing so, so I really haven't been very involved. I'm a big fan of Todd Kluever's. I'm a big fan of David Ragan. I'm a huge fan of Danny O'Quinn and Erik Darnell has quietly gone to work everyday and done a real nice job, so they're all fine drivers and great young talent."
JEFF BURTON SAID IF SOMEONE PLANTED THE STORY ABOUT RCR'S BAD WHEELS THAT IT WAS UNETHICAL. IS IT OK FOR DRIVERS AND TEAMS TO PLAY MINDGAMES?
"Let me just first say it sounded to me like you all made Jeff mad. When I got here he was doing a real nice job of straightening that situation out. Let me tell you what happens in racing, and it doesn't just happen in NASCAR racing, it happens everywhere in racing. I've been racing a long time and only two-thirds of my career has been in NASCAR. Whenever you're doing an incredibly good job, like almost dominating, people don't understand how you can be doing that without going around the rules. And, by the way, all competitors do the best they can to either work in the gray areas or get around the rules, so it is not uncommon for people that are standing back watching to miss the mark. You're always trying to figure out how they're beating everybody; how are they doing that? I would say way more often than not, the people who have said how I was getting it done when I was getting it done, almost every time they missed the mark. It wasn't what they thought. It was something else or it was just a combination of things. The car was working magic at the time. Everything was magic at the time or whatever. I don't know what happened. I was long gone up there. I have no idea. I will tell you this much. I would be sorely disappointed in NASCAR if they said, 'Well, that wasn't in the rules so we're not gonna do anything about it,' if they were leaking air out of their wheels. From listening to Jeff Burton, they weren't doing that. I have to take his word for it and you guys need to too because NASCAR, evidently, has not done anything to pursue any kind of penalties. Everybody understands what NASCAR's intent is and that is there's an air-pressure rule, you can't go below it, and bleeding air out in any way, shape or form -- whether it says you can or can't do it in the rule book, is not meant to be done. So for NASCAR to look the other way, I just can't hardly believe it. I've said that from the very beginning. I can't believe that NASCAR would do that, but evidently they weren't doing it. Jeff said they've got the same wheels this week as last week, so I'm sure that if they're leaky, I don't know why they'd be leaky."
DO YOU FEEL ANY PRESSURE TO GET A BUNCH OF POINTS THIS WEEK WITH PLACES LIKE TALLADEGA AND MARTINSVILLE COMING UP?
"Every race track has got its own set of circumstances. Talladega, I know I'm gonna wreck there, so I need to build a cushion in all these other races. I never go to Talladega and don't get in a wreck, so it's pretty much a given. I need to not be wrecking here and I need to be running good. I love this race track. Pat Tryson has figured out a way to make me run good at Martinsville and at Phoenix, so there are no race tracks on the circuit that I feel like we're gonna go and not perform, but it's not the performance that will really decide the championship, it's the wrecks and the things that you really couldn't control that will. So we'll do our best to cover all the spots. In the performance part of it, we'll do our best and then the stuff we can't control we'll be saying our prayers."
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE RELEASE THIS WEEK ABOUT JACK BEING IN TALKS TO POSSIBLY SELL PART OF ROUSH RACING TO JOHN HENRY?
"That's another hot potato for me. It's something that I haven't been very involved in. I don't know how to word this properly. I don't know all the reasons and I don't know all the benefits because it's not something that is of great importance to me, so I really haven't been involved in it. I don't really know what's going on there. I've known that there has been these talks for quite some time and I really don't know where that goes. I've been focused on the task at hand. I'm not that global. I think maybe you guys are starting to see that I don't know nothing about nothing, except what I know about. And what I know about is real small, but what I do know about, I do know about -- I know quite a bit about."
IS IT SURPRISING JACK WOULD EVEN CONSIDER IT?
"You know what, if I answer that question it will be out of ignorance. The ignorance in me says I don't know why in the world he would do that, but when I talk to Geoff Smith just a little bit about it or Jack just a little bit about it, they come with the rationale real quick why it makes sense, so that's just an area that I'm just not very strong in and I can't really give you great answers on because if that's the right thing for them to do, then they need to go do that. And, by the way, I don't want to get involved with it because I need to know what springs we're gonna run this weekend. That's a lot more important to me -- how we run this weekend -- than what they do with their part. Geoff Smith is not telling me how to drive or set my car up this weekend and I really don't need to be trying to tell them how to run their business because they do a good job and I think that they probably don't tell me how to drive because they think I do a pretty good job of what I do. That's kind of where I'm at right now. When I get out from under some of the things I'm under, I may have a chance to look around and know more about the company and all those kinds of things, but you've got to remember I'm doing 64 races this year, battling to get in the chase, and now that I'm in the chase I'm not talking a championship that much, I'm talking about trying to have a good time, but if we fiddle around and win this race this weekend, the race is on for the Cup. We've only run one, but if we have a great weekend, this Cup chase could fire up for the 6 car."
HAVE YOU AND PAT PUT ANY EXTRA WORK INTO THIS YEAR TO TRY AND WIN THE CUP?
"Really, the effort in '06 has not been one ounce more than it was in '05. As a matter of fact, from my standpoint, I am not stressing as much as I did last year. I really, really tried real hard to win it last year. I'm gonna drive the fool out of that race car, but I am not gonna lay awake at night these last 10 races. This is the last 10 races after 19 years and I've laid awake at night most of those races and I'm not gonna do it. I'm gonna drive the fool out of the race car and I'm gonna leave it to Jack Roush and Pat Tryson to give me some good stuff, and if it doesn't work out, you know what, I made the chase and we've had a great year. We're right on the verge of greatness. We've got nine races to go and we could have a great year. We could have the best year of my career, or we could have a good year. It could go any of those ways. In these last nine races it's possible people could say, 'He had the best year of his career,' but stuff will have to click in order for that to happen and we'll just see. I'm very proud of what we've been able to accomplish and I'm not gonna let it get me down if it doesn't work out."
WOULD IT BE FOOLISH TO UNDERESTIMATE SOMEBODY LIKE JEFF GORDON IN THE CHASE?
"I think it's foolish to underestimate anyone in it. This is what the chase is designed to do, it's designed to bring excitement and every single one in the chase, and at least one outside the chase, could have won the deal. At bare minimum, Tony got shut out of an opportunity to race at a championship, so to answer your question, heck yes. Jeff Gordon and his team can step up to the plate and get it done, but don't think that Denny Hamlin can't do it; don't think that Jeff Burton can't do it. It would be a mistake. The race is on and as we go forward, we've got one race down and it's put a couple of guys in a hole, but I don't believe that you can count anyone out yet because that hole kind of moves around from race to race. I think it's gonna be great. I think we need to all sit back and watch it with great enthusiasm."
YOU HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A REALIST, BUT YOU SEE MORE OPTIMISTIC THIS YEAR. IS THAT SOMETHING YOU SEE AND WHY THE CHANGE?
"It feels like to me that things are harder for me this year than ever before and I say that meaning there is so much competition out on the race track and there are so many obstacles in between me and getting that great performance. There are obstacles and they're all small, but they're just everywhere and it makes my job incredibly difficult. From every little aspect of it it's so competitive, so I feel my job is more difficult than it's ever been and I'm not 27 anymore either. Whether or not that makes it more difficult, I can't tell you, but I can say this -- the job is more difficult. One of the things that changed the way I look at things is, and I told you guys this, Kenny Wallace called me a pessimist and I said I was done with that and I'm a man of my word. I am a realist, but my glass is not half empty, it's all the way full. I have bad days, and I'm hard on myself, and I'm a fierce competitor, and I've been mad more times this year than I have any year of my career because I'm such a fiery competitor, but my glass is all the way full. I've done more and experienced more and been blessed with more than I ever dreamed. Now, to answer your question about being less optimistic or at least more level, the bottom line is I have to protect myself. I can't be like Rusty Wallace. Rusty Wallace said before every race he ever drove, 'I'm gonna win.' That would break my heart because if I said that, I would believe it and he didn't win every race. He won a lot of races, more than I did, but he didn't win every one of them and I can't deal with that. Disappointment has been a big part of my career and for me to deal with the disappointments that I have in my career, I can't expect to win here Sunday. I can't deal with that. What I can expect is to run good and to give everything we've got, and if I do that and we win, it's a great day. If I do that and we don't win, then I did just what I said I was gonna do -- I was gonna give it everything that I had. So that's sort of how I've dealt with that stuff."
IF YOU WIN ON SUNDAY AND THE POINTS FALL IN YOUR FAVOR, DOES THAT SLEEPLESS NIGHT THING CHANGE?
"Of course it does. I wish it wouldn't, but, of course. You know it will and I know it's out there, I'm just not gonna deal with it until it lands in my lap. I'm trying real hard to appreciate the 19 years that I've had -- the great experience that I've had -- and trying to have some fun with this and say that we finished it off in style, with class and with dignity and move on. But there is a chance that that falls in my lap and when it does I'll deal with it. I've dealt with it for a long time. I dealt with it all summer long. Most people didn't know this, but I've been concerned all summer that we weren't gonna make the chase and it was gonna be sad because we had championship contending type of effort, but we just bumbled up so many things. We were just a step off here and a step off there, but the ingredients to the 6 car have been as good as they've ever been in any year of my career this year, and the potential of the 6 car has been as good or better than any year I've ever had, and even though we haven't have breathtaking results, they've been right there. And that's one of the biggest frustrations for me for 2006 is that it's been so close to being breathtaking. I understand with the competition being as tough as it is today it's hard to get to that level and, man, I want to capitalize on it. I realize this is the last go-round and I'd much rather be breathtaking than just OK."
HOW CLOSE ARE YOU TO SIGNING THE TRUCK CONTRACT FOR NEXT YEAR?
"They're working on it. They've been in contact, so they're working on it now. That's a step further than last week. I can't imagine any other scenario for me in 2007 but racing the No. 6 truck and I'm actively working right now to try to secure sponsorship for the 60 car for 10-12 races. It's not done, but that's where the focus is as of today."
HAS ROBERT YATES TALKED TO YOU?
"It's unlikely at this point in time. I have had one conversation with Doug quite a while ago, but that's just not very likely. My heart is not in a full-time Nextel Cup deal. Things aren't finalized yet, but my heart is not in a full-time deal. It wasn't a year ago either, and they got my heart into it. We're only a few weeks away from having that all settled, but, to answer your question, there is paperwork being worked on because there has been contact with my people on details of how it was to be structured. The terms of the contract are agreed upon. We don't have a problem with that. I think all of that is agreed on and now it's just a matter of getting it on black and white and getting it structured the way we want it and all that stuff, and pursuing sponsorship, which really hasn't started until this week. I did have a conversation with Geoff Smith yesterday and Jack let him know this week that that is something I not only would like to do, but I really do want to do. I really do want to do a limited Cup schedule to complement their truck program that they're gonna offer me. That's where we are today. Obviously, we haven't talked about it a lot, but there are a lot of opportunities -- more than I ever expected might come up -- and those things have been rolling around out there. They're a couple of weeks away, probably, from being all shut down because, like I say and like I've always said, I want to do what I want to do, not what somebody else wants me to do. For 19 years I've really done everything that they've asked me to do at Roush Racing, and going forward I'm having to keep reminding myself -- what is it that I want to do? I've got to keep my eye on that target and do what I want to do and not what someone else wants me to do."
WHY DO YOU PREFER TO DRIVE THE TRUCK FULL-TIME AND NOT A CUP CAR?
"Thirteen weekends off is what I'm looking at. If I could drive a Cup car that could win and would get me 13 more weekends off than what I have this year, then I would do it. But the Trucks are fun. They're more fun. In my opinion, it's better racing and more fun than Nextel Cup, but I would Nextel Cup if somebody could offer me 13 weekends off more than what I have this year. This is another thing I will tell you guys. I'm not closing the door. I go do this Truck thing and I get a chance to catch my breath, I would say that there is a good chance that I'd come back full-time in '08. I don't know what I want to do and I'll never know until I get a break. I haven't had a day off, I don't feel like, in 19 years. Yes, I've had a day off, but I haven't missed a test, I haven't missed a practice day or a qualifying day or a race day in 19 years and every year I do more and more and more to stay competitive. I don't know what I want to do until I slow down and it ain't gonna slow down unless I step aside. I've known I wanted to step out of the 6 car since 2000. It didn't just come yesterday. I've known since 2000 that 2005 was gonna be it and the people around me laughed at me. Jack and Geoff Smith, they all thought that was a crock. I'm definitely ready to do something new. If I was to come back to Nextel Cup, I'd like to do something fresh. I rode that car long and hard, man, and it's been good and I need a break."
THERE'S A LOT OF MONEY BEING THROWN AROUND. IS THERE A FIGURE THAT WOULD ENTICE YOU TO RUN FULL-TIME IN CUP OR IS THAT COMPLETELY OUT?
"Not a realistic one."
DO YOU HAVE A NUMBER?
"Oh now, I wouldn't do that. There is not a realistic number, but I did not close the door on Nextel Cup because, like I explained before, I want to follow my heart. I want to do something that's fun. I haven't seen any scenario in Nextel Cup racing yet that is exciting enough for me to do that. I had to think long and hard about it because I've been so surprised by opportunities, but I want to stay true to what I want and I want those 13 weekends off. I really haven't put a price on them. I was joking but I was serious last weekend. I don't need a job, so if I was younger, if my son wasn't nearly grown up. You have to remember, I stepped out of the 6 car, I didn't get pushed out. In fact, I stepped out a year ago and got pushed in so to speak, and I'm glad I did it. Don't take that wrong. I'm really glad that I came back and did this year. I'm so grateful to Jack Roush and I'm so grateful to Geoff Smith, and especially AAA for the important work I've done with AAA. I hope to be able to do some work with AAA going forward because working with teen driving safety has probably been the most important work that I've ever done in my career -- used my celebrity and notoriety to hopefully spread that word and help further that very important cause. I'm really proud of AAA, so it's been great. I don't regret it at all. The potential to have the best year of my career is right here in front of me if it works out. If it doesn't, it's still a good one and as of right now, I haven't put a price on those 13 weekends."

