By Deb Williams
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 4, 2008) – After two years of semi-retirement, Mark Martin said Friday he was forsaking his limited schedule for a full-time ride with Hendrick Motorsports in 2009 because he couldn't resist the opportunity.
“I was very concerned about regretting that decision [not to accept Hendrick's offer] for the rest of my life,” said Martin, who has won 35 Cup races, leads the Nationwide Series with 48 victories, and has finished in the top 10 in the point standings 16 times. “After two years of catching my breath, I’ve enjoyed it, it has been very meaningful to my family and to myself. But I’ve also learned, and rekindled my passion for racing, and what it means to me and also given me a taste of what it would be like to not have that in my life.
“When you’re pretty good at something and it's been the focus of your life and the driving force of your life for 35 years and you’re still pretty good at it, you probably don’t want to quit. Beyond my love of family, I really don’t have anything else with that kind of passion that I have for racing. I thought at the end of 2006 that I was fine with couch time the rest of my life. But that was because I was in a frustrated fog of emotion of being wore out.
“The two years that I have had to reflect on that, there is really special relationships that I have with the people in this room, with the fans, and especially people like Matt Kenseth and Jeff Burton. The respect that people like Jimmie (Johnson) and Dale (Earnhardt) Jr. have shown me, Jeff Gordon and many of the others. If I never come to another race, then that’s all gone. And for right now, I don’t want to come to a race that I am not driving, so if I can drive something that will give me a chance to win and I can still do it, then I will probably still want to do it.
“I have told you guys that if I didn’t, if it was all or nothing, that I would choose nothing. I have said that. Well, I may have changed my mind again, because if I was given a choice of nothing or all in the (No.) 5 car, I chose the 5 car.”
Friday's press conference at Daytona International Speedway came as no surprise. About two weeks ago there were reports the 49-year-old Martin would replace 30-year-old Casey Mears in the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. It was announced last weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway that Mears would be released at the end of the season. Mears said he had known of Hendrick's decision for two weeks prior to the New Hampshire event. At Daytona on Thursday, it was announced that Aric Almirola would drive the No. 8 Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet full time in 2009.
“The full schedule wasn't my first choice,” Martin admitted. “I had so much fun this year driving the (No.) 8 car that I really would have loved to have driven a 26-race schedule again next year, but that would not have been fair to Aric Almirola. Aric is ready to be a full-time Cup driver and I felt like it was my responsibility and the right thing to do to get out of his way. So that being said, when I looked at the field, the climate, the options, or possible opportunities to drive a limited schedule out there and drive cars on a limited schedule that could win, I didn’t see anything that was nearly as attractive as going and driving the (No.) 5 car. And if it took driving it full time to get it, that was what I was going to do. Remember that old thing that I said about making up your mind come hell or high water? I made up my mind that I was going to drive that 5 car, whatever it took. And we are going to do it, and do it with a smile.”
Martin made his debut on the Cup circuit in 1981 and fielded his own car the first two years he competed. He drove for four different car owners in 1983, and then found himself on the outside looking in.
“In 1983, I got fired by J.D. Stacy in the Cup Series, and I met [eventual wife] Arlene at Christmas in 1983,” Martin said solemnly. “Then, in 1984, in February, I brought her to Daytona. Not only did I not have a ride, but I didn’t have a garage pass, either. I stood outside that fence, out there looking in.
“Arlene says it scarred me. That, forever, had an impact on who I am. And when you reflect on that, that has a lot to do with the decisions I make. She is the champion of this deal. Not only does she support my decision to do this, but I don’t think I would be the person I am today without her shaping the person that I have become. She’s a real champion of this deal. I told Arlene when we talked about this, I’m pretty sure that the last breath I took on my death bed would be, 'I should have drove Rick’s car when I had the chance’. I didn’t want to do that or regret that until the last breath I took.”
Martin also acknowledged former Ginn Racing team manager Jay Frye, who began Martin's business relationship with Hendrick 1 ½ years ago, and team owner Jack Roush for being instrumental in helping him arrive at his current situation.
“None of this would happen today if it weren’t for them, especially for Arlene,” Martin concluded.
