Top storylines of 2009: Mark Martin wins two races in return to full-time schedule

As a baseball fan nothing is more exciting than seeing your favorite team win the World Series. In 1997 and 2003 I had the opportunity to watch the Florida Marlins win Major League Baseball’s biggest prize. As a high schooler I watched my high school football and baseball teams win state titles, and even this past season, as a member of the University of Cincinnati football video staff, I participated in the first ever Big East title for the Bearcat football program.

Needless to say, it’s fun to win. And if I can’t drive the cars, I always hope that my favorite driver will win. It’s a NASCAR fans biggest dream, to see their idol win a race—and hopefully in person, stay tuned for that—and possibly a title.

Although Mark Martin, the 50-year old from Batesville, Arkansas said he was stepping away from the sport for two part-time seasons, the allure of Rick Hendrick’s dominating race teams brought Mark back into NASCAR’s shining spotlight. And needless to say, he’s been shining ever since.

Mark Martin qualified on the outside pole for the season opening Daytona 500 and had a very fast car. Every NASCAR fans knows the story of the 2009 Daytona 500, so there’s no need to tell you that “The Kid” (as his nameplate last weekend so affectionately displayed) got just as bitten by the rain as everyone else not named Matt Kenseth. However from there what was supposed to be a dream season faded quickly for Mark Martin.

He blew a normally reliable Hendrick engine in California, and did the same one week later in Las Vegas. Mark qualified on the pole for the first time since 2001 the next week in Atlanta, but once again was bitten by the bad luck bug, when he blew a tire while running in the top five. Leaving Atlanta, Mark was dangling close to the cutoff line for the “go or go homers” as he sat 34^th in points.

After a wreck at Atlanta, Mark Martin was 34th in points, dangerously close to having to make the field on time

Mark made it two poles in a row at Bristol where he got his season rolling in the right direction with a strong 6^th place finish. He followed that with great runs at the track named after him, (well not really, but it has his name in it) Martinsville, where the 5 car came home 7^th. At Texas, Mark finished 6^th again before the circuit took one week off for the Easter holiday.

When the Cup series came back the stars of NASCAR’s highest series headed to Phoenix, where Mark almost won last season, but had to pit for gas late, handing the win to Jimmie Johnson. On this weekend, Jimmie Johnson wouldn’t even contend for the victory. It was Mark Martin on the pole, leading the first 100 laps, and dominating the last 75 laps.

In fact, Mark Martin’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. took a gamble and pitted off sequence and held the lead with 80 laps to go. As Mark passed Jr. the driver of the 88 car called to his cousin and crew chief Tony Eury Jr., and asked, “Where’s the leader?”

Eury responded, “That’s him.” And Jr. said, almost with a chuckle, “Well, there he goes.”

Even with a late caution (caused by Jr. and former #5 car driver Casey Mears nonetheless), Mark Martin pulled away from Tony Stewart and won in convincing fashion, sending Mark Martin fans everywhere into a state of celebration. Mark Martin won his first race since 2005 (well, technically he was leading the 2007 Daytona 500 when a caution for a wreck should have been thrown, but let’s not talk about that now) and he wasn’t done yet.

Top: Mark Martin's last points paying win in 2005 at Kansas

Bottom: Mark Martin takes the checkered flag for the first time since 2005 with a dominating performance at Phoenix

After a disheartening wreck at Talladega and a firm fifth at Richmond, Mark Martin headed back to the track that’s, “Too Tough to Tame.” Mark tamed “The Lady in Black” and beat out teammate Jimmie Johnson, amongst others, to do so. Johnson, who has been able to do very little wrong in the past three championship seasons, called to crew chief Chad Knaus with a little over 15 to go and said, “I’ve got nothing left for him.”

Mark Martin won his second race of the year two weeks back at Darlington. The "Old Man" served notice that he may not say he's running for a Cup title, but he's certainly going to be a contender

See a theme here NASCAR fans? Mark Martin can leave even the best calling for help, even when he’s twice their age. No one would doubt he’s primed to win the Cup title, even when he says he’s not racing for a title. Mark Martin would qualify for the Chase for the Sprint Cup if it were to start today, and he’d have 20 bonus points for his two victories.

Mark Martin has won twice this season, and he’s won at Lowe’s (formerly Charlotte Motor Speedway) as well. He’s won the Coke 600 (most recently in 2002) and he feels that his car is good this weekend. Tune in for the marathon test of endurance on Sunday night at the world famous Coke 600.

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I’d be remiss if I didn’t plug the Indy 500 at my favorite racing venue, the Racing Capital of the World in Speedway, Indiana, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. And, obviously, one of my favorite moments in motorsports when Jim Nabors belts out, “Back Home Again in Indiana”. Now, if we could get him to do that before that other race at IMS…

Enjoy Memorial Day weekend and the unofficial holiday that is “The Day after the Indy 500” on Monday. I’ll be back next week with some insight on the 600 miler and other things that catch my eye as time goes by. Have a great Friday and long weekend.