Last season began just as 2009 had ended. Mark Martin won the Daytona 500 pole and finished two of the first four races in the top five. Things were looking up again for NASCAR’s most loveable second place finisher. And then things seemed to unravel.
Was it his team’s inability to adjust to the spoiler? Was it the constant questioning as the season wore on about Kasey Kahne taking over the No. 5 in 2011?
Martin became frustrated with questions about 2011 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway last season
Or was Mark Martin just falling apart?
Well, it’s highly unlikely that the now 52-year-old from Batesville, Ark., is falling apart—in fact, he’s probably the best conditioned driver on the circuit—and he’s getting the chance to show his talents with a new crew chief this season.
Part of what was called “The Great Hendrick Switch” left Martin paired with Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s old crew chief Lance McGrew. Martin will now work with Jeff Gordon out of the newly designed 5/24 shop.
And because of all this “turmoil,” Mark Martin has been picked to finish 18th in the points standings by a panel of experts on Yahoo.com. Last season he missed the Chase, yet had Martin made the cut, he would have finished the season fourth in points.
So what gives? How did these five sportswriters—all of whom cover NASCAR for big-time publications, including USA Today and the Associated Press—decide Mark Martin would finish so low in the points this season?
“Regardless, the window has likely closed on Martin’s opportunity for a championship. While Martin has the absolute respect of everyone in the garage, many drivers will be paying their respects in the rearview mirror,” the article, written by Yahoo’s Jay Busbee, stated.
Busbee picked Martin to finish 18th. Jenna Fryer of the AP and Nate Ryan of the USA Today both said Martin wouldn’t even crack the top 20 in points. Dustin Long, who writes for numerous Southern newspapers, picked Martin to finish 14th, one spot lower than 2010.
The lone “dissenter” of the group was Yahoo’s Jay Hart who decided Martin’s final season in the No. 5 car would result in a tenth place finish in the final points.
Jay Hart (right) of Yahoo.com, chats with Richard Childress last July in Indianapolis
The article also stated, “Martin’s a future Hall of Famer, and he’s beginning the transition from driver to mentor this year. But he’s still got some racing left to do; don’t be surprised if he grabs a couple more victories on his way out.”
Wait, what?
The same guy who picked Martin to finish 18th in points said he’ll “grab a couple more victories on his way out” the door? I’m confused.
Admittedly I don’t do big predictions like this for one reason. I’m not good enough to put my neck on the line to make predictions like this. But that being said, it’s tough to see Mark Martin in a Hendrick Motorsports car finishing any lower than where Yahoo’s panel has put him.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Mark Martin come out like gangbusters again in 2011. If it’s anything like 2009, he’ll prove these folks wrong. And I’m willing to bet that they wouldn’t mind that at all.
It’d make their job easier. Let’s face it, Mark Martin stories are easy to write, and just plain fun to read.
Like the one SBNation’s Jeff Gluck wrote last year. In it Gluck mentioned a letter written to Martin from a fan in Maryland. That fan wrote, “You always give thanks to the people who support you and always speak honestly from your heart, and that is how I try to live my life. You make everyone around you proud to be a part of your life whether being directly involved with you or just being a fan.
“You give so much more to your fans than just your racing. You and your family have in all actuality become part of our family, and I think you again for what you give us just by being a decent human being.”
“That,” Martin told Gluck, “is what I have to say about the haters.”
Line up folks. The Old Man of NASCAR might surprise you this season. He’ll certainly be better than this Yahoo! article says he’ll be.
Mark my words.
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It was good to see some cars on the track today at Daytona, and now we’re four weeks away from the Gatorade Duels at Daytona. In less than 31 days we’ll get to see the “Great American Race,” the 53rd Daytona 500. Join me tomorrow for another Friday Flashback and more on testing as the weekend progresses.
Thanks for reading. Have a good and safe day, especially if you’re dealing with snow like we are here in Cincinnati.
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