2006 Mark Martin Nextel Cup Track Notes - Sunday, September 24, 2006
Dover 400 / Dover International Speedway - The Monster Mile®
No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion
September 21, 2006
DRIVER: Mark Martin
TEAM: No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion
OWNER: Jack Roush
CREW CHIEF: Pat Tryson
THE CAR
Chassis: RK-315 Finished ninth earlier this year at Dover. It also posted top-10 runs at Darlington, Fontana and Las Vegas this season. It is the car that Martin used to win at Kansas in the Chase last season.
MARK MARTIN - FAST FACTS - DOVER

Mark Martin has four wins at Dover, with the last coming in the spring of 2004.

Martin holds the track record at Dover, winning on 9/21/97 in 3:00:50 (132.717 mph avg).

Martin's 19 top-five finishes are the most of any active driver at Dover.

Martin has 25 top-10 finishes at Dover, including four top fours in the last five races.

Martin finished fifth in his first Cup race at Dover on 5/16/82.

Martin has finished in the top 10 in almost 60 percent of his races at Dover.

Martin finished one-two in both Dover races in 2004, three-four there in 2005 and ninth in the spring.

Martin earned the first of his record 47 Busch Series wins, at Dover in 1987.

MARK MARTIN AND CREW CHIEF PAT TRYSON ON RACING AT DOVER
Mark Martin:
"I can't wait to get to Dover. I love racing at Dover and it's definitely one of my favorite tracks on the circuit. We had a good car at Loudon and we really didn't finish as well as we could have, but we had a solid finish and we didn't lose that many points. Now the Chase moves on to Dover and Kansas and we are pretty excited about those two coming up.
"We've had great success there over the years, including the last few years when we've been up front and a serious contender. The very first time I went to Dover, I loved it from the start. It is definitely on my list of top tracks and there probably is no cooler track to go and race on. I'm looking really forward to getting back up there this weekend and hopefully putting together another strong run."
Pat Tryson:
"Dover is a great track for Mark and a special track for this team as well. We got our first win together there in 2004 and we've had some really strong runs there in the past couple of years. We've been able to run up front there and we were strong there in spring, although we didn't get as good of a finish as we were capable of having. We know the kind of results we are capable of having this weekend, we just have to go there and get the car right and Mark will take care of the rest."

Martin excited to take Chase to Dover
Monster Mile the most successful 'Chase' track on schedule for Martin
CONCORD, N.C. (Sept. 20, 2006) -- Mark Martin was none too excited about his 11th-place finish in Sunday's Nextel Cup race at New Hampshire International Speedway. Martin had a fast car and ran the majority of the day inside the top 10, but pit strategy backfired late and veteran was forced to settle for 11th. However, what he was excited about was the race on the docket for this weekend.
"You know where we go next," said a grinning Martin to a handful of reporters inside the garage just moments after the race. "Dover!"
The one word answer was just about all Martin would muster. Dover. Dover -- where Martin has raced 40 times during his Nextel Cup career alone. Dover International Speedway -- where Martin has four victories, with the last coming in 2004 and where he has finished inside the top 10 five straight times and inside the top four in four of the last races. Dover -- where Martin won the first of his 47 career Busch races in 1987 and the same track where he finished fifth at his first crack at Cup competition there on May 16, 1982. Martin also has four Cup poles at Dover. Martin's 19 top-five finishes are tops at Dover and he boasts 25 top-10 finishes to boot.
Not surprisingly, Martin lists Dover as one of his favorite tracks on the circuit.
"I love Dover," said Martin. "I've always loved it. From the first time I went there until the last time. It's absolutely in my list of favorite tracks and to be honest I don't think there is a cooler race track in the world to go race on, and I'm excited about getting back there this weekend."
With one race down in the Chase for the Nextel Cup, Martin is currently in sixth place and 75 points behind the leader. However a strong run at Dover this weekend could go a long way in erasing that gap, as Martin and the nine other Chase hopefulls head down the stretch run.
"We always run well there," added Martin. "Pat (Tryson) and the team do a great job on those tracks and hopefully we'll be strong there again this go around. I'm excited about the next couple of races (Dover and Kansas), as they are places where we should be able to go and turn in strong runs.
"You just have to take these races one at a time," said Martin. "You have to go out and run for the win and see what happens. We still have some really good tracks left for us and a couple of wildcards as well, so it's important that you get everything you can out there in these 10 races."

Mark Martin Post Race Notes and Quotes - Sylvania 300
Ford Racing: News

MARK MARTIN - No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion (Finished 11th)
"We had a really good car and it's a shame that we didn't finish higher than that. It's good that we had a fast race car at least. I was real pleased with our race car. Pat and the guys did a super job on it getting it where it was and keeping it where it was all day."
JEFF BURTON AND DALE JR. SAID IT'S TOO EARLY TO WORRY ABOUT POINTS. DO YOU FEEL THAT WAY?
"Yeah, I'm not worried about points. I absolutely don't care. We're in the chase. We're racing. I'm just frustrated that we had a top five car and finished wherever we finished. I wish we wouldn't have had so many cautions there at the end. We had a good race car and the way things played out we just got too far back."
HOW WOULD YOU ASSESS THIS RACE?
"We had a really fast race car. I was really proud of it. We finished OK. We ran better than that, but things usually go wrong for me a lot worse than that here, so I'll take it. We knew this was gonna be a tough one for us, but actually when the race started we had a sweet race car and it was a lot better than I thought. Right there at the end we lost a little bit of track position and wound up 11th."
HOW DOES THIS SET YOU UP FOR THE REST OF THE CHASE?
"It's one race. I'm not worried about it. I thought we would lose more points than this today, so we actually did well. You know what's next? Dover."

