Mark Martin: “we’re going to take it easy and not try to get in too deep here on this first race”

Q. Mark, you’re kind of winding down on what your streak was. But jumping into the next chapter what you have going on at Ginn Racing, can you comment on what you’re doing to get Regan ready for his debut and Ricky this weekend?

MARK MARTIN: Regan, he’s ready. He’s displayed great speed, great adaptability. Testing with Regan on more than one occasion. Worked up with him at Bristol. The guys have a good race car and a great race team. And Regan’s biggest challenge at Bristol will be to try to avoid everyone else’s troubles. Obviously we’d like to see him run all 500 laps, and that’s not easy to do even for a veteran up there. So it’s going to be an interesting weekend, but we think the world of Regan as a person, young man, and as a really bright new star coming into the NASCAR Nextel Cup series.

So we look forward to being a part of his rise to success. And, of course, going to have a lot of fun this weekend with Ricky. Not everyone that follows stock car racing realizes the kind of impact that Ricky Carmichael has had in his career and is a huge force in motor sports. And this is the first step in converting from two wheels to four. And we’re going to take it easy and not try to get in too deep here on this first race. A kind of find out what it’s all about. And then kind of ramp it up with each event following this first weekend, each event that we’ll be going to will be stepping up the amount of competition and the number of car count and all that. But this weekend is all about getting comfortable in the race car and getting comfortable with other cars around. And it’s just going to be—it’s going to be a lot of fun. I really feel privileged at this point in my career to have a chance to work with great rising young drivers like Ricky and Regan.

Q. Mark, are you going to be in radio contact with Ricky during the race?

MARK MARTIN: Yes. I probably won’t be with Matt. The last time I spotted for Matt I stood there and watched a wreck happen in front of him and watched him drive, drive, drive right into it and I never said a word. So I quit spotting because I kept thinking about what would I do, what would I do, what would I do. So, yeah, I’ll be on the radio with Ricky and Matt and the guys that help him normally do an incredible job. And I’ll just be a proud dad of Matt. But I’ll watching them both.

Q. I want to talk to Mark and ask him: Mark, number one, when you finish the top in points and walk out that way in consecutive finishes it’s kind of a cool way to do it in a way. And I was talking to Jeff Burton about that last night but how did you feel with the point situation and stepping out the way you did on the full schedule?

MARK MARTIN: Well, it feels good. Certainly the way that you would like to do it. And it’s been a long consecutive number, 621 and the last four have been some of the best of my career. So I look forward to moving forward and carrying out my plan, and I look forward to watching the race on Sunday. And I’m just really grateful for all the fan support that I’ve had, especially over the last year. And the incredible effort that’s been made by Ryan Pemberton and all the guys that have worked so hard for so many years at that race team and suffered so many setbacks. I think that they finally have gotten the recognition and the credit that they deserve. Incredible race team, having Ernie taken from them, Jerry taken from them, having gone through so many drivers. They’ve had an incredible team. And they’ve got a chance to show it, really show it this year.

Q. That’s a really good point. And cool of you to mention that. I want to ask you about the race on Sunday. You said you were going to maybe have a cook-out at your house for friends that lived in your neighborhood. I’m guessing you’ll have to buy a bigger TV. The fans have all kinds of things hooked up to watch it. How would you watch a race? Do you have a big screen or something?

MARK MARTIN: Yes, I’ve got a nice 42inch plasma and Tivo. So I’ll be replaying the wrecks moving them back and going forward and watching them in slow motion. So I will sorely be disappointed if there isn’t lots of wrecks, because it seems like there sure is every time I go—every time I’m in the race there. So there probably will be again. I think that it’s going to be interesting seeing the car tomorrow in its first race. Seriously, I’m just going to hang out. Barbecue a little bit and hang out and watch the race. But the biggest thing, I expect to be having a blast Saturday night with Ricky and Matt and everyone. And I look forward to just being relaxed on Sunday.

