NASCAR's Mark Martin
2006 Season Articles - February
14-year-old Matt Martin to take the next step in his racing career
WhoWon.com
February 27, 2006LEXINGTON, Mich. -- The ASA Late Model Series Presented by GM Performance Parts is fast approaching the 2006 season beginning with the ASALMS Southern Division.
The new Southern Division will christen the 2006 campaign for the ASALMS on Friday and Saturday March 3-4 at the Bronson (FL) Motor Speedway outside of Gainesville, in Bronson, Florida. The Coors Light 100 will kick start the upcoming season for the Lexington, Michigan based series.
As the entries come into the ASALMS home offices, one name stands out and for good reason. When you’re the son of a NASCAR Nextel Cup Series legend, it only makes sense that expectations are set just a little bit higher for Matt Martin. The son of the legendary, Mark Martin.
For the 2006 season, plans for young Matt Martin to alternate running between the ASALMS Southern Division, the FASCAR Pro Truck Series in Florida and the Florida Sportsman Division. Martin also plans on running as often as possible at his home track of the New Smyrna (FL) Speedway.
“We’re not sure how many ASALMS South events we will run this season, but I do plan on starting my first ASALMS race at Bronson and possibly the next two or three after that!” Stated the 14-year-old as he discussed his 2006 plans! “We’ll look into more of the ASALMS schedule when the time comes and see how I’ve been doing and go from there.” He added.
In addition to his appearances with the ASALMS, Martin will also be running the FASCAR Pro Truck Division and the Sportsman Division in the State of Florida at a variety of race tracks including his home track at New Smyrna during the 2006 season.
Martin won the feature in his very first start in the Florida Sportsman division during the Riverfest festivities back on January 14th at New Smyrna and has also ran in two FASCAR Pro Trucks Series events at the USA (FL) International Speedway during Speedfest 2006.
The Daytona Beach, Florida driver is the son of NASCAR Nextel Cup Legend and former champion in the historical ASA National Tour, Mark Martin. The elder Martin was the 1977 Rookie of the Year in the old tour and was the series champion for three consecutive seasons from 1978-1980 and one more title came in 1986.
The younger Martin started his racing career at just seven years old and has raced in Quarter Midgets, Bandoleros, Legend cars, the Fast Kids Trucks Series. At just 14 years old, Martin also participated during the 40th anniversary of Florida Speedweeks also at the fast ½ mile high-banked paved oval of New Smyrna. His dad was 18 years old when he ran his first time during Speedweeks, 29 years ago!
For the 2006 season, plans call for the 14-year-old to run select events within the ASALMS Southern Division. Martin will carry primary sponsorship aboard his Ford Taurus from: Coca-Cola, Ford Motor Company, and his Dad’s car dealership, Mark Martin Ford-Mercury of Batesville, Arkansas.
Additional associate sponsorship comes from Boll’e sunglasses, JR’s Garage, Sam Bass Gallery, AERO Racing Wheels, Racing Electronics, AFCO Racing Products, Mac Tools, Pennzoil, Quarter Master, Simpson Racing Products, and Schoenfeld Headers.
Vision becomes reality
By Mary Jo Guenzel, Guard Staff Writer
GuardOnline.com: Batesville Daily Guard
February 22, 2006Dreams do come true.
Monday, NASCAR driver Mark Martin's dream will become a reality when he opens the door to his new Ford dealership, located in Southside.
"It's a dream I had, to bring something back to my hometown. And now it's come true," Martin told the Batesville Daily Guard Tuesday morning.
That dream also includes a museum.
"Mark said he wanted this dealership and museum to grow into something spectacular - the pieces of the puzzle have finally come together and we're opening," said Lance Landers, who has 25 years of experience with the Landers automobile family of Benton and is a co-owner of Mark Martin Ford in Batesville.
A grand opening of the dealership is set for April 14-15. Landers said he wasn’t sure yet if Martin would make an appearance on Monday when the doors open at 8 a.m. but he will be at the grand opening, which is still in the planning stages.
Since Friday, Landers said the Web site has had more than 300 hits from fans from as far away as Wisconsin, California and Canada wanting to know when the museum will open.
Sales and museum hours will be from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays. The service and parts center will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays.
Landers said customers waiting for an oil change or a repair will have access to computers, and a special room equipped with Xbox video games is available for children.
There is also a special victory lane in the service department. Anyone buying a vehicle will get their picture taken and Martin, when he is in town, will sign the photograph, which will be sent to the owner/owners of the vehicle.
It was in January 2004 when Martin and Landers first announced they would team up together and bought Independence Ford located on Harrison Street, beginning Martin's dream in his native city.
His dream began at the age of 15 when, in just his third attempt, he won a feature race at the local dirt track known as the Independence County Speedway in Locust Grove, which was the start of his racing career, Martin said.
And, on Jan. 24, 2004, the dealership was named Mark Martin Ford Mercury after being approved by the Ford Motor Co.
Since that time and throughout Martin's busy race schedule, Landers said Martin has watched as his race cars, memorabilia, trophies, "the whole thing pertaining to his racing career was being transported from storage to a state-of-an art new business that not only houses the dealership and museum but a full service and parts center to take care of our customers."
The 40,000-square-foot building sits on 18 acres of land in Southside; construction of the museum and dealership began in June of 2005.
Inside the 6,000-square-foot museum, Magnavox Magnetron plasma televisions show Martin’s race history in some of his cars that include his Stroh's Light, Folgers, Winn Dixie and Viagra cars plus his Championship IROC car "that has never been washed," Landers said, with Martin telling a story of his each of his victories in each car.
In addition, the entire dealership incorporates pictures, newspaper articles, Martin's uniforms plus his handwritten diaries dating back to 1974, along with checkered flags from his four International Race of Champion (IROC) titles and letters from Martin's late father, Julian Martin.
Another project under way for the museum is "The Road Home" Mark Martin commemorative brick program. "The Road Home" bricks are available in two sizes for purchase and can be engraved with a person's name, a message to Martin or a message of choice.
Throughout the halls, the service area, Martin's and Landers' offices, the break room and lobby, customers can stroll around for hours, Landers said. "They have free rein of the museum and dealership."
The dealership staff consists of a six salesmen, Mooney Starr, general manager, Ernie Pectol, business manager, Tony Skidmore, service director, Vic Davidson, new car sales manager, Keith Kelso, service manager and Michael Haas, finance manager.
"We want to focus on the customers and bring in some excitement - I feel like I'm finally coming home," Martin said excitedly.
"We are both so excited about this venture. Mark is putting his heart and soul in Batesville," Landers said, "Mark's plan after this season is having a big part of the dealership. He is going to be here - he is going to spend a lot of time in Batesville."
"Mark has told me time after time that he can "be as good a car salesman as a race car driver because he buys high and sells cheap," Landers said.
"I will beat any advertised price on any new Ford or Mercury or I will give you the car," Martin said, repeating what is written on a plaque that hangs right inside the front doors of the dealership.
"This dealership is my way of giving back to the town of Batesville," he said.
Martin Runs To Solid Top-10 Finish At California
Several late cautions ends Martin’s bid for top-five finish; Martin moves to sixth in point standings
Mark Martin and the #6 AAA Racing Team
California Speedway/February 26, 2005FONTANA, CALIF. – Mark Martin ran to a ninth-place finish in Sunday’s Auto Club 500 at California Speedway. Martin ran his AAA Ford Fusion inside the top 10 for virtually the entire race and inside the top five for 121 laps of the 250 lap event. Several late cautions down the stretch would prove detrimental to Martin’s bid at a top-five finish, but he was able to hang on for a top-10, while gaining five positions to sixth in the Nextel Cup point standings.
“We actually had a pretty good car today,” said Martin after the race. “We ran inside the top five for most of the race and I’m not sure we had the car to win it, but we probably could have gotten a top-five finish at least if we hadn’t of had so many cautions there at the end.
“Still, it’s a top-10 finish and we’ll take it and move on to Las Vegas in a couple of weeks where we should be strong again and hopefully we can contend for the win there.”
Martin started 10 th and with the exception of a handful of laps early would run inside the top-10 for the entire race. He broke into the top-five for the first time on lap 97 and would advance all the way to second place by lap 126. Running in second Martin stayed out an extra lap once green-flag pitting started and earned five bonus points by leading lap 136. Once the stops had cycled back through, he was back in second by lap 144 and he would run there until coming into the pits under green on lap 181.
The car’s handling started to loosen up by lap 193, with Martin running in third position. He came into the pits under the day’s third caution on lap 214 to take four tires, fuel and make an adjustment to tighten up the car’s handling. Despite a quick stop of 13.95 second, Martin lost one position in the pits and returned in fifth place as one car opted to stay out.
After another quick caution, Martin dropped back to seventh place, but was honing in on fifth and sixth, before another late caution halted his momentum and set up a green-white-checkered finish. Martin restarted in seventh position, but was shuffled out four wide, losing two positions rather than risking a late accident, Martin moved on to the ninth-place finish.
With the finish, Martin advanced five places to sixth in the points, 80 points out of first and 12 points out of fifth.
The No. 6 AAA Team enjoyed a great day in the pits turning in seven stops, all under 13.9 seconds, including a 13.16-second stop on lap 197.
Mark Martin Post Qualifying Notes - Auto Club 500
MARK MARTIN -- No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion (Qualified 10th)
"It was a great run. I hope that all of the AAA members are pretty proud of their car today. I'm proud of this team. This Fusion is working great. Qualifying is not our strong suit that's for sure and to qualify this good just means we're really gonna run good on Sunday. This is just a great team and I really feel lucky to be able to drive for these guys."
WHY DO YOU LIKE THIS TRACK?
