In his first full-time season since 2006, it would have been a common belief that Mark Martin would be pretty worn out as far as racing goes at this point in the season.
Well, Martin is tired.
Although, it's what he is tired of that is different from those pre-season persuasions.
Martin, currently ranked second in Sprint Cup Series driver points, is 184-points away from Jimmie Johnson who is having his fourth consecutive "flawless" chase this season. While now it doesn't appear that anyone has anything for Johnson, talks of the 50-year-old's possibility of his first Sprint Cup Series championship have the Batesville, Ark. native worn out.
"I'm not tired of the racing at all," Martin said. "Everyone at Hendrick Motorsports is first class. They've all made this season so much better than I ever imagined it could be. I am tired of the points, though, and I'm not just saying that because of being behind. We were chasing points to get into the Chase, and now that we're here, that's all people are talking about. I'm just ready to have a fresh outlook and get back to it just being about the race itself. I'll be looking forward to Daytona (Fla.) and starting with a clean slate there."
The No. 5 team has a deep hole to dig themselves out of if they want to score Martin that elusive first Sprint Cup Series trophy. With only 161-points that can be mathematically gained in a single race along with the flawless streak Johnson and his crew Chad Knaus have built up, time is running out.
While it is obvious that every driver wants to win a championship, Martin says that he would rather spend time cherishing what he has than what he doesn't have.
"Look, I'm not disappointed in the things I haven't accomplished," Martin said. "I'm proud of the things that I have. And that's the way I'm going to look back on my career. I have finished second to (Dale) Earnhardt, Tony (Stewart) and Jeff (Gordon), all of them great drivers in this sport. And I'm not embarrassed to finish second to those guys. And I wouldn't be embarrassed to finish second to Jimmie (Johnson). I have the greatest amount of respect for those guys. I love what I'm doing. I love this sport. And I won't sit here and worry about the things that haven't happened to me or for me."
His crew chief, Alan Gustafson has a different outlook on things. The young crew chief, who grew up calling Martin his idol, says that a seat not at the head of the table for the season-ending championship banquet would be disappointing.. Regardless, the season which has seen some up and down races, a second place finish in the points to what could very well be one of the most dominating drivers in NASCAR history is nothing short of amazing for a team that has only been together for one season with Martin.
"If we do not win the championship, I'm going to be disappointed," Gustafson said. "A lot of guys on this team are going to be disappointed. Yes, we've won some battles, but we haven't won the war. I will be disappointed, but I won't be ashamed, and this team has no reason to hang their head. This team fought very hard and it will continue to fight hard to do everything we can possibly do. I want to win a championship and so does everyone on this team. That was our main focus when we came into the year. So, there is some level of disappointment."
Martin looks to make it a Hendrick Motorsports sweep at Texas Motor Speedway for 2009 after his teammate Jeff Gordon won his first race at the track earlier this year.
Texas, a little over 400 miles southwest of Martin's hometown, is a track that the 40-time race winner enjoys. As he enters the Dickies 500 on Sunday, Martin has one goal on his mind—a clean sweep of the race.
"Texas is a great place to race," Martin said. "I have a lot of fans that go there because it's kind of close to my home in Batesville (Ark.). We have a lot of charged up fans there. It's a great track and a great place to race. We're going to go there, try to sit on the pole, lead every lap and win the race."
Martin and his team are taking a brand-new chassis—No. 5-555—to Texas this weekend.
The News:
Michael Waltrip Racing expects to make some announcement in regards to next season for the Sprint Cup Series programs, according to team owner Michael Waltrip. "Actually, we will be making a few announcements this weekend at Texas in regards to sponsorship and other stuff. I can’t go into the specifics right now, but we’ll be releasing the details as we continue to gear up for the 2010 season," Waltrip said.
Goodyear completed its tire test at Daytona, the final scheduled on-track test before the season-opening Daytona 500, this week. Recent Daytona 500 winners Matt Kenseth and Dale Earnhardt Jr. were among the 17 drivers that took part in the testing. Testing consisted of drivers part-taking in 15, 20 and 30-lap runs during the two-day session.
Jimmie Johnson and his team are bringing two cars that have an amazing track record as of late. Both the primary and back-up chassis won from the pole their last time out.
Brad Keselowski is making his Penske Racing debut at Texas this weekend, one week after starting his final event of his part-time plan between Phoenix Racing and Hendrick Motorsports. Keselowski is taking the place of David Stremme and will run the final three races of the season. Keselowski was named the new driver of the No. 12 Dodge earlier this year.
Casey Mears is making his 250th Sprint Cup Series start this weekend at Texas. Among other milestones within reach as the series heads to the Lone Star state is Bobby Labonte, who can become the 26th driver to score 200 top-ten finishes.
The Quotes:
Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge: "We’re looking forward to returning to the intermediate tracks this weekend and especially to Texas Motor Speedway. It’s not the situation we had hoped for as far as the big picture goes this time around, but there’s still a lot on the line and much to try to accomplish. We were hoping to be up there battling it out for the championship, but with only three races remaining this season and being at such a deficit, we’re heading into Texas focused on trying to win races before the year is over. We realistically can climb several spots in the standings during the final weeks, but the big emphasis will be placed on doing what it takes to add to our race win column for the season.”
Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 FedEx Racing Toyota: "I love this track, really like to race there and this team has brought some really strong race cars to Texas in the past. With the way our intermediate program has improved this season, we like our chances at a place like Texas. Even looking back at Charlotte when we had engine troubles, we had a really strong car – a race winning car – and that was the best we had ever performed at a track that can be tough to figure out. So we are bringing the same car back at Texas and from my point of view that gives me a lot to look forward to."
Matt Kenseth, driver of the No. 17 DeWalt Ford: "Texas is a great place to race. The fans and the people at the racetrack are great and it is overall a fun place to go. The track is pretty high-banked in the corners, but it is very flat on the corner exits. The most unique part is trying to get off the corners, especially in turn two. You have to have a car that can go through the middle of the corner and the bumps very fast."
Regan Smith, driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet: "Talladega is becoming old news. Yes, it was a big disappointment -- we had high expectations for Talladega, but things didn't go our way. When the engine malfunctions at the big track, you're cooked, really cooked. Our total focus right now is about this week's race in Texas. Hopefully we can get back some of what we missed out on in Talladega last week."
The Info:
What: Dickies 500
Where: Texas Motor Speedway (Fort Worth, Tex.)
When: Sunday, Nov. 8 at 3:15 p.m. ET
Length: 334 laps/501 miles
TV: ABC, 2:30 p.m. ET
Radio: PRN and Sirius NASCAR Radio Channel 128
2008 Winner: Carl Edwards
2008 Polesitter: Jeff Gordon
The Schedule:
Friday: The weekend's first practice sessions begins at 1 p.m. ET. The cars will begin qualifying at 4:40 p.m ET.
Saturday: The weekend's second Sprint Cup Series practice begins at 9:30 a.m. ET with "happy hour" practice beginning at 11 a.m. ET.
The Points:
1. Jimmie Johnson, 6,248
2. Mark Martin, 6,064
3. Jeff Gordon, 6,056
4. Juan Pablo Montoya, 6,009
5. Tony Stewart, 5,969
6. Kurt Busch, 5,936
7. Greg Biffle, 5,908
8. Ryan Newman, 5,846
9. Kasey Kahne, 5,834
10. Carl Edwards, 5,811
11. Denny Hamlin, 5,800
12. Brian Vickers, 5,692.