Q. Mark, kind of a followup to what Claire asked. Having been a four time series runner-up and now having the points lead and stepping back for the next couple of races, was it kind of a heart wrenching decision to make? Was it really hard to come to that final decision to not race these next two races?

MARK MARTIN: No, I’ve done it for 621. (Chuckling) you know, the people that are saying that they can’t believe it, they haven’t lived it. Not only have I been doing it for 19 years straight, but I’ve been doing it successfully for 19 years straight. I’ve only had one year that really wasn’t a great year by anyone’s standards. Been in the top 10 in points every year but three in 19. So you know with that comes great responsibility to your sponsors, to the media, to the fans and to your team, to continue all those expectations and to continue to fight for a championship. You don’t want to this year, so it hasn’t been gut wrenching at all. I mean I’ve had mixed emotions but it’s not been about the championship. It’s about racing in general. But I’m excited that I don’t have to worry about chasing the championship and making the chase. And it’s been a lot of stress for a lot of years and I don’t have that weight on my shoulders anymore. Certainly don’t have it in 2007.

Q. Not necessarily because of the Daytona 500, but what do you think there is about Harvick that makes him such a rival and tough driver out there?

A. Well, Kevin is a driven, incredibly talented, driven young man, who has really focused on what he does and has been since the first time I saw him drive a Craftsman truck.

Q. Mark, I heard somebody talk the other day about if there wasn’t a chase you might have a different perspective on continuing your season. Is that an accurate statement? If there was no chase, if it was the old point system, would you consider continuing the season and racing every race this year?

MARK MARTIN: No, I don’t even understand what kind of logic went behind that. I don’t understand that. I’ve been planning on cutting back for quite some time now. And just had to forego that plan in 2006 in order to help out, bail out the team I love, the car that I felt very much a part of, the No. 6 car. And Jack Rausch who was responsible for most of the success I’ve had in NASCAR. Now I’m carrying out that plan. Just had a delay, a bump in the road but now I’m carrying out that plan. And I’m not interested in chasing that championship. I’ve done that for 19 years and I’ve had a great career. And 2007 isn’t the year to do that anymore. I have got some other things that I’m very interested in doing, pursuing. And my life, there are portions of my life that are passing, have been passing me by. And I’m going to try to capture a couple of little pieces of that at age 48. It’s never too late.

Q. I noticed Jeff Burton was talking with you and he had a bet whether or not you would go to Bristol. What was the bet now that it’s pretty much a done deal and what does he owe you?

MARK MARTIN: He didn’t bet me. I don’t know who the bets were with. I really don’t know. Matt Kenseth and Jeff Burton were the two that were speculating. Neither, I don’t think—I don’t know for sure. I know Matt thought that I was going to continue on. And I’m not sure where Jeff Burton stood. But Jeff Burton didn’t get a particularly real early start in his career. And he’s got—you give him another eight years and see what he’s got to say about it. And you give Matt Kenseth 13 years of this more, see what he says. The people that are speaking about this stuff, you know, just haven’t walked in my shoes yet. And I appreciate—I certainly appreciate where they’re coming from, but I know what I was like when I was 35 years old. Couldn’t fathom this day either. But the schedule sucks every ounce of time that you have. It sucks it all out and I’ve given everything. And racing has come first in my life, not my family. I haven’t had a sick day in 19 years. I haven’t missed a day’s work. So I laid o ut a different schedule for 2007.

Q. Mark, you’ve been sitting here and we’ve beat you to death man for the last month about this staying in the car and whatnot. On that note, 621 straight weeks of racing, what’s the best day of your career? And I remember it was in ‘98 what not when you had the bad back problem and your guys had to put you in the race car, what was the worst time?