Martin returned to NASCAR for five Cup races in 1986, driving for Gerry Genderman, and in a Roger Hamby-owned car for one event the following year. However, it wasn't until 1988 when Roush began fielding a NASCAR team that the Arkansas native finally received his big break on the circuit. Martin remained with Roush through 2006, then joined Ginn Racing, which later merged with DEI, to compete on a limited basis.
“Tony Gibson and the DEI team gave me the confidence to do something like this by giving me such great race cars this year and making it fun,” Martin said. “I’ve had more fun this year racing than I can remember, in racing with those guys. And I’ve had a taste of just almost being able to win a race at Phoenix. I want to win a race. I want to win another race before I can’t anymore and before that opportunity isn’t there anymore. The motivation to come do this deal was largely based on that I want to drive something I can win in. And I think these guys [Hendrick] can provide that for me.”
Next year, however, Martin wants to accumulate more than victories, he's searching for that elusive championship. Hendrick Motorsports owns seven titles, but the closest Martin has come to adding one to his resume has been second – four times [1990, '94, '98 and '02].
“I think having a team that’s capable of winning a championship makes the other three better,” Hendrick said. “It makes them step up. It makes them more competitive. And that’s what I admire about Jimmie, Junior, and Jeff. They don’t hesitate in getting the best talent you can get, because they feel like it’ll make them better and they feel like they can beat the guy, whoever it is. That’s the way real race drivers need to be.”
Martin said he received his first taste of Hendrick Motorsports from the inside a year ago when he went to the complex so crew members could pour him an insert for Jeff Gordon's car.
“We did that in case Jeff needed me to fill in at Sears Point [Infineon Raceway] last year when they were having their baby,” Martin explained.
Martin also has worked with future crew chief Alan Gustafson, and he admitted he has been a silent cheerleader of the 32-year-old Florida native.
“He is very, very, very bright,” Martin continued. “And everyone, including myself, at Hendrick Motorsports thinks the world of him. For me, I’ve really, really looked forward to having a chance to work with him and the team. Based on the tremendous preparation and job that they did and the dedication that they had through their Busch, now Nationwide Series efforts last year, and being able to be a part of that, I can only imagine what the Sprint Cup level of commitment will be like.”
Hendrick, who said Martin would run 24 to 26 races in 2010, described Friday as a “special day for me” since he had tried for 15 years to get Martin to drive for him.
“We've talked from time-to-time, but the stars never lined up,” Hendrick explained. “We had opportunities and he couldn’t do it and he was happy where he was, and it just didn’t work. The day he was selling his Cup equipment in 1983 and (crew chief) Harry Hyde and I went over there, we came close to talking about a deal, but we had already done a deal (with Geoff Bodine) and then I lost track of him. We’ve always had this kind of relationship where we would talk.
“Then, when he drove the Nationwide car the first time, you know it actually started before that. He swapped cars with Jeff (Gordon) down in Atlanta in a tire test, I believe it was. Jeff called me and said, ‘Man, you won’t believe how much talent Mark Martin’s got. We see it, but he got in my car and it was unbelievable what he was doing.’ And then when we got him in the Nationwide car the first time, and I don’t think we had practice for some reason that day, and he went out and ran second at Darlington. I listened to him on the radio and he was kind of crew-chiefing the car from the driver's seat; just really thinking through what the car needed and how loose he set the car to start the race and what he was able to do. Then the way he treats the team and the way he built the organization around his efforts that day, I had more fun at that Nationwide race.
“It was kind of like some of the things that you do in life that you really would like to have an opportunity to race with someone of that caliber that you’ve always had a relationship, but never had him in your camp. This opportunity has come up, but we’ve actually talked about it quite a bit. Again, I think (Dale Earnhardt) Junior and Jimmie and Jeff from the drivers’ standpoint and all the crew chiefs, when you mention his name, it’s immediate respect and admiration.”
Hendrick noted that Martin possesses the ability to know what he wants and what the car needs.
“When you can implement that into what we have, it should make us all better,” Hendrick continued. “It’s not going to be whether he fits or not, because he’s already been there. And with the respect that he has throughout our whole organization and this garage and the fans and the sponsors, it’s just a great opportunity for us.”