"It's about handling."
Auto club finds place in NASCAR race
By Michael Rappaport - Staff Writer
dailybulletin.com
February 24, 2006FONTANA - When Mark Martin drives his No. 6 Ford Fusion car onto the track Sunday at California Speedway for the NASCAR Auto Club 500 Nextel Cup race, it will be identified by a familiar logo.
The Automobile Club of Southern California, which is sponsoring the race, is also a partial sponsor of Martin's car.
Fans will see quite a few of the familiar AAA logos, symbols of the Auto Club's increasing involvement with motor sports.
It's all about the message - promoting safety on the highways.
"It's a tremendous opportunity for us to get exposure for our brand and our message," said Jeff Prokop, vice president of the Auto Club. "Race fans are very loyal, and one of every two households in Southern California has at least one Auto Club membership."
The Auto Club, which is part of the overall American Automobile Association federation, was heavily involved in the early days of the auto industry. In fact, the AAA sanctioned races as early as 1903.
"The purpose back then was to show the reliability of cars as a method of transportation," Prokop said.
Until 1955, the AAA was the sanctioning body for all auto racing in the U.S., including the Indianapolis 500.
After some decades of not being involved, the Auto Club started sponsoring National Hot Road Association Funny Car driver Gary Densham to visit local high schools and discuss automotive careers.
In 1994, the company became a founding sponsor of the National Junior Dragster competition to get drag racing off the streets and into a safer environment.
"We started out small with that, working with the NHRA," Prokop said. "Now there are 140 different venues around the country involved with our NHRA Street Legal program."
Now there's a race sponsorship, a driver sponsorship and a partnership with the Roush Racing Team, among other involvements. The AAA also sponsors the Auto Club Famoso Raceway, Auto Club Raceway at Pomona and the Auto Club Dragway at the California Speedway.
"These sponsorships give them a lot of face time," economist Jack Kyser said. "Racing is currently the hot sport and it has a very broad demographic."
It isn't so much a concrete benefit, as in additional memberships.
It's more.
"It all sort of fits together for them," Kyser said. "It's part of their mission, and it gives race fans the warm fuzzies toward the Auto Club for sponsoring."
Having a top Funny Car driver like John Force and now a top NASCAR driver in Martin gives the AAA another benefit.
"It's important for us to have people that we can put in public service announcements," Auto Club spokesman Jeff Spring said. "These are drivers who can do believable PSAs."
It all falls into place, making expenditures that certainly go into seven figures well worth the money.
"We think being affiliated with Mark Martin and with the Roush team positions us very well to make an impact," Prokop said. "Except for a bad final pit stop, we think he should have won the Daytona 500 last week. It's very helpful to be associated with someone of his stature."
AAA Ford Fusion No. 6 Makes California Debut at Auto Club 500
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 21, 2006--The new AAA-sponsored, No. 6 Ford Fusion piloted by veteran driver Mark Martin will make its West Coast debut at the Auto Club 500 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race on Feb. 26 at California Speedway in Fontana.
The Automobile Club of Southern California, which helped pioneer and officiate motor sports in Southern California during the early 1900s, is title sponsor of the Auto Club 500 and one of the AAA-affiliated clubs sponsoring the race car fielded by Roush Racing, back-to-back Nextel Cup champions in 2003-04.
"The Auto Club is pleased to welcome the winning combination of Roush Racing and Mark Martin to the Auto Club 500 in their first California appearance showcasing the AAA colors. By having AAA appear on the No. 6 car, AAA will support the millions of members who are fans of NASCAR and acquaint other NASCAR fans with the premier motoring organization in the country," said Auto Club President and CEO Thomas V. McKernan.
Martin has been the mainstay at Roush Racing, teaming up with Jack Roush in 1988 to help launch Roush's NASCAR operation. Since then, Martin and Roush have become one of the most successful partnerships in the sport. In 18 years on the circuit Martin has scored 35 Nextel Cup victories and captured 41 pole positions, 356 top-10 and 224 top-five finishes. He has started 633 Nextel Cup races and currently has a string of 575 straight starts.
AAA's first NASCAR Nextel Cup race car sponsorship for an entire season is the latest step taken towards its reentry into the national motor sports arena. In 2005, AAA became the official "motor club" and "auto insurer" at 12 tracks owned by International Speedway Corp. (ISC) and will provide complimentary emergency roadside assistance to all fans -- members and non-members alike -- during major event weekends at those facilities. This includes battery service, flat tires and lockouts.
A number of AAA-affiliated clubs have sponsored major races and/or cars for nearly a decade. In Southern California, the Auto Club has been a major race sponsor at California Speedway since the facility opened. The Auto Club also sponsors The NASCAR Late Model series at Irwindale Speedway, the Auto Club NHRA Finals drag racing event at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona and serves as presenting sponsor of the NHRA California Hot Rod Reunion at Auto Club Famoso Raceway near Bakersfield. The Club is also a sponsor of the John Force Racing Team on the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series national tour.
The Automobile Club of Southern California, the largest affiliate of the AAA, has been serving members since 1900. Today, the Auto Club's members benefit by roadside assistance, insurance products and services, travel agency, financial products, automotive pricing, buying and financing programs, automotive testing and analysis, trip planning services and highway and transportation safety programs. Information about these products and services is available on the Auto Club's Web site at AAA - Wide Array of Services !
2006 Mark Martin Track Notes - Sunday - February 26, 2006
Auto Club 500 / California Speedway
#6 AAA Ford Fusion
February 21, 2006DRIVER: Mark Martin
TEAM: No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion
OWNER: Jack Roush
CREW CHIEF: Pat Tryson
2005 EVENT WINNER: Greg Biffle
MARK MARTIN 2005 EVENT - Started 18th, Finished 7th
Martin ran to a solid seventh-place finish at California Speedway . With the finish the team started the 2004 campaign with back-to-back top-10 finishes and the run moved Martin up to third place in the Nextel Cup point standings; Martin’s highest place in the standings since 2002. Martin started the race 18th, but wasted little time moving through the field. He would end up running inside the top 10 for virtually the entire race. He led four laps, earning five bonus points. Martin was one of five Roush cars to lead during the day. Martin opted to stay out after the day’s final caution on lap 218, which put him running in third with 32 laps to go behind Roush teammates Greg Biffle and Kurt Busch. Biffle and Busch were able to pull away, but on the older tires Martin eventually gave way to a couple of cars on fresh tires and had to settle for the seventh place finish. Biffle went on to win the race, with Busch finishing third.
CALIFORNIA HERE WE COME
After a strong performance at Daytona Speedweeks, Martin and the No. 6 AAA Team prepare to head out west to California Speedway for the Auto Club 500, where Martin has five top-10 finishes in 11 starts including a victory there in 1998.
THE CAR
Chassis Number: (No. 315) - The team will run RK-315 this weekend at Las Vegas. RK 315 is the car Martin used in last year's win at Kansas. The car narrowly missed victory lane again in a second-place run in the finale at Homestead. It also finished third at Atlanta in the fall and fourth at Dover. RK-221 will be the backup.
AT CALIFORNIA
Starts: 11 (9)
Wins: 1 (1)
Top 5's: 3 (2)
Top 10's: 5 (4)
Poles: -
Highest finish: 1st (5/3/98)
First time: 6/22/97 (10)
Last time: 2/27/05 (7th)
9/4/05 (11th)WORTHY NOTE
Martin has led a total of 267 laps at California Speedway.
MARTIN AT CALIFORNIA
This will be Martin's 12th start at the two mile-oval of California Speedway. He ran to victory there in the track's second Cup race in 1998. He has three top-five finishes and five top-10's. Martin finished seventh in this race last year and 11th at California in the spring, where he clinched a berth in the second ever Nextel Chase for the Cup.
DOUBLE DUTY
Martin will scale back this week from his hectic Daytona schedule, as he plans to only run two races at California Speedway. In additon to piloting the No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion in Sunday's race, Martin will run his second Craftsman Truck Series race (racetickets.com 200) of the season, when he makes his first Truck start at California on Friday.
AAA TO SPONSOR MARTIN IN 2006
Martin will sport a different look and sponsor this season, with the No. 6 Ford Fusion decked out in the red and blue colors of AAA. As North America's largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA boasts more than 48 million members.
ENCORE SALUTE IN '06
Martin had planned 2005 as his final in NASCAR's Nextel Cup Series, but when called into action by Jack Roush opted to return for one more go around. Martin's fourth-place finish in the points in '05 proved he is still one of the fastest stars in NASCAR and he plans on using 2006 as an encore performance of his highly popular "Salute To You" Tour, where he will continue to take the time to thank each and everyone that he feels played a role in his success, including the team members, the fans, NASCAR and the media.
QUOTING MARK MARTIN AND CREW CHIEF PAT TRYSON ON CALIFORNIA
Mark Martin:
"After two weeks at Daytona, I for one can't wait to get on the track at Callifornia. I'm ready to get to a track where things are a little more in control of the driver and Fontana is really my kind of track. It suits my driving style and we've been pretty good there in the last couple of years. I'm looking forward to getting that AAA Ford Fusion on that type of track and seeing what we can do.
"We had a good Daytona and we were able to get through it without tearing our car up or taking a huge hit in the points, and now I'm really excited about the part of the schedule that we have coming up, with Fontana, Las Vegas and Atlanta, because they are all tracks that we as a team excel. I've always looked forward to this part of the schedule and hopefully we can have some more exciting racing and maybe pick up another win."
Pat Tryson:
"I know that Mark really likes going to these next few tracks, because they are all places where he has had a lot of success in the past and we've been strong the last few seasons as well. We had a really good car at Daytona, and now it's our task to give Mark the kind of cars that he can win with at the next couple of tracks, because there is no question he can win this weekend if we do our job."