Martin Runs to 11th-Place Finish in Chase Opener at New Hampshire
Martin advances to sixth in point standings with solid run at Loudon
Mark Martin and the #6 AAA Ford Fusion Racing Team
New Hampshire International Speedway/September 17, 2006
“We ran better than we finished, but we got a good finish and we’ll take it. I just can’t wait to get to Dover next weekend." - Mark Martin after Sunday’s 11th-place finish at Loudon
LOUDON, N.H. (September 17, 2006) – Mark Martin picked up two positions in the final two laps of Sunday’s Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway to bring home a solid finish in the opener of the 10-race Chase for the Nextel Cup. Martin ran as high as fourth and inside the top 10 for the majority of the race. With Martin running in 10th, the team pitted for four tires and fuel after the race’s ninth caution on lap 264. Several other teams opted for two-tire stops, and Martin went back out in 14th position. With passing conditions difficult and another late caution the strategy failed to work the way the team had planned, but Martin was still able to drive back to 11th before the checkered flag fell on the 300-mile event.
"We had a really good car and it's a shame that we didn't finish higher than that,” said Martin after the race. “It's good that we had a fast race car at least, and I was real pleased with our race car. Pat (Tryson) and the guys did a super job on it getting it where it was and keeping it where it was all day."
“We ran better than that, but things usually go wrong for me a lot worse than that here, so I'll take it,” added Martin. “We knew this was going be a tough one for us, but actually when the race started we had a sweet race car and it was a lot better than I thought. Right there at the end we lost a little bit of track position and wound up 11th."
Martin passed the No. 8 and No. 12 cars to move into 11th on lap 292, seconds before Kyle Petty lost his engine bringing out the final caution of the race. However, Martin was shown behind the two cars at the scoring loop and Martin was forced to restart in 13th position behind the No. 8 and No. 12, rather than 11th. The race resumed green flag action for the final time on lap 295, setting up what would be a five-lap run to the finish. Martin was up on the wheel hard, again picking off the pair of cars and coming up just short of 10th place teammate Matt Kenseth.
“We just got too far back there at the end and I was really up on the wheel and on those guys hard fighting for the positions,” added Martin. “If we had of had one more lap I think we could have gotten the No. 17 as well, but we just were too far back and ran out of time.”
Martin started the race 26th after a disappointing qualifying run on Friday, but he wasted little time powering the AAA Ford Fusion through the field once the green flag fell on Sunday’s race. Martin needed only 15 laps to break into the top 20 and he was running all the way up in 17th when the race’s second caution was issued on lap 29. Crew Chief Pat Tryson and the team opted for a two-tire stop and the strategy moved Martin into seventh position when green-flag racing resumed on lap 30. Four laps later, Martin passed three cars to move to fourth.
Eventually, the two tires wore and he settled back into sixth where he was running when caution came out on lap 81. The team took on four tires and fuel and used a 13.81-second stop to move back into the top five when the field went green on lap 85. Martin stayed out an extra lap as the field started green-flag pitting on lap 164. He was able to lead lap 170 -- gaining five valuable bonus points in the point standings – before coming down pit road on lap 171 for four tires and fuel. Martin remained on the lead lap, running in ninth once the field had settled through its stops on lap 176.
He had moved to seventh by the time the race’s seventh caution was issued on lap 194. The team again came down pit road for four tires and fuel and delivered a 13.5-second stop. A handful of cars opted for two tires only and Martin went back out in 11th position. Running 10th, the team topped off with fuel on lap 211 after caution eight, hoping to go the distance. However, the ninth caution on lap 264 foiled that strategy and Tryson brought Martin down pit road for the four tires and fuel, setting up his final stretch run to the finish.
With the finish, Martin moved up to sixth in the point standings. With just one of 10 Chase races down, Martin is currently 75 points behind leader and eventual race winner Kevin Harvick. He trails fifth place by 11 points and leads seventh by six points.
“This is just one race,” said Martin. “I'm not worried about it. I thought we would lose more points than this today, so we actually did well. And, you know what's next? Dover,” smiled Martin, referring to the track where he has won four times and has finished top 10 in five straight and inside the top four in four of the last five. One of Martin’s favorite and most successful tracks, Dover has seen Martin put up 19 top-five finishes, 25 top 10’s and four poles. Martin won at Dover in 2004 and finished ninth there in the spring.
Roush Racing is a subsidiary of Livonia, Mich., based Roush Enterprises which operates 14 motorsports teams; five in NASCAR Nextel Cup with drivers Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards, six in the Busch Series with Martin, Kenseth, Biffle, Edwards, Todd Kluever and Danny O'Quinn, Jr., and two in the Craftsman Truck Series with Martin, David Ragan, Michel Jourdain, Jr. and Erik Darnell.

Martin Battles Back to Top-10 Finish in Loudon Truck Race
Martin finishes 10th despite pit road mishap and a pair of accidents
Mark Martin and the #6 Scotts Racing Ford F-150 Team
New Hampshire International Speedway/September 16, 2006
"We had a really fast truck and once again Mike Beam and these guys on the Scotts Team gave us a truck that was very capable of running up front and winning the race." - Mark Martin after Martin's 10th-place finish at Loudon
LOUDON, N.H. (September 16, 2006) -- It just was not the day for Mark Martin and the No. 6 Scotts F-150 Racing Team. Martin started 16th after Saturday morning's qualifying session and sported the field's fastest truck early on in the race. However a mishap on pit road combined with a pair of accidents would not only deliver damage to Martin's F-150, but it would effectively put an end to Martin's bid for his fifth Craftsman Truck Series win of the season. Still, Martin was able to battle back through the field, fighting his way back on the lead lap and to a 10th-place finish.
"Well, that was just one of those days," said Martin after the race. "We had a really fast truck and once again Mike Beam and these guys on the Scotts Team gave us a truck that was very capable of running up front and winning the race.
"We just had that trouble on pit road and then got caught up in a couple of accidents, and that really killed any chance of us getting up front," added Martin. "Still, the team did a really good job and we were able to fight back to a solid top-10 finish."
Martin started 16th and while displaying the fastest truck in the race, quickly moved up the field, running as high as third before having to come back into the pits after exiting pit road with the jack under the truck during a green flag stop.
The penalty moved Martin to the back of the lead lap, where a few laps later he was spun out going into the turn on lap 68. Martin rebounded from the spin, but was caught up in a five-truck accident just six laps later on lap 74. Martin's No. 6 Scotts Ford sustained heavy damage to the front, and Martin went a lap down as the crew worked feverishly to repair the damage on pit road.
Martin was able to race his way back into the lucky dog position, before eventually earning his way back onto the lead lap and to the top-10 finish. The finish was Martin's eighth top-10 in nine truck races in 2006. With the run, the No. 6 Scotts Team is now 182 points behind first in the Craftsman Truck Series Owner's Point standings and 58 out of second.
Martin will return to action in the truck series on October 7, 2006 at Talladega Superspeedway.
Roush Racing is a subsidiary of Livonia, Mich., based Roush Enterprises which operates 14 motorsports teams; five in NASCAR Nextel Cup with drivers Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards, six in the Busch Series with Martin, Kenseth, Biffle, Edwards, Todd Kluever and Danny O'Quinn, Jr., and two in the Craftsman Truck Series with Martin, David Ragan, Michel Jourdain, Jr. and Erik Darnell.

2006 Mark Martin Nextel Cup Track Notes - Sunday, September 17, 2006
Sylvania 300 / New Hampshire International Speedway
No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion
September 13, 2006
DRIVER: Mark Martin
TEAM: No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion
OWNER: Jack Roush
CREW CHIEF: Pat Tryson
THE CAR
Chassis: RK-221 finished fifth last week at Richmond and fourth at Loudon in July. It posted a dominating performance early this year at Phoenix. It is the car Martin used to win the All-Star Challenge with in 2005.
MARK MARTIN - FAST FACTS - NHIS

Mark Martin won the first Cup pole at New Hampshire in July of 1993.

Martin has never won at Loudon, but he has finished second on three occasions.

Martin finished inside the top 10 in 10 of his first 12 and 11 of his first 13 races at Loudon.

Martin has finished inside the top 10 in his last two races at Loudon, including a fourth in the spring.

Martin last took the lead in the Cup point standings at Loudon in Sept. of 2002.

Martin has led 395 laps at New Hampshire.

Martin is one of just three drivers to have qualified for the Chase in each of its first three seasons.

QUOTING MARK MARTIN AND CREW CHIEF PAT TRYSON ON RACING AT NHIS
Mark Martin:
"Loudon can be a tough track. It's really hard to pass there and if your car isn't handling well it can make for a really bad day. We've struggled there in the past, but we had a really good run there in the spring and we ran pretty good there last year, so we are hoping that we can expand on that and move into the Chase with a solid finish and hopefully putting the right foot forward.
"We are excited about moving into the Chase and I'm excited that we made it. The team really stepped up to the plate last weekend at Richmond and I can't tell you how proud I am of Pat Tryson and these guys on the AAA team. When the pressure was really on, they came through and we were able to go out and do exactly what we had to do. Nobody on this team gives up and I plan to go out and have a lot of fun in these last 10 races, and we are confident that we can surprise some people and put it all together and make a run for this championship."
Pat Tryson:
"First of all we are excited about being in the Chase and we are excited about going to Loudon and getting started on our run at the Championship. We are taking the same car to Loudon that we used last week at Richmond and that we used the first race at Loudon where we finished top five, so our plan is to build on that success and hopefully we can go in and come out of there with a solid finish and advance our spot in the point standings."

2006 Mark Martin Busch Series Track Notes - Saturday, September 16, 2006
New Hampshire 200 / New Hampshire International Speedway
Team: No. 6 Scotts Miracle-Gro Ford F-150
September 13, 2006
DRIVER: Mark Martin
TEAM: No. 6 Scotts Miracle-Gro Ford F-150
OWNER: Jack Roush
CREW CHIEF: Mike Beam
THE CAR
Chassis: No. 46 is a new truck making its first official run on track.
QUOTING MARK MARTIN AND CREW CHIEF MIKE BEAM ON RACING AT NHIS
Mark Martin:
"This Scotts team is really on a roll. We had a great run in Bristol and we had an awesome Busch car with this team at California a couple of weeks ago. I'm really looking forward to getting back in the Scotts F-150 and hopefully we can pick up where we left off and be as successful as we were at Bristol, where our truck was just terrific. Mike Beam and these guys have done a great job all season and you just can't say enough about the effort that everyone has put into this program."
Mike Beam:
"It's always exciting when you go into a weekend getting to run a truck race with Mark (Martin). The team is really on a roll lately with the win at Bristol and a couple of solid efforts in the Busch series and we are looking to go to New Hampshire, run well again and hopefully we'll be in contention for another win."

