Martin focused on Bristol, not dwelling on Michigan

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Mark Martin is not the kind of man to live in the past. He prefers to view life out of the windshield rather than the rear-view mirror.

In preparing for his 1,000th NASCAR national series start in Saturday night's Sharpie 500, Martin said he and crew chief Alan Gustafson have already worked hard to put last weekend's failed fuel-mileage strategy call behind him, and return their focus to the task at hand, putting together three solid finishes and cement a place in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

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Mark Martin talks about his 1,000th NASCAR start, his respect for Kyle Busch and what Jimmie Johnson has accomplished in his career.

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"I have accomplished everything I had hoped to accomplish this year already, and much more," Martin said Friday at Bristol Motor Speedway. "The least difficult thing of all the things I had hoped to accomplish, I thought, would be making the Chase. And Alan and I are both confident in our performance from here forward. I'm not so confident in our luck but I'm certainly confident in our performance and that's all we can do."

"In some ways, the tension has increased because we should be comfortably in instead of where we are. He and I both are working as hard as we can to keep that minimized. ... It just would be devastating for my team to not be included in that elite group. But they have won more races than anyone else this year, so they can be proud of that."

Martin and Gustafson are living proof of the adage "you win some, you lose some." Gustafson's gutsy fuel gamble at Michigan in June paid off when Jimmie Johnson and Greg Biffle both ran out of fuel in the final two miles, handing the victory to Martin. However, Lady Luck turned her back on the No. 5 team last weekend. An almost guaranteed top-10 became a frustrating 31st-place finish when Martin's Chevrolet engine sputtered and fell silent on the final lap.

Martin said he immediately went to work trying to rebuild Gustafson's confidence.

"I worked at it Sunday night, right away, and Monday morning," Martin said. "He's a very, very, very competitive guy and he's so smart. It's such a special opportunity in my lifetime to have a chance to work with him. He was doing much better on Tuesday."

To see Martin come back this weekend with a strong finish would only continue a trend that started way back in February. Engine failures in three of the first four races -- including back-to-back finishes of 40th at Fontana and Las Vegas -- left Martin and his team in a huge hole. But victories at Phoenix, Darlington, Michigan and Chicagoland helped Martin work his way back into the top 10.

And that's what will drive Martin for the next three races.

"Before Chicago, we were out," Martin said. "I decided after Chicago, that's where my mind was going to stay, on the outside looking in. That's how we're racing. We'll take it as it comes. We're real confident in our performance and we'll just see what happens. It's certainly a dogfight and there's a lot of racing left -- three races is a lot -- when you're taking about this."

Martin helped return a little bit in confidence with his qualifying effort, completing the sweep of poles with a lap of 124.484 mph. He'll start Saturday night's race on the front row with Greg Biffle, currently 10th in the points. Matt Kenseth, Martin's former teammate and another driver on the Chase bubble, qualified fifth-quickest. Drivers on the outside looking in had good qualifying efforts. Clint Bowyer will start sixth, Brian Vickers 14th and Kyle Busch 15th.

When it comes to the long and the short of the Sprint Cup schedule, the Bristol bullring and 2.66-mile Talladega Superspeedway would seem to be worlds apart. But Martin said in at least one way, they are more alike than you might imagine.

"This race is a little bit like Talladega," Martin said. "Something can happen in front of you and you can see it clearly, and you know what's going to happen but you can't change directions that fast, or you can't change the outcome. It can be very frustrating, especially when you have no participation in the accident that happens and you see it, and you see it coming, and you still aren't able to avoid it. If it happens repeatedly, then it really gets frustrating.

"The heat is really building up right now for everyone, especially those from sixth to 16th or whatever. So I would expect someone to experience that frustration [Saturday] night."

Saturday night's race represents a milestone in the 50-year-old's career. He made his Cup debut 28 years ago at North Wilkesboro, finishing 27th and winning a grand total of $625.

"I didn't know it was coming until last weekend," Martin said. "It's not something that was on the radar screen. In some ways, it's an accomplishment, but to me, it's what you did in those 1,000 starts that really matters. It's not just the sheer number, but what you did in those starts that makes it special."

Martin appreciates the attention he's receiving as he fights to stay in the top 12, but he wonders if the spotlight shouldn't be focused more on who wins Saturday night instead.

"Every time I went to the race track, it was about the race," Martin said. "And the love for this sport. And for many people in this sport, the race is a big deal, too.

"Points are points. And points are what they are. Flat tires change points, and they change outcomes of races, too. But don't forget, we still are racing every week. ... Let's talk about the excitement and the thrill of the events, too."