Shifting gears with Mark Martin
Today's THV KTHV Little Rock
February 20, 2006As you make the turn and come down the hill into the town of Batesville, you can't miss it. A billboard proclaims Batesville the home of Mark Martin. However, the admiration doesn't stop there.
Through checkered flags and spinouts, Mark Martin has prevailed on the main stage of the fastest growing sport in America, NASCAR. After 32 years of racing, he is an Arkansas hero, although he might not agree.
"I know that I'm just—I'm no different than anyone else,” Martin says. “I mean I do something that is maybe more public than other people, but I'm just a regular guy."
A regular guy who drives 190 mph and has a multi-million dollar museum. It comes complete with a video archive of his big wins.
The only thing it lacks is evidence of Martin's first 15 years, those dusty years of dirt tracks and state and regional wins. Martin never saved any of the trophies.
“All I was worried about was winnin’ the next race so I could get my next check,” Martin explains. “I do regret that now.”
This was the way it was supposed to be for Martin in 2006: museum tour guide and on a few selected weekends he would still drive in a few races. However, that's not how this year has turned out.
To help old friend Jack Roush, of Roush Racing, he will once again race the No. 6 car, now sponsored by AAA. The year of cutting back is now a year of 56 races in four different divisions.
“I mean there's a lot of things that I want to do that I haven't been able to do and will never be able to do as long as I'm tangled up in the kind of schedule that I'm tangled up in right now,” he explains.
Nevertheless, the demands on his time pale in comparison to his biggest source of frustration: Arkansas drivers.
“People don't use their seatbelts here in Arkansas,” he says. “I just can't get over that—how many people don't wear seatbelts in Arkansas.”
So strap yourself in Arkansas, and get ready for another year of Mark Martin going for the win.
“The feeling is, you know, incredible,” he continues. “I mean they haven’t made a drug yet that makes you feel that good.”
And for Arkansas, they haven't made a sports hero like Mark Martin.
As for what he’d like his legacy to be, he says, “I don’t know; maybe they can say he took his stuff back home. I went off to chase my fortune and fame and when I rounded it all up, I brought it back home.”
Martin Rebounds For 12th-Place Finish In Daytona 500
Martin and the AAA Team were forced to battle back from a late mishap in the pits
Mark Martin and the #6 AAA Racing Team
Daytona International Speedway/February 19, 2005DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. – Mark Martin posted one of his strongest Daytona 500 runs ever on Sunday, leading 19 laps and running in the front of the field for the majority of the day. A late fueling issue in the pits would force Martin to battle back from the back of the field. True to their unyielding character and determination, Martin and the No. 6 AAA team refused to give up, fighting to the last lap for a solid 12 th-place finish.
“We really had a great car today,” said Martin after the race. “The AAA Ford Fusion was really strong and I think we could have contended easily for a top-five finish. We just had a killer car. We ran inside the top five all day until we had the problem there with the fuel on the one stop.
“There just was a lot of traffic out there and we had a really hard time getting back through,” added Martin. “ We got back to 12 th or 13 th anyway, but we certainly had a lot better stuff than that today. Still, I’m really proud of the AAA team. They did a great job today and all of Speedweeks and they gave me one of the best cars today that I’ve had at Daytona.”
Martin started the race 10 th based on Thursday’s solid effort in the Twin duals. The veteran maneuvered in and out of the draft for the first several laps of the race, looking for the right feel of the track, while testing the different lines of the track. The team struggled with a ‘tight’ handling car for the first quarter of the race, and Martin came into the pits after the second caution of the day to take four tires and make a wedge adjustment in hopes of improving the handling. Martin came into the pits in 12 th place, but an excellent 13.85-second stop moved the AAA Ford Fusion up four places to eighth when the field returned to green flag racing.
Martin broke into the top five for the first time of the day on lap 81. He moved to fourth on lap 102 and with an excellent move and a push from the 20 car of Tony Stewart, Martin maneuvered to the outside to take the lead from Dale Earnhardt Jr. on lap 104. Caution was called just one lap later and Martin came down pit road for four tires and fuel. The team responded with a 13.96-second stop and Martin returned in third, as two cars opted for two tires only.
Martin spent the next several laps maneuvering back and fourth with the draft, while hovering around third to sixth place. He had dropped back to ninth when the race’s sixth caution was issued on lap 125. The team again came into the pits, but this time crew chief Pat Tryson opted for a two-tire stop. The strategy worked, as Martin came out of the pits with the lead again, as the field returned to green on lap 128. Martin spent the next several laps holding off challenges by Earnhardt Jr. and the No. 48 car of Jimmie Johnson. He would lead the next 13 laps, before the car started to get ‘loose’ on the older left side tires. Martin would drop back to ninth position, before settling back in at seventh, where he was running when caution was called again on lap 154.
The team came down pit road on lap 156 for four tires and fuel once more, but an issue with the fueling of the car would force Martin to come back down pit road again to put the remaining fuel in the tank. The problem would cost Martin valuable track position, as he dropped all the way back to 30 th when the field went green with only 42 laps remaining.
With his back against the wall and the pressure on, Martin went to work, passing three cars on the first two laps. By lap 163 Martin had gained 10 positions and was running back inside the top 20. He climbed to as high as 11th with only five scheduled laps remaining, but was shuffled back to 17 th two laps later. He was running back in 15 th when the race’s 10th and final caution was issued on lap 196, setting a green-white-checkered finish. Martin would be able to pick up three more spots in the final two laps for the 12th place run.
“It’s a shame, because we kind of wasted it today,” said Martin. “But you have problems and unfortunately we just couldn’t get back through the pack good enough to get back to the front.
“We’ll take this and move on to California , where we are really excited about the car we are taking there,” added Martin. “ California is the kind of racing that really suits my style of driving and I can’t wait to get out there on the track and see what we can do next week.”
The team will return to action next week at California Speedway, where Martin boasts one victory, three top-fives and five top-10 finishes in 11 starts. Martin leaves Daytona in 11 th place in the Nextel Cup point standings, 53 points out of first and only two points out of 10th.
Ford Post Race Notes & Quotes - Daytona 500 - Other Ford drivers at web site Mark Martin Post Race Notes & Quotes - Daytona 500 - Nextel Cup
MARK MARTIN -- No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion (Finished 12th)
WERE YOU HAPPY WITH YOUR DAY?
"No. We had a great car. That's a shame. We kind of wasted it there, but you have problems and unfortunately we just couldn't get back through the pack that good. There was just a lot of traffic out there. We had a killer car. I probably couldn't have won the race, but certainly could have contended easily for a top five finish. We got back to 12th or 13th anyway, but certainly had a lot better stuff than that. We ran around the top five until we had our little problem, but you'll have that. This is my last Daytona 500. I plan to be on the couch with a remote control watching it next year."
WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE PIT STOP?
"I don't know. You'll have to ask the team. It was something about the gas wouldn't go in."
New NASCAR-Themed Coca-Cola Ad Provides Humorous Look at Sponsor-Friendly Sport
Competition for the Spotlight Races Beyond the Track as Drivers Sip Coke for Charity; Ad Will Debut During the Daytona 500
ATLANTA, Feb. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Tony Stewart in a ballroom dancing competition? Carl Edwards cliff diving? Jeff Burton reading stock quotes from Wall Street? Race fans watching this year's Daytona 500 will see Coca- Cola Racing Family drivers doing just about anything to be caught on television drinking NASCAR's favorite soft drink.
A new NASCAR-themed commercial provides a lighthearted look at a long running off-track competition, the Coca-Cola Reward Challenge. The premise of the program, and the new ad, is that each time a Coca-Cola-sponsored NASCAR driver drinks Coke on television, a donation will be made to that driver's charity of choice.
"Coca-Cola is helping drivers help others through donations to our favorite charities," said 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup champion Tony Stewart. "I think people will like that this new ad shows the commitment that Coke has to NASCAR, its drivers and fans, while still being really funny."
The new spot features Coke-sponsored drivers vying for air-time in unexpected places - such as Jamie McMurray in a reality dating show, Mark Martin at a roller derby competition and Greg Biffle and Bobby Labonte on a weathercast -- all while drinking from bottles of Coca-Cola.
"We had a great time choosing the different scenes where the drivers of the Coca-Cola Racing Family are captured enjoying a Coke on TV," said Katie Bayne, senior vice president, Coca-Cola Trademark, Coca-Cola North America. "Everyone understands the importance of sponsor support to NASCAR. We know that racing fans will enjoy being 'in on the joke' and appreciate that we are helping raise money for good causes."
This new NASCAR advertising is the latest element to build on the momentum that Coca-Cola has established since debuting new marketing and advertising for variety of Coca-Cola Trademark brands in January and February.
While sponsor support is integral to NASCAR, it's also a sport defined by charitable giving. From the Petty family's dedication to chronically ill kids through the Victory Junction Gang Camp, to Jamie McMurray's support of the American Autism Society, to Greg Biffle's foundation work to increase the well being of animals, the stars of NASCAR are as committed to charity as they are to racing. Since its inception in 2002, the Coca-Cola Reward Challenge has generated almost $500,000 for a number of deserving charities.
A 60-second version of the new commercial, which was created by Wieden+Kennedy, will debut on television during NBC's broadcast of the Daytona 500 on February 19. The 60-second spot will also air in select movie theaters nationwide and two 30-second versions of the ad will air on television throughout the racing season.
