Mark Martin/Viagra Racing Team 2002 Season Recap
Martin and the No. 6 Team Turned Up the Heat for 2002 Championship Race
Roush RacingHUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (DEC. 18, 2002) - A lot of questions were asked of Mark Martin and the Viagra (sildenafil citrate) Racing Team heading into the 2002 season. Martin and the No. 6 Racing Team had all the answers.
Martin ended the season with a Winston Cup tying 22 top-10 finishes, seven more than the previous year. His 12 top-five finishes in 2002 was four times the number he posted in 2001.
In fact, locked in a heated points battle with Tony Stewart for the championship, Martin closed out the season with three straight top-five finishes, the same number he had in all of 2001.
At the end of 2001, crew chief Ben Leslie was brought in from the No. 97 team to instill a sense of youth and energy to the No. 6 team. In what has to be the most brilliant move of 2002 Martin's long time crew chief and friend Jimmy Fenning was sent over to replace Leslie as Kurt Busch's crew chief.
The move paid off in full and when the final smoke was cleared for the 2002 campaign, Martin and Busch set at second and third in the final Winston Cup point standings.
Martin had hoped the move would rejuvenate both teams, but no one quite expected such a dramatic turn around in 2002.
"I don't do goals, but when we went into this season I had really hoped to get back into the top 10 in points, and to hopefully be able to win a race again," said Martin. "We certainly did that with flying colors, but I really didn't expect to be contending for a championship with the changes (new crew) that we made. I hoped they would bring success and improvement, and it's been really, really good, but I don't think we expected this just yet."
"I think we will be a strong team, but it's probably going to take some time for us to get on the same page," said Martin just prior to the start of the season in February. "This may be a learning year where we start to get better."
The learning curve wasn't as steep as Martin had thought, and the team showed great promise right from the start. A strong run in the Daytona 500 and third-place finish in Vegas caught the attention of the racing world, as well as first year crew chief Ben Leslie.
"It progressed much faster than I ever imagined," said Leslie after the third place run in Vegas. "The guys are really starting to come together as a team and we've been able to accomplish a great deal in a short time. They think the world of their driver (Martin) and he really appreciates what they do, so I'm excited about the rest of the season and the things this team can accomplish."
After Vegas, the team would reel off six more top-10's in the next nice races, including four top-fives - more than Martin tallied in all of 2002. The string was capped off by their Million Dollar win at the Coca-Cola 600.
"Those last 40 laps were really tense. I wanted to win really badly," said Martin in victory lane after the race. "I wanted to win for my team probably as much as for myself. They wanted this really bad and they worked really hard for this victory and my hat goes off to those guys.
"They pretty much picked this race to win and they went after it. You don't normally pick a race to win - it picks you - but after Vegas, they pretty much circled this one on the schedule and went after it. It's a really special win for me."
Martin would finish in the top 10 in five of the next six races, including a second place finish at Pocono and a fifth-place run in the Pepsi 400 in Daytona. Leaving Daytona Martin and the Viagra® Racing Team stood at second in the point standings at the midway point of the season.
"It's been surprising. We really figured that it would be more of an up-hill battle to get going with the new team, but it's been a lot easier than we expected," said first year car chief Todd Zeigler midway through the season. "We still have a ways to go, but we're real happy with the way the season is going. Still, we want to win some more races and win a championship."
Martin would use a 16th-place finish to take the points lead at rain-halted fall New Hampshire race. It marked the first time Martin had led the points since the spring of 2000.
"While I'm not going to get caught up in all the hoopla, I am very proud of this team and I do hope that these guys get some of the recognition that they so deserve for the job they have done this season," said Martin in the post race press conference. "As for the points race, we have nine races to go. Taking the lead means that we scored the most points in the first 27 races of the season. Still, if these guys keep giving me these kind of cars to drive, we'll stay in this thing to the end."
Martin used a strong second-place run in Dover as an encore the following week to hold the points lead. A string of bad luck at Kansas, Talladega and at Lowes Motor Speedway dropped the veteran back to third place, 122 points outside of first, heading into the fall Martinsville Race. With five races remaining on the schedule, Martin and the Viagra® Racing Team were standing at the crossroads. A lot of skeptics wondered how Martin and the team would react to the pressure.
Martin vowed that the team would fight to the very end and not give up until the last checkered flag dropped in Homestead.
The Viagra® Racing Team was true to that promise. Martin ended the year with five straight top-10 finishes. Martin finished 10th and eighth at Martinsville and Atlanta to stay in the hunt, be trailed Stewart by 146 points heading into Rockingham.
The team stepped it up a notch at 'The Rock', posting one of their strongest runs of the year, leading a race-high 144 laps en route to a second place finish. Martin wideled Stewarts lead down to just 87 points, but trailed by 112 after NASCAR penalized Martin 25 points for what it deemed an "unapproved" spring that was found in Martin's car in the post race inspection, despite NASCAR's admission that the spring was unaltered and purchased from a NASCAR approved manufacturer.
Still, Martin and the Viagra® Racing Team wouldn't give up, running to a pair of fourth place finishes to end the season. Martin finished 38 points behind Stewart, but the veteran was true to his promise, as the No. 6 team continued to show poise and determination. In fact, Martin picked up three spots in the race's final 10 laps to post his fifth straight top-10 finish to conclude the season.
