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Even after missing two races, Mark Martin didn't miss a beat.
The veteran driver stayed true to his word and sat out both Bristol and Martinsville as part of his limited schedule with the Ginn Racing team.
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| Mark Martin has finished in the top 10 in his five starts this season. (Getty Images) |
Martin hasn't finished outside the top 10 in his five starts this year.
"I'm really proud of this team and its fun to be back," Martin said after Texas. "I wish we could have been up there with my buddies scrapping for it, but I'm satisfied with third."
The pick-and-choose schedule is what Martin wanted from the beginning, and team owner Bobby Ginn agreed to let the veteran drive the 23 races he wanted.
But when Martin got off to such a great start, nearly winning the Daytona 500 and leading the points into mid-March, some questioned whether he'd be enticed to stick around for a full season and a shot at the elusive Nextel Cup title.
Martin though never thought about wavering from his decision.
"I want to be careful about bragging too much, but I have hit the lotto," he said. "To be able to drive these cars for this team is a dream come true. And to be able to step away when I want to, I just could not imagine having that kind of privilege."
Martin's first hiatus of the year had him on the sidelines for the debut of the Car of Tomorrow at Bristol and Martinsville. But with the COT slated for this week's race at Phoenix International Raceway on Saturday night, Martin will get his chance to pilot the controversial new Nextel Cup machine.
"I'm not sure what to think going into my first COT race," he said. "I was able to test the car at Bristol earlier this year, and I think we have our work cut out for us. We were about a 15th-place car at the test, but we've actually raced a lot better this year than we practice, so I guess only time will tell."
Like many in the garage area, Martin hasn't been a big proponent of the new car, but he's still looking forward to the opportunity to compete this weekend.
"I haven't really been that big a fan of the COT, but I love working with these guys so much, that I'm looking forward to going there and seeing what we can have," he said. "I'm also looking forward to working with the COT program here at Ginn and helping to improve that as we go along."
It's probably not surprising Martin included Phoenix on his limited schedule this year, based on his past performance at the one-mile desert track. In 21 career Cup starts, Martin has an average finish of just over ninth and has scored 14 top 10s, including a victory back in 1993.
"I had the option of going or not going to Phoenix," he said. "Sure I want to go. I love going out there. I like the race track. I love the fans there and their support, and I look forward to working with this whole team on sort of a new challenge, especially for me, with the new car."
Despite missing two races, Martin comes into Phoenix 11th in the Nextel Cup point standings, which would be good enough to make the Chase for the Championship if the regular season ended today.
But even with the possibility of a title still in the air, Martin isn't interested in changing his plans.
"It continues to go well but it doesn't seem very realistic to be able to do it like that," he said of staying in the No. 01 Chevy's seat the remainder of the season. "I have no interest. I chased that Cup hard. I gave it my guts. Now I'm enjoying just getting to race. It's fun."