MARK MARTIN: The worst time of my career was Sunday night after Watkins Glen, when I walked into the hangar and my wife said that my dad had been in a plane crash. And my dad’s nickname was Cat, and he was called that because he had to have had nine lives. When she told me that I thought, oh that one probably really hurt. Never dreaming that he could not survive anything. And we were in a championship battle that year with Jeff Gordon. And we did our deal and buried my dad in a hurry so that I could hurry and get to the racetrack on Thursday at Michigan. And I raced my Busch car in Michigan and raced the Cup car in Michigan and I led the race and led the race a whole lot and the caution came out. We had the race in the bag. And a caution came out late in the race and, I don’t know, whatever exchange in the pit stops that happened, I got passed right at the end. And the emotion just was more than I could take. And I felt some different about it ever since. I don’t know if I should have took a sick day at day or what. But that was the worst day of my career. And the best day of my career has been so many days of the realization of the incredible respect that has been given to me by the competitors and the fans. And especially all the cheers on every driver introduction for the last year, that’s what’s the best day those are the best days of my career.

now there’s Car of Tomorrow among other things. With your vast years of experience in the sport is this a more proactive period on NASCAR’s part in making changes, or did you see this even years ago more so than maybe I did since I wasn’t around in those years?

MARK MARTIN: No, there’s more changing. But the world is changing faster, too. There’s an enormous growth. You have more people, more brilliant minds working at NASCAR today than you had years ago, more fans, sponsors, more owners, obviously more coverage. More guys like you covering the sport so sure things are moving faster now than they did when I first got involved in the early 80s. I think that the chase is the outstanding. It’s fantastic. I think that some of the growth is really cool and some of the growth is maybe not so cool. The one thing we all have to remember is that time can’t sit still. Nothing ever sits still. And change is inevitable in almost every aspect of our lives.

Q. With that being said, how did the recent changes impact you as a driver, have to change how you do things and can you imagine somebody like Regan now who is just starting out, what he may be going through as his career goes from the last 10, 15, 20 years, what he’ll experience.

MARK MARTIN: You know the driver, this is not the correct wording for it, but in the ‘80s the driver was the engineer. The driver was the guy that brought the wealth of knowledge and leadership to the team. Of course you had Jake elders and some of the guys that always their cars really ran good. But still the team relied on the driver so much for direction on things. That’s not the case anymore. We have engineering and so much high tech involved in the sport that now it is the sheer youth, skill, fearless, you know some of the things that are sharper when you’re maybe younger than when you’re older and yet that experience that you gain along the way isn’t that big a premium as it was in the early days. What I’m saying is the sport, along with the schedule, is becoming a young man’s sport. And it will be very rare to see 50-year-old drivers that started at 20. 25-year careers in today’s age at today’s pace, which it will only get even greater, I don’t think you’re going to see that. I think the driverwill be burned out, as well as the crews, as well. The schedule is the thing that I love racing and that’s why I’m going to continue to drive race cars. But the schedule is what has driven a wedge, I think, in between some of the guys that have been in this sport so long. Especially if they’ve worked incredibly hard and been very successful. The more successful you are, the higher the demand is on you and the more it wears you down.

Q. My question for you is, Mark, after 621 you go home, how did you feel Sunday night and Monday and this morning compared to other times in your career?

MARK MARTIN: I really don’t feel any different. You know, it’s really proud I didn’t have any idea we were still leading the points when I got out of the car Sunday. I was really pretty proud of that. But not as proud as my son Matt is. Sometimes he’s hard to impress. But he seems to be very proud of that fact. My Monday has been the same. My Tuesday has been the same. I’ve been incredibly business, trying to get everything done and caught up and organized so that I can possibly cruise somewhere along the way, but I don’t know when that’s going to be. So I don’t really feel any different at all. And I think that Sunday will be an eyeopener for me, kind of like it will be for Ricky. And for Regan as well. I think we’re all in for an eyeopener, and I don’t even know what to expect. I expect to enjoy watching the race and there might be a twinge in there along the way that I wish I was there. But I doubt it. I think I’m going to enjoy the race and going to be grateful for the great career that I he had and for the great job I’ve got the best job in motor sports. I’ve told you that over and over again. I get to drive for a capable race team and a capable car when I want at the places I want to race at. And I couldn’t ask for better than that.

