Martin’s 2011 Goal: “Have fun and get it in done”

Mark Martin’s plan in his final year at Hendrick Motorsports is quite simple.

“My goal in 2011 is to have fun and get the job done,” Martin said last Thursday on NASCAR.com media day. “I’m going to have fun doing it. I’m determined to and so I look forward to it. It’s a great challenge.”

Martin, who came to Hendrick in 2009, has a new crew chief this year in Lance McGrew. Martin is excited for the challenge of working with a new crew chief. But, he’s worked with McGrew before, and it turned out nicely.

“Lance crew chiefed one race for me in 2007—a Nationwide race. I went in an hour early, sat in the trailer, we talked about dirt track racing, got to know each other. We went out there and won the race,” Martin said.

McGrew, who has been working with Dale Earnhardt Jr. the past season and a half, was moved to the No. 5 team as a part of the offseason’s big crew chief swap at HMS. McGrew moved to the No. 5 team with Martin. Martin’s former crew chief Alan Gustafson was paired with four-time Cup champ Jeff Gordon, and Gordon’s former crew chief Steve Letarte was paired with Earnhardt Jr.

Rick Hendrick’s goal for the swap was to make his whole organization better. Sure Jimmie Johnson’s fifth consecutive Sprint Cup title was great, but Gordon and Martin had trouble replicating their 2009 season, where Hendrick Motorsports finished 1-2-3 in the final point standings.

“In my opinion working with the same group all the time is overrated. Because you get comfortable,” the 52-year-old Martin said. “I’m on my toes, Lance is on his toes. We’ve never worked harder than we will right now for this first few weeks.

“We want this bad and one of my goals for 2011 is to help Lance get the success that he’s capable of, and this team is capable of. Same as it was when I went to the No. 5. All I wanted was for Alan [Gustafson] to get the recognition that I thought he deserved.”

Gustafson and Martin’s first season in 2009 was a career year for Martin. At 50 years old no one expected Martin to win five races, and lead the point standings as late as the Kansas race.

In 2010, Martin didn’t win one time. He’s not going to predict what his chances are to win in 2011, but knows the formula for his team’s success this season.

“I don’t put success on numbers,” he said. “I can’t say how many wins and top 5s and making the Chase and all that stuff is any particular goal for 2011. Man, let’s just go out there and reach our potential and if we do that, then we will be successful.”

No one knows how many races Martin and McGrew can win in their only season together. Martin has remained loyal to owner Rick Hendrick, and wants to do nothing more than to put another trophy on his owner’s mantle.

Martin has 40 career Cup victories, and 49 career poles. He wants to add to that this season, and knows that his team has the passion and energy to put the No. 5 car in victory lane. He can feel it.

“That race team is so excited. I feel the same energy that I felt at the 5 car when I went there in 2009,” he said. “They’re so excited and it’s so much fun to go to the racetrack and go to work with a race team that is excited. So, we just have to go out and do it.”