For Allison, only title was a long time in the making

HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- As one old racer to another, Bobby Allison can relate to Mark Martin.

In fact, it was Allison who recommended Martin to car owner Jack Roush in 1988 when Roush was looking for a new driver. Thus began a 19-year relationship that ended only when Martin decided he wanted to try a part-time schedule for a while following the 2006 Cup Series season.

Allison / Martin

Career comparison

	Allison	Martin
Starts	718	757
Wins	85	40
Top-5s	336	257
Top-10s	446	417
Poles	58	48
Avg. Start	8.5	11.7
Avg. Finish	11.5	13.3
Titles	1	0
Runner-ups	5	4

Up close

On the verge of one of the biggest races of his career, Mark Martin opens up about all things NASCAR in his one on one with Marty Snider.

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Allison, who is 21 years and a little more than one month older than Martin, remembers how the conversation with Roush transpired.

"I had raced against Mark on the short tracks, in ASA and ASA-type races throughout the Midwest," said Allison, who will turn 72 on Dec. 3. "He made a swing down through NASCAR territory. So I knew of him and I knew him personally. He had a great mixture of talent and enthusiasm.

"Jack Roush said to me, 'You're always around everybody everywhere. Who should I put in this car?' So I said, 'Why don't you try Mark Martin?' And so he did. It worked out pretty well."

Martin enters this Sunday's 2009 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway second in points in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. He is not likely to catch leader Jimmie Johnson, who is 108 points ahead entering the race as Johnson pursues his unprecedented fourth consecutive title.

For Martin, finishing second would be nothing new. He already has done it four times in his long, storied career -- giving him the unofficial title these days as the greatest Cup driver to never win the series championship.

Allison once carried that unwanted mantle for many years. He won his only championship in 1983 after he had been driving in the Cup Series since 1961, full time since 1966. He finished second five times before winning his first and only title, including in each of the two years leading up to his '83 championship run.

Martin keeps insisting that he didn't return to the full-time grind of Cup racing this year intent on chasing the championship that has eluded him all these years.

"Everybody knows and has heard me say this, and I'll say it one more time," Martin said. "The reason I took this deal is because I got close to winning a race or two in 2008, and I could just taste it. I really wanted a chance to try to win again before I wasn't able to ever experience that again. That was the motivation for me, taking this opportunity.

"It definitely has turned out to exceed my expectations. I knew that the race team would be awesome. I knew the car would be fast. I just hoped that I would be able to get the job done. One of my biggest goals coming into this year was just to be considered a good teammate, to make a contribution to Hendrick Motorsports so that when the season was over everyone involved would be glad that I, you know, was a part of the organization. That was probably as important as maybe squeaking out a win for me personally."

Instead of squeaking out a single win, he has won five times and captured a career-high seven poles heading into Sunday's Ford 400 at Homestead. But Allison said he isn't buying what Martin is selling when Martin insists he does not care about points or winning a championship.

"No. He wants to be a champion. This is what turns on every one of us who sits down in one of these [race cars]," Allison said. "That's what turns us on -- the idea of winning races and winning the big race. The championship is the race of the season, and he certainly wants that. But he's got to keep that in some kind of [emotional] range where he can deal with it, in case he has to wait another year to have another shot at it -- so that's probably why he says what he says.

"But he's done an incredible job. You guys [in the media] can put so much pressure on us poor, little racer guys. But he's done a real good job of handling that."

Allison said he used to live in fear that he would have to retire before ever winning a championship. He said he didn't want to be remembered as the best driver to never win one.

"I was worried about that, sure. I got so close so many times," Allison said. "Really, to finally get the championship, I kind of sold my soul -- because I ended up in a deal with [car owner] Bill Gardner where I didn't get paid."

Allison later clarified that he wasn't paid all that he believes he was supposed to be paid, according to the deal he had with Gardner.

"That made it [winning the championship] a little bittersweet. But I've still got the trophy, and I guess that's what matters most," said Allison, who was two weeks shy of 46 when the 1983 season ended.

Martin, 50, insists that he doesn't belong in the same sentence with Allison and others when the subject of the best drivers in NASCAR history comes up. He has 40 career victories, which places him 16th on the all-time list, and his 48 poles are ninth-most all time, only one behind Bobby Issac.

"My record does not stand up against the greats in this business," Martin insisted.

Again, Allison -- who won either 84 or 85 races depending whether you believe him and others who insist NASCAR never gave him credit for an early win in his career -- said that Martin is full of bunk. He said of course Martin belongs in the conversation when the greatest drivers of all time are discussed.

• Video: Martin discusses greatest drivers talk

"I put him way up there. Now he hasn't won a championship yet. It could happen this weekend. And it could happen next year, if it doesn't happen this week. Certainly it would be a big jewel in his crown if he could do it," Allison said.

"Mark is a really good driver. He's fast, he's crafty. He's got a lot of enthusiasm -- but he's also got the staying ability and stamina to stay in there and run hard, especially in these long races. I give him a lot of credit."

Allison also helped get him started in the business. And for that, Martin gives Allison credit.

"It's been my understanding for 20 years that he recommended to Jack Roush that he hire me to drive his car, so I owe a little part of what I'm doing today to B.A. I thank him for that," Martin said.

Related
• Allison's career has endured throughout the years | Store: Allison gear!

Joe Menzer is the author of "The Great American Gamble: How the 1979 Daytona 500 Gave Birth to a NASCAR Nation." Click here to purchase.