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Category: Motorsports

Mark Martin wins at Michigan by surprise

Mark Martin was lamenting in the post race interview about how it's never been his luck to win a race like this, when car owner Rick Hendrick chimed in:

"You're going to have to stop that," Hendrick said.

Jimmie Johnson and Greg Biffle ran out of gas ahead of him. But, Martin saved just enough to make it to victory circle.

The self-described "surprise winner" of NASCAR's Lifelock 400 at Michigan International Speedway this afternoon kept talking about being unlucky, but it was obvious the boss believes the veteran's luck is just fine.

Martin was nursing his car to a comfortable, and respectable third place finish behind Johnson and Biffle, when first Johnson ran out of fuel and then Biffle on the backstretch of the final lap. They had pushed each other to go too fast. But the old man was patient.

"He (Johnson) just came up there and put presure on me, gave Mark Martin the win," Biffle said. "Put peressure on me to run the car hard. He ran his car hard and we both ran out of gas and the 5 won."

Martin and crew chief Alan Gustafson were playing it safe. They had won two prior races this season, but were still outside of the top 12 and the chase positions for the championship due to bad luck at other races.

"If we had been in the position Jimmy and Chad (Knaus) were in, more comfortable in the points, we'd have been pushing it too," Martin said.

To hear Martin talk about it, he has his own personal little rain cloud following him around. The car drove well, but the electrical system glitched early and there were no fans to cool the brakes, the tire beads or the driver.

"Here we go again," Martin said when he started switching off power systems to save voltage early in the race. "I got sick at my stomach."

It really wasn't neccessary for Hendrick in the interview room to reminded everyone how much Martin is respected in this business. He's won 38 times in NASCAR's top level. He's won five times at Michigan. That he's now sitting eighth in points isn't completely by "surprise."

"There's a word in the sport. Respect," Hendrick said of the man he talked out of retirement for another shot at the championship he's never won.

"When he sits down to explain a car, others listen," Hendrick said. He said his other drivers, Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. all have benefitted from Martin's presence and wisdom. "Jeff Gordon told me that before he came over (joined the team). Jimmie told me we've got to get him to stay on for a couple more years."

And Martin, he told us it would be an honor to be included again among the 12 drivers headed for The Chase. He's a grateful and lucky man, no matter what he says.