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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
GURSS: Inside The Mind Of Mark Martin
Mark Martin continues to excel by poor mouthing his way into four race victories at the halfway point of the 2009 season...
Jade Gurss  |  Posted July 14, 2009   Mooresville, NC
Faster. Louder. The weekly column on SPEEDtv.com by Jade Gurss. (Harold Hinson Photo)

Shortly after crossing the finish line in Saturday night’s Sprint Cup race at Chicagoland Speedway, Mark Martin had to check with his crew chief to confirm he had won.

“I just couldn't believe it,” Martin explained after the race. “Jeff Gordon flew up beside me like we were still racing. Damn, have I pulled off on the white flag again? (Like he had once done while leading a then-Busch Series race.) What the hell is going on?”

While much of the media attention goes to drivers who are - outwardly at least - confident, cocky and assured of their abilities, Mark Martin continues to excel by poor mouthing his way into four race victories at the halfway point of the 2009 season. But, if you listen to Martin, it’s as if his every move is fraught with dire consequences.

“I can mess up anything,” he said. “I couldn't believe we won. I mean, it's incredible. It's hard to win these things. And I don't know how we won one, much less four. I know how these guys (his team) have done it, but I don't know how they did it with me.”

Perhaps it’s this insecurity that drives Martin to engage in a fitness and workout regiment that matches or exceeds any other driver in the starting field. What kind of fear motivates the 50-year-old with 39 career Cup victories?

“Well, I'm racing for my job,” Martin said. “[Team owner Rick Hendrick] tells me I got it, but I've also told him he's in the clear to set me down when the day comes that I'm not getting the job done. I feel the heat every day. I know the opportunity that I have driving [crew chief] Alan Gustafson's car and with this team. I feel good we're making the most of it.”

Martin is always quick to give most of the credit to his team owner Hendrick and crew chief Gustafson.

“[I] had no idea it could be this much fun. And Alan and the team are a huge part of that. Mr. Hendrick is a huge part of that, as well, his organization, the professionalism, the people, the way that they have treated me and my teammates. The whole thing has been beyond my dreams.”

But, as soon as you think Martin is fully enjoying his victory, he rips that rug out from under your expectations.

“Let me tell you about the points,” he replied to a question about being 11th in points with seven races to go before the Chase begins. “Tonight I leave the track in 13th [in my mind]. That's fine with me. It's just weird, okay? I'm not gonna let myself get sucked into all that 'cause it's just a rollercoaster. For now, that's how I'm managing my head, you know, 'cause I really thought when we jumped up to wherever we were, eighth or ninth several weeks ago, that maybe, just maybe, we would be able to breathe. And that was a mistake. [We had] two horrendous races. I'm not worried about it. You know, had we not won a race and we were sitting here right now, I'd be worried about it because we need to do something good. But we have done a whole lot of good.”

Is the glass-half-full driver feeling his age these days?

“Oh, I'm going to feel like hell tomorrow. But that adrenaline is something, there's nothing like it. When I'm pumped up driving fast racecars, I certainly don't feel 50. But I do on Monday mornings… That adrenaline is something really, really special. These guys have made me feel really, really good and really special, even on the days when I stub my toe, they're the first ones to pat me on the back.”

Expect to see Martin continue to drive as if attack dogs are on his tail. Were the Chase to begin today, he’d be the top-ranked points man. Could his first Cup title be in reach this season? His car owner thinks it is entirely possible.

“I'm not surprised,” Hendrick said of Martin’s success. “Mark doesn't want to hear this, but I'm going to say it anyway, Alan and I said we can win a championship with Mark Martin this year. We said that before we started. We were confident we could win races. He's so smart and takes care of his stuff. So he's a little bit more modest than we are about him.”

The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEEDtv.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or Speed Channel

Jade Gurss is the owner of fingerprint, inc., a sports publicity company. He has written two New York Times Best Sellers, including what is believed to be the biggest-selling motorsports book in American publishing history (Driver #8 with Dale Earnhardt Jr.). His two decades of publicity and marketing experience involves nearly every category of motorsports, including nine innovative seasons as NASCAR publicist for the Budweiser brand and Earnhardt Jr. His blog can be seen at: http://fingerprint.typepad.com
The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEED.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or SPEED
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