Steve Waid: Martin does it his way - rightfully
By Steve Waid
Friday, July 11, 2008
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COMMENTARY
No doubt there are a few folks who are scratching their heads over Mark Martin’s decision to race full time for Hendrick Motorsports in 2009.
Isn’t this the guy who told us a few years ago that he was tired of the NASCAR grind and that the 2006 season would be his last?
And isn’t this the same guy who, instead, came back to run a part-time schedule for a couple of teams over the next two years? That’s notretirement.
Now he’s going to go through the rigors of full-time competition one more time?
What’s up with this guy?
Martin explained by telling us that his time had come to depart Dale Earnhardt Inc. to make room for Aric Almirola.
He said that he wanted to maintain his part-time schedule, which he thoroughly enjoyed but couldn’t do so with a team he thought could provide him with winning cars.
Then he hooked up with team owner Rick Hendrick. According to Martin, nearly all of their “conversations” were conducted via text messaging.
Hendrick insisted on one full season, one more opportunity for Martin to win a championship that has eluded him.
With his wife Arlene’s approval Martin accepted Hendrick’s offer.
That’s his story, and I’m sure he’s sticking to it.
As far as I’m concerned, Martin can do anything he wants. He can race another full season or he can go fishing. It doesn’t matter.
He’s earned that right, simply because of what he’s accomplished in NASCAR and the respect he’s earned from fellow competitors and fans alike.
He’s also earned it because, unlike some might think, he didn’t follow a pristine path to NASCAR. He had to overcome severe professional and personal setbacks – and could have easily failed.
There was a time when Martin believed he would never achieve his goal of competing at the top level of stock car racing.
He was broke. His spirit was shattered. He had no prospects. And he was probably drunk.
After years of success in short-track racing in the Midwest, where he established a reputation as one of the best young drivers in the country, Martin broke into Winston Cup competition full time in 1982.
Martin’s late father, Julian, essentially owned the team. It received only limited sponsorship. While the funding was a fraction of the six figures most teams received, it was all Martin could get.
Things went wrong almost from the start.
At Daytona, NASCAR declared that Martin’s car was an inch too low. It was fixed, but Martin lasted just 75 laps in the Daytona 500 before his engine blew. He fired his crew chief.
Afterward, nothing much went right – there were more engine problems, electrical problems, faulty pit stops and crashes.
On top of it all, the primary "sponsor" never paid a dime.
Julian was tapped out.
Martin survived the crisis to finish the season 14th in points with eight top-10 runs.
But his team dissolved.
In 1983, Martin hooked up with team owner J.D. Stacy. He didn’t know that Stacy, once the biggest spender in NASCAR, was bailing out. He fired Martin after just seven races.
Just like that, Martin was gone. He was on the outside looking in. And he didn’t like it.
He turned to alcohol. He had been around it for quite a while and didn’t care for it much, especially since his father was a recovering alcoholic. Nevertheless, a depressed Martin would often drink himself into oblivion. He’ll tell you so. He’s never hidden his past.
For four hazy years, Martin continued to race. He won the 1986 American Speed Association title. But the ASA wasn’t NASCAR, and he knew it.
Prior to the 1988 season, Martin drew the attention of new NASCAR team owner Jack Roush, who decided to take a chance and offered Martin another shot at the Winston Cup circuit.
There was one stipulation. No drinking. If Martin drank, he would be dismissed.
Martin realized he’d been given a second chance, something not all of us receive.
He gave up the bottle for bodybuilding. Years of a strict regimen have made him today, at 49, perhaps the finest physical specimen in the garage area.
With Roush, Martin achieved his lofty status in NASCAR. A 19-year association produced 35 victories, 41 pole positions and four runnerup finishes in the point standings.
With his success has come respect.
And because of that respect, no matter how convoluted some might consider his reasons, Mark Martin has long since earned the right to do whatever he wants.
- Mentioned Drivers:
- Mark Martin
Comments
1 response to "Steve Waid: Martin does it his way - rightfully"
walter gruner said:
Jul 12, 2008 at 7:08 AMTHANK YOU! Glad that someone gets it!
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