Martin and the Viagra® Racing team ended up just short of a championship in 2002, but no team was a bigger winner in 2002. No team showed more courage and determination. In the face of continued adversity and unlimited obstacles, the Viagra Racing Team shined.
Roush Racing is a subsidiary of Roush Industries and operates nine motorsports teams; five in NASCAR Winston Cup with drivers Mark Martin, Jeff Burton, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch, and Greg Biffle; two in the Busch series with Burton and Biffle; and two teams in the Craftsman Truck series with driver Jon Wood.
Roush Driver Diary: Mark Martin
Wednesday, December 18, 2002
Roush RacingHello all,
Well we are fastly approaching yet another Christmas and it's really hard to believe that it's that time of year again. I tell you what, it won't be long until we are back at Daytona for speedweeks. The 'off season' seems to go by quicker every year, but a part of me can't wait to get back on the track.
We are busy getting ready for next year as we speak. We tested last week in Talladega and were really happy with the way our cars ran. We were pretty fast and hopefully that's a good sign for Daytona.
As for me I'm just busy tying up some loose ends and getting ready for Christmas. This is the time of year to spend with the family and to be thankful for all that you have. We had a great year last year and hopefully we can have an even better year this season, but there is a lot more to be thankful for than just racing.
I also want to again thank all the fans out there who have stood by me through the years and have helped make my dreams come true.
Merry Christmas,
Mark
Roush Driver Diary: Mark Martin
Wednesday, December 11, 2002Hello again everyone,
Well we had a great time in New York and it was really nice to be back up on stage again. I used to take that for granted until last year, but now I realize what an honor it is to be fortunate enough to get on stage and be able to thank the people who played a role in getting you there.
With all that said, there is little time to rest as we continue preparations for next season. We are testing this week in Talladega and it will be a chance to see how our cars run with the new templates for next year. Hopefully, that test will get us headed in the right direction for Daytona next year. We got off to a good start in the 500 last season and that really helps. It's just one race of many, but it's good to get started in the right direction.
The biggest challenge over the next few weeks is trying to get caught up on everything that you neglected over the past months during the season, while at the same time you are continuing to get ready for 2003. At the same time you have to try your best to relax some and to spend some quality time with your family.
We'll I guess that's all for now, but we'll talk to you again next week.
Mark
Roush Driver Diary: Mark Martin
Wednesday, December 4, 2002
Roush RacingHello again everyone,
We'll were getting ready to go to New York again for the banquet and it makes me realize that I've been doing this for a lot of years. Last year was my 19th full-time year in Winston Cup and so I've been to a lot of banquets over the years. It seems it keeps changing more and more each year as the sport has grown so much.
I spent part of the week thinking about what I was going to say Friday night and I realized that the one minute we get isn't even close to enough time to thank all the people around me that made it possible for me to accomplish all of the things that I've been able to do.
It would take forever just to express my gratitude to Jack Roush for all that he has done for me. My new crew and Ben Leslie for giving me my career back and Matt and Arlene for always being there for me.
We had a great run in 2002 and it sure feels better going to New York as the second place guy rather than the 12th place finisher. I'm really looking forward to 2003 and seeing what we can do next year. I really felt we turned the corner towards the end of last season. Hopefully that can carry over into next year and we can run even stronger.
Thanks again to all the fans out there that support me. You guys are really the ones that make it all possible.
Take care,
Mark
Martin And Family Enjoy Big Day In Big "D"
Martin Surprises Son Matt with Trip to Dallas Cowboys Game
Roush RacingHuntersville, N.C. - Like many other Sunday's, Mark Martin recently spent a Sunday afternoon in the friendly confines of thousands of screaming sports fans scattered throughout the clad surroundings of metal bleachers and seating. Only this time Martin was not powering his Viagraâ (sildenafil citrate) Ford Taurus down the straightaway, but rather watching Emmit Smith power the Dallas Cowboys offense down the football field.
Mark surprised his 10-year old son Matt by taking him to the Dallas Cowboys game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on November 24 in Irvine, Texas. The game was an early birthday present for Matt, who will turn 11 this month. Mark's wife Arlene also attended the game, along with business manager Benny Ertel and his family.
"It was a total surprise to Matt," said Ertel. "We told him we were doing an autograph appearance near the stadium. He had no idea that we were going to the game, until we actually walked in the stadium."
Matt was treated to a visit inside the Cowboys locker room and Matt was able to meet his favorite player, the NFL's all-time leading rusher Emmit Smith. Matt and Mark also met Cowboys head coach Dave Campo. Martin, who just concluded his 19th fulltime season of Winston Cup Racing, was greeted with cheers from the crowd, as he and Matt walked around the sidelines during the pre-game warm-ups. Martin even learned that he had a couple of fans in Campo and Cowboy's team owner Jerry Jones.
After getting the grand tour, Mark, Matt, Arlene and friends watched from the Cowboys suite as Dallas defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 21-19. Matt's favorite player and Mark Martin fan, Smith finished the day with 73 yards on 20 carries and a touchdown.
