A strange feel at Roush with Martin departure

CONCORD, N.C. -- Mark Martin's impact on Roush Racing becomes obvious from the moment a visitor enters the team museum. There's his face, smiling down from photographs taken over the years. There's his Stroh's Light Thunderbird, which scored the organization's first Cup victory. There's his Winn-Dixie Busch car, which earned Roush's 200th NASCAR win.

There are firesuits and trophies and souvenirs, all testaments to the man whose crew-cut, steely-eyed visage defined Roush Racing for nearly two decades. All that's missing is Martin himself, who's home in Daytona Beach, Fla., preparing to run a partial schedule for real estate developer turned NASCAR team owner Bobby Ginn.

It seems strange, seeing Martin in dark green U.S. Army livery rather than his customary blue and white. It seems strange to see him driving a Chevrolet rather than a Ford. And it seems strange to attend a preseason press function at Roush Racing, and the for the team's oldest driver to be -- 36-year-old Greg Biffle?

Welcome to the new world at Roush Racing, where the senior drivers look like seniors in college, the roster is stacked with Busch and Craftsman Truck pilots who look like they're fresh out of high school, and Martin's trademark No. 6 car has been turned over to a kid barely old enough to drink. Things sure do seem different around here without Martin.

"It's definitely different without him here, but we knew sooner or later he was going to step back," Matt Kenseth said. "We thought it was going to be a lot sooner than what it actually was. He had the opportunity to do something he wanted to do on a part-time basis. So yeah, it's going to weird without him here, but we'll still see him around the garage all the time. And I think he's always going to feel like a teammate when we're not racing."

Much has changed at Roush Racing, but much hasn't. David Ragan, a 21-year-old Nextel Cup rookie, steps into the flagship car that Martin made famous. But Jack Roush still has three legitimate title threats in Kenseth, Biffle, and Carl Edwards. And the team owner still maintains a close relationship with his former driver, who was the first person to call him on New Year's Day.

"I couldn't be happier and more proud of the history we have with Mark," Roush said. "Mark made it clear to me and let me know what he wanted to do. He wanted to remain my friend, and he would take a phone call from me anytime, day or night, on any subject to suit my purpose. The first call I got on New Year's was from Mark Martin, wishing me and the team luck as we went forward."

Martin also mentioned one other thing: that he had talked briefly with Roush president Geoff Smith and VP Torry Galida about running a few Busch events for his old team, discussions that ultimately led to Martin signing on for races at Daytona next week and at Texas in April. Oh, and if Jack had any room for him in a Craftsman Truck, he'd love to drive that, too. (Continued)