Mark Martin, the current NASCAR Sprint Cup points leader, made his series debut in 1981. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

SPEED: What were Martin’s strengths and weaknesses in his rookie year?

McReynolds: “ “Mark’s strength was how much he understood a race car because he had to work on his cars from the time he started racing and was very racing savvy and mechanically inclined. His weaknesses were the fact he was just a bit on the immature side but so was I. We were only 23 years old and back then, that was considered very young at the Cup level. I was in only my third year in the Cup Series and here I was named Mark Martin’s crew chief.

“I have always downplayed that first year because I was so very young and inexperienced. I usually designate my first year as a crew chief as 1985 because in 1982, we were just a group of guys working together, Mark included, and we did everything. I worked with him on making decisions on the car and made the pit road decisions, so yes, I carried the crew chief title, but I don’t even look it as the crew chief because I was so inexperienced. Mark was much more savvy about the race car than I was.”

SPEED: How has Martin impacted NASCAR?

McReynolds: “ “As much as the sport was going to the younger drivers, the 18, 19 or 20-year-olds who are fit and on top of their game and what a sponsor is looking for, I think Mark has proven that at 50, he still does all the right things for the sponsors and fans and on the race track. Mark is a huge exception to the younger driver rule. Everyone knows Mark’s personality, determination and first and foremost, his ability to drive a race car.”

SPEED: What do you think Mark’s chances of winning the Sprint Cup championship are?

McReynolds: “ “I have to fall back on something Mark said Sunday on NASCAR Victory Lane on SPEED - it’s awfully early to predict. If you look at his performance this year, the last five races - five top-five finishes since Michigan, including a win and a second-place finish in the Chase - his chances are as good as anybody’s. But I think he knows if he’s going to win the championship, he’s going to have to beat his teammate Jimmie Johnson. With a lot of racing to go and a few wild cards like Martinsville and Talladega, Mark’s chances are as good as anybody’s.”

SPEED: What will Mark’s legacy in NASCAR be?

McReynolds: “The legacy that Mark Martin has created for when he eventually retires is the fact you can be successful, competitive, win races and be a championship contender while also keeping your nose clean week-in and week-out. I’ve been in the sport ever since Mark came into the Cup Series and I don’t know that I can ever remember anybody having anything bad to say about him. He has been ill at some people but I can’t recall hearing him say anything bad about another driver. Mark probably was the driver who created the practice of ‘if a car catches you and you’re not even halfway through the race, don’t sit there and race him because if you race him, you’re wearing your stuff and his stuff out and the guys behind you will probably catch you. Let him go. Don’t race side-by-side with 350 laps to go.’

“He races smart and that is one reason why if you see Mark being towed to the garage area, chances are that it was 100-percent unavoidable or was someone else’s fault. He doesn’t put himself in the wrong position. He knows when to go and when not to.”

SPEED™ is the nation's first and foremost cable television network dedicated to motor sports and the passion for everything automotive. From racing to restoration, motorcycles to movies, SPEED delivers quality programming from the track to the garage. Now available in more than 78 million homes in North America, SPEED is among the fastest-growing sports cable networks in the country and, the home to NASCAR on SPEED and an industry leader in interactive TV, video on demand, mobile initiatives and broadband services. For more information, please visit SPEEDtv.com, the online motor sports authority.