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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
CUP: Martin Keeping Pressure On
Mark Martin won the spring Phoenix race...
Tom Jensen  |  Posted November 12, 2009   Avondale, AZ
Mark Martin won the spring race at Phoenix while Jimmie Johnson finished fourth. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
Mark Martin won the spring race at Phoenix while Jimmie Johnson finished fourth. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

What a difference one week and one ill-placed fender makes.

Just one week ago, it looked as if Mark Martin’s biggest points battle would be with his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon for second place in the 2008 Chase for the Sprint Cup behind Jimmie Johnson.

But at Texas Motor Speedway last Sunday, David Reutimann bumped into Sam Hornish Jr. on Lap 3, sending Hornish into Johnson and Johnson’s all-conquering No. 48 Hendrick Chevy into the wall. From there, Johnson spent one hour and eight minutes in the pits getting the destroyed car rebuilt.

By the time the Dickies 500 was over, Martin’s fourth-place finish and Johnson’s 38th trimmed what had been a 184-point lead into a 73-point margin with two races to go. Make no mistake about it, Johnson is still the prohibitive favorite to win his record fourth consecutive championship, but Martin at least has some life in his title hopes.

So now the battle heads to Phoenix International Raceway, where in the spring Martin won the race and led the most laps, while Johnson finished fourth.

And if Martin is to accomplish the near-impossible and rally to win his first championship, he’ll need another dominant weekend in the Sonoran desert. Truth is, a lot could happen, just as it did at Texas.

If Martin wins Sunday’s Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 and leads the most laps, he would become the new championship leader if Johnson finishes 14th or worse and doesn't lead a lap. Conversely, if Johnson wins and leads the most laps, he’ll clinch at PIR if Martin finishes 30th or worse without leading a lap.

Martin and crew chief Alan Gustafson will be bringing the same Hendrick chassis that led 157 of 312 laps in winning the spring race. And they’ll bring the same feisty attitude that’s allowed the Batesville, Ark., driver to have one of his best years at the age of 50.

“We were great in Phoenix in April,” said Martin. “I have no doubt that we'll run strong there again this weekend. And there's no reason for me to think that we won't have a strong race in Homestead, either. Performance-wise, this is one of the best teams out there, and I am so proud and feel so blessed to be driving for Rick Hendrick and Alan Gustafson and the whole Kellogg's/CARQUEST team. It's going to be a tough fight, but it's not over.”

“Time will tell if we can win the championship or not,” said Gustafson. “That will have huge implications on how I feel about the season. We're trying to be the best, so that's the ultimate goal. As far as having my career-best year, it's a good accomplishment, but I also feel that that's the way it should be. I've invested a lot of time and this team has invested a lot of time on improving the team and our chances. Countless hours have been spent trying to get this team to championship level. We should get better every year. And I think we're doing our job. We want to be the best, and I think we're close to it.”

When Martin won the spring Phoenix race, it was his first victory with Hendrick Motorsports and his first since 2005. He has gone on to amass five victories — more than he won from 2001-08 combined — and a personal best seven poles this year.

But after four runner-up finishes in the points, can he add NASCAR’s ultimate prize to his lengthy list of accomplishments?

“We can't say that one race changed everything. Did we close in on Jimmie (at Texas)? Yes,” said Martin. “But that doesn't mean that the whole Chase has changed. We're going to keep doing what we've done every race week: try to win. That's all I can do, and that's all this team can do. We aren't in control of anything else that happens. I've said all along that you can't make predictions, and I still say that it's not over.”

Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief 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 past 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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