Roush Racing is a subsidiary of Livonia, Michigan, based Roush Industries that operates nine motorsports teams; five in NASCAR Winston Cup with drivers Mark Martin, Jeff Burton, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch and Greg Biffle; two in the Busch Series with Stanton Barrett and Burton; and two in the Craftsman Truck Series with drivers Jon Wood and Kyle Busch.
Roush Driver Diary: Mark Martin
November 27, 2002
Roush RacingHello again everyone,
It's hard to believe that the holiday season is here again. Before you know it, it will be February and the season will start up again. Thanksgiving is coming up this week and I guess when you look at it, I've got a lot to be thankful for. I have a wonderful family that I'm going to do my best to concentrate on for the next few weeks. I make a living doing what I love to do and that is race and I've had a lot of success doing it over the years.
I had a chance to take my son Matt to a Cowboys game last Sunday and we had a really good time. He got to meet his favorite player Emmitt Smith and Dave Campo, who coaches the Cowboys. Dallas won the game and we just had a really good time the entire day. It's really good to get to spend time with the family and just try to relax for a few days here and there.
Last week wasn't all relaxing, we were back on the track getting ready for next season just a couple of days after Homestead. There is a lot of work to be done to get ready for next season, if we are going to continue to be competitive. I really look forward to going and racing again next season with the Viagra Racing Team.
The season will be here soon enough for all of us. For right now, I guess we'll just all try and enjoy ourselves and spend some good quality time with our families.
Have a good Thanksgiving,
Mark
Don't Call It A Come Back, Martin Never Went Anywhere
Roush RacingHUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (Nov. 25, 2002) - Much has been made of Mark Martin's 2002 run that included a Winston Cup tying 22 top-10 and 12 top-five finishes. A year ago skeptics scoffed that perhaps the veteran driver was on the down side, but Martin and the No. 6 Viagra® Racing Team fought back with yet another solid season.
"I drove tough every race and we fought for everything we could get all season," said Martin. "We said the entire way that we would not stop fighting until the last checkered flag dropped and that's exactly what we did."
Indeed Martin and the No. 6 team never gave up, gaining three positions in the last 10 laps of the season finale at Homestead, to post a fourth-place finish - their third straight top-five to end the season.
"We made a points race of it," said Martin. "We gave the fans something to watch and we made it interesting. We went in with little chance, but we still fought all day for everything that we could get."
In fact, Martin and the No. 6 team finished higher than eventual points champion Tony Stewart in all of the last three races, but were unable to overcome Stewart's points lead - most of which was built up during a three race span in late September-early October, in which mechanical issues forced Martin outside the top-10 in all three events.
Still Martin and the Viagra® Racing Team refused to give up. Martin was in third place, 122 points outside of first place with just five races to go. With the pressure at its highest, Martin and the No. 6 team reeled off five straight top-10 runs, including and second and two fourth-place finishes to end the season.
"The thing that I'm the most proud about is that we beat those guys (the 20 team) three straight races to end the season and that's no small feat, because that's a great team with a great driver."
In 2001 Martin struggled to his worst season in recent years and failed to make the top 10 in the final Winston Cup points standings for the first time in 13 seasons. At the end of the season, Roush Racing shook things up, switching Martin's No. 6 crew with Kurt Busch's No. 97 team. The move brought crew chief Ben Leslie over to the No. 6, while veteran crew chief Jimmy Fenning moved over to the No. 97 to provide maturity and guidance for the younger Busch.
The switch paid dividends with Busch finishing third in the WC final point standings and Martin finishing second for the fourth time.
Martin downplays the turnaround. "I drove really tough this year, but I drove just as hard last year. We worked our tails off this year, but we worked really hard last year as well. It's tough to explain why you do better one year than another. We had better luck for one thing, but we also had better handling cars, faster pit stops and more horsepower. Those are the things that win races.
"I give a lot of credit to this team. I feel like they - and I mean the team not me - gave me my career back."
"I don't know how we did it this year. It's so competitive and it's so difficult, I have no idea. But these guys gave me a shot right down to the very last lap and you better believe I'm grateful for that. I'm grateful to the fans, I'm grateful to the people who have supported me through the years, but I'm mostly grateful to Jack Roush and Ben Leslie and the guys that work on the car."
However Martin and the No. 6 team had little time to revel in their success of 2002. The team was busy testing and getting ready for next year, just a couple of days after Homestead.
"It's a competitive business and you have to be dedicated to stay on top. There are body changes for next year and we have to get ready for that. I have a couple of cars that I really love to drive right now and you never know how a body change might alter the car, so we have to find out what works for us next year.
"I'm excited about next season and getting back on the track. I'm a racer and racing is what I do. I'll take as much time as I can and try to relax and enjoy the short offseason we have, but I'll be more than ready to get back on the track come next February.
The No. 6 team will test again at Talladega in early December, as they continue to get ready for the 2003 season.
Roush Racing is a subsidiary of Roush Industries and operates nine motorsports teams; five in NASCAR Winston Cup with drivers Mark Martin, Jeff Burton, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch, and Greg Biffle; two in the Busch series with Burton and Biffle; and two teams in the Craftsman Truck series with driver Jon Wood.
