NO Champion for Martin

[Jonesi]

He will just play like Bill Elliott is doing, but guys who just show up for half the races no longer run up front either. I wish Mark just ran a full season of CTS and THAT to me would make more sense. I guess he still has a shot at any race he makes, and maybe a win at the Daytona 500 would be the icing on the cake of a great career, but it just isn't the same with someone else driving the 6....

The economics are, someone probably makes more money running mid-pack in a dozen cup races, than winning the championship in Truck or Busch series.

[Sparky1329]

Mark Martin is a true gentleman and the best driver never to have won a championship. After years of doing what other people wanted him to do he'll be doing what he wants to do. I say more power to him.

[tstran17_88]

I don't think there would be a Roush Racing in Nascar if there was no Mark Martin. What kills me more is not that he'll retire w/o a Cup championship, but that he is going to race for someone else after all these years w/ Roush.

I thought maybe that Roush had a secret plan to merge with MB and give Mark control of it, which would mean they would switch to Ford next year. But after Mark sold his interest in the #17 team back to Roush, I'm not sure I can see something like that happening.

[Mark in Oshawa]

I think in the end, Mark Martin has to prove to himself it wasn't the team behind him that was pushing him to the front, it has to come from inside. The truth is, Roush and Martin worked together like Peanut Butter and Jam. Unless they have one hell of a chemsitry over at the 01, he will struggle in a way he didn't at Roush...

[Jonesi]

I don't think there would be a Roush Racing in Nascar if there was no Mark Martin. What kills me more is not that he'll retire w/o a Cup championship, but that he is going to race for someone else after all these years w/ Roush.

I thought maybe that Roush had a secret plan to merge with MB and give Mark control of it, which would mean they would switch to Ford next year. But after Mark sold his interest in the #17 team back to Roush, I'm not sure I can see something like that happening.

I think that was necessary, so Roush could sell half the teams to some baseball owner.

[Mark in Oshawa]

The really weird part though will be seeing Martin in something else other than a Ford. No other driver in Cup racing has been been with the same name plate for as long as Mark has, at least, not in modern history. He was the top Ford guy for a lot of years...

[tassiedevilAB]

If mark wanted to slow things down in his life , he sure won't be doing it next year. He is running more races than he said he wanted to do? Cup, Busch & trucks. So much for him spending more time with his family?

[Jonesi]

If mark wanted to slow things down in his life , he sure won't be doing it next year. He is running more races than he said he wanted to do? Cup, Busch & trucks. So much for him spending more time with his family?

The issue for him isn't less races, but less race weekends. Once he's at the track he might as well run every race.

[RaceFanStan]

I will be interested to see what Busch car & what Truck Mark winds-up driving.

[harvick#1]

KHI, hopefully