Sterling Marlin loves home cooking -- especially mac and cheese. Credit: Autostock

10 Questions: Sterling Marlin

Veteran Sterling Marlin is in the midst of a timely rebound in his Nextel Cup Series career, driving for Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates and coming to his home-state racetrack, Bristol Motor Speedway, for this weekend's Food City 500.

After Marlin made a strong run at the Cup championship in 2002, it's been three years since he steered his No. 40 Coors Light Dodge to Victory Lane. But Marlin is trying to march back into the top 10 in the Cup standings, where he was earlier this season.

During January's Preseason Thunder testing at Daytona, Marlin sat down to answer 10 questions not specifically directed at his racing career.

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1. What's your dream vehicle that you don't already own?

I really hadn't thought about it. Probably like a '70 Dodge Charger. That's the original Charger.

Q: Why?

I just thought they were neat-looking cars. You know, like the one from Dukes of Hazzard with a four-speed and a hemi and all that stuff. That would be neat.

2. If time on the road weren't an issue, what would be your ideal pet?

A couple dogs, probably. Of course, I've already got a couple dogs. But I live on a farm and I've had some horses before.

A couple of dogs, I guess, because they're pretty maintenance-free.

3. What's your biggest pet peeve driving on the road?

Slow drivers in the left lane. You want to go on and they just sit there and ride and get here and ride. They're flapping on the cell phone and not paying attention.

You want to go up and just (slaps his hands together), "get out of the way."

Q: Have you ever done that?

Sterling Marlin: Naw (laughing). You just want to.

4. Racing means travel, so what is your worst hotel experience?

Them hotels where they give you those plastic keys. You go like 15 floors up, all the way to the end of the hall and you put the key in and it don't work.

You've got all your luggage up there and you've got to go all the way back downstairs and get them to re-swipe the key and then it works. It usually happens in Las Vegas.

5. What's your favorite food?

Just home cooking.

Q: What kind of home cooking?

Oh, Lord -- just pork chops and pinto beans and fried corn and all that stuff -- macaroni and cheese.

Q: You've got to have the macaroni and cheese, right?

That's it!

6. If you had to choose, would it be being honest or being nice?

Both.

Q: But if you had to choose one?

Honest.

Inside the Numbers Sterling Marlin has 18 top-10s in 40 starts at Bristol Date Start Finish Aug. 28, 2004 3 6 March 28, 2004 17 4 March 23, 2003 16 6 Aug. 24, 2002 27 7 Aug. 25, 2001 17 9 Aug. 26, 2000 8 8 March 26, 2000 28 10 Aug. 28, 1999 10 7 Aug. 23, 1997 7 10 Aug. 26, 1995 19 7 April 2, 1995 31 9 Aug. 27, 1994 24 6 April 10, 1994 8 4 Aug. 24, 1991 14 2 Aug. 25, 1990 13 5 April 8, 1990 5 7 April 10, 1988 15 8 Aug. 25, 1984 22 8

7. What's your fondest childhood memory?

Just being raised up where I was. Being around dad (former Winston Cup racer Clifton "Coo Coo" Marlin) and his racecars when I was that high (with his hand held flat, three feet off the floor).

You could remember racecars being in the shop and just hanging out and being in the way, mostly, when you was little -- and then just finally starting to work on the cars and helping him out.

8. What would be your dream date: Where and with whom?

I hadn't really thought about it. Well, you'd like to say some of those Hollywood girls, but they do stupid stuff, really.

So probably just a regular plain-Jane girl you'd see in the mall or something, that wouldn't be a lot of high maintenance and all that stuff.

Q: And where would you go?

Probably the islands. Saint Thomas or somewhere down in that area.

9. What's the worst prank that you either perpetrated or had played on you?

I've got several, but probably scaring (team manager Tony) Glover all the time, with snakes or something.

He was doing an interview one time outside of the hauler, and he's terrified of snakes so I found a fan belt and just cut it in half. He didn't see me coming because he had his back to me, and the guys with cameras filming, I'm going "shhh."

I threw it around his neck and I mean -- if they had fined you back then for cussing on TV he would've been broke. He run off and never finished the interview.

Q: Did he ever get you back?

Naw (laughing).

10. And finally, what would you consider your "Welcome to NASCAR moment?"

I don't know because I've been around it so long. I mean, I've been around it since I was 12, 13 years old, so to me I've just been raised in it and it never was anything special.

Geez -- I think the third actual race I ever drove was a Winston Cup race. I was like, 18 or 19.