NASCAR's Martin may not be done driving
By Jenna Fryer
AP Auto Racing Writer
September 11, 2006
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- With zero titles in an otherwise storied career, Mark Martin again heads into the Chase for the championship as the sentimental favorite. This is supposed to be his final full-time season, his last chance to make a desperate grab at an elusive NASCAR crown.
But just like last year, when he allowed car owner Jack Roush to talk him into extending his farewell tour, Martin is again wavering. There are cracks in his previously steadfast desire to scale back, making it difficult to believe this really is Martin's final run.
Consider:
Martin said he didn't want to run a Nextel Cup schedule this season, but here he is, back for a 19th year in the No. 6 Ford.
He was adamant in May that he would never consider a partial Cup schedule because part-time rides aren't capable of winning. Now he admits he'd be interested in running about a dozen races next year.
Martin said a report that he would drive the No. 88 Ford in 2007 was absolutely not true, and he's had zero discussions with Robert Yates Racing officials about it. He also insists he doesn't want to be a team owner. But in virtually the same breath, Martin admits anything can change with a simple phone call.
Martin knows how all this waffling makes him look, so he's careful about what he says these days.
"Look at me, I'm driving this year and I said it wasn't going to happen," he said. "So I'm trying not to do a whole bunch more of that. I don't want a reputation for you not being able to count on what I say - that's something that is important to me."
So the most pressing question in NASCAR right now is this: What is Mark Martin going to do next year?
It would seem no one - not even Martin himself - knows the answer.
Like everyone else, he sees the pressing need RYR has with the No. 88. Dale Jarrett is leaving at the end of the season and taking sponsor UPS with him, and car owners Doug and Robert Yates need to deliver someone big to gain the money it will take to keep that team afloat. RYR has newcomer David Gilliland in its second car, and desperately need to give him a veteran teammate to help him find his way.
Martin, of course, fills both needs. He's a big enough name to satisfy a sponsor and could be an excellent mentor. But he claims he doesn't want to drive more than 12 races next year.
Would the Yateses even be interested in that small of a commitment?
"Absolutely," Doug Yates said. "Who wouldn't want Mark Martin for whatever you can get him for?"
So, it might not be that farfetched of a plan for the Yates' to put together a patchwork lineup to fill their flagship ride. They've also got an interest in Ward Burton (out of racing the past two seasons) and Ricky Rudd (in semiretirement) - and they just might be willing to work out a three-man schedule with Martin.
Or, they might be able to guilt Martin into driving their car the same way Roush did a year ago. Despite Martin's repeated protests that he wants cut back, it's becoming increasingly clear that deep inside his racing blood he doesn't really want to.
Martin, a racer down to his very core, is scared to leave competition behind. It's why he picked up a deal to run in the Truck Series, and planned to make its 25-race schedule his 2007 hobby.
But it's proved not to be not nearly enough for the 47 year old Martin, who has already won four of the eight races he's entered this year and five of 11 overall. So now he's open to adding the 12 Cup companion races to keep the juices flowing.
He's also eligible to compete in Cup's All-Star race, so he might as well add that to the schedule, too. Then throw in any event run at Lowe's Motor Speedway or in Dover, Del., because those are his favorite tracks and it would kill him not to be there.
Why stop there? He's a four-time Michigan winner, so he should probably continue to race there, and he's a four-time winner on the road courses, so he should continue there, too.
But here's the problem with Martin - he gives 100 percent to everything he does, and will never be the guy content to drive in second gear. And after nearly two decades of giving every ounce of energy and intensity he has, Martin is running out of steam.
Oh, his fit 47-year-old body can handle it. It's his mind that can't.
Not running well eats away at Martin, and when his car isn't up with the leaders, it's devastating. This year is no exception.
He's in the Chase, but barely. He doesn't have a win, hasn't contended for many, and is a long shot to win the title this year. He knows it and he's accepted it, but it still drives him crazy.
It's not at all the way Martin wanted to go out. Yet he doesn't regret coming back this year.
"I don't, but I do regret getting so intense," he said. "I didn't mean to, but that's just me. I wish I hadn't got so intense, but I thought I could make a difference and at the end I got frustrated because I wasn't able to make the difference that I hoped I might be able to."
And that might be what leads Martin back for a 20th year. All he wants to do is go out on his terms - racing hard and racing for wins. Until he's able to do that, Martin will never be free to make a clean break.

Martin Powers His Way Into Third Consecutive Chase for Championship
Mark Martin and the #6 AAA Ford Fusion Racing Team
Richmond International Raceway/September 9, 2006
Martin and the No. 6 AAA Team fight back from adversity to claim seventh-place position in points/spot in 10-Race Chase for Championship
“I've wanted it that bad… We've had some tough times and there's been a lot of pressure and we stepped up to the plate tonight and got it done." - Mark Martin after Saturday night’s Chase-clinching top-five finish at Richmond
RICHMOND, VA. – Two-hundred laps into Saturday night’s ‘regular season’ showdown at Richmond International Raceway, Mark Martin found himself in unfamiliar territory; on the outside looking in on the Chase for the Nextel Cup. Running in 12th position and with Martin’s No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion fading fast, Martin and his AAA team faced their moment of truth. How they would respond during the next 200 laps would ultimately not only decide their success in the Rock and Roll 400, but their fate for the season.
Once again Martin and the AAA crew reached down deep and came out fighting. In the end, Martin battled back to his sixth top-five finish of the season and he not only fought his way back inside the top-10 but picked up two positions to seventh in the final Nextel Cup standings before the 10-race Chase for the Cup begins next weekend at Loudon.
"This AAA team, they really put it all together tonight,” said Martin. “We just got up on the wheel and got it done there. It means a lot to me. This is a good night for us. There are a lot of big names that didn’t make the Chase and I’m really proud of the effort of this team to put us where we are. I just can’t say enough about the effort of these guys.
“I want to thank all the fans out there for all the 19 years, but especially for this year and the overwhelming support,” added Martin. “I can't describe what it means to me. It was a great night for our AAA Fusion team. Pat Tryson and all the guys on pit road, they redeemed themselves for sure and I got up on the wheel when I had to and it was really a great effort by this whole team.”
Martin moved into the weekend in ninth position in the Cup standings, and with only a two-point lead over 10th, the pressure was on from the start. The team responded with a fourth-place qualifying effort on Friday. Starting on the second row, Martin maintained position inside the field’s top five for the majority of the race’s first 120 laps. However, after pitting under caution on lap 121, Martin’s car’s handling began to get too tight on the ensuing run, and the veteran started to fall back in the field. With the car continuing to ‘push’ really badly, Martin dropped back to 12th on lap 179 and more importantly outside the Nextel Cup top 10 with just over two hundred laps remaining in the race.
“We went in knowing we had to run good and in the middle of the race we weren't running good enough to get it done,” said Martin. “Halfway through the race I really thought we were done for and we made one last little adjustment that I never dreamed would have made any difference with two runs to go and it just set the car on fire.”
By the halfway mark, Martin was in 13th position and losing ground. The race’s fifth caution on lap 220 would prove a lucky break for the AAA team. Martin came down pit road for four tires, fuel and chassis adjustment to improve the car’s handling. With the pressure at the premium, the AAA over-the-wall crew delivered one of its fastest stops of the season, a 13.5-second stop that put Martin back in the field’s top 10 in both the race and the points. Martin would never fall out of Chase contention again.
“The AAA crew was just awesome on pit road all night,” added Martin. “They really came up with come clutch stops when we had to have them.”
The night’s sixth caution was called on lap 154 and Martin again came down pit road, this time for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment that would prove to be the difference in the race. After another lightning fast stop of 13.38-seconds, Martin went back out in 11th position and he would never look back. He broke back inside the top 10 just four laps later on lap 266. He took ninth place on lap 269 and eighth place on lap 283. Martin began to pull away from Chase contenders Jeff Burton and defending Nextel Cup Champion Tony Stewart.
Running seventh Martin came down pit road for the final time of the race under the seventh caution on lap 320. Again the AAA team delivered in the clutch, changing four tires and taking on fuel in a 13-second flat stop that moved Martin inside the top five as the field went green on lap 327.
Martin would continue to pull away from the contenders behind him, battling down to the last lap for the top-five finish and securing his place in Chase for the Cup. With the finish, Martin becomes one of only three racers to make the Chase for the Nextel Cup in each of its first three seasons. Last year’s Champion Tony Stewart ended up the odd man out.
"I knew that somebody that deserved to be in it wasn't going make it and that's unbelievable,” said Martin. Last year's champion – a two-time champion - Tony Stewart, the greatest race car driver of this era - in my opinion - missed the chase."
"I'm not worried about the championship. We might get lucky or something, but just to be in the chase with all these great, young drivers is a big deal to me. I was really afraid of missing the chase because I was going to feel like I lost and from here on out these last 10 races I'm going to go out, give it all I have and have some fun -- I promise."
“We might really put on a charge and make this thing exciting and we might not, but we're in it and I'm proud of that. Sixteen of the last 19 years in that 6 car we've been in the top 10 and I'm proud of that record."
Martin will begin his quest for the elusive Nextel Cup next weekend at New Hampshire International Speedway, where he finished fourth in the spring and seventh last September. New Hampshire is one of only two ‘Chase’ tracks where Martin has never won.
Roush Racing is a subsidiary of Livonia, Mich., based Roush Enterprises which operates 14 motorsports teams; five in NASCAR Nextel Cup with drivers Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards, six in the Busch Series with Martin, Kenseth, Biffle, Edwards, Todd Kluever and Danny O'Quinn, Jr., and two in the Craftsman Truck Series with Martin, David Ragan, Michel Jourdain, Jr. and Erik Darnell.

Roush Racing driver Mark Martin, right, talks with teammate and NASCAR Nextel Cup points leader Matt Kenseth prior to the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 auto race at Richmond International Raceway in Richmond, Va., Saturday, Sept. 9, 2006. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
Mark Martin Post Race Notes and Quotes - Chevy Rock & Roll 400
Ford Racing: News
MARK MARTIN - No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion (Finished 5th)
"This team, thank goodness, they put it all together tonight. They were awesome on pit road. They made one adjustment with two runs to go and we were actually really steamy and could run with them. Heck, we just got up on the wheel and got it done there. It means a lot to me. I was sure since May that we were gonna fall out of the chase when it got so close, but this is a good one for us tonight. We had to run good and in the middle of the race we weren't running good enough to get it done."
HOW MUCH PRESSURE IS OFF AND HOW MUCH MOMENTUM DO YOU HAVE?
"I'm not worried about the championship. We might get lucky or something, but just to be in the chase with all these great, young drivers is a big deal to me. I was really dreading missing the chase because I was gonna feel like I lost and from here on out these last 10 races I'm gonna have fun. I promise."
WHAT'S THE OVERRIDING EMOTION YOU HAVE RIGHT NOW?
"Relief, and I'm very, very grateful."
WHAT DOES IT SAY WHEN THE DEFENDING CHAMPION DOESN'T MAKE THE CHASE?
"I knew that somebody that deserved to be in it wasn't gonna make it and that's unbelievable. Last year's champion, two-time champion, Tony Stewart - the greatest race car driver of this era, in my opinion - missed the chase."
YOUR THOUGHTS.
"I'm relieved. I just want to thank all the fans out there for all the 19 years, but especially for this year and the overwhelming support. I can't describe what it means to me. It was a great night for our AAA Fusion team. Pat Tryson and all the guys on pit road, they redeemed themselves for sure and I got up on the wheel. Halfway through the race I really thought we were done for and we made one last little adjustment that I never dreamed would have made any difference with two runs to go and it just set the car on fire. I hate it so bad for such a great champion and probably the greatest driver of this era, Tony Stewart, didn't make the chase, but somebody wasn't gonna make it that deserved to be in it and we're glad to be in."
WAS THERE A POINT YOU EVER FELT COMFORTABLE THAT YOU WERE GOING TO BE OK?
"Yeah, it got to be looking really good with about 30 to go, but a caution changes everything. These cautions are just horrible nightmares with double file restarts and people gouging and it can all go up in smoke on one of these crazy restarts. My car had not been good on long runs earlier in the night and that last run it kept getting better and better and better. I was like, 'Man, this is perfect. If it'll go green all the way it's gonna be like falling off a log.' We were fixing to get Junior in another lap or two. Our car was really good at the end of the race. I just want to thank Jack and our team and our sponsors - Pennzoil and Kraft and all the folks that have supported us. I promise I'm gonna have fun the last 10 races."
WHAT HAVE THE LAST FEW WEEKS BEEN LIKE FOR YOU?
"It's been awful. I've been everything but sick and maybe even sick for about six weeks now. I've wanted it that bad. We've had some tough times and there's been a lot of pressure and we stepped up to the plate tonight and got it done. We might really put on a charge and make this thing exciting and we might not, but we're in it and I'm proud of that. Sixteen of the lat 19 years in that 6 car we've been in the top 10 and I'm proud of that record."

