Mark Martin is back for one more Nextel Cup Series season. Credit: Autostock

While career winds down, fire still burns for Martin

For a guy who's supposed to be retired, Mark Martin sure is busy these days.

Despite completing a bit of a retirement tour in 2005, Personnel matters at Roush Racing have returning to his familiar No. 6 car for one more go-round in the Nextel Cup Series. What's more, Martin will also make some Truck and Busch Series starts.

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"I've got so many things on my mind. There is a lot of stuff going on. I'm just gonna try to keep my head down and work real hard and make my team happy, make AAA [his new sponsor on the No. 6 car] happy and make some fans happy this year and work at it."

As retirement tours go in sports, Martin's, like Rusty Wallace's, was very productive. Martin won the Nextel All-Star Challenge in May at Lowe's Motor Speedway, posted five top-five finishes, ended the season fourth in the Nextel Cup standings -- and had some fun, something that was lacking a bit early in his career.

Martin says his personality this season will fit whatever his team needs.

"I tell you what, I had fun last year, which was really cool," Martin said. "It was the best year of my life professionally and personally, so I just want everybody to make sure that they know that they're talking to a guy that had a blast last year.

"It would mean an awful lot to me to have the same kind of performance on the racetrack this year, so therefore I'm willing to be miserable if need be in order to have that. My tendency is to go off on that misery side to try to make sure that we get that performance. I'm gonna fight that a little bit, but I'm not ready to address all that strategy just yet."

As far as the race team goes, so far so good.

"I'm feeling good about the team," Martin said. "There's no reason why we shouldn't have as good a year as last year. There's no reason. I mean we've got it all. If anything, we've improved on things and I'll certainly drive my heart out and these guys will have my undivided attention when it comes time to get ready for these races and to focus and to go racing."

Martin will be racing a lot in 2006. Martin will run a limited number of Truck races in 2006, sharing the seat with up and comer David Ragan. Martin will be in the seat for the first three races of 2006 at Daytona, Fontana and Atlanta before handing over the reigns to Ragan at Martinsville. Martin is currently scheduled to make seven starts in the series in '06.

Martin's car owner, Jack Roush, has suggested to Martin that he enjoy this final Cup season, not stress so much and just go out and let the chips fall where they may.

Fat chance, says Martin.

"Doggone it, that's a good strategy. I wish that would work for me, but I love what happened the last lap of Homestead," Martin said. "It's one of the few occasions where I've ever gotten beat that I had fun. Yeah, it would have been cool to win, but everybody was on their feet and that's why I race.

"If I could have times in 2006 and some races like that, it would really fill in that last box for me because 2006 is the last Cup box for me and I'd like to fill that in with great times like we had in 2005."