Roush Driver Diary: Mark Martin
November 20, 2002
Roush RacingHello again everyone,
Well the season is finally over and all I can say is that I've never been more proud of a team and the effort they gave. When we said that we would fight to the last lap - we meant it, and Sunday's race was proof of that. We never gave up. The team gave me a great car and great stops on Sunday and we did all that we could do.
One of the things that I am most proud of is that we beat Tony (Stewart) and his team for three weeks in a row, and as good as those guys are that's about impossible. He's a great racecar driver and I congratulate him on the championship. We were able to make it a race and we gave the fans something to watch on Sunday. We went in with a fighting chance and we fought really hard.
It's been a long season and I for one am glad it's finally over. The first third or so of the season was really fun and then in May we realized that we could really contend for a championship and that turned the pressure up a bit. Still, I love to race when I'm competitive and we were competitive all year and that is awesome.
I really want to thank my team, Ben Leslie and all of the guys. I feel like they - not me - really rejuvenated my career this season and I will always be grateful for that. I think we will have the same team back next year and I can't wait to see what we can do. We've already started preparing for next year, testing in Kentucky yesterday. Things really started coming together towards the end of the season and we were running great in the end. We need to take that momentum into next season and keep this thing rolling.
Last but not least, I want to thank all of the fans out there for all of your continued support. You guys are the best. You stick with me through thick and thin and I appreciate all of your support.
We'll see you guys at the track next season,
Mark
Peers Proud Of Martin's Champion Effort
fordracing.com
November 19, 2002BY TEAM FORD RACING CORRESPONDENT
Homestead, Fla. — They say the measure of a man is the size of his heart. If that’s the case then, Mark Martin is one of the biggest men alive. The push that Martin put forward to catch Tony Stewart to claim the 2002 Winston Cup Championship, while coming up a few markers short, showed that he’s nowhere close to cresting the hill.
"I guess a couple of things I really want to say is, I never really looked at this thing this year and allowed myself to think that I would win it and that's a good thing because I feel no letdown now,” Martin said a short while after the Ford 400.
Continuing, Martin added, “But I had so many people that wanted me to win it so bad, that I almost got afraid that they were gonna be let down so bad and I was gonna let them down. I guess what I'm trying to say is thank you. Thank you to all the competitors that felt that way and all the fans and all the people that I know. I want to thank them. I gave it everything I had from January testing to the last lap today. I'm not disappointed with the outcome.
"Probably one of the things I'm most proud of is that we beat Tony on the race track the last three races in a row. I don't know how you do that. That is a tall order.”
Indeed it is, but that’s what Martin did. And it took a team effort and some very inspired driving to do it.
The car that Martin had at the start of Sunday’s race was not a contender for the Top 15, let alone able to get ahead of Stewart to deduct a few more points from his lead.
Martin drove the heck out of his ride on the first run last Sunday, running the right front to the cords as he flung his car trying to gain position. That’s when Ben Leslie, the man who’s prepared great cars for Martin all year, started dialing in Martin’s car to where it was a stout little hot rod.
With the car closer to the front of the pack, Martin put it on his shoulder and began to carry it as far as he could in the 400-mile event. He ran the path less traveled by pounding his car across the apron in the turns to make up as much time as he could.
"The apron made it interesting, that's for sure,” said Martin’s teammate Jeff Burton. “The craziest thing is to run down by the grass. That's just ridiculous. Some people did it and had great success doing it. I got behind Mark and he was just hauling ass down there in the grass. I tried it, but I couldn't do it.”
The image of Martin’s bouncing ride off the turns showed that he was not leaving anything on the table – nothing.
That was a fact not lost on car owner Jack Roush, who responded to a media question on the size of Martin’s heart by saying, "Did you see the race today? Did you see [Mark] go three-wide down there in Turn 2 in the closing laps? That's vintage Mark.”
There was a lot of “vintage Mark” in 2002, from the inspirational driving in the closing laps of the Coke 600 – where he won his team and a fan $1 million each from RJ Reynolds No Bull 5 program, to his final dash at Homestead last Sunday.
"Maybe I should have prepared something, because I'm blank,” Martin responded when he was asked on his feeling of the season long push. “I don't feel disappointed, I don't feel excited, I don't feel anything right now. I just raced my brains out in the middle of the pack half the day and had a triumphant fourth-place finish and made it a tremendous points race and made it close. That's all I know. I'm just blank other than that.”
Martin should be proud of the work he did this year with his Roush team – after all, many of his peers are.
And the season-long push for points put seven Ford cars total in the Top 10. Roush can take credit for three of those, Penske Racing South two, and Robert Yates Racing got both of its cars in the Top-10.
NEWMAN ROOKIE-OF-THE-YEAR
Ryan Newman was named the 2002 Winston Cup Raybestos Rookie-of-the-Year winner. Newman had an all out battle with fellow rookie Jimmie Johnson, and only secured the points he needed to be called Winston Cup’s Rookie-of-the-Year in the Homestead event.
"I didn't know about the Raybestos Rookie-of-the-Year deal, but that's cool,” said Newman after being told he had won the award. “All season it's been a great season. Even when we struggled, we struggled as a team and we fought back. Whether it was an engine failure or me punching a hole in the radiator, we constantly fought back and that's important to me as a rookie. To run so well at all the different race tracks, that was important to me.”