M6M comment: Nice to see how Matt comments on his teammates. He also mentions former teammate Jeff Burton. Way to go Matt. You're a great teammate and racer. Need I say more?
Matt Kenseth and Jack Roush Post Race Notes and Quotes
Ford Racing: News
September 9, 2006
MATT KENSETH - No. 17 DeWalt Ford Fusion (Finished 8th)
"I didn't think we were every really that great. When we led up there early we weren't too bad. The 5 was better than us and the 9 coming through there and I thought we were OK. I thought we were gonna be top five and then after that the car just got away from us and we could never get it."
YOUR TEAM HAS HIT ITS STRIDE.
"Yeah, we've been doing good. The guys have been giving me good cars and good stops overall. Tonight we didn't really have it. We couldn't quite get this car just right. It was kind of one of our older cars and we could never get it as good as the good guys, but we ran up front for a little while and kind of faded back, but we still got a good finish out of it. I'm excited to go to Loudon with the point lead. Our good short track car is sitting at home all ready to go to Loudon, so, overall, I'm pretty happy with the season and hopefully we'll keep it up."
WERE YOU SURPRISED AT THE AGGRESSIVENESS OF THE RACE?
"I didn't see a lot of stuff that went on, but the cars that were good, I wasn't totally surprised. Congratulations to Todd Berrier and Kevin Harvick, they've been doing a great job this year and have been solid and won the race yesterday too. I expected them to be strong. I expected the 5, really, to be the car to beat. He was really strong on the outside. He had his car real loose and that was good for a long run."
MARK IS IN THE CHASE.
"Yeah, that's awesome. I'm glad Mark made it in and I figured that he would. I wish the rest of my teammates would have made it again too, but we're here because of all the help they gave us last year when we were struggling a little bit. It's pretty cool. I feel really good for Jeff Burton, too. This is his first year in it since they started (the chase), I believe, and he's turned that thing around good and they've been running well too, so it's good to see him in there as well."
DO YOU FEEL THIS TEAM HAS THE MOMENTUM YOU WANT GOING INTO THE CHASE?
"Yeah. Tonight we had a little off night on pit road for some reason. I wish that would have been a little better, but overall it was good. Our cars have been pretty good. This is our second-oldest car and it still ran decent, so I feel all right about it."
JACK ROUSH, Car Owner - Roush Racing Ford Fusions
"It wasn't the year that we hoped for, but it was the night that I had hoped for. Mark got up on the wheel and did what he did tonight and moved into seventh place tonight, I think, and Matt is secure in first place going off to Loudon. He's only got five points over second and 45 points over 10th, but we'll work with that. That will be fine."
WHAT EMOTION DO YOU HAVE TOWARDS MARK MAKING IT?
"I saw it pass when the race track and/or the car slipped away from us a little bit there in the middle of the race - I saw that distinct prospect because there was a brief period of time by my calculations Mark was 11th, but as the race developed and Pat and the guys got the car better and the fellas on pit road were just awesome tonight. They did a great job. The engines didn't break. The engines made good power like they've done all year and didn't let us down, so it just worked out. At the end of the day, of the cars fifth through 11th, we only had to beat one car and as it worked out, we were able to do much better than that."
YOU HAVE TWO CHANCES THIS YEAR AT THE TITLE. HOW DO YOU SIZE IT UP?
"I think our odds are one in three and I thought that's what they were last year. I think they're as good this year as they were last year. It's a jump ball. We've got enough people crowded around it to be able to make a good accounting of ourselves and if we can focus our resources and continue to have at least average luck on the things that happen on the race track - when you run over something or get caught in a wreck that wasn't your fault - if we can be at least average on that, I think our odds are one in three. The Fusion has been a great car this year. It was an improvement over the Taurus. The guys at FRT (Ford Racing Technology) did a great job making that available to us and I appreciate it. We couldn't have done it without them."

Mark Martin Post Qualifying Notes and Quotes - Nextel Cup - Chevy Rock & Roll 400
Ford Racing: News
September 8, 2006
MARK MARTIN - No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion (Qualified 4th)
"I'm disappointed that I didn't pick up on my second lap. I tried real, real, real hard. I didn't know the first lap was as good as it was and felt like I needed to get more, so it is what it is. Everybody ran quicker on their second lap. I got a real good first lap, I just didn't know it was good. I was trying really hard. Hopefully that will get us a good starting spot. It doesn't really matter where we start, if the thing will race that good, we'll be OK."