Coca-Cola is the Official Soft Drink of NASCAR and the sponsor of The Coca-Cola 600. The Coca-Cola Racing Family includes top drivers Greg Biffle, Jeff Burton, 2005 champion Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick, Dale Jarrett, Bobby Labonte, Kyle Petty, Elliot Sadler and Michael Waltrip. New additions to the Coca-Cola Racing Family in 2006 include Carl Edwards, Jamie McMurray and Mark Martin.
Mark Martin Post Race Notes & Quotes - Gatorade Duel 2
Ford Racing: News
February 16, 2006MARK MARTIN -- No. 6 AAA Fusion
"I messed up right there at the end. I waited a little bit too long. I didn't want to pull out. I had a chance to get on the outside and the 43 was up to me yet, so I was waiting for him to catch, and he caught me so quick that when I made my move to pull out in front of him, he was already there. We were looking good. We've got a good race car; where we start doesn't matter, so I wanted to protect it. It was a great run. We had a shot to challenge for it. Then the caution came out and everything went different, and then we were actually looking good again. That green-white-checkered, that's always crazy. I didn't time it right. I messed that one up."
HOW WAS THE CAR?
"Spectacular. I love my Ford Fusion. And AAA, first race for the AAA car and looking good. I didn't need the roadside assistant, I'm glad of that."
ARE YOU SURPRISED HOW WELL THE FUSION HAS COME OUT OF THE BOX?
"I'm proud of the guys that work on it, too. Don't sell them short. I'm proud of my guys and I'm proud of my team and I'm proud of my car."
Martin Turns In Strong Showing In Twin 150; Runs To Fifth Place Finish
Martin earns top-10 start in Daytona 500 with strong run in twin 150
Mark Martin and the #6 AAA Racing Team
Daytona International Speedway
February 16, 2005DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. – Mark Martin teamed up with Roush Racing teammates Greg Biffle and Jamie McMurray to move his way to the front of the field and into contention for the win in Thursday afternoon’s second session of the Gatorade Twin 150’s at Daytona International Speedway. Running with Biffle and McMurray, Martin found himself all the way up in second place and gaining on leader Jeff Gorden with only two scheduled laps remaining in the 60-lap event. Moments later the day’s third and final caution would set up yet another green-white-checkered finish. Martin would end up finishing fifth in the event, which decides starting places for Sunday’s Daytona 500, and earn a 10 th place starting position for the 500.
“The No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion was just spectacular today,” said Martin on pit road after the race. “We were able to move up front and stay there. We worked really will with Greg (Biffle) and we were in position to contend for the win if things had of worked out the right way. They ultimately didn’t, but that is all you can ask for. Pat (Tryson) and the guys have done a great job with this car and hopefully we can make some more noise come Sunday.”
After the day’s second caution on lap 51, Martin and the team had opted to come down pit road for right-side tires only, while several cars, including leader Jeff Gordon decided to stay out on the track for track position. Martin, who went into the pits in second, returned in seventh when green-flag racing resumed on lap 54. Working with Biffle and McMurray the Roush trio wasted little time moving back through the field and by lap 58, Martin had just moved around second place Kyle Busch. With Biffle pushing from behind, it looked as if Martin would be able to overtake Gordon for the lead, but the third caution with only one lap remained, set up the green-white-checkered finish.
Busch was ahead of Martin by inches when the yellow was waved, so Martin restarted in third.
“I messed up right there at the end,” said Martin. “I waited a little bit too long. I didn’t want to pull out. I had a chance to get on the outside and the 43 wasn’t up to me yet, so I was waiting for him to catch, and he caught me so quick that when I made my move to pull out in front of him, he was already there. We were looking good. We’ve got a good race car; where we start doesn’t matter, so I wanted to protect it. It was a great run. We had a shot to challenge for it. Then the caution came out and everything went different, and then we were actually looking good again. That green-white-checkered, that’s always crazy.”
Still, Martin, who saw his car severely damaged in last year’s 150, was just glad to bring the car home in once piece, while preserving it for Sunday’s Daytona 500.
“I’m just glad we didn’t need any of that AAA roadside assistance,” added Martin. “A lot of times you leave here with a wrecked up car and we were able to bring it home in one piece, with a really solid showing.”
Martin had started the race 12 th, before working in the draft to move into the top-five by the 17 th lap of the race. Still running fifth, the team pitted after the first caution on lap 27 and used a 14.09-second stop to take four tires and make a chassis adjustment, while gaining two positions to restart in third place on lap 32.
Patiently biding his time, Martin remained in third place as an eight car pack began to pull away from the remainder of the field. The veteran patiently waited, before making his move on lap 49. The move was successful and he was able to take second place, just before caution was called two laps later, setting up the two-tire stop and the run at the lead.
Martin and the team again shift their focus to Sunday’s 500, where Martin will start on the outside of row five.
Mark Martin Post Race Notes and Quotes - Bud Shootout
MARK MARTIN -- No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion
"It was a good run. It was a great first outing for our AAA Fusion. I'm pretty excited. I know the track wasn't slick. It's cold. Our 500 car will be better than that and I can tell from what I see that we've got a good race car for Sunday. We came to try to win the 500 and from what I saw there with what we've got lined up we might just do it."
YOU MADE A NICE SAVE IN THE FIRST SEGMENT WITH THE 5 AND 26.
"That was the roughest race I've ever run at Daytona. I can't believe the doesn't look beat up like Martinsville. Man, I was bouncing around like crazy. It had to be a great race to watch, but one of these days soon I'm gonna be sitting in a rocking chair watching these things."
Mark Martin Post Qualifying Notes and Quotes - Daytona 500
MARK MARTIN -- No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion (Qualified 26th)
"I really appreciate the monumental effort that went into our AAA Ford. We didn't put any effort into shining today, it's all in shining on Sunday. We should get a glimpse of that on Thursday, but the full effect should come in on Sunday. We've got a race car here, not a qualifier."
2006 Mark Martin Track Notes - Sunday - February 19, 2006
Daytona 500 - Daytona International Speedway
February 8, 2005DRIVER: Mark Martin
TEAM: No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion
OWNER: Jack Roush
CREW CHIEF: Mike Beam
MARK WILL RUN FIVE RACES DURING SPEED WEEKS
BUDWEISER SHOOTOUT, FEB. 11 - (70 LAPS)
GATORADE 150'S, FEB. 16 - (60 LAPS)
GM FLEX FUEL 250 (TRUCKS) FEB. 17 - (100 LAPS)
IROC RACE, FEB. 17 - (40 LAPS)
DAYTONA 500, FEB. 19 (200 LAPS)MARTIN EYES ONE MORE SHOT AT DAYTONA 500
Mark Martin and the AAA Race Team look to take their shot at the famed Daytona 500, as Martin prepares for 22nd run at the world's most famed racing event
THE CAR
Chassis Number: (No. 284) - The team will run RK-284 in the Daytona 500. RK-284 is a new car that tested to pleasing results at Daytona in January. They will run RK-337 in the Budweiser Shootout. RK-337 will see its first track time at Daytona.
AAA TO SPONSOR THE NO. 6 IN 2006
Martin will sport a different look and sponsor this season, with the No. 6 Ford Fusion decked in the red and blue colors of AAA. As North America's largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA boasts more than 48 million members.
2005 EVENT WINNER - Jeff Gordon
MARK MARTIN - 2005 DAYTONA 500 EVENT - Started 32nd, Finished 6th
Martin and the No. 6 team were faced with obstacle after obstacle during the 2005 version of Speedweeks, but true to the character that has so often defined them, they were able to battle back to a sixth-place finish in the Daytona 500. The tone was set on Thursday when Martin, who was running third, had his Ford severely damaged in a multi- car accident during the 35th lap of the Gatorade Duel 150’s. Martin’s crew worked long hours to repair the damage and provide Martin with one of the fastest cars during Sunday’s season opening race. Martin started the race from the back of the field, but eventually worked his way to the front. However, he would have to make his way back to the front on two more occasions on the day. First after a drive through penalty on lap 62 and then after coming into the pits for the crew to examine a faulty blower on the rear-end cooler. Both instances dropped Martin from the top-10 to the back half of the field, but Martin was able to battle his way back to the front each time, moving on to the solid sixth place run.
THE 500
Starts: 21
Top 5's: 4
Top 10's: 8
Highest finish: 3rd ('95)
First time: 2-14-82 (31st)
Last time: 2-16-03 (5th)WORTHY NOTE
Martin has finished top six in three of his last four Daytona 500's.
MARTIN AT DAYTONA
A resident of Daytona Beach, Florida, this will be Martin's 22nd start in the Daytona 500. In addition, Martin - who made his first start at Daytona International Speedway in 1982 - will also be running a record 18th-consecutive Budweiser Shootout - an event he won in 1999. The Daytona 500 will be Martin's 41st career Nextel Cup start at Daytona International Speedway.
TRIPLE DUTY
Martin will find himself quite busy this Speedweeks, taking part in the five different races. Between the Craftsman Truck Series, Gatorade 150's, IROC Race, Budweiser Shootout and Daytona 500, Martin will look to run a scheduled 470 laps and 1,175 miles during the 2006 Speedweeks.
MARTIN READIES FOR ENCORE SALUTE IN '06
Martin had planned last season as his final in NASCAR's Nextel Cup Series, but when called into action by Jack Roush opted to return for one more go around. Martin's fourth-place finish in the points in '05 proved he is still one of the fastest stars in NASCAR and he plans on using 2006 as an encore performance of his highly popular 'Salute To You" Tour, where he will continue to take the time to thank each and everyone that he feels played a role in his success, including the team members, the fans, NASCAR and the media.
