Mark Martin Setting Himself Up For More Heartbreak

by Matt Mercer, Special To NASCAR commentary and driver pictures, 2012 NASCAR schedule, video, Bench Racing With Steve and Charlie

I'm the former blogger of The Catfish Show NASCAR Blog and a contributor to On Pit Row. Follow me on Twitter: @mattmercer

June 21, 2008 8:12 am UTC 8 Comments

An item came across NASCAR.com and it made me shake my head. Mark Martin one of my 3 favorite drivers in NASCAR history, seems to have made another guarantee. In the story last week at Pocono, he said that he plans on winning at the Brickyard in July. I have no doubt Mark can win the race. I remember 10 years ago at Indy when he had a better car than Jeff Gordon throughout the day, yet couldn’t get around him at the end. I remember when Mark left the 6 for the 01 last year, he said he would have his best chance ever to win the Daytona 500 – and he did, but came up inches short. It saddens me to see someone that’s a traditional pessimist, like Mark, get exciting for something just to be heartbroken again. I felt the heartbreak of the 2002 season because he was so close. Two years later, in the inaugural Chase, Mark arguably had the best team but accidents and bad luck struck again. At that Daytona race 16 months ago, I watched him lead those last several laps as I had a kung-fu grip on a pillow in my room, thinking that maybe, just maybe, this could be the race of his life. It was the race of his life… he finished second again, and I fell to the floor with the air knocked out of my lungs. To be a Mark Martin fan, it’s similar to what being a Red Sox fan must have been like until the 2004 playoffs. In the back of your mind, you know something will happen. I don’t know how many fans understand how much Mark means to his fans, and the heartbreak his fans have gone through with him. Many times, it takes the man himself to keep us fans from going crazy.

Fast forward to this season’s race at Phoenix, which saw Mark lead a bunch of laps and appeared to be on his way to victory. What did Mark have to lose by staying out and gambling? He pitted from the lead, had the best car, so fuel mileage should have been on Tony Gibson’s mind. Yet, it didn’t happen, and surprise, Mark lost. The guarantee at Indianapolis is interesting. He qualified well at Pocono, yet seemed to fall back more and more during the race. DEI seems to be focusing on Truex and Menard at the moment, which is perfectly understandable. The prospect of Truex leaving would put one foot in the ground, I don’t see anyone tearing down the door to get into DEI the way guys would at Gibbs right now. In a certain sense, I think Mark may have to win at Indy to keep DEI relevant. Rumors swirl about the future of the Army sponsorship, given that the 01 has had limited sponsorship, and Bass Pro Shops could be leaving for Tony Stewart’s revamped Haas Racing.

I didn’t like the movie Groundhog Day. I hate recurring dreams. Most of all, I know deep down that Mark Martin won’t win the Brickyard this year. He’ll have a flat tire with 3 to go, he’ll get crashed out by a car 9 laps down, he’ll blow his engine on the white flag lap. The worst part? I’ll still be making him my pick to win. Some habits won’t go away.

Photo credit: BethAnne Heisler - ON PIT ROW

Filed under: Chase for the Cup, Dale Earnhardt, Inc., Daytona 500, Haas CNC Racing, Mark Martin, Martin Truex Jr., NASCAR, Sprint Cup Series

Tagged with: Brickyard 400, Daytona 500, DEI, Haas CNC Racing, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin, Martin Truex Jr., NASCAR, Pocono, Sprint Cup, Tony Gibson, Tony Stewart

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Why Would Tony Stewart Take Over Haas CNC Racing?

by Matt Mercer, Special To NASCAR commentary and driver pictures, 2012 NASCAR schedule, video, Bench Racing With Steve and Charlie

I'm the former blogger of The Catfish Show NASCAR Blog and a contributor to On Pit Row. Follow me on Twitter: @mattmercer

April 24, 2008 2:09 pm UTC 8 Comments

OK, so Marty Smith posted a story he has about Tony Stewart being in negotiations with Chevy teams, mentioning Haas CNC by name. The story has even been here earlier this week. So, would Tony really leave JGR for ownership of Haas? I think it is very likely. Haas is a satellite team of Hendrick Motorsports, of course. I would imagine if Tony takes over the team, he would be receiving much more assistance in that aspect. Then there is the option of him buying into the team, and driving for another Chevy team. Hello #5? Hello #33? Casey Mears hasn’t lit the world on fire, but the NASCAR world may explode if Stewart joins Jeff, Jimmie, and Junior. That would leave the #33, flush with funds from General Mills, and Stewart has a champion’s provisional to guarantee the team makes the field. Also, at RCR, he has a good relationship with Kevin Harvick.