Scott Riggs took Raybestos rookie honors in the Busch Series.
BALDWIN LANDS GIG
Jim Smith announced yesterday that he’d hired Tommy Baldwin to be the head wrench on his No. 7 Dodges for the 2003 season. Baldwin, who likes a good project, will be in hog heaven with Smith’s team as it stumbled and staggered through the end of the season.
Who will drive Smith’s No. 7 remains a question, but it appears as though Dodge politics will keep Jimmy Spencer out of the car – or so sources were saying at Homestead.
No word on where Smith’s former crew chief Tony Furr will land, but with the demand for quality wrenches in the sport being very high there shouldn’t be a problem finding a job.
Inside Motorsports
Martin's determination, dedication that of champ
4th runner-up in points adds to veteran driver's resume, sense of respect
By David Poole
Charlotte Observer
November 19, 2002HOMESTEAD, Fla. - Mark Martin didn't win the 2002 Winston Cup championship.
He didn't win it in 1990, or in 1994, or in 1998, either. Just like in each of those seasons, he fell short Sunday when Tony Stewart wrapped up this year's crown in the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Record books will note that Martin fell 38 points short of the 4,800 Stewart amassed. Martin and car owner Jack Roush feel strongly the true final margin was 13 points, believing a penalty for a spring rule violation at Rockingham was unjust.
"I think that was important," Martin said Sunday when asked if it was better that Stewart's margin was greater than the 25 points he lost to that ruling. "I feel good about that. I feel like they beat us, they earned it and I congratulate them."
So be it. Stewart will go to New York the week after Thanksgiving as headliner at NASCAR's annual awards ceremony. Martin, once more, must settle for second banana.
"I never really looked at this thing this year and allowed myself to think I would win it," said Martin, who took the points lead Sept. 22 at Dover, Del., but lost it for good a week later at Kansas. "That's a good thing, because I feel no letdown now."
In some ways, of course, that's hard to believe. He's 43 years old and has 33 Winston Cup victories, but every time he turns around somebody is asking about how tough it is to not have a Winston Cup title on his resume.
Martin has a fairly stock answer, one he repeated Sunday.
"You can beat on me all you want about running second and that's not good because I feel like that sometimes," he said. "But I've had a great career and I've done all I can do. Say what you want. I didn't score enough points this year. I never scored enough points.
"I don't think I'm the greatest race car driver in the world that ever lived and I don't want anybody to write that about me. I do what I do and I have been very fortunate. I have a lot of respect and a lot of trophies."
The trophies are nice, but you sense Martin enjoys the respect more.
Stewart praised Martin repeatedly last weekend, recalling that in 1996 when Stewart first came to NASCAR's Grand National series he often sought out Martin, who's the all-time winner in that series, for advice.
"He always took time for me," Stewart recalled. "He gave me plenty of good tips and answered questions I had. And I had a lot of them.
"If we weren't fortunate enough to get it done, I was going to lose to someone that I really liked and someone that I have a lot of respect and admiration for. ... Some guys go their whole career without winning a championship. I hope that doesn't happen to Mark."
Martin said he heard a lot of that over the final days of the season, and the support humbled him. It also, he said, put a little more pressure on his shoulders.
"I had so many people who wanted me to win it so bad, I almost got afraid that they were going to be let down so bad, that I was going to let them down," he said. "What I'm trying to say is thank you, to all the competitors and all the fans and all the people I know who felt that way."
Mark Martin had more points than everyone but Stewart one year after going winless and finishing 12th in the standings, his first time out of the top 10 since 1988. Martin swapped teams with Kurt Busch, and credits new crew chief Ben Leslie and his group with reviving his career. Martin's former crew, led by Jimmy Fennig, helped Busch to four wins and a third-place points finish.
Sure, Martin would love to be in Stewart's position in New York next month. Sure, he'd love to win a championship and share that with his team. And just like he did this year, he'll try with every fiber of his being to do that in 2003.
He's just not counting on it.
"I don't predict next year," he said Sunday. "But I know one thing -- my guys are going to be there. I've got a great sponsor and great people on my team. I don't know if we can make the top 10 next year. I don't know how we did it this year. I just know that we did it. ... These guys gave me a shot right down to the very last lap and you'd better believe I'm grateful for that.
"I don't feel disappointed and I don't feel excited. I don't feel anything right now. I just raced my brains out ... and made it close. That's all I know."
That's all he had, which is what Martin will give every time he gets in the car for as long as he chooses to do it. No matter how the points add up, that makes him a champion by any true definition of that word.
Viagra® Racing Team Closes Out 2002 With Third Straight Top-Five Run
Mark Martin and the #6 Viagra® Racing Team
Homestead-Miami Speedway/November 17, 2002
Roush RacingHomestead, Fla. - (Nov. 17, 2002) - "We really fought for it and you can't say that we ever gave up. I don't know how close it was, but it was pretty close; I'm proud of this team," said Mark Martin moments after climbing out of his car after finishing fourth in Sunday's Ford 400. The strong finish moved Martin to within just 38 points of first place in the Winston Cup Championship race as the season came to a conclusion.