Mark Martin Interview - Richmond
Ford Racing: News
September 8, 2006
Mark Martin, driver of the No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion, will be trying to make the Chase for the Nextel Cup for the third straight year when the green flag falls tomorrow night. Martin is currently ninth in the point standings and has a 32-point advantage over 11th-place Kasey Kahne. Martin spoke about his mindset prior to Friday's practice at Richmond International Raceway.
MARK MARTIN - No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS WEEKEND?
"We're just gonna go racing. We really should run good here this weekend. I like this car. This is my favorite car. We've run good everywhere with it this year and we'll see how it turns out. We're gonna give everything we've got. I really appreciate my team. They've worked their guts out and we'll see what we've got after this race is over."
WHAT IS THE SMARTEST WAY TO GO ABOUT THIS RACE ON SATURDAY?
"The same way you raced for 19 years." AGGRESSIVELY? "You're making it too complicated. It's not that complicated. You go out there and race for everything we can get just like we always have."
IS THERE ANYTHING YOU'VE LEARNED FROM THE FIRST TWO CHASES THAT YOU CAN TAKE FROM THAT?
"No, there really isn't. I've been doing this for a long time. I've been racing for points more than 19 years and I've been blessed to have a lot of good cars and a lot of good teams and had a lot of success at it and somebody is not gonna make it. That's too bad. For the 11 teams that are really fighting for it, it's too bad that one of them is not gonna make it, but that's how it's gonna go down."
IS THERE MORE PRESSURE?
"I don't feel any pressure this weekend. I have felt pressure this year for a lot of reasons, but I'm beyond that at this point. I think the biggest pressure for me has been trying to make a difference, trying to get things arranged so that we could have a shot, really, at the championship and, of course, to make the chase first of all and trying to get things in position so that we could be a contender when we needed to be. There's been a lot of pressure with that. It's been a challenge. We're racing against some great teams and great drivers and they all take it really seriously, so at this point now it's boiled down to one race and all those things that I stressed about are done and over with now, it's just a race and one team won't make it."
KAHNE HAS FIVE WINS AND MIGHT NOT MAKE THE CHASE. SHOULD THERE BE A CHANGE IN THE SYSTEM?
"No, it would make me feel good if I won five races. I think that would be a pretty good season from that standpoint."
DO YOU FEEL THERE SHOULD BE MORE POINTS FOR WINNING?
"No. I think you need to race like you always have. It's the same system they've been using, basically, for 50 years. It's been good enough for 50 years, so I think it's fine now. Unfortunately for Kasey Kahne, they didn't do the right things in some races or they would be leading the points."
THERE COULD BE GUYS WITH NO WINS WHO MAKE THE CHASE. SOME WONDER IF THIS IS THE BEST WAY TO CROWN A CHAMPION WHEN THE GUY WITH THE MOST WINS ISN'T EVEN ELIGIBLE.
"I don't know. We went into it last year without a win too and came out of it with a win and were fourth in the points. The system has been in effect to some degree for 50 years. It's always been great and it always will be."
ARE YOU RACING THE TRUCK AT NEW HAMPSHIRE NEXT WEEK AND IF SO WHAT DO YOU EXPECT?
"Yes. I think it's gonna be fun. I love driving that Scotts truck with Mike Beam and all those guys. It's just a riot. It's just a blast."
YOU'RE BATTING .500 OVER THERE. IF IT WAS BASEBALL YOU'D BE MAKING 50 MILLION A YEAR.
"Dang, I'm in the wrong business then (laughing)."
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE RUMORS WITH JOINING ROBERT YATES?
"You know, next year we're probably gonna see a two-headed man drive the 88. I hope it doesn't come out that I've got two wives next week. I don't know. That's about where that is. There's no serious consideration given from me to that at this point."
IN BUYING OR DRIVING OR BOTH?
"Or both, really. Jack wants me to be a car owner and has been on me for two years now. Golly, I'm trying to hedge my bet, but I'd like to say that that's never gonna happen, but I won't say that because, look at me, I'm driving this year and I said it wasn't gonna happen. So I'm not saying that nothing won't happen, but I really don't want to be a car owner. I'm a race car driver and I'm not finished driving. I'm gonna be driving for a long time and I really wish that I had news for you guys because I know everybody is anxious, but I really haven't even thought about 2007 since last week or the week before, and especially since last week. It hasn't crossed my mind. I haven't talked to anybody, a sole. I haven't done anything on 2007, so, believe me, I don't have something hidden away that I'm trying to keep from people. It's not on the front burner at this time."
WHERE DOES THIS STUFF COME FROM?
"I don't know. Speculation-wise, it wouldn't be a bad thing. The 88 doesn't have a driver right now and would love to have, I'm sure, a veteran. I don't know. I guess people sit around and think what would make for a good situation and they might have thought that would make for a good situation, but I haven't given that a serious consideration. The only thing that I have really given real consideration is a 12-race sub-program to go along with my truck program. Since that isn't gonna happen with the 6 car, I haven't given that anymore serious consideration because it's just not really what's on my mind. You've got to remember that I've been in the 6 car for 18 years and I came back for Jack Roush and for Pat Tryson and the team for one more year because I'm ready to step out of the 6 car. I'm ready to do something different. It's been a long time. I don't know exactly what life is gonna be like, but I'm ready to find out. I'm ready to do something different. There's just no real high priority for me to be worrying about all that right now. It's been a tough summer. We have fought hard and worked hard and these next 10 races after Richmond I'm gonna have fun with come hell or high water. I'm determined to have fun with it no matter what. I'm serious. I haven't been having fun lately and I'm getting ready to start having a bunch of fun, so that's it. I've made up my mind. Chase or not - 19 years is enough - I'm gonna have 10 races that are fun, period (laughing)."
HOW MUCH FUN IS THIS LAST RACE BEFORE THE CHASE WITH ALL THAT'S GOING ON?
"This is the heat. I can't imagine there being more interest in any particular race. Really, the cool thing would be if they changed the chase system for points to 10, 9, 8, 7, then we could go into Homestead with about six or eight drivers that would have a shot at the championship. That's probably the only way you're gonna be able to top the excitement associated with this weekend."
DO YOU MEAN LIKE AN ELIMINATION?
"No, the worst you could get is 10th-place in points. The guys going for the championship shouldn't get messed up by everybody else. If you have a bad race, it shouldn't be 43rd, it should be 10th."
THERE ARE 725,000 POSSIBILITIES THIS WEEKEND. ARE YOU KEEPING TRACK?
"If we run fourth, it can't go bad on us. That's about the easiest way to keep it. Like I said earlier, unfortunately one is gonna get shut out and it's gonna be a little sad because all 11 really almost deserve to be in there. At the end of the day one will get shut out and that's the spirit of competition."
WHAT'S YOUR COMMENT ON THE 88 RUMOR?
"Next week, a two-headed man drives the 88. I'm flattered that there's so much interest, I really am, but it's not a serious consideration at this point."
COULD THAT CHANGE?
"Yep, it could."
IS IT DEAD?
"I think it's dead, but I answered both your questions. I think it's dead. I said I wouldn't be driving full-time this year and I am, so I'm trying not to do a whole bunch more of that. I don't want a reputation for you not being able to count on what I say. That's something that is important to me. I don't want to be a car owner, but I don't ever want to say never, although I want to say it because I believe it, but I'm not gonna say that as well. Just for example, I don't see that, but my problem is there's great interest and there's no action. I just don't have any news - none - zero. I didn't even think about it this week or talk about it, except, of course I read the internet and all. I don't have any news. I can't do it. I really want to, but I don't have anything. There's this total blank where that is concerned. We haven't worked on 2007, really, at all - not even one breath this week and virtually hardly no breath last week. It's just not there. As I told some other folks here, I am interested in a 12-race Cup program to go along with my truck program, but there's nothing done. There's no done deal. There is no 12-race deal right now. I've got a lot to look forward to. I've got about six truck races left this year. We're gonna try to win that owner's championship. I think we're third right now. I'm gonna drive all the races but one, and I'm gonna have some fun these last 10 races no matter what - chase or no chase. I've really fought hard this year - harder than I was supposed to. Jack told me not to and my wife told me not to, and I didn't pay them any attention and got in here and got involved deeper than I might have, but it means a lot to me. It just means a lot to me. I just can't race unless it's screaming all the way. These last 10, I promise, even if we go for the championship, even if we make the chase and we're in it, I'm not gonna get as intense as I have been. It's more than I need."
IF YOU DON'T MAKE THE CHASE, ARE YOU OK WITH THE FACT THAT YOUR CHANCES FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP ARE DONE?
"I'm fine with the championship thing. I won't be fine with missing the chase and I'll never forget it, but it's been a difficult year for us and we haven't managed to have the consistency that we had last year. We haven't had the consistency. It's been a tougher year for us."
KIND OF DISAPPOINTING?
"Yeah. It's been a disappointment to me because my team has worked their guts out, I drove my heart out, but we haven't had as sharp a program as we had last year, although the potential has been there to be the best year of my career. We haven't been able to be consistent with that. Only some weeks has it been better than I've ever had in my life, and some weeks it hasn't been chase material - but some weeks have been championship material. If it had been all mediocre, it wouldn't have been nearly as frustrating. What threw me into this thing was the Phoenix's and the Dovers and so many others where we actually had breathtaking cars and weren't able to do with them what we needed for various reasons."
DO YOU REGRET AT ALL COMING BACK THIS YEAR?
"No, I don't. But I do regret getting so intense. I didn't mean to, but that's just me. I wish I hadn't got so intense, but I thought I could make a difference and at the end I got frustrated because I wasn't able to make the difference that I hoped I might be able to."
ARE YOU RULING OUT A FULL SEASON IN CUP NEXT YEAR?
"No. That hasn't happened. I'm also not working on such an opportunity, either."
IS THERE A TIMETABLE FOR YOUR PLANS NEXT YEAR?
"I got my contract for this year at Daytona in February. I'm just telling you that I got my contract when we got to Daytona in February. I don't know if I'll get my truck contract before then or not, so I don't know. I don't have a timetable. My answer is, of course not. I've got a truck team sitting there. I'm gonna run six of the seven races and we're still gonna try to win the owner's championship and it's sitting there and ready to go. I'd like to run 12 Cup races, but based on NASCAR's rules, I can't do that with Jack now so I don't know. I wish they didn't have that rule because then I'd be running 12 races, but they do. I am not currently working on anything, period - and that's the truth. All hell might break loose on Monday, I don't know, but I can tell you right now that for two or three weeks it's been zero. I'm not working on anything."
WHAT KIND OF AN OPPORTUNITY WERE YOU LOOKING FOR AS FAR AS A 12-RACE SCHEDULE?
"The reason that was out of the question in the beginning was because usually that kind of deal renders a very weak program and a very weak car. I got excited about that because there was talk of me doing that in the 6 car, along with another driver. Now I haven't gotten un-excited, but I don't want to drive a backmarker to do it. It's quite a challenge to see something like that work out, but the reason I decided to do truck racing rather than a limited Cup schedule back in 2004 when I started making plans is because it's obvious you can't have a 12-race Cup team that can compete with a full-time team. Let's face it, that's the truth, so because I don't care to race riding around, I decided that I'd rather go truck racing and have fun and have a chance to win, rather than to go ride around in the back 12 times a year. Then this other scenario popped up and I got excited about it, and now I haven't all the way wound back down from that yet."
THERE COULD BE AS MANY AS FIVE NEW GUYS IN THE CHASE THIS YEAR. HOW COULD EXPERIENCE BE A FACTOR?
"A lack of experience can help and it can hurt, either way. It just depends on the magic. These guys that make the chase are smart enough to put 10 races together that are good even if they've never done it before."
HOW DIFFERENT IS THE CHASE? HAVE YOU NOTICED ANYTHING DIFFERENT?
"Nothing out of the ordinary. You can't afford to have a bad race. You don't need to be breaking equipment or having stuff fall off or wheels sling off. You have to make every race count, just like you did when you tried to win them and it was 36 races, but there might be less cushion in 10 than 36."

Martin tops Yates' wish list to drive No. 88 Ford
RYR considering former drivers Rudd, Ward Burton for seat
By David Newton - NASCAR.COM
September 8, 2006
RICHMOND, Va. -- Mark Martin, Ricky Rudd and Ward Burton are the top choices of Robert Yates Racing to drive the No. 88 Ford opposite rookie David Gilliland in 2007.
"We really want a veteran driver to work with David," Doug Yates, the co-owner of RYR, said during qualifying for Saturday night's Nextel Cup race at Richmond International Raceway.
A newspaper report early in the week quoted three sources from Ford Motorsports saying that Martin would replace Dale Jarrett in the 88.
Benny Ertel, Martin's business manager, denied the report.
"I haven't heard a word from Doug or Robert Yates, and I'm sure I would have," he said. "Everybody's playing the guessing game right now. I recall Mark saying that his plans were to run the Truck Series full time, and in a perfect world he'd like to run 10-12 Cup races in conjunction with that.
"That hasn't changed."
Martin acknowledged that current owner Jack Roush would like for him to buy into ownership of another team, but said, "I'd like to say that's never going to happen."
He laughed about reports that he is headed to RYR.
"You know, next year we're probably gonna see a two-headed man driving the 88," he said. "I hope it doesn't come out that I've got two wives next week. That's about where that is. There's no serious consideration given from me to that at this point."
Yates said there had been no discussions with Martin, but didn't rule out something in the future.
"Who wouldn't like to have Mark Martin?" he said.
Yates said he's close to getting a sponsor for the 88, which lost UPS when Jarrett announced he was leaving for Michael Waltrip Racing next season. He said once the sponsor is set then the process of selecting a driver will move forward.
Rudd, who will turn 50 on Sept. 12, stepped away from the sport this season to decide on his future. Burton, 44, has been out of the sport for about two seasons.

