Mark Martin: Good guy going
Tomorrow's Daytona 500 kicks off the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup season and is a milestone year for stock car racing. Veteran driver Mark Martin, a no-nonsense racer noted for his smooth but aggressive style, sportsmanship, and precision corner lines, has decided to make this his last full-time Nextel Cup season.
Martin compiled one of the most successful careers in NASCAR history. His 34 wins are the fourth-most among active drivers. He is currently fourth in Nextel Cup's all-time standings and his name appears in the top 10 of several of NASCAR's all-time lists. He has currently started 545 straight Cup races, dating back to Febuary of 1988.
I have been an avid motorsports fan since I was a child, having been introduced to drag, dirt, SCCA, and formula racing at an early age. I have followed some of the best ever: Jimmie Clark, Stirling Moss, Jackie Stewart, Nikki Lauda, Ayrton Senna da Silva, and more recently Michael Schumaker. In my opinion, absolutely none of today's drivers compare with them, but if one were comparing racing style, steadiness, and composure, Mark Martin would fit.
In the bumper-car style of NASCAR, fans get giddy over drivers that win by wrecking their competitors, and I believe in NASCAR-style racing there is nothing wrong with that; it is what it is and I enjoy it. But I have always favored drivers that consistently displayed their prowess and level-headedness lap after lap, race after race, year after year. It is telling that Matt Kenseth, Martin's young Roush Racing teammate, credited Martin's selfless mentoring and encouragement as one of the prime reasons he won the 2003 and final Winston-era Cup Championship. Martin himself has come close to winning the championship four times - twice losing out in the last race by just a few points.
So if you're looking for someone to cause wrecks, bump cars out of the way, or endanger other drivers to win, Mark Martin is not for you. As for me, here's hoping old Number 6 gets those few extra points he needs in his last year.