"We realized back in May that we might have a shot at winning this championship and it just never went away for us. It kept on being a reality all the way down to the end. I'm glad it's over. We gained points the last three races every race, so, in a way, I wish it wasn't over. This team is great. They put me in race cars the last three weeks that have been incredible."
Martin and the Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Racing team concluded their 2002 season with their third straight top-10 run and their fifth top-10 finish in as many weeks. The fourth place finish marked Martin's 12th-top five run of the season and the 22nd time the Viagraâ Racing Team finished inside the field's top-10.
Martin, who went into the race 89 points outside of first place in the Winston Cup point's race, pulled to within 38 of eventually champion Tony Stewart, but was unable to overcome the deficit. Still, the season marks a remarkable turnaround for Martin who finished 12th in the points a year ago, while posting only three top-five finishes in all of 2001.
As promised, Martin and the No. 6 team fought to the last checker flag dropped, picking up three in the final 10 laps of the race to move inside the field's top five.
"We said we would fight until the very end and we did," said Martin after the race. " We never gave up and we made a point's race out of it. I just wasn't able to score quite enough points in the end. I wish we could have scored about 100 more points, but we did all we could do. We fought as hard as we could from the first green flag in February until the checkered dropped today and nobody can take that away from us."
The team struggled with the car on Friday and qualified a disappointing 34th. With second place locked up coming into the race, Martin wasted little time moving up the field. By lap 12 the veteran driver had the No. 6 Ford Taurus running 25th. Martin broke into the field's top 20 by lap 49. Martin ran the next 100 laps in the middle of the field before making his move forward. By lap 148 he was running in 15th place when the field began green flag pitting. The No. 6 team came in for four tires and a wedge adjustment to help tighten the car's handling. After an excellent stop of 14.589 seconds, Martin found himself in 13th place once the filed had cycled through.
Martin broke into the field's top 10 by lap 180. He was running in 11th place when the day's fourth caution was called on lap 195. The team came into the pits for four tires and more wedge adjustment. Another fast stop of 14.95 seconds sent Martin back out in sixth place when the field went green on lap 204.
With the car still loose Martin dropped back to ninth place by lap 220 and was running in eighth when the day's fifth caution was called on lap 226. Crew chief Ben Leslie and the No. 6 team opted for a two-tire stop and Martin returned to the field in sixth place when the race went green on lap 233 with only 35 laps remaining.
Caution was again called for the sixth and final time of the day on lap 236, but the Viagra® Racing team opted to stay out running in sixth when the field went green with only 24 laps remaining. Martin struggled with the car, dropping back to eighth place by lap 257, but the veteran mounted a late run, gaining three spots to fourth place when the checkered flag dropped on the race and the 2002 season.
"We came from the back of the pack and wrestled with an ill-handling car all day and we got it right at the end and the car was really, really good," said Martin. "We worked our way up all day."
"We made it close," added Martin. "We gained points on a guy (Stewart) that's incredibly hard to beat for three races in a row. I'm as proud of that as anything we did all year long. We beat him the last three races in a row and I'm telling you that's a tall order."
"We fought hard until the very end and we never gave up. Nobody can ever take that away from us and I'll never forget the effort that these guys on this team made. I feel like they rejuvenated my career."
Martin Has No Regrets After Finishing Second To Stewart
By Mike Mulhern, Journal Reporter
Winston Salem Journal - Journal Now
November 18, 2002HOMESTEAD, FL - The NASCAR season ended yesterday with Mark Martin holding his third runner-up finish in the Winston Cup championship race.
"I really want to say that I never really looked at this thing this year and allowed myself to think I would win it," Martin said of the championship. "That's a good thing, because I feel no letdown.
"I had so many people that wanted me to win it so bad that I almost got afraid that they were going to be let down so bad, that I was going to let them down. What I'm trying to say is 'Thank you.'
"I gave it everything I had, from January testing to the last lap today.
"I'm not disappointed with the outcome. Probably one of the things I'm most proud of is we beat Tony (Stewart) on the race track the last three races in a row. It was an incredible feat for this team to outrun him three races in a row. We whittled it down each week. Unfortunately, we got a little too far behind.
"I've had a great career, and I've done all I could do. Say what you want, I just didn't score enough points this year, nor did I in 1998, nor did I in 1990. I don't think I'm the greatest race car driver who ever lived. I just do what I do. And I have a lot of trophies, a lot more trophies than most people, and I've done a lot of neat things in my career."
But car owner Jack Roush said he's not happy with either the 25-point penalty assessed against Martin by NASCAR for an illegal spring coil or with NASCAR's appeals process.
In Saturday's hearing, at which NASCAR heard his appeal of the penalty, Roush said, "They asked me 'Do you feel good about what is happening here?' I said I'd like to see more of my peers around, car owners and crew chiefs.'
"I, Jack Roush, have much less interest in a Winston Cup championship than I ever have, based on the way I've been consistently treated. But that doesn't mean that my pain-to-pleasure ratio is such that I won't come back and do it again. This is what we do, and this is a life - when you think about 36 races and the extra races, it's a life. There's not much room around the racing for any of us to do anything else much.
