 | | Mark Martin is currently third in the Nextel Cup standings heading to Talladega. Credit: Autostock |
By Marty Smith, NASCAR.COM
October 6, 2006
10:18 AM EDT (14:18 GMT)
TALLADEGA, Ala. -- Mark Martin, whose on-again, off-again retirement plan has taken more turns than any road course, will drive part time in an MB2 Motorsports car for the 2007 Nextel Cup season, multiple sources close to the team told NASCAR.COM on Thursday. It is believed that Martin will run 22 races in the No. 01 car. Busch Series driver Regan Smith will drive the remaining 14 Cup races, the sources said. According to an Associated Press report, Joe Nemechek, currently racing in the No. 01, will remain with MB2, but will move to a third team entry, while Sterling Marlin will stay in the team's No. 14 Chevy An announcement is scheduled with Jack Roush and Martin at 10:30 a.m. ET Friday at Talladega Superspeedway. Martin, who announced his retirement before the 2005 season, was coaxed by Roush into returning for a second "Salute to You" go-round this season in the No. 6 Ford. Martin has 35 wins in 667 career starts, mostly behind the wheel of Roush's No. 6 car, and he also has a record 47 victories in the Busch Series. Smith has never started a Cup Series race. He has one top-10 finish in 80 Busch Series starts and one top-10 in 12 Truck Series starts. It previously was reported that Martin was pursuing sponsorship that would enable him to run up to a dozen Cup races in 2007 with Mark Simo's No Fear Racing team. "I'm actively working right now to try to secure sponsorship for the 60 car for 10-12 races," Martin said at Dover. "It's not done, but that's where the focus is as of today." As recently as two weeks ago, Martin was close to signing a full-time Truck Series deal with Roush. That deal is now off. Martin also said at Dover that he had had some talks with Doug Yates about possibly racing with Robert Yates Racing, but called it virtually a dead issue. The Associated Press contributed to this report. | 