It certainly would be intriguing if Tony becomes an owner. He would the highest-profile new owner in the series since Dale Earnhardt Inc. moved to Cup in 1998 with Steve Park. What is interesting to look at is how owning a team affected Dale Earnhardt’s performance from ’98 until 2001. He won just once in ’98, three times in ’99, and twice in ‘00. That’s a total of six wins, but taking a closer look, three were at Talladega, and one each at Daytona, Bristol, and Atlanta. Four of his six wins came at plate tracks, where he was the acknowledged master. Did owning those teams really affect his performance? Hard to say, but it’s worth mentioning. He finished seventh in ’98, eighth in ’99, and rebounded to finish second in ’00. Perhaps the biggest factor is the equipment, and depending on whom Tony is driving for: himself, Childress, or Hendrick, he may not add significantly to his win total.

What I’ve failed to mention is Gibbs in this scenario. How willing is Gibbs to let Tony go? Well, I think it depends on how well Joey Logano performs in the Nationwide Series this year. If Logano proves to be what he is hyped to be, he could very well find himself sitting in the #20 come Daytona in February 2009.

Photo credit: Icon Sports Media, Inc.

Filed under: Casey Mears, Dale Earnhardt, Haas CNC Racing, Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, Kevin Harvick, NASCAR, NASCAR Rumors, Nationwide Series, Sprint Cup Series, Tony Stewart

Tagged with: Chevy, Dale Earnhardt, DEI, Haas CNC Racing, Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, Kevin Harvick, Richard Childress Racing, Tony Stewart

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Is Tony Stewart headed for Cup team ownership?

by Charlie Turner

Thanks for stopping by OnPitRow.com and the Bench Racing with Steve and Charlie blog. The best NASCAR and IndyCar news and opinion, exclusive pictures and video. I'm Charlie Turner. Follow me on Twitter @onpitrow

April 12, 2008 2:22 pm UTC 12 Comments

How much more interesting would the Sprint Cup Series be if Tony Stewart were to become a team owner?

According to Fox Sports’ Lee Spencer that possibility was the hot rumor around the Phoenix International Raceway garage on Friday. It seems that Tony may be talking with Haas CNC Racing and Chevrolet about a partnership that would return Stewart to the Bow-tie fold as a driver-owner. And where there is Smoke – there is news.

Lately a few of us had speculated that that Stewart might be a candidate for the #33 seat and General Mills sponsorship at Richard Childress Racing. Others, like my buddy Steve, think that Stewart’s relationships with Joe Gibbs Racing and various pals will stop any potential defection. I wonder if Chevrolet felt that way about their JGR connections before the Coach and the kid said sayonara?

When I brought the latest Tony Stewart rumor up to a colleague a little while ago, he said to me; “…well if he goes to his own team, he’ll never win again.”

I’m not so sure about that. But who’s to say that Tony Stewart would have to drive for his own team? The late Dale Earnhardt never drove for Dale Earnhardt Inc in a Cup race, did he? Of course he did drive the same manufacturer’s car as the team he owned used.

Regardless, this is shaping up to be the story of the year in NASCAR. I do think that the Stewart camp is floating some of this stuff to enhance Tony’s negotiating position with JGR or RCR or whomever. But I’m sure glad that they are.

Photo credit: Icon Sports Media, Inc.

Filed under: Dale Earnhardt, Dale Earnhardt, Inc., Haas CNC Racing, Jeff Hammond, Joe Gibbs Racing, NASCAR Rumors, On Pit Row The Fastest Two Hours on Radio, Richard Childress Racing, Sprint Cup Series, Tony Stewart

Tagged with: blog, Chevrolet, Dale Earnhardt, DEI, Haas CNC Racing, Jeff Hammond, Joe Gibbs Racing, motorsports, NASCAR, ON PIT ROW, Richard Childress Racing, Tony Stewart, Toyota