QUOTING MARK MARTIN AND CREW CHIEF PAT TRYSON ON DAYTONA SPEEDWEEKS
Mark Martin:
"We are pretty excited about this year's Speedweeks. We are going to be really busy this year with the Daytona 500, Bud Shootout and the Truck and IROC races. It's a lot of racing and that's what we are going there to do and it should give us a great chance to hopefully pick up a couple of more trophies.
"We are also really excited about kicking off our new relationship with AAA as the primary on the No. 6 car and it should be exciting to debut the all new Ford Fusion as well. The AAA Ford Fusion looks really good and I can't wait to get it out on the track and hopefully we can take it to victory lane real soon. We've been coming to Daytona a long time and we'd like nothing better than to take the No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion to victory lane in the biggest race of the season."
Pat Tryson:
"We had a pretty good test session at Daytona in January and we are excited about going back down to Daytona and seeing what we can do. We've been pretty good at Daytona the last few years and we had a really good run in the 500 last year, so hopefully we can build on that and help give Mark a win in his last Daytona 500. We are excited to have AAA on board this season as the sponsor and hopefully we'll be taking that AAA Ford Fusion to winner's circle a lot this year."
Mark Martin, driver of the No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion - Interview
Ford Racing: News
February 10, 2006MARK MARTIN - NO. 6 AAA FORD FUSION
HOW DID YOU BECOME THE BUSIEST MAN AT SPEEDWEEKS?
“Somehow or another by accident. It was pretty obvious that I would be back in IROC as the IROC season wound down because they always invite the champion back, and we did pretty good in the points with the Cup car so that was kind of a given. I wasn’t planning on running the truck here. I was gonna let David Ragan go out there and have all the excitement, but I came and helped the guys test and the truck was really fast. I thought, ‘Oh boy, it would kind of be fun to drive that truck,’ but I still wasn’t gonna do it. Then we had the opportunity to sign a sponsor for the full season and I told them I would drive it at Daytona if they would commit to the full season for the truck. So, basically, it had to do with Scotts coming on board for the full season in the 6 truck. That way David will have a sponsor when he drives the truck too.”
WHAT ABOUT THE DOUBLE DUTY ON FRIDAY? IT WILL BE KIND OF HECTIC.
“I don’t think so because it’s all about fun. The IROC thing, the pressure is off there. As of right now there are no more records to worry about trying to set or whatever. And the truck is really fast. It’s not something I planned on doing, but it will be fun. Maybe I’ll have a shot to win two races in a matter of hours.”
WHAT WOULD YOUR ORIGINAL PLAN HAVE BEEN BEFORE TAKING ON THE CUP DUTY AGAIN?
“Originally it would have been the trucks and, hopefully, IROC. You never know if you’ll get invited back. I was crushed a few years ago. After winning four championships and then I finished eighth in the points. I was second in the points in IROC and eighth in the Cup points and I didn’t get invited back and I was kind of disappointed. This is the first time they’ve brought in someone on a past champion, so maybe I can race IROC as many times as I want going forward, but that’s always been an elite crowd and very hard to get into. In the past, if you didn’t win that championship or finish in the first three or four in Cup, you didn’t get to run. Anyway, my plan had originally been to run the trucks only until I made the commitment to Roush Racing. It was a very important commitment that they needed there, so that they could make their deal with AAA. Otherwise, they didn’t have a driver to commit to the long-term deal and now they have a long-term contract with AAA and they can move forward in ’07.”
WHAT’S YOUR THOUGHT ABOUT THIS YEAR?
“I haven’t thought yet. I put everybody off in New York at the banquet. I put everybody off at the media tour and I still need to put you guys off. I just hadn’t thought about it. I’ve been incredibly busy. We just had a preview in Batesville for our new museum. That has taken a little time. It’s been a fairly big project, but I’m overwhelmed by that. We’re really excited with that. I’ve been helping Matt transition from the trucks to late models and just getting my picture taken with all these different sponsors. Man, oh man. I’ve got AAA, Pennzoil, Ameriquest and Scotts all as major sponsors in different series, so we’ve been busy.”
ARE YOU LOOKING AT THIS AS YOUR LAST SPEEDWEEKS?
“I’ll be here in the truck next year, and maybe I’ll get invited back to IROC, too. You never know.”
WHAT ABOUT RUSTY GOING IN THE BOOTH. WILL HE BE EASIER OR HARDER ON THE VETERANS AS FAR AS HIS COMMENTS?
“I don’t see Rusty being quite as critical as maybe Darrell Waltrip might be. Rusty is a really great guy and he’s gonna be fantastic for this sport. He’s gonna do an awesome job at commentating and bringing color and bringing an understanding to the fans from the driver’s seat, much like Darrell Waltrip has. He’ll be a great addition to the lineup like that.”
HAVE YOU EVER KNOWN HIM NOT TO TELL IT LIKE IT IS?
“Well, Rusty is gonna have trouble not swearing (laughter). Finally, he may learn to communicate without swearing.”
DO YOU SEE YOURSELF DOING SOMETHING LIKE THAT DOWN THE ROAD?
“No, I’m not cut from that cloth. I could do that, but I would have to work at it really hard. I’m a perfectionist and that’s not something I’m inclined to do. I don’t want to go to that many races anyway, so there are a lot of reasons why I have no interest in doing it. Rusty’s personality lends itself to that more and Rusty is like a going maniac, so that fits Rusty better than it does me. I will find something else to do, which will be driving for quite a few years yet. It just won’t be Cup racing.”
COULD YOU PUT JARRETT IN THE BIG BROWN TRUCK AND YOU IN THE AAA TOW TRUCK AND RACE?
“I wouldn’t have a problem with that. I tell you, AAA has some pretty big tow trucks. I think I could handle that brown truck.”
ON THE POINT SYSTEM.
“I really don’t look at it that way. It depends on how good you do in the season. You can throw a race or two out if you’re really good, but if you’re right on the bubble, every race counts just like it did before. I mean, one bad race here can make all the difference in making or not making the chase – or anywhere else for that matter. So it’s an incredible amount of pressure. You can’t ever throw any race out, but after it’s over with if it’s bad, what are you gonna do? That’s it. So all 43 cars that make this race will be in this thing to get everything they can, but when they leave here if it winds up being a disappointing effort for whatever reason under the sun, it is what it is now. You have to go and make the rest of them, or if that happens to Martinsville or anywhere. Daytona is not different. It pays the same amount of points.
Everybody wants to do well here because it actually pays more money than a lot of races. And if you can win it it is certainly more prestigious than any other race – shortly rivaled by maybe the Brickyard. But if you had it and on the last lap you were leading and you thought you had it and the tire went flat like it did on Earnhardt that year, then you did everything you could do. You can’t will it. You can be strong-willed and you can will your way into a lot of things, but you can’t will your way into a win at Daytona. It’s either gonna happen or it’s not. You might dominate this race and have it slip through your fingers going into three like it did, for example, with Dale one year. Or you might run terrible and win it. You might just be in the front at the end for some odd reason. Everybody goes out and gives it everything they have.”
HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT HOW MENTALLY TAXING THIS YEAR WILL BE?
“I’ve got to be honest with you, I haven’t thought about it and I don’t know if I am gonna think about it. I’m still unprepared to talk about, I don’t really have a philosophy. I’ll get in the race car, what, tomorrow, I hardly know. I think I’m racing Saturday night. I can’t mentally prepare to drive. What I do, my preparation usually goes into the hardware. I try to help the team make a better car. When we came down here and tested it was what it was. It was way short of impressive and it is what it is. I can’t help them anymore with it. All I can do is drive the car and all they can do is work on the car and make the best out of this and see what we can wind up with. We still might be surprised by the time the qualifiers turn around on Thursday. We may have a better race car than we thought, and I might be able to start talking about having a chance to win the 500 after Thursday, but until then I haven’t even thought about it.”
DO YOU FEEL MORE OR LESS LIGHTHEARTED THAN LAST YEAR?
“I’m really not prepared right now as you can see. I haven’t thought. I’ve been real busy. It’s unbelievable. It’s the most busy I’ve ever been in my lifetime. I haven’t had a chance to think about it a whole lot. Last year I was preparing myself for my last year in Cup and there was a lot of emotion and a lot of things going on that I was focused on. This year I’m just trying to keep afloat. I’m treading water.”
AT HOMESTEAD YOU TALKED IN GLOWING TERMS ABOUT TONY STEWART. DO YOU STILL FEEL THE SAME WAY?
“Nothing has changed. If that was the first time you had heard those kinds of comments from me, then you just hadn’t heard what I had to say beforehand. It is what it is. People earn their respect. Tony has earned my respect. He didn’t get it free when he came in just because he was an IRL champion. It didn’t mean much to me. I mean, he earned every ounce of the respect that he has on and off the race track. He’s a very misunderstood person because of his personality and many of our fans do not know him and many of them would have a much higher opinion and much higher liking for him if they knew who he was to the core because they’ve only seen one part of Tony.”
WHAT’S BEEN THE BIGGEST CHANGE FOR NASCAR SAFETY?
“I’d have to say the one thing is the HANS, and then the very next and very close to that are the seats and head restraints that we have beyond the HANS. But the HANS is the number one thing.”
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE CAR OF TOMORROW?
“I’m proud to say that I have no interest whatsoever in that car. I’m not gonna drive it and I refuse to test it and I don’t want anything to do with it because I’ve got my head into the trucks. I want to learn about the trucks. I want to drive the trucks. I want to test the trucks. I want to be a part of it because it’s competitive and all these guys have a head start on me in that division. So unless Roush Racing were to come to me needing some kind of old school depth to help them with that project, I have passed on the opportunity to drive the car so far. I’m just gonna watch like you all. I’m gonna be a spectator of the car of tomorrow.”
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE FORD FUSION THIS YEAR?