Martin moves into Richmond looking for third consecutive Chase berth
Veteran vows to 'go down swinging' in heated battle in Race for the Chase
CONCORD, N.C. (Sept. 6, 2006) -- Mark Martin is no stranger the pressure of point racing in the Nextel Cup Series. For the past 19 years Martin has been a mainstay at the top echelon of the Cup point standings. Martin has four runner-up finishes for the Nextel Cup and he has finished inside the top-four in four of the last five years. Two years ago, Martin was forced to battle back from a heavy deficit to earn his spot in the inaugural Chase for the Nextel Cup 10-race playoff. This season Martin enters the 26th and cutoff race in ninth place, two points ahead of 10th and 32 points ahead of 11th-place Kasey Kahne. If there is to be a third consecutive birth in the Nextel Chase for the Championship for Martin and the No. 6 Team, they will have to earn it on Saturday; a fact Martin has no problem with.
"Hey, I've been driving this No. 6 car for 19 years and we aren't about to stop fighting now," said Martin. "I think that we are in the Chase, but I can tell you this, no matter what we will go down swinging. There is still plenty left in this team and the ingredients are there for a championship. Richmond is one of my favorite tracks and if we can stay out of trouble, then we should be able to race our way into that thing.
Martin had one of, if not the, strongest cars in the field last weekend at California. He raced his way all the way from 38th to sixth, before getting tangled up with lapped traffic and sustaining severe damage to the right front fender of his No. 6 Ford Fusion. Martin got caught up in an accident two weeks ago at Bristol as well, or the outcome at Richmond might have little significance on Martin's chase status. Still the team will play with the cards delt them as they move into Richmond with a positive outlook.
"All we can do is go there and run our race," said Martin. "Everyone wants to point to one or two races at the end here and talk about the pressure, but the truth is, this race isn't worth any more or less points than the second race or the 13th race or any other race this season. It's all about what you do each week. We had chances early on to put some distance on this thing, and for one reason or another, we weren't able to capitalize on some of the chances we had.
"So it does some down to this week in Richmond, but all we can do is approach it like we have the rest of the races. We'll put our best foot forward and go out and try to win this race. That's what we do each week. What I can tell you is that nobody on this team plans on giving up and we are focused and well aware of the task at hand."
Two years ago Martin went into Richmond just hanging on to a place in the chase. All looked lost when he spun out in the middle of the track midway through the race. Martin's No. 6 Ford did a complete 360 degree spin, with cars swerving all around, before the veteran was able to collect it, grab a gear and escape unscathed. He went on to finish the race fifth and secure his spot 10-race 'playoff.'
This year Martin and the team will hope for a little less drama at the three-quarter-mile track, where Martin won the pole and finished first in his first race there in 1981.
"That was crazy that night," said Martin. "It looked like Joey Chitwood or something out there and we were really lucky to be able to come back from that and get a top-five. That was really a special year, with what all we had to go through to get to that point. However, hopefully this weekend we can just go in, post a solid run and lock up our spot with much drama."
Roush Racing is a subsidiary of Livonia, Mich., based Roush Enterprises that operates 14 motorsports teams; five in NASCAR NEXTEL Cup with drivers Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards, six in the Busch Series with Martin, Kenseth, Biffle, Edwards, Todd Kluever and Danny O'Quinn, Jr., and three in the Craftsman Truck Series with Martin, David Ragan, Erik Darnell and Michel Jourdain, Jr.

NASCAR penalizes Busch Series crew chief Mike Beam
September 7, 2006
DAYTONA BEACH, Florida (Ticker) - Busch Series crew chief Mike Beam was fined by NASCAR on Thursday for a rule violation at California Speedway last weekend.
The crew chief for Mark Martin's No. 6 Ford Fusion, Beam was fined $2,500 after failing prerace inspections for last Saturday's Ameriquest 300.
Martin's Ford was found to be in violation of three sections of NASCAR's rule book, including two sections regulating car parts and the fuel cell.

2006 Mark Martin Nextel Cup Track Notes - Saturday, September 9, 2006
Rock & Roll 400 / Richmond International Raceway
No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion
September 6, 2006
DRIVER: Mark Martin
TEAM: No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion
OWNER: Jack Roush
CREW CHIEF: Pat Tryson
THE CAR
Chassis: RK-221 - It's last run was at Loudon in July. It finished fourth. It finished 11th earlier this year at Richmond. Mark Martin also used this car to win the All-Star Challenge with in 2005.
MARK MARTIN - FAST FACTS - RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY

Mark Martin has finished inside the top 10 in five of his last nine races at Richmond.
Martin earned his first career Cup top-10 finish at Richmond on Sept. 13, 1981 finishing seventh.
Martin sat on the pole at his first career Cup race at Richmond in 1981.
Martin has one win, 22 top-10 and 12 top-five finishes in 43 races at Richmond.
Martin earned his 41st career Cup pole at Richmond in Sept. of 2001.
Martin has five Busch wins at Richmond.
Martin won the IROC race last season at Richmond to clinch his record fifth championship in the series.

QUOTING MARK MARTIN AND CREW CHIEF PAT TRYSON ON RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY
Mark Martin:
"Richmond is a track where I've always enjoyed racing. We have a long history there dating back to the early 80's. The last few years it's taken on a new significance, being the final race before the cutoff for the Chase. We were able to go there and race our way in 2005 and we'll have to do that if we are going to make the Chase this season. I can tell you this, we are going to go down fighting for this thing.
"I'm really proud of the way our team battled back last week at Fontana and we plan on going into Richmond and giving it all that we have. I think that we are still in this thing, but I can tell you this, we will go down swinging to the very end. I've been driving this No. 6 car for 19 years now, and we've been through a lot over the years and we've been through a lot of battles. We've never backed down from one and we won't this week either."
Pat Tryson:
"We are excited about the challenge that we have this weekend. We are taking one of our best cars to Richmond. It's the car that Mark dominated with at Phoenix early this year and it's been a top-five car everywhere we've taken it. I think that everyone understands what's on the line this weekend and I'm confident that this team is up for the challenge. We know what we have to do and we know what Mark can do if we do our job. It's just up to us to put it all together and make sure we come out ahead of those other guys.”

Mark Martin Post Race Notes and Quotes - Nextel Cup
Ford Racing: News
September 3, 2006
MARK MARTIN - No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion (Finished 12th)
YOU DID WHAT YOU HAD TO DO.
"It was a great race. I thought we had a car to win with when the sun was out, but in the night time it didn't work well."
IT'S ALL ON THE LINE NEXT WEEK.
"Yeah, we're racing, man."
WAS THAT TWO-TIRE STOP KEY TO GETTING YOU TRACK POSITION LATE IN THE RACE?
"It wasn't key. We wound up about the same. We tried real hard and we did everything we could do and wound up about the same either way. That was about where we were gonna run either way. We were coming on strong with four, but we just wanted to make it easier. It's so hard to pass."
IT'S COMING DOWN TO THE FINAL RACE. WHAT'S THAT LIKE FOR YOU?
"First of all, I want to thank all the fans. They've been so incredible. They've really made this year special and my team fought as hard as they can fight. I still think we're in, but the battle is on and one thing that everybody can count on is that I'll go down fighting all the way. At Richmond, even if we don't make the chase, I'm gonna go down swinging all the way to the end. It's been 19 years in that 6 car and I appreciate all the support of the fans and Jack Roush and these guys who work their heart out. I'm proud of finishing 12th tonight with the way our car went. It was a winner in the sun and lost its mind when it got dark. Those guys fought hard and pulled out a 12th-place finish. Kasey and those guys did what they needed to do and the race is on for all of us. We're in ninth, not tenth. I hoped to come out of here ahead of tenth and we did that, but we lost some ground to be comfortable. All you can do is fight hard and that's what we've been doing."

Martin Battles Back to 12th-Place Finish at California
Martin set the pace early, but had to battle back from a damaged fender
Mark Martin and the #6 AAA Ford Fusion Racing Team
California Speedway/September 3, 2006
"I can tell you this, we’ll go down swinging all the way to the end…We’ll go to Richmond and do everything possible to make this chase." - Mark Martin after Sunday night’s race at California
FONTANA, CALIF. (September 3, 2006) – Mark Martin and the No. 6 AAA crew found themselves battling back from adversity for much of the weekend at California Speedway. Martin got loose in qualifying and was forced to start in the back of the field for Sunday’s race. He then powered his way all the way from the back to seventh place, before sustaining severe fender damage to his AAA Ford Fusion. The damage, combined with the sun going down, made the car difficult to drive and Martin fell back to as far as 28th position, before recovering and battling his way back to a 12th-place finish.
"It was a great race and a great effort by this AAA team,” said Martin. I thought we had a car to win with when the sun was out, but in the night time it didn't work as well. I'm proud of finishing 12th tonight with the way our car went. It was a winner in the sun and lost its mind when it got dark. Those guys fought hard and pulled out a 12th-place finish. Kasey (Kahne) and those guys did what they needed to do and the race is on for all of us. We're in ninth, not tenth. I hoped to come out of here ahead of tenth and we did that, but we lost some ground to be comfortable. All you can do is fight hard and that's what we've been doing."
Martin started the race in 38th, but his No. 6 Fusion was a rocket ship early, with Martin picking up seven positions on the first lap alone. By lap 23 he had broken into the field’s top 20. He passed teammate and Nextel Cup point leader Matt Kenseth on lap 52 to break into the top 10 for the first time of the race. Martin proceeded to drive up to as high as sixth place, where he was running when the team came down pit road under green on lap 78 to take four tires, fuel and make a wedge adjustment to loosen up the car’s handling.
Caution came out just three laps later and Martin stayed out and restarted in seventh position. He got caught up with the lapped car of Michael Waltrip on the restart and sustained severe fender damage. The damage would cause Martin’s car to push and he fell back all the way to 25th position before the team had a chance to come down pit road under the race’s fourth caution of the night. The AAA Crew worked to repair the damage in a series of pit stops under caution and Martin returned to the field in 28th position when green-flag racing resumed on lap 115.
The car’s handling became really loose, but Martin was still able to pick up nine positions to 19th by the time the race’s fifth caution was called on lap 154. Martin’s car remained loose over the next two runs, and he was running in 17th position when caution number seven was issued on lap 190. Martin and crew chief Pat Tryson opted for a two-tire stop and Martin resumed the race lead on lap 193, thus gaining Martin five valuable points in the Nextel Race for the Chase.
Martin restarted in the lead on lap 195 with 55 laps remaining. He settled back into third position by lap 198. Eventually the cars on four fresh tires began to creep up on Martin and by lap 224 he had dropped to 10th position. Martin came into the pits for the final time of the race on lap 239, taking two tires and fuel and he returned in 19th position and on the lead lap. The veteran was able to pick up seven more positions in the final 10 laps, passing two cars on the final lap for the 12th-place finish.
With the finish, Martin picked up one spot to ninth in the Nextel Cup points race. With only one race remaining before the 26-race cutoff, Martin is currently two points ahead of 10th and 32 points ahead of 11th. He trails sixth by only 45 points and fourth by 70 points.
“My team fought as hard as they can fight,” added Martin. “I still think we're in (the Chase), but the battle is on and one thing that everybody can count on is that I'll go down fighting all the way. At Richmond, even if we don't make the chase, I'm going to go down swinging all the way to the end. It's been 19 years in that No. 6 car and I appreciate all the support of the fans and Jack Roush and these guys who work their heart out.”
Martin and the team will finish out the Race for the Chase next week at Richmond, where Martin boasts one win, 12 top fives, 22 top 10’s and three poles in 43 starts.
Roush Racing is a subsidiary of Livonia, Mich., based Roush Enterprises which operates 14 motorsports teams; five in NASCAR Nextel Cup with drivers Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards, six in the Busch Series with Martin, Kenseth, Biffle, Edwards, Todd Kluever and Danny O'Quinn, Jr., and two in the Craftsman Truck Series with Martin, David Ragan, Michel Jourdain, Jr. and Erik Darnell.

