NASCAR driver Mark Martin says he'll race for Hendrick all next year
Posted on Friday, July 04 @ 21:32:00 CDT by Raulken |
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The veteran is making another try for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. He'll take over for Casey Mears. By Jim Peltz, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer Veteran driver Mark Martin, taking one more stab at his first NASCAR Sprint Cup championship, said today he will...
 Mark Martin. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Mark Martin will make one final effort to win the NASCAR championship that's eluded him the past 26 years by driving for storied Hendrick Motorsports next season.
The 49-year-old Martin has run a partial schedule the past two seasons, a move he said allowed him to "catch his breath" while rekindling his passion for racing. So when Rick Hendrick offered him the seat in his No. 5 Chevrolet, Martin jumped at the chance to run a full schedule in 2009 in pursuit of the Sprint Cup title.
"It just was an opportunity that I absolutely could not, I just couldn't let it go by," Martin said. "At this point in my life, I was very concerned about regretting it for the rest of my life."
Martin has won 32 races in 710 career starts that began in 1981. A perennial title contender, he finished second in the standings an agonizing four times, including his runner-up finish to Tony Stewart in 2002.
He considered retiring at the end of the 2005 season, but was coaxed back for one final season with Roush Fenway Racing. He finished ninth in the standings that season.
Martin then devised a partial schedule plan with now-defunct Ginn Racing, and nearly won the Daytona 500 in their first race together -- he was nipped at the finish line by Kevin Harvick. But it set the stage for a strong start to the season that had Martin leading the points and the entire...
Click here to read the content (Source Sportsnet.ca)
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