"We like what we do, we enjoy the challenge ... we just wish we had a better justice system to adjudicate the punishment that NASCAR deals out.
"But that's the way it is, and we'll put that aside and say if we win the championship somewhere in the future with Mark. I can't imagine what they could do in the next five years to stop a number of these guys - Kurt and Matt (Kenseth) and Jeff (Burton) and Mark - from having a number of championships, and it would be a travesty if they're not able to, the way they're running."
Time may be running out on Martin and his major-league career, but Roush says he figures his 45-year-old lead driver still has at least five good seasons left.
"Did you see Mark go three-wide down there in turn two in the closing laps?" Roush said with a smile. "That's vintage Mark. There is a lot of time left for him. It's a matter of him deciding when he wants to start focusing on other things in his family life that would get in the way of his racing. I don't think we're to that point yet.
"I hope we've got five years left to pursue a championship with Mark. He's the equal of the younger guys in my program. We've got old age and experience against youth and enthusiasm. We've got 100 points in all the quarters."
While Roush was still hot over NASCAR's actions, Martin was gracious after finishing fourth yesterday.
Stewart's disinterest in playing the NASCAR marketing game according to the rules has upset some, but Martin says he understands. "Tony says things I think," Martin said, with a grin. "You wonder why I'm so quiet?
"I admire Tony Stewart. I am a commercialized racer; you have to be in this business. I've done my very best to represent the sport the best way I can. But I'm like Tony, I'd rather be on the road right now headed toward the dirt track and watching the kids race. I admire Tony Stewart. He's a racer's racer.
"He's really, really good. He didn't just step in and have this stuff given to him. Yes, he's intense. And yes, it's going to be interesting to watch, because it is a tremendous load (being the Winston Cup champ). And I've thought about the load because this could have swung my way, too. Whoever wins the Winston Cup championship carries a big load.
"So this will be interesting. But that's Tony. And he's an incredible race car driver.
"He races me hard and clean, and I race him hard and clean. And he has respect. I was there first, a long time ago, when he was just a kid. And he respects that. It's nice when these young guys come along who are so incredibly talented and also have the respect you would like to have.
"So I'm a Tony Stewart fan. But I'm a fan of Ryan Newman's too, big time, and all these other guys."
Busch said he also understands Stewart and why things are so difficult for him: "He's been pulled and pushed and turned and twisted in so many different directions. When you're competing for the championship, like Tony and Mark were, there will be points of difficulty.
"But I see Tony on a different level. We're able to laugh and joke and talk. He's a very warm individual. He won't bite you. He'll make fun of something in a dry-humor way. So I see Tony from a different perspective. I see a class act, a true champion. He will race you to the bone every lap."
Martin Content With Season
By Rupen Fofaria
ESPN.com
November 17, 2002HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- MARK MARTIN LOST ANOTHER WINSTON CUP CHAMPIONSHIP!
Scream it as loud as you want to as many people as you want. Martin isn't depressed or bitter in defeat. In fact, he's celebrating revival.
"You can beat me all you want to about running second, but I've had a great career," Martin said. "I've done all I can do. Say what you want. I didn't score enough points this year.
"I don't think I'm the greatest race car driver that ever lived, and I don't want anybody to write that about me. I do what I do and I've been very fortunate. I've got a lot of respect, and I've got a lot of trophies -- a lot more trophies than most people. I've done a lot of really neat things in my career, and that's all I can do."
Losing this championship -- by a mere 38 points to Tony Stewart -- marks the fourth time Martin has finished second in the Winston Cup standings. But of all the title hunts, this year's was his favorite.
He was a non-factor last season, finishing outside the top 10 in points for the first time in 13 years. To bounce back and have a shot -- albeit remote -- to win the title on the last day of the 2002 season was more than the 43-year-old driver could ask for.
"This might be the greatest battle that myself and the people around me have ever fought," Martin said while, out of the corner of his eye, watching on a nearby big-screen television images of Stewart celebrating in victory lane. "It was incredible."
Martin has had a successful 19-year career in Cup despite not winning a championship -- and he knows it. The popular driver -- with several fans inside the garage as well as outside -- knows success is measured in many ways.
His competitors measure it with respect -- of which Martin gets a lot.
Over the years, Martin has sometimes been curt and almost always been pessimistic, but he's also always been fair. That's what everyone in the garage seems to say about him. And, lately, he's been gracious, too.
"There isn't a classier guy around," Ford driver Dale Jarrett said. "He's been around here a long time and after all that time it'd be hard for you to find someone that will say anything bad about the man."
And the man doesn't say many bad things about others, either. In fact, when asked about how he had actually out-performed Stewart over the final three races of the season, Martin made sure to turn his response into a compliment to himself, and to Stewart.
"We gained points on a guy that's incredibly hard to beat in the last three races in a row and I'm as proud of that as anything we did all year long," Martin said. "We beat him the last three races in a row and I'm telling you, that's a tall order."
Martin's team owner, Jack Roush, hopes Martin can deliver another tall order before he hangs up his helmet.
Roush has been with Martin through all the defeats in the championship races. He was there in 1990, when it hurt worst after getting penalized 46 points that season and losing the title to Dale Earnhardt by 26 points.