Q. Any chance when you’re off racing with Matt, Ricky, you might get in yourself and hot lap to help them with their setups?

MARK MARTIN: I can’t fit in Matt’s but I can fit in Ricky’s and my stuff will be on board. I don’t expect to, though. Testing, yes, I do. I mean testing  I’ve tested the car Ricky is going to race over there. And Jesus Hernandez raced the car during speed weeks in preparation. And we have hired Mike Fritz, who is a driver down here that is won tons of races in Florida in the Super Late Model Division, one of the best in Florida to come to work at our race shop, Mark Martin Performance, and be a part of our program. And he’s hung up the helmet at least temporarily to help us get our program stronger. So that’s something I’m really excited about is having Mike Fritz added to the mix and we’re going to do a lot of race and we’re going to teach these kids how to race. Matt Bowers, Matt Martin, we’re going to give him an opportunity to get better and we’re going to get Ricky ready to move up to the big stuff here this summer. So it’s going to be fun.

Q. Can you take us inside that a little bit to share some of the things he said to you?

MARK MARTIN: Bill, let me answer that question, too. Regan is humble and is exactly how I want him to be. And so, therefore, it’s nice that he didn’t tell you this. But I haven’t gone faster in his race car yet. That’s probably the biggest vote of confidence of all. I’ve been in his car in Lakeland and Bristol, and I think that’s the biggest thing. And that’s a huge vote of confidence not only for Regan but for Ryan Pemberton and for me as well, about what he’s fixing to embark on. We really believe in him and we know he’s going to do well.

Q. Mark, I just want to tell you that there are a few athletes that go out on top and just commend you for sticking to your guns and doing what you want to do. Good luck this weekend?

MARK MARTIN: Thank you. It means a lot to me. And I really appreciate it. I watch (inaudible) Texas, wherever the race was that he won, it was his final IRL race. He won the Indy 500 that year, finished second in the points and won the last race. That was cooler than cool, man. But this is pretty good too, to do it this way, thank you.

Q. Ricky he’s going out on top too but at least he’s got a full time job?

MARK MARTIN: Yes. He’s got his hands full. We’re going to be working hard. He’s a great young man with a tremendous work ethic and I know you know that.

Q. Mark, I was just wondering, when you’re watching on TV this weekend, what will you be looking for out of the COT?

MARK MARTIN: Drivability. You know I wasn’t  I went up and did the test with Regan there. And helping him prepare and stuff. And to be real honest with you, when I came up on cars that had been out for a while on hot tires and were slower because of that, I wasn’t comfortable when passing them. You’re not real comfortable in a regular car up there but the car of tomorrow is less comfortable yet. I think it’s going to be a real challenge to put 43 of them out there and keep all the drivers under control because you have to go there and you have to pass and it’s not comfortable being confined. In other words, you really feel that you need all the racetrack. And so I’m going to be watching for the drivability of it. To be real honest with you, if NASCAR would just raise that splitter up, the car would be fine. There’s nothing wrong with that car other than the splitter height. They’re trying to take away 50% of the front end suspension travel. If they didn’t do that, it wouldn’t really be a big deal for the teams to get used to the rest of it, the wing. The rest of the car is just a car. But when you cut that front suspension in half, now it becomes a problem. It’s a shock to all of us. And now we don’t know if it’s because other things about the car or what. We don’t know what to do. You can’t find a way to make the car drive as nice and as smooth as it did with double the suspension in the front.

Q. What about 2008, are you thinking full-time then?

MARK MARTIN: Let’s please don’t start talking about that yet.

(Laughter)Right now, you know, right now I’ve got the same schedule. I mean that’s what the paperwork said that I signed, we did two years of the 22race schedule with the option of adding or deleting. I haven’t missed a race yet. I haven’t even set Bristol out yet. So let’s wait until September to talk about ‘08. That’s when I talk to Jay and all about ‘08 is September and we won’t be talking about it until then.

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