Conversation: Mark Martin

LONG POND, Pa. -- Mark Martin is one of the most intense competitors in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, and over more than a dozen seasons has been one of the most consistently excellent competitors in the garage area.

Mark Martin  Driver Page  Bio  2003 Stats  Video Highlights  Article Archive  Merchandise

Martin has maintained his focus and his enthusiasm despite a number of personal blows that would have leveled a lesser man.

After a comeback 2002 season in which Martin narrowly missed winning his first Winston Cup championship, a number of setbacks that have hit a number of drivers, including no less than Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman, have knocked Martin out of the top 10 in the standings.

Martin recently sat down with NASCAR.com's Dave Rodman to discuss the changing of the guard in NASCAR, his attention to his son, Matt's budding racing career and the state of the sport in 2003.

How special is your interaction with your 11-year-old son, Matt in terms of keeping you in touch with what's really important in life?

For people who might get tunnel vision about whatever things they're doing in life, being able to do what I do with Matt and his racing keeps me in touch with what is truly important.

It enables me to maintain a focus on what I'm doing with my career, but at the same time it makes you well-rounded because there are a lot of other things in life that are important, too.

The stories you've shared of your father's driving lessons on the front seat of a pickup truck were a precious piece of an irreplaceable time in life. Is there a parallel you can draw in your experiences with Matt, or does life in 2000 render it different?

	With Jeff Burton (left) at Dover Credit: Autostock

Today, it's a totally different time and not at all like it was when I was growing up. My father and I had a special relationship and a love for things that went fast.

But today is completely different. Matt started racing when he was seven years old. I didn't start racing until I was a teenager. I didn't even have a motorcycle when I was the age that Matt started at.

Does Matt share the enthusiasm of a young Mark Martin -- and how do you relate to the experiences you had with your dad?

\Matt is not as consumed by racing as I was when I was younger. He is more diverse, and he has different interests than I did, in a lot of other things as well.

From my perspective, I try to share and get involved in as much of that as I can and feel like that's a benefit to both of us.

How would you sum up your season so far?

Ben Leslie, my crew chief and the guys have done a great job and I would give them a B+ or an A for the effort they're putting into it and what they're doing. But I would give us an F for luck.

	Leaving the pits at Daytona Credit: Autostock

Man, we've had some crazy stuff happening to us and that is just part of it. You just don't know what's going to happen. There's no guarantees -- that's just the way it is in this sport.

You qualified sixth at Pocono but overall, your qualifying hasn't been the greatest this season. What's going on there?

On my qualifying lap here I was not over my head. I've been over my head everywhere all year and we had such an awesome car in practice that I knew I didn't have to go over my head.

Had I gone over my head, we would have been close (to the pole), but had I choked trying hard, it would have been just the same disappointments we've had all year.

I had a lot of car (at Pocono) and I didn't have to overextend myself and take any chances. It was a lap that I drove hard, but I didn't take any chances I was uncomfortable with. I've been uncomfortable everywhere else all year in qualifying and still been 30th.

Can you put some kind of perspective on your career and how do you look at drivers like Tony Stewart coming into the sport and excelling?

I'm happy with what I've been able to do. I don't think I'm the greatest race car driver that ever lived, but I think I've got a lot of nice trophies on the shelf. I am a commercialized racer.

You have to be commercialized in this business and I've done my very best to do that and to represent the sport the best way that I can.

	Credit: Autostock

But, down deep, I'm like Tony. I'd rather be on the road right now headed toward the dirt track or the quarter-midget track and watching the kids race.

That's where I'd really like to be going right now, instead of sitting here talking to you. I admire Tony Stewart. He's a racer's racer and he's really, really good.

He didn't just step in and get this stuff given to him. He's won everywhere he's ever been. Yeah, he's intense and, yeah, it's interesting to watch, but I admire Tony. I race with him hard and he races with me hard -- fair, clean and he has respect.

I was there first a long time ago when he was just a kid and he respects that. It's nice when these young guys come along that are so incredibly talented and also have the respect that you would like to have -- so I'm a Tony Stewart fan.

Transition is always a part of Winston Cup racing, but what is your take on the current changing of the guard, if you will, with yourself and Dale Jarrett and Rusty Wallace and Ricky Rudd not on the verge of retirement, but definitely on the verge of winding down your career?

That's the way it is (transitions) and that's the way it's always been. When I came into the sport I was honored to have a part in it. I'm a fan of all these young guys. I'm a fan of Ryan Newman's big time and I'm a fan of Kurt Busch as well and Kyle Busch.

	Credit: Autostock

They're really fast, they don't make a lot of mistakes and I don't see any signs of them having bad luck.

It's incredible -- so exciting to see these guys come along. There are so many other young drivers that are not out here yet, that are so exciting to watch, and they're really going to take this thing up when they get here.

What is one of the biggest things you look at when evaluating young talent?

I think the biggest thing you have to look at when you look at these young guys coming up is, are they winning races wherever they're at? There are some 14-year-olds now that I am watching that are winning races against adults.

Ford has signed your son, Matt, to a development contract. As a father, that's got to make you proud?

I'm real proud of Ford. They're watching these guys on the race track and they're in the middle of signing a bunch of teenage drivers. They've got a great bunch of people out there scouting.

	Credit: Autostock

The whole world of motorsports is changing and it will be dramatically different 10 years from now because of the influence of the younger drivers coming into the sport.

After a great finish at Pocono, what can you say about that compared to the kind of season you've had up to now?

Our car ran better at Pocono than it has the last few races, but we've had some really great race cars and had those runs spoiled too. There's no way that we've had the kind of luck that we had last year.

I don't think I was lucky last year, but I was sure a lot more lucky than I have been this year, that's for sure.

I feel like our race team has learned a whole lot in the last four weeks and this is the first sign of it and as we go forward, I believe we're gonna see more results from the things that we've learned the last four weeks.

When we start racing every week the bad luck and good luck starts to balance out and, hopefully, we'll get on a roll and stay on it all summer.