Martin Dominates Field with Third-Place Finish in Ameriquest 300 at Fontana
Martin led 88 of 150 laps, but fell victim to late pit strategy, finishing third in California Busch race
Mark Martin and the #6 Ameriquest Ford Racing Team
California Speedway/September 2, 2006
“I know it would have been more fun to win, but I had a lot of fun out there tonight. Mike (Beam) and this team really had this car hooked up and I just had a great time driving it.” - Mark Martin after Saturday’s night Ameriquest 300 at CaliforniaSpeedway
FONTANA, CALIF. – In the end the cards just simply did not fall right for Mark Martin and the No. 6 Ameriquest Team, but make no mistake, Martin was dominant in Saturday night’s Busch race at California Speedway. Martin started 11th, quickly powered through the field, took the lead on lap 39 and drove away from the field. The fastest car on the track for the majority of the night, Martin enjoyed as much as a 17-second lead at one point in the race.
“We really had a hot rod out there tonight,” said Martin. “Mike (Beam) and the guys really gave me a good car. They are my Craftsman Truck team as well, and I think that they proved out there tonight that they really know how to set up a Busch car as well. The Ameriquest Ford Fusion was just awesome all night. The car just worked really well and we were able to pass and get by the other cars. It’s really a lot of fun to drive a race car like that. I know it would have been more fun to win, but we sure had a lot of fun out there tonight.”
In a move that would ultimately lead to victory for the No. 9 car, Kasey Kahne brought his No. 9 car down pit road after the night’s sixth caution on lap 92. Kahne then topped off with fuel one lap before the field returned to green. The strategy would pay off for Kahne with the race going green for the final 51 laps of the race. Martin would be forced to come back down pit road for fuel and tires with just 20 laps remaining on lap 130. He came back out in 25th position. By far the fastest car on the track, Martin broke back into the top 10 just seven laps later. He was chasing Kahne down by one second a lap, but he simply ran out of time, crossing the finish line in third position behind the No. 9 and Busch Series point leader Kevin Harvick.
Martin started 11th mostly due to an early draw in qualifying. He moved inside the top 10 just one lap later. He broke into the top five on lap 17 and took the lead on lap 39. Turning the fastest times on the track, Martin pulled away from Kahne and the field, leading by as many as 25 car lengths. Martin gave up the lead to Kahne on pit road on lap 75, but needed only one lap when the field returned to green to power his No. 6 Ameriquest Ford Fusion back out front, before again pulling away from the field. Martin would lead the next 51 laps before pitting for fuel and tires on lap 130.
“Mike made the right call,” said Martin. “It just didn’t work out for us tonight. I’m not sure we could have made it on fuel from there, and really you just never know how these things will go down the stretch. Still, it was a great car and I’m glad we were able to get this Ameriquest Ford out front and lead a lot of laps and get a good finish.”
Martin will run his final Busch race of the season in November at Texas Motor Speedway. He will return to action with the No. 6 Busch/Truck team in two weeks at Loudon in the Craftsman Truck Series.
Roush Racing is a subsidiary of Livonia, Mich., based Roush Enterprises which operates 14 motorsports teams; five in NASCAR Nextel Cup with drivers Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards, six in the Busch Series with Martin, Kenseth, Biffle, Edwards, Todd Kluever and Danny O'Quinn, Jr., and two in the Craftsman Truck Series with Martin, David Ragan, Michel Jourdain, Jr. and Erik Darnell.

Martin confirms he won't drive No. 6 Ford in 2007
By Marty Smith - NASCAR.COM
September 1, 2006
FONTANA, Calif. -- Mark Martin on Friday confirmed a previous NASCAR.COM report filed last weekend that he will not drive the No. 6 Roush Racing Ford in 2007.
"I'm not worried about next year, but I will tell you this: there never has been -- ever -- a consideration for me to drive the 6 car in 2007," Martin said.
Martin's primary focus currently is performing well enough in the Sony HD 500 at California Speedway to stay ahead of Kasey Kahne in the Nextel Cup Series point standings.
With two races remaining before the Chase cutoff, Martin leads Kahne by 90 points.
"Everybody's in this frenzy about what I'm going to do in 2007 -- it's just not important right now," Martin said. "What's here in front of me is what's important to me. I've tried to help these guys and keep the ship on track, and if we don't produce then so be it.
"But it hasn't been for lack of effort. I've been as dedicated this year as I have any year in my racing career, and I'm proud of that because I didn't know if I was going to be able to do it in February. I really didn't know.
"But once we got to it, it's uncontrollable. It's all about the performance of the racecar. I guess I'm proud of that."
Martin went on to reiterate the well-chronicled sentiment that he had no desire to compete in the Cup Series this year, but because team owner Jack Roush and sponsor AAA needed him, he chose to stick it out for another season.
In hindsight, he's quite pleased with the decision.
"I know that my time is limited, and I'm at peace," he said. "I wasn't going to be in the 6 car in '06 and Jack and the team really needed me, and AAA wanted me to come back and do this thing and I certainly am glad that I did it. It's been a great and rewarding year.
"I've never once this year thought or considered driving it again in '07. I've driven it 19 years. That's enough for the 6 car and me."

Mr. Martin's neighborhood
Veteran widely acknowledged as circuit's cleanest driver
By Jeff Gluck - Staff Writer
DailyBulletin.com
September 1, 2006
Your next-door neighbor is always blasting his loud music. The old lady two doors down brings you some chocolate chip cookies on your birthday. And you've actually witnessed the guy who lives behind you toss empty beer cans into your yard.
Just like any neighborhood, no one likes everyone. NASCAR driver Jeff Burton said the Nextel Cup garage is the same way.
"There are some people who don't like the guy who lives three blocks down and there are some people who love that guy,'' Burton said. "It is the same thing we have in here.''
Who, then, is the worst neighbor - which is a nice way of saying, the dirtiest driver?
In a sport where competitors dig for every tenth of a second in cars sponsored by billion-dollar corporations, every resident of the NASCAR neighborhood lets their dog run loose in someone else's yard once in a while.
There's just no answer to that question, Burton said.
"We have personalities that just don't hit it off and some that do,'' he added. "But for the most part, we don't have drivers that are constantly involved in wrecks.
"This is an aggressive sport, and the competition level is so high that it makes us all push pretty hard quite often.''
But while it's hard to say who the dirtiest driver is, it's clear who is the cleanest: Mark Martin.
Martin is like the NASCAR neighborhood's Mr. Rogers follow his examples and unwritten code, and drivers shouldn't have many problems.
"Mark Martin is the guy that gives the most to everybody,'' Burton said. "The key is understanding when it is appropriate to do what. Mark gets that.''
Every time a young driver seems to get overaggressive or someone makes a mistake, other drivers, fans and media refer back to Martin: WWMD?
"I've always tried to race people the way I want to be raced,'' Martin said. "I never wanted to be robbed, so I never wanted to rob anyone.''
Part of that attitude, Martin said, comes from his early days when drivers had to fix their own race cars. Today, if a car gets wrecked, there are scores of crew members at the shop to put it back together.
"We raced hard and put on fierce races and had great shows,'' Martin said. "But we didn't run over each other, because we neither could afford it or had time to fix them.
"That era is pretty much going by the wayside.''
On the other hand, it's not like the bump-and-run is anything new. Jeff Gordon dumping Matt Kenseth at Chicago and Dale Earnhardt Jr. knocking Carl Edwards out of the way in the Michigan Busch Series race wasn't the start of a new trend.
It might have cost Gordon or Earnhardt a few notches on the clean driving meter, but they ended up in Victory Lane with the trophy.
And despite protests to the contrary this season (hello, Tony Stewart), the aggressiveness in young drivers isn't a modern day phenomenon, either.
"I would be willing to bet that Cale Yarborough was pretty ticked off about somebody being young and aggressive,'' Burton said. "- At the end of the day, if you really analyze what goes on in these races, we don't have a problem with our young drivers.
"We do have some young drivers who don't get it, but we have some older ones who don't get it, either.''
In the end, not much has changed from generation to generation. If 21-year-old Kyle Busch caught leader Matt Kenseth last week during the final laps at Bristol, he might have done the same thing the late Dale Earnhardt once did to Terry Labonte at the Tennessee track.
"That would have been a heck of a show probably,'' a grinning Busch said. "I've got plenty of door dings and everything else out there and I'm not sure I could have done it clean.
"So I'm probably glad I didn't get there really.''

Martin tries to hang on for the Chase
By Bill Whitehead
September 1, 2006
The No. 6 is Mark Martin's calling card, but that number - with the minus sign that came before it when Bristol's post-race points standings were posted - left the Roush Racing driver and his championship hopes hanging on the edge.
Martin's 28th-place finish was his third-worst performance of the year. Even worse at Bristol was what preceded his name in the post-race points standings, the ugly -6 that denoted him falling six spots to the precarious 10th position in the Nextel Cup standings.
And it's a little late in the game to be having negative signs before your name if you're a driver with championship aspirations, even if you've been no lower than sixth in the points since the season's second race at California.
Until after Bristol. Until now.
Martin's final Cup season has been an odd one, to say the least.
On the track, he's been solid but unspectacular, winless but near the top in points, seemingly always running in the top 10 but not challenging for too many wins. He was 11th in points after the Daytona 500 but has been in the top 10 ever since.
The events surrounding his impending departure from NASCAR's top series, though, have been confusing. Roush Racing's Todd Kluever has been groomed to replace Martin in the No. 6, but Kluever's performance has been mediocre at best, leaving many to wonder if Martin might return for another "final" season.
Team president Geoff Smith said Martin won't be back in a Roush Racing Cup car next year because all seats were filled and that the 47-year-old driver would lead the group's truck racing effort. Yet Jack Roush said he wouldn't rule Martin out of the 2007 Cup equation and wants to give the driver as many options as possible.
As for racing, Martin's average finish in his two races at California and Richmond this year is 10th, and anything resembling that result will keep 11th-place Kasey Kahne at bay, though Kahne has been good on the two-mile superspeedways and scored his first career win at Richmond last year.
And if Martin regains his consistency during the next two races, the Daytona resident will rebound from last Saturday's bad luck and secure the final spot in the Chase by putting together a pair of solid runs in the next two weeks.
But that -6 in the standings at Bristol certainly injected a little excitement into Martin's sometimes mysterious, often humdrum final Cup season.
Bill Whitehead covers NASCAR for Scripps Treasure Coast newspapers.