Mark Martin challenges for Indy win, showing increased strength in recent races
Hendrick Motorsports' Mark Martin seemed excited over his runnerup finish in Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Allstate 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. // Elmer Kappell, NASCAR Scene
INDIANAPOLIS - Is Mark Martin NASCAR's Bionic Man?
Jimmie Johnson said he was after working diligently to hold off his Hendrick Motorsports teammate in the closing laps of Sunday's Sprint Cup race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In the final laps, the 33-year-old Johnson had his hands full with his 50-year-old teammate. Martin, challenging for his first win at the 2.5-mile track, had led 14 total laps, but Johnson slipped past him on a restart with 24 laps to go.
As the final laps ticked off, Martin loomed just .2-seconds off Johnson's bumper. He couldn't catch his teammate, though, tabbing him Superman after the race. Johnson had his own nickname to offer.
"I don't know what to call him," Johnson said. "Bionic Man or something. I wouldn't know. I got him on the restart. He put a ton of pressure on us.
"The way he is, what he asks of his team, the way he interacts, his dedication, it's contagious. [It] brings out the best of all of us on the race team. I could see [Jeff] Gordon, myself, [Dale Earnhardt Jr.], all of us looking at ourselves in the mirror, doing a better job, pushing ourselves harder. Look at Mark, the guy is nonstop. I'm really proud to call him a teammate and a friend. The fact that he said those great things is pretty cool. We've got to think up something for him. He is one unique individual."
Now he's one step closer to locking up a berth in the Chase For The Sprint Cup. Martin climbed two spots to ninth in the standings. And, in typical fashion, Martin didn't moan about the potential win that slipped away.
Instead, he applauded the effort that put him in contention.
"I was hoping to be in the fray, and we were definitely in that," he said. "Drove my heart out. Gave it everything I had. I'm actually just grateful that I had a chance to race for the win. Would have liked to have won it, but got beat by Superman.
"You can't win if you wreck. I was driving as fast as I could without wrecking, man."
Juan Pablo Montoya was the driver to beat for most of the race. But once he was tagged for speeding on pit road, Martin took over at the front. He had started from the pole - the oldest driver to do so in a major event in the 100-year history of the track - and led the first four laps. He led 10 more after Montoya's setback before being caught by Johnson on a late-race restart.
After that, he rode in Johnson's trail for a while before making his final move.
Still, he thought he could catch his teammate on the final laps.
"I was beating Jimmie pretty bad off of Turn 2," Martin said. "I knew that for the last 15 laps for sure. But he was beating me pretty bad off of [Turn] 4. I was gonna have to make it happen off of [Turn] 2. I made some great runs, but I really thought several of the times I was gonna hit the wall over there. I absolutely could not go any faster. In fact, I can't believe I didn't.
"The third to the last lap, the last lap both, I went through there beyond my good judgment to get those runs. It just wasn't enough."
While it might have been disappointing to finish second, the team was clearly pleased with the attempt - and with Martin's performance.
"I wish I would have won, but I can't sit here and be disappointed," crew chief Alan Gustafson said. "We've got a great race car, a great race team, a great race-car driver, had a really great day and just came up a couple of car lengths short and got beat by the three-time defending champions."
After the race, Martin seemed truly content to have been a contender in the prestigious race.
"Mark was a gentleman," team owner Rick Hendrick said. "He came to victory lane. I know how bad they wanted to win this race."