“We’re really excited about the car because the Fusion is gonna be a great addition to our race lineup, but, for me, I’m a Ford dealer and it’s even more exciting because we have such a terrific new lineup of vehicles to offer our fans. First the Five Hundred and now the Fusion. The Freestyle. We’re really looking good, and, of course, the F-150.”
IS THERE A DIFFERENCE IN THE WAY PIT STRATEGY WORKS NOW AS COMPARED TO EARLIER IN YOUR CAREER?
“I don’t think so. I think there are tools of choice today that were different than the tools of choice in the eighties, but the only difference really, I guess, is that instead of having five cars on the lead lap we’ve got 25, so you have to choose what you do with that in mind. You have to look at the circumstances that are in front of you and make decisions that are based on that.”
HOW BIG OF AN IMPACT DID EARNHARDT’S ACCIDENT HAVE ON THIS SPORT?
“I think that Dale Earnhardt’s accident had a huge impact on the drivers personally. Obviously it had a huge impact on the fans, a huge impact on NASCAR and safety in general, but I think that it made the drivers and the teams take a more aggressive approach to safety. I had no interest in the HANS until after the accident with Dale and then I took the information that we knew about HANS devices more seriously. I still didn’t have one on the next week, but I had one on when I went to Talladega because I knew I was gonna wreck. I figured I would get used to it because then we were going to Texas the next week and knew there was a good chance of blowing the right-front out and you definitely need it there. So by the time we got to Talladega I was wearing a HANS and I wouldn’t drive without it now.”
ALL OF THESE SAFETY ENHANCEMENTS CAME AS A RESULT OF THAT, SO IN A WAY THERE WAS SOME GOOD THAT CAME OUT OF IT.
“I wish that wasn’t the truth, but I feel that is true and that’s the only good thing I could see that came out of that. It was a tremendous tragedy. It still breaks my heart, but it was. It had a significant impact on everyone in motorsports from the safety side of it. Everyone got aggressive – from NASCAR on down to the grass roots of short track racing – much more aggressive after that.” DOES IT SEEM LIKE FIVE YEARS SINCE THAT HAPPENED OR DOES IT SEEM LIKE YESTERDAY? “It is both. Because it’s not on the very forefront of your brain every minute time does pass in that respect quicker. On the other hand, it seems like more than that because of the loss that we all experienced. From that side it seems like more so. It depends on which side of the coin you look at, I think.”
EARNHARDT WAS SUCH A LEADER IN THE GARAGE AREA AND WITH NASCAR. HAS ANYONE FILLED THAT VOID?
“There’s no one in this sport right now, there’s no driver in the sport that carries the size of stick that Dale Earnhardt carried. No, to me, in my opinion, that is somewhat gone. Every sport, I think, needs their heroes and we have our heroes here in this sport, but there are heroes very much different than Dale Earnhardt. There just won’t be another one. I don’t think there ever will be. There might be. I shouldn’t say that. There may be, but I’m an old-timer and I just don’t see that. He was a unique person and when he spoke people listened.”
DO YOU THINK IT’S BECAUSE HE HAD TO RACE TO PUT FOOD ON THE TABLE AND GUYS COMING INTO TODAY DON’T HAVE TO DO THAT? IT’S A WHOLE DIFFERENT ERA.
“It is and I’m not gonna say that that’s why, but boy that sure feels good. It feels good to you and me because we were here when he was here, so when you say that it feels right, but I’m not sure just because Reed Sorenson didn’t have to race cars to put food on the table doesn’t mean that he can’t be as passionate. It’s a different time and a different age, but certainly as an old school guy, I don’t think I have the words for it yet to explain why he was able to have the kind of impact that he had on the sport. But he was real unique.”
WHAT DO YOU MISS MOST ABOUT HIM?
“Probably mostly when we talked about the races that we had. I think about racing with Dale because there was a lot of that. Being an old school guy I like to talk about back when and a lot of that back when had to do with Dale.”
WHAT KINDS OF THINGS WILL YOU MISS ABOUT THE DAYTONA 500?
“I haven’t had a great time at Daytona, so I don’t expect to be missing the Daytona 500. I will miss racing at Charlotte. If I thought I would never race again at Las Vegas, Charlotte, Texas and Michigan and California. If I thought I’d never race at those places again I’d be teary-eyed, but I’m gonna continue to race for many, many years. I’m not retiring. There are certain places that I love. I had a sinking feeling at Vegas last week when I rolled into the tunnel and saw the track.
I sort of felt sick to my stomach. I didn’t feel that last year. I felt it this year because I had this realization that this is the last time I would go out to test for a Cup event there. At the same time I’m incredibly excited about getting this off my plate and opening a new chapter of my life. I really desperately have things that I want to do that I haven’t been able to do because of my commitments to motorsports and I want to get on with them.”
DID YOU FEEL BACK IN THE NINETIES THAT FROM A SAFETY STANDPOINT IT WAS AS GOOD AS IT COULD GET?
“I never thought about it. It had only been a few years before I got in a Cup car that I was racing in fiberglass seats. That’s ridiculous. I mean, I raced for years in fiberglass seats and then I brought my ASA seats to NASCAR and I raced the aluminum seat that I raced in ASA in NASCAR for years. I blew all those right-front tires out and hit all those walls in the early nineties. I wasn’t concerned about it. It just never crossed my mind.”
Martin To Run Daytona Craftsman Truck Series Race In No. 6 Ford F-150
Martin to kick off limited 2006 Truck Series schedule on Feb. 17th at Daytona
CONCORD, N.C. (Jan. 30, 2006) - Mark Martin will kick off his 2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule in the series' season opening Daytona 250 on Friday, Feb. 17. Martin, who plans to run a limited schedule in both the Craftsman Truck and Busch Series in 2006, will compete in four races over Daytona Speedweeks, including the Budweiser Shootout, the IROC season opener, the Craftsman Truck opener and the famed Daytona 500 on Feb. 18.
It will mark Martin's fourth career start in the truck series, his second consecutive; he finished eighth in the '05 series finale at Homestead. Martin won at North Wilkesboro in 1996 in his second career truck series start, and finished third in his first start at Richmond that same year. This will be Martin's first venture in the series at Daytona, although he did take part in a truck at Daytona with teammate David Ragan two weeks ago.
"I'm excited to get out there in the truck," said Martin, who plans to go full-time in the series in 2007. "We had a chance to test the truck at Daytona a couple of weeks ago and I really had a ball out there. I've been excited about the Truck Series for a while now, and I can't wait to get out there in the No. 6 Ford F-150 and see what we can do against the competition.
"The truck is really fast and Mike Beam and the entire No. 6 crew have really put together an awesome team for David (Ragan) and myself for 2006 and we are really looking forward to sharing the Ford F-150 for 2006."
Martin will run a limited number of Truck races in 2006, sharing the seat with up and comer David Ragan. Martin will be in the seat for the first three races of 2006 at Daytona, Fontana and Atlanta before handing over the reigns to Ragan at Martinsville. Martin is currently scheduled to make seven starts in the No. 6 Ford F-150.
Martin Kicks Off Encore “SALUTE” Tour With Seventh-Place Run In Bud Shootou
Martin saves AAA Ford Fusion for seventh place finish in “Rough” Shootout; turns attention to Daytona 500
Mark Martin and the #6 AAA Racing Team
Daytona International Speedway/February 12, 2005DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. – The 2006 Nextel Cup season is officially underway, with this year’s version of the All-Star Budweiser Shootout in the books. Making his debut in the new No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion, Martin ran as high as third and was as high as fourth on the second to last lap of the race, before being shuffled back to seventh where he finished the non-points event.
“It was a good run,” said Martin. “It was a great first outing for our AAA Fusion, and I'm pretty excited. I know the track wasn't slick and it's cold today. Our 500 car will be better than that and I can tell from what I see that we've got a good racecar for Sunday. We came to try to win the 500 and from what I saw there with what we've got lined up we might just do it."
Martin and the team saw several close calls with Martin narrowly avoiding the day’s first accident when the No. 25 car got loose and came up the track causing a multi-car accident that saw six cars affected. Martin just narrowly escaped becoming the seventh. The scares were far from over, as Martin made the save of the race after getting tapped by Kyle Busch on lap 22. Martin again avoided the accident, but a chain reaction occurred that involved several cars.
"That was the roughest race I've ever run at Daytona,” added Martin. “I can't believe the car doesn't look beat up like Martinsville. Man, I was bouncing around like crazy. It had to be a great race to watch, but one of these days soon I'm going be sitting in a rocking chair watching these things myself.”
Martin started the event 13 th based on a random draw held on Thursday. He spent the first few laps shuffling in and out of the draft, briefly falling back to last place, before regaining momentum and moving back to 13 th of the 21 car field by lap 13. After the first caution he stayed out and moved up to eighth place on the restart after the break on lap 20.
By lap 21 Martin had hooked up in a three-car pack that was pulling away from the field. After avoiding what seemed to be a sure wreck on lap 22, Martin restarted after the caution on lap 27 in fourth. Three laps later he was shuffled out of the draft and fell back to 12. He had moved back to eighth when the team came down pit road on lap 48 for the required green-flag stop. After a 15.33-second stop Martin returned back to the field in 10 th place, before working his way through the draft and back up to fourth place by lap 53.
With cars running two-wide around the track, Martin rotated in and out of the top-five for the next several laps and he had his AAA Ford Fusion in eighth place when the day’s final caution was called on lap 57; setting up a green-white-checkered finish. Martin opted not to pit and restarted the final three lap dash in sixth place. He moved up to as high as fourth on the next to the last lap of the race. He finished the final lap three-wide with Roush teammates Matt Kenseth on the inside and Jamie McMurray on the outside, as he crossed the finish line just behind Kenseth in seventh place.
