ON MARK AND KYLE
Martin on cusp of first Cup championship
There is no better feel-good story of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season than Mark Martin.
Martin, 50, has competed at NASCAR’s highest level for 27 years. In 738 races, he has won 38 times and started from the pole in 44 times.
So why all the good will for a driver who has proven time and again that he is a winner? It’s because Martin has an excellent chance to capture the series championship, something that has eluded him his entire career.
The Batesville, Ark., native has finished second in the series points chase four times. At the conclusion of the 2006 season it appeared that Martin would never again contend for the title. He stepped away from the grind of racing on a full-time basis to spend more time at home with his family. He did just that for two seasons and appeared very happy competing in a limited schedule of races.
The came the summer of 2008 when Rick Hendrick offered Martin a chance to compete again on a full-time basis, driving for Hendrick Motorsports. Martin and his family agreed the opportunity was too good to pass up. He returned to Cup and promptly stared winning races and once more is in the thick of the chase for the series crown.
Martin has three victories, winning at Phoenix (Ariz.) International Raceway, Darlington (S.C.) Raceway and most recently at Michigan International Speedway. He occupies 11th in the series championship standings entering the LENOX Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. He has respect and admiration from his fellow competitors in the Cup garage. Martin appears to be at ease and enjoying his time at the track despite the grueling schedule and time commitments. He looks to be having the time of his life.
The only thing missing is winning a championship.
Dan Marino and Jim Kelly were very, very good NFL quarterbacks and each led their respective team to the Super Bowl (Kelly, in fact, accomplished the feat four times). They were respected. They racked up impressive stats. They won just about every game…except the Super Bowl.
The same things could be said for John Stockton and Karl Malone of the Utah Jazz. Stockton and Malone came up short in their quest for an NBA championship. Both were terrific basketball players. Twice they won Western Conference championships. They were proven winners.
Does the absence of a title diminish the accomplishments or the ability of the aforementioned athletes or Martin? Absolutely not but and but it does change how the career of each man is viewed by fans, journalists and others who have never played the game or driven a race car.
A title and big trophy will not gain Martin more respect in the NASCAR community. It won’t change his reputation as being one of the best and cleanest racers to ever climb behind the wheel of a stock car. It won’t keep him from assisting young drivers who seek him out for advice and consultation. He’ll continue to win races. He’ll keep on competing. He’ll continue to have fun. That’s fine with Mark Martin and it should be fine with us, too.
Perhaps he realizes he already has something far more valuable than a trophy and a title.
Another side of controversial Busch
There is one topic in the Cup series racing that is bound to stir up even a casual fan: Kyle Busch.
I first worked with Busch 2004 when the lanky Las Vegas native won Raybestos® Rookie of the Year in the NASCAR Nationwide Series with an amazing season. In 34 starts, Busch won five races, captured five poles, and scored 16 top-five and 22 top-10 finishes. His second-place finish in the Nationwide Series championship standings is a record for a rookie. All totaled, he owns or shares NINE records by a Raybestos Rookie in the series including most starts, most wins (tied with Greg Biffle), most top fives (tied with Greg Biffle), most top 10s, most money won ($2,027,050), most championship points (4,943), most laps led (1,108) and most races led (21).
Busch was fantastic to work with. He was accessible. He was willing to talk. He was always free and willing to do whatever interview opportunity or PR stunt I cooked up. Some of my colleagues look at me with shock when I say that I honestly never had any issues with the guy – and I worked with him for two consecutive years. I couldn’t ask for a driver to represent our sponsor any better.
The guy is one of the most talented drivers to come along in a long, long time. He wins races. He works well with his sponsors. He is not bashful to share his opinions on just about any topic in NASCAR.
Busch has also had his share of criticism. Fans voice their displeasure with his confidence and the majority of those sitting in the grandstands each week boo him mightily. Media have been critical of Busch when he jets out of a track when he experiences a frustrating loss.
I dearly love race fans but with the possible exception of Dale Earnhardt Jr., there is no way you can please all of them all of the time. As a PR person I agree that Busch should speak to the media after a race but I fully understand when he doesn’t. It’s better to be criticized for being unavailable rather than for him to say something that he would regret later. In today’s corporate climate it’s a smart move to say nothing versus making a comment that could get you in trouble with the folks who are paying the bills.
But as Busch’s career progresses, his obligations will change. The young man is going to be a Sprint Cup champion (perhaps multiple times) and with that comes more responsibility. In addition to representing his sponsors, team and himself, he will represent the entire sport of NASCAR racing. And with that, like it or not, comes an obligation to meet the press after a bitterly frustrating turn of events, no matter if it’s Sprint Cup, Nationwide or Camping World Truck Series.
My opinion is that Kyle Busch will rise to the occasion. I firmly believe that as he continues to mature (remember he’s still just 24 years old) Busch will tackle these new responsibilities with vigor. Will it take time? Yes. Will he go through a learning process? No question. Will it be great for the sport?
Absolutely.
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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Do you mind if I quote a couple of your articles as long as I provide credit and sources back to your website? My blog site is in the very same niche as yours and my users would really benefit from a lot of the information you provide here. Please let me know if this okay with you. Many thanks!
Great post, thanks for taking the time to come up with it
Jimmy,
Kyle Busch must have paid you say that stuff.. Just kidding. Another great story. Keep up the good work.