And he was there earlier this month when Martin was penalized 25 points in a tight championship race because of an non-approved spring found on Martin's No. 6 Ford at North Carolina Speedway, where Martin finished second.
Roush touched on NASCAR finding ways to stop his drivers from winning -- presumably referring to these two penalty situations -- but said he hopes Martin finds a way to pull one out sooner than later, even though he believes there's plenty of time left.
"There's a lot of time left for him," Roush said. "It's a matter of him deciding when he wants to start focusing on (his youngest son) Matt and other things in his family life that would get in the way of his racing. I don't think we're to that point yet. I hope we've got five years to pursue a championship with Mark."
But you can bet that Martin will treat anymore title runs just like he treated this one -- distancing himself, emotionally.
Martin's not a guy who needs to be told things twice. He's no glutton for punishment. He anticipated another heartbreaking end to this championship run, so he decided not to invest his heart so as not to have anything to break.
Still, that strategy almost backfired.
"I never really looked at this thing this year and allowed myself to think I would win it -- and that's a good thing because I don't feel a let down," Martin said. "But I had so many guys that wanted me to win it so bad that I almost got afraid that they were going to be let down so bad and I was going to let them down. I guess what I'm trying to say is, 'Thank you.' Thank you to all the competitors that felt that way."
Martin begins the 2003 season on Tuesday, testing a Ford he will race next season. And as little as he cares about anyone screaming that HE LOST THE CHAMPIONSHIP! he cares even less about people dumping high expectations for next year on him.
He says he doesn't know where he's going to finish -- might not even be in the top 10. All he can do is try hard and, since Stewart won by more than the margin of the penalty he was assessed, be thankful that he lost the championship to a guy who deserves it.
"I feel good about that," Martin said. "They beat us, they earned it and I congratulate them."
Mark Martin Finishes Second Again
By Mark Long
AP Sports Writer
November 17, 2002HOMESTEAD, Fla. (AP) — Mark Martin finished the race in the same spot he has so many times this season — in the top 10. He finished the season in the same spot he has so many times in his career — just short of the Winston Cup championship.
Martin rallied in the final laps to finish fourth in the Ford 400 on Sunday, but came up 38 points shy of Tony Stewart for the title.
Close but no championship. Again.
The 43-year-old driver finished second in the points race for the fourth time in his 20-year NASCAR career.
``You can beat me all you want to about running second, but I've had a great career,'' said Martin, who also was the runner-up in 1990, 1994 and 1998. ``I've done all I can do. Say what you want. I didn't score enough points this year. ... I never scored enough points.
``I don't think I'm the greatest race car driver that ever lived, and I don't want anybody to write that about me. I do what I do and I've been very fortunate. I've got a lot of respect, and I've got a lot of trophies — a lot more trophies than most people. I've done a lot of really neat things in my career, and that's all I can do.''
Martin won just once this season, at Charlotte, N.C., in May, but finished 22 of 36 races in the top 10. It put him in the championship race but didn't make him a champion. And he retains the title of ``best driver to never win a championship.''
Stewart took an 89-point lead into the series finale Sunday and, starting from the sixth position, needed only to finish 22nd or higher to hold off Martin.
Martin started 34th in the 43-car field and spent much of the afternoon in the middle of the pack, avoiding wrecks and trying to make up ground, before moving into the 10th position on Lap 180 of the 267-lap race.
Martin was sixth on the final restart with 23 laps to go, then moved up two spots for his 12th top five finish of the season.
Stewart finished 18th, well behind Martin — yet so far ahead.
``I never really looked at this thing this year and allowed myself to think I would win, and that's a good thing because I feel no letdown now,'' Martin said. ``I gave it everything I had from January testing to the last lap today and I'm not disappointed with the outcome.''
Martin has finished in the top six 12 times in the in the last 15 years, but this was his first since 1999. He was eighth in the standings in 2000 and 12th last season — prompting many to think Martin was on the downside of his career.
He erased all doubt this season. He reshaped his crew this offseason, getting 30-year-old crew chief Ben Leslie, and revitalized his career.
The only question remains how long he will continue racing, and trying for the elusive championship.
``There's a lot of time left for him,'' team owner Jack Roush said. ``It's a matter of him deciding when he wants to start focusing on (his youngest son) Matt and other things in his family life that would get in the way of his racing. I don't think we're to that point yet. I hope we've got five years to pursue a championship with Mark.''
Martin finished 26 points behind Dale Earnhardt in 1990, 444 points behind Earnhardt in 1994 and 364 points behind Jeff Gordon in 1998. He might have won the series in 1990 had his team not been fined 46 driver points for an illegal carburetor spacer found on his Ford after a race at Richmond International Raceway.
The same thing almost happened this year.
Martin was docked 25 points for using an unapproved spring in the Nov. 3 race at Rockingham, N.C. His Roush team argued that the infraction was not intentional and that the penalty was too severe, but an appeals committee upheld the penalty.
It didn't matter because Stewart finished more than 25 points ahead of Martin.
"I feel good about that,'' Martin said. ``They beat us, they earned it and I congratulate them.''