After a two day break in the action, Martin and the team will return to action on Wednesday as they prepare for Thursday’s Twin-150’s, as it all builds up to Sunday’s famed Daytona 500.
Martin to kickoff 2006 season with record 18th consecutive Bud Shootout
Roush RacingCONCORD, N.C. -- Mark Martin will kick off the encore of his “Salute To You” Tour when he takes to the track on Feb. 11th for his record 18th consecutive Budweiser Shootout under the lights at Daytona International Speedway. Martin will make his inaugural run in the AAA Ford Fusion in the event, where his roots date back to his first start in the then Busch Clash in 1982.
“The Shootout has always been a cool event,” said Martin. “And it will be really cool this year as it’s our first race with our new sponsor AAA and the first race in the all new Ford Fusion. So we’ll have a new car, a new sponsor and we’ll be looking to take both to victory lane in our first opportunity. The all new AAA paint scheme is really cool and I can’t wait for the fans to get a chance to see it under the lights in the Shootout.
“As for the race you just never know in the Shootout. Basically you go out and look to win an event like the Shootout, because second place means nothing,” added Martin who won the 2005 Nextel Cup All-Star Challenge, the circuits other all-star event.
“Sometimes you might gamble a bit to get up front and hope it pays off, that’s what we did a couple of years ago,” added Martin. “The bottom line is that second place is no better than 17th or 18th in the Shootout, so it’s not uncommon to see teams do that. This year we are going to go out and try and win it again like we did in ’99. Hopefully we can have those type of results. You just never know in that race.”
In 1981 Martin became the first rookie to ever qualify for the event, by earning a spot after winning his first career Cup pole in only his third career start on July 11, 1981 at Nashville International Raceway. The young driver would actually go on to capture two poles in 1981, despite running only five races. Martin would finish eighth in the 1982 Shootout.
Martin will run his 19th Budweiser Shootout and his 18th consecutive. The veteran driver, who will walk away from the Nextel Cup series full-time schedule at the end of the season, has amassed 41 career poles – a large reason for his 18 Shootout starts. He’ll start this year’s Shootout via a former winner’s provisional, a right he earned when he held off Ken Schrader to win the 1999 Shootout.
After the 1982 Shootout, Martin did not compete in the event again until 1989, but the veteran driver has not missed the event since.
Roush Racing is a subsidiary of Livonia, Mich., based Roush Entersprises which operates 13 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 and Erik Darnell.
Martin hasn't hit the brakes yet
NASCAR schedule keeping him busy
By Mike Brudenell
Detroit Free Press Sports Writer
February 11, 2006DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- For a man who says he can't wait for semi-retirement, Mark Martin is doing a pretty good impression of a workaholic this month.
Martin, the best driver never to have won a NASCAR Nextel Cup championship, will wean himself off Cup racing this season by taking on perhaps his most taxing schedule ever in the next week or so.
First comes tonight's Budweiser Shootout, a 70-lap event that kicks off the NASCAR season but doesn't count in the points race. Sunday, Martin will try to qualify for one of the top-two spots in the Daytona 500.
The Gatorade twin 150-mile qualifying races for the 500 come Thursday, and Martin will run in two more events Friday -- the IROC and NASCAR Craftsman Truck season openers.
Two days later will mark his 22nd appearance in the Daytona 500.
"And we were talking about slowing down," said Martin, 47. "We have a lot of racing to do in the next few days, but we are excited about it.
"I love to race, and that's what we are going to do plenty of, so hopefully we can pick up a couple of more trophies."
Martin, who drives for Roush Racing, will start a record 18th consecutive Shootout tonight. He won the race in 1999, finished second in 1991, third in '92, and fourth in '93 and 2004.
"Daytona hasn't always been kind to us, but we have won a couple of IROC races and a Bud Shootout here, so we know where victory lane is," Martin said. "Hopefully, we can get back there again, especially with all the racing we are planning to do."
Last year, Martin finished eighth in the Shootout. The race is comprised of pole winners from 2005 and past Shootout champions who did not win a pole last year but finished in the top-50 in Cup points.
Johnson will start second tonight in a race run in two segments -- a 20-lap sprint, followed by a 10-minute pit stop and a 50-lap charge to the checkered flag.
Nothing would give Martin more pleasure than winning a Shootout or the Daytona 500, a race he never has won. But he's not putting any pressure on himself, unlike 2005, which he thought would be his final fling.
"Last year, I was preparing myself for my last year in Cup, and there was a lot of emotion and a lot of things going on that I was focused on," said Martin, a four-time series runner-up. "This year I'm just trying to keep afloat. I'm treading water."
Even though Martin planned to retire from Cup competition last year, team owner Jack Roush of Northville persuaded him to return for another season. Martin started running in Cup races in 1981. After this season, he intends to step out of the No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion to help his 15-year-old son, Matthew, in his racing quest, though Martin plans to keep racing in the truck and IROC series next year.
For the next few days, though, the primary mission will be to win the Daytona 500. His best finish was in 1995, when he was third.
"Everybody wants to do well here because it actually pays more money than a lot of races," Martin said. "And if you can win it, it is certainly more prestigious than any other race. You can't will it, but you can be strong-willed, and you can will your way into a lot of things.
"It's either going to happen -- the win -- or it's not."
NOTEBOOK
Ken Schrader is on the pole for the Shootout by virtue of a blind draw. Schrader, 50, will be making his 16th Shootout start. He won the event in 1989-90 and will make his debut tonight for the Wood Brothers in the No. 21 Little Debbie's Ford.
Starting fourth will be Joe Nemechek in the No. 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet.
"The pride of driving the Army car is immense," Nemechek said. "I have so much passion for our soldiers. They're my heroes, and I want to give them something back in return. A victory tonight and in the Daytona 500 would be a great start."
Contact Mike Brudenell at 313-222-2115 or mbrudenell@freepress.com
Martin readies for busy season instead of retirement
By Mike Harris
AP Motorsports Writer
February 11, 2006is going to be the busiest driver at Daytona during the 10 days of Speedweeks activities that began Friday and culminate with the Feb. 19 Daytona 500.
A year ago, the longtime NASCAR star was starting what he expected to be his final season in Nextel Cup, with the plan that he would spend 2006 running for fun in the Craftsman Truck Series.
An unexpected driver shuffle on the Roush Racing team caused team owner Jack Roush to beg Martin to stay for another season and here he is, preparing for his 22nd -- and probably final -- Daytona 500.
But that's only the peak of this mountain of racing action for the 47-year-old driver. He also has the Budweiser Shootout on Saturday night and next week's IROC, truck and Busch races on his schedule, along with the 125-mile qualifying race for the 500.
If he runs every possible lap on Daytona's 2.5-mile oval, Martin will complete more than 1,000 racing miles by the time the checkered flag waves for the 500.
"And we were talking about slowing down," Martin said, laughing. "Now here we are running in five races and that's just Speedweeks. We have a lot of racing to do in next few days, but we are excited about it.
"I love to race and that's what we are going to do plenty of, so hopefully we can pick up a couple of more trophies."
He earned the invitation to the IROC series by winning the 2005 championship -- his fifth in the all-star series. Once he decided not to retire from Cup, Martin said he felt he might as well run some Busch races, too.
The Daytona truck race was the one he hadn't planned on.
"I was going to let David Ragan go out there and have all the excitement, but I came and helped the guys test and the truck was really fast," Martin said. "I thought, 'Oh boy, it would be kind of fun to drive that truck.' But I still wasn't going to do it."
The decision came when sponsor Scotts said it would commit to a full season deal if Martin would drive a handful of races in the No. 6 truck.
"That way, David will have a sponsor when he drives the truck, too," Martin said.
That will make Friday a very hectic day, with the IROC and truck races back-to-back.
"That's OK because it's all about fun," Martin said.
But Martin's busy schedule is just about racing.
"We've just had a preview in Batesville (Ark.) for our new museum," he said. "That has taken a little time. It's been a fairly big project. ... And I've been helping (14-year-old son) Matt transition from trucks to late models and just getting my picture taken with all these different sponsors. Man, oh man. It's the most busy I've ever been in my life."
And it's just getting started.
NEW FAVORITE
Based on the way he ran last season, Greg Biffle is certainly considered one of the favorites to win the Nextel Cup championship in 2006.
Biffle led the series a year ago with six victories and charged to a second-place finish behind Tony Stewart in the final standings, losing the title by 35 points.
Now, he is on everyone's radar as the new season begins.
"It's a hard thing not to be overconfident," said Biffle, who is part of the Roush Racing juggernaut of Mark Martin, Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth and team newcomer Jamie McMurray.
"People say, 'Well, you had such a great year last year, what do you expect this year?' And, gosh, if I did the same thing I did last year, I'd be ecstatic," Biffle said. "Certainly, I'd like to win the championship, but boy, if I had to replay last year, I don't know that I'd do a thing different.
"Six wins was definitely huge for us, and finishing second in points in my third year in the series, and coming that close, was neat. I'd like that same opportunity this year."
STAT OF THE WEEK
No driver has ever won all four of the Cup events during Speedweeks: the Bud Shootout, the pole for the 500, one of the two qualifying races for the 500 and the big race itself.
Four drivers have won three of the four events:
Dale Jarrett won the Shootout, the pole and the 500 in 2000; Ken Schrader won the Shootout and pole and his qualifier in 1989; Cale Yarborough won the pole, his qualifier and the 500 in 1984 and Buddy Baker took the Shootout (then called the Busch Clash), the pole and his qualifying race in 1979, the first year all four events were held.
