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Mark Martin is signed to a two year agreement to drive the No. 5 for Hendrick Motorsports. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images Photo) ยป More Photos
Even though Mark Martin will be 50 next season and at that time likely will be the oldest full-time driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, his peers say he still has the talent to win races and championships.
And that’s what Martin will attempt to do in 2009, when he moves to Hendrick Motorsports to drive the No. 5 Chevrolet, replacing Casey Mears. His fellow drivers are convinced Martin will do just fine in his new role, possibly for many years to come.
“I think eight or 10 years from now he will still be able to win championships.,” Tony Stewart said of Martin. “He’s just that competitive. You look at how good of shape he’s in and how good of a job he does at taking care of himself. He’s a guy that could go as long as he really has the desire to go. You’re never going to lose that talent and that ability and as long as he stays healthy like he’s been doing, he realistically could do this for another eight or 10 years if he really wanted to.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr., who will be a teammate to Martin next year, said he admires Martin’s racing ability, as well as his positive attitude. “Mark's a great racecar driver,” said Earnhardt. “He's done a great job driving the No. 8 car this year. He's a veteran that all the guys look up to. He's a great tutor for the sport, for young guys. I think that anybody that gets a chance to work with him can learn a lot. … He's very gracious, you know. He wants to help. He wants to be an asset. He wants — whatever he's got within arm's reach, he wants to have a positive effect on it, if it's a driver, a team, a crew, a crewman. You know, he just has a good work ethic to him.”
Count Jeff Gordon among Martin’s admirers, too. “I love Mark Martin. I think Mark Martin is probably the most awesome
Gordon and Martin waged a furious championship battle in 1997, with Gordon ultimately defeating Dale Jarrett, with Martin third, just 29 points behind Gordon. In 1998, Martin finished second to Gordon in the title hunt. To this day, Gordon holds Martin in exceptionally high regard.
“Mark has amazing patience, but he has amazing drive and commitment,” said Gordon. “You look at the shape that he's in. There's not too many guys - I'm not saying he's old - I'm just saying not too many guys are out there, or have been out there in the past at his age that are as competitive as he is through all the changes that have gone on through cars, teams, everything else. That to me is one of the many things I admire about him.”
Tom Jensen is the Senior NASCAR Editor for SPEEDtv.com, the former Executive Editor of NASCAR Scene and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. He is the author of “Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of SPEED,” and has appeared on television and radio shows to discuss NASCAR racing. Jensen is the President of the National Motorsports Press Association. Jensen is the 1997 National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year and has won numerous national and state awards for news reporting, columns and feature writing. The Answer Man is back at SPEEDtv.com. Tom Jensen answers your questions during every race week and looks forward to hearing from you - please e-mail it to
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