Martin's consistency proof he's a 2009 Cup contender (cont'd)

Burton said he treasures victories now more than he did when he was younger and he failed to realize how difficult they truly are to come by. He said that was a lesson taught to him constantly -- but only slowly absorbed as he got older himself -- by Martin when they were teammates together, driving for owner Jack Roush.

"I appreciated winning then because Mark Martin was my teammate and he taught me to appreciate it," Burton said. "Mark Martin helped raise me as a racecar driver at this level. He emphasized to me, over and over and over, that you never know when you're going to win another race. You win a race, it might be your last.

"I used to laugh at him. Not about me winning -- but I used to laugh at him thinking he might not ever win again. I thought that was hilarious."

Tracking Martin
Martin is no stranger to the Chase or its format. He made it in 2004, 2005 and 2006 -- the last three seasons he drove full time for Roush -- finishing fourth, fourth and ninth, respectively.

Like Burton, Martin has never won a championship. He finished second three times during the pre-Chase days, and is returning to full-time racing in part because he wants to give winning a title at least one more shot.

Burton, for one, said it would be foolish for anyone to count Martin out. He said he remembers a time earlier in his career when others made the mistake of doing so in regards to another veteran driver.

"The thing that stands out in my mind is we left Pocono one day, and [Dale] Earnhardt was struggling. I guess it would have been in '99," Burton said. "There was a sticker on the back of somebody's van going down the Interstate. It said, 'Earnhardt: Time to cash in on the 401(k).' Now here was a seven-time champion that had won however many races they'd won to that point. And as it turned out, the next year he went out and almost won another championship.

"I hear that kind of stuff today about Gordon. Jeff Gordon, he can't drive anymore. Guess what? Jeff Gordon can drive. I said it the other day and I'll say it again: It's ludicrous to think that he has a baby so now he doesn't want to win anymore. I mean, it's insane."

Three others who finished in the top 10 in the Bank of America 500 and could factor into next year's Chase are Kasey Kahne (second Saturday), Kurt Busch (third) and David Ragan (10th).

But Martin is the most compelling wild card who will be in the mix next season. And if he or any of the others gets in, who will be out?

Based on what Martin has done this year in limited appearances and the driving skill he exhibited once again Saturday night, he'll be taking someone's spot.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.