Ford NASCAR Drivers 'Test Drive Production Fusion
Ford plans to use NASCAR racing as a major marketing platform for the launch of the 2006 Ford Fusion.
Because Ford’s NASCAR Nextel Cup drivers are such high-profile spokespersons for both the production and racing versions of the Fusion, they gathered in 2004, at the Ford Dearborn test track for a test drive of the production car.
Here were some initial impressions:
MARK MARTIN – NASCAR driver and Ford dealer – “As a dealer and a driver, I’m excited. I think it’s going to be really, really strong for us. I’m looking forward to getting them at the dealership because it’s a good-looking car. I was really excited when the Five Hundred came out, and I think it’s really cool when Ford comes out with a car that I really want to own myself, so I’m excited.”
WHAT EXCITES YOU MOST ABOUT THE CAR?
“I think it fills a niche that we haven’t quite been able to fill. It’s very new and progressive with very new-looking technology. Whenever you drive the car you can tell that the research has been done. It’s quiet and smooth, the ride is fantastic and it feels powerful. It’s just amazing how much progress is made over time and how you can manage to make more power and more torque with less emission. You just get a little bit of all the best of all the worlds. Technology is amazing to me today.”
DALE JARRETT – NASCAR driver, 1999 NASCAR champion, and Ford dealer – “The Fusion seems like a very nice vehicle. I think it’s a new car that is going to energize sales a little bit, and hopefully a lot. It’s got a very nice driving and handling package, plus the inside is very roomy and the interior is nicely done as well. I think this is just what we’ve been looking for to increase sales.”
WHAT ABOUT THE FUSION AS A RACE CAR?
“It has the things that we look for – the lines that we look for as far as what it’s going to do for us on the race track – is something that we’re going to be pleased with. I think this is probably much more compatible for making this into a race car than what we’ve done over the last few years since we brought the Taurus on, so I think that’s good news because we’ve done very well with that.”
WHAT DO YOU LIKE SPECIFICALLY ABOUT FUSION?
“I think the biggest thing for me is being 6’2” and seeing the room inside. I liked that and then noticed when I got out that I could still sit in the backseat with where I had the seat positioned in the front, so there’s a lot of room in there and that’s very big in my department.”
CARL EDWARDS – NASCAR driver – “The Fusion is awesome. It’s a peppy little car. I drove the manual and we had a good time with it, but what I really liked about it is that it drives really quiet. That’s the biggest thing and it’s easy to drive. I didn’t miss a gear. Usually I’m bad about that, so it’s pretty easy to drive. It’s a fun car.”
YOUR THOUGHTS ON HOW THE CAR LOOKS?
“I think the way these new Ford vehicles look is awesome. I really like the nose on them and they say it’s going to transfer well for us in racing, so I think it looks great.”
ELLIOTT SADLER – NASCAR driver whose family owns a Ford dealership – “I was very pleasantly surprised. They pretty much used me as an example because I’m the biggest driver, so they had me get in it and I was very impressed with how sporty and small the body looks, but when I get inside my knees are nowhere near the dash and my head is nowhere near the roof. I’m 6’3”, 220 pounds, so I was very pleasantly surprised. I also set the seat where I would be happy with it in the front and then got in the back and had plenty of room back there, too. I can’t believe they can have that much room with big guys like myself in a car that looks that small. They’ve done a great job. The other thing I was impressed with is how much rake is in the hood and how much vision you actually have as a driver from where the cowl is to the front. You can actually see the corners of the vehicle, whereas with some of the older model Tauruses you couldn’t. So as far as women are concerned and beginner drivers go, I think they can feel more comfortable and be able to see the corners better and feel safer driving it.”
WHAT ABOUT THE LOOK?
“I think the Fusion is going to be a hit. It’s a new product and it’s the new face of Ford. I think the front of it looks great. I like what they’ve done around the logo with the bars, and I think it’s a great direction. I was pretty impressed when I saw it. I think they did a great job.”
MATT KENSETH – NASCAR driver and 2003 NASCAR champion – “I think the Fusion is really nice. The car drives a lot better than the Taurus and it has a lot of power. The other thing I noticed is that it’s really comfortable as far as the interior goes. There’s a lot of room inside. The car drives and handles well, but it’s got a lot of pick-up and can really go.”
Martin not slowing down just yet
Veteran driver scheduled to run 470 laps and over 1,100 miles in busiest Speedweeks everDAYTONA BEACH, FLA. (Feb. 10, 2006) -- Once thought to be cutting back in 2006, Roush Racing's Mark Martin finds himself moving into what may be the busiest of his 21 career Speedweeks at Daytona International Raceway. Martin is scheduled to run a whopping 470 racing laps and well over one thousand miles during the two weeks that make up Speedweeks, and that's not even counting the 13 practice and qualifying sessions he is set to run. By the time Martin rolls into California for the second Nextel Cup race on Feb. 26, Martin will most likely have logged well over 1,000 miles of racing in 2006.
"And we were talking about slowing down," laughed Martin at Thursday's Daytona media day. "Now here we are running in five races and that's just Speedweeks. We have a lot of racing to do in next few days, but we are excited about it. I love to race and that's what we are going to do plenty of, so hopefully we can pick up a couple of more trophies.
"Daytona hasn't always been kind to us, but we have won a couple of IROC races and a Bud Shootout here, so we do know where victory lane is. Hopefully we can get back there again, especially with all of the racing we are planning to do."
Martin will get started in tomorrow night's Budweiser Shootout, where he will start his record 18th consecutive Shootout. He will qualify his AAA Ford Fusion car for the Daytona 500 the next day. He'll return to racing action on next Thursday for the Gatorade 150, before taking part in back-to-back races on Friday night when he begins his defense of last season IROC title, before making his Daytona debut in the Craftsman Truck Series where he will race is Scotts Ford F-150. Martin will be easy to find this Speedweeks as every car and truck he will racing with carry his familiar No. 6 on the side and roof.
Roush Racing is a subsidiary of Livonia, Mich., based Roush Entersprises which operates 13 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 and Erik Darnell.
Back in the NASCAR saddle
By David Poole
The Charlotte Observer
February 9, 2006DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Mark Martin, for the nine thousandth time, never planned to retire at the end of the 2005 NASCAR season."I couldn't quit racing," Martin says. "Racing has been my life since I was 15 years old and I'm certainly not ready to give it up. That's what I live for."
What he fully intended to do, however, was walk away from full-time Nextel Cup competition. He looked forward, he'd say, to enjoying himself in the Truck Series or, if for some reason that didn't work out, in a late model car at short tracks all over the place.
"I was extremely excited about opening a new chapter in my life," Martin says.
Alas, on Thursday Martin found himself back inside a giant white tent just behind the frontstretch grandstands at Daytona International Speedway. Were it just a little more colorful, it would look just like a "big top."
The circus is in town again, and Martin is once more in the center ring.
The occasion was NASCAR's annual Speedweeks "media day," the last in an increasingly redundant series of preseason gabfests where drivers are asked questions that are impossible to answer. NASCAR's preseason is no more pointless than any other sport's, but it's no less so, either.
A year ago on media day, nobody would have believed four-time champion Jeff Gordon would struggle in 2005. Nobody could have known that 2004 champion Kurt Busch's title defense would end in a tawdry ego-off between the driver and a Maricopa County sheriff's deputy in the Arizona desert.
Certainly, nobody could have forecast Martin would be back for another season of the Nextel Cup grind.
It seemed infinitely more likely, in fact, that Rusty Wallace would renege on retirement. But here we are. Wallace is beginning his career as race team owner/television celebrity and Martin is suiting up for battle one more time.
The why and how of Martin's return is no more complicated than the fact that, for business reasons, team owner Jack Roush needed Martin for one more year. Roush and Martin have stood shoulder to shoulder in the sport since 1988, and once Martin was convinced Roush really needed him to keep the No. 6 team they've built together moving forward that part of the decision was made.
But there were other factors, most significantly that he'd promised his wife, Arlene, and his son, Matt, that after 2005 the demands of NASCAR's toughest and biggest series would be in his rear-view mirror.
"One of the first commitments I made for 2006 was to put my family first," Martin says. "So Jack and Matt and Arlene had the conversation about doing this before we went any further. If they had said no, then I wouldn't be here today." Martin, 47, will actually race more this year than he has in a long, long time.
In addition to the full Cup schedule, he'll also run seven Busch Series race - after arguing that down from 14 - and will share duties in the Truck he'd otherwise be in this year with young David Ragan as he tries to get that team started for, now, the 2007 season. Martin will also defend his International Race of Champions series title.
He'll kick off the season Friday as he begins practice for his 18th straight start in Saturday night's Budweiser Shootout.
When he was here last month for testing, Martin still hadn't figured out how he's going to gird himself for another year of Nextel Cup. He knows how he'd like to approach the year.
"I'm going to have some fun and it's either going to be good or not," he says, "and I'm going to be willing to accept whatever kind of results we have."
But he also knows it'll be hard for him to do that.
Martin says that last year, when he won the Nextel All-Star Challenge and a points race at Kansas on his way to a fourth-place points finish, was by far the best year, personally and professionally, of his career. He knows himself well enough, he fears, to know he'll work harder this year still to match or surpass that.
"I just want everybody to make sure that they know that they're talking to a guy that had a blast last year," he says. "It would mean an awful lot to me to have the same kind of performance on the race track his year, so therefore I'm willing to be miserable if need be in order to have that.
"My tendency is to go off on that misery side to try to make sure that we get that performance. I'm going to fight that a little bit. Jack says, 'Don't worry about it. Just go have fun with it this year. The pressure is off and you might do better than you ever have.'
"Doggone it, that's a good strategy. I just wish it would work for me."
