Who'd a thunk ole Mark Martin listened to rap music... but then I still consider him a youngster!
Age isn't slowing Mark Martin down yet
by Mark Armijo - Feb. 29, 2012 08:26 PM
Special for The Republic
Mark Martin is going to start acting his age one of these years. Maybe next year. Or the year after.
But not now.
Martin, 53, seems ageless, a prominent NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wheelman for nearly three decades.
If the end is in sight, Martin hardly acts like someone turning the final corner in a mostly splendid career.
Martin still spends more time in the gym than a body builder and may be the only driver on NASCAR's pit road with rapper Dr. Dre cued into his iPod.
"Rap music is like a cup of coffee for me," Martin said. "It wakes me up and gets me going. I listen to it when I work out. I love the energy.
"The real motivation in music for me is Dr. Dre. He's the king who laid down all these songs for guys like Eminem, Snoop and 50 Cent. He just makes magic."
Magic?
If Dr. Dre is magic, then the meek-appearing Martin, who at 5-feet-6 looks like a thimble standing next to 6-5 car owner Michael Waltrip, is magical.
Just when you think Martin may be down for the count -- poof! -- he goes and finishes 10{+t},{+h} in Monday's Daytona 500 for a second consecutive year, giving Michael Waltrip Racing its best finish among its three-driver contingent.
Martin joined MWR this season following a three-year stint with the powerful Rick Hendrick Motorsports team, and in doing so, chose to limit his schedule this season to 24 of 36 races in the No. 55 Aaron's Toyota Camry.
Although a reduced schedule means Martin has no chance to collar what would be his first championship title, ask Martin if he cares.
"Do you see this big old smile on my face?" said Martin, a five-time series runner-up who has two career wins at Phoenix International Raceway, site of Sunday's Subway Fresh Fit 500. "This is exactly where I want to be in life right now."
In fact, Martin believes he owes the Waltrip organization for allowing him an opportunity to motor forward with a part-time schedule.
"I want to help these guys build a strong foundation so that they can be competitive week in and week out and realize their potential," said Martin, who with 40 career wins is No. 17 on the all-time list.
Few, if any, doubt Martin will be successful.
"Mark is still very capable of running up front and helping a team get to victory lane," former driver and current ESPN analyst Dale Jarrett said. "He's an incredible specimen as far as someone taking care of himself physically. And he still has talent."
Teammate Clint Bowyer, 32, is impressed.
"There's not too many 50-year-old people that can run in a young man's game," Bowyer said. "His work ethic is the reason why. His determination, dedication to the sport is the reason he is able to do that at the age that he is."
But for how much longer?
Could Martin, who aside from a five-win season in 2009 is winless in five of the past six seasons, possibly stay too long and tarnish his resume?
"Mark isn't going to diminish anything he's accomplished," Jarrett said.
Martin hardly seems worried.
"I hope to stay involved in the sport in some way for a long time," said Martin, who was 50 years old when he finished series runner-up to Jimmie Johnson in 2009.
With 831 career starts, which is No. 5 on the all-time list, who's going to argue?
Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/2012/02/29/20120229nascar-age-isnt-slowing-mark-martin.html#ixzz1nsLdJ4CL
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"Any Day is Good for Stock Car Racing"
updated by @dave-fulton: 12/05/16 04:02:07PM