THE STRAIGHTAWAY
by Siddy Hall
NASCAR SHOULD PENALIZE MARK MARTIN & GINN RACING
The “feel good” story of the young 2007 NASCAR season has been Mark Martin. After Mark hung up his steering wheel following the completion of the Homestead race last November, it concluded the longest active driver-owner tandem in the sport. Martin and car owner Jack Roush had competed together for 19 years. The duo finished Top-5 in the Cup standings 11 times.
Despite his success, Martin, 48, has still won only four races over the previous seven years. It appeared that his opportunities for winning a NASCAR championship were behind him. So, when Martin elected to sign with also-ran Ginn Racing on a part-time basis, it made a great deal of sense. Ginn Racing had a plan. Along with Sterling Marlin, 49, and Joe Nemechek, 43, Ginn would field veteran drivers who could make races while grooming younger talent.
That younger talent includes Regan Smith, who piloted Martin’s 01-car in his NASCAR debut this past Sunday, and Motocross star Ricky Carmichael, who Mark Martin mentored in a Super Late Model race at Lake City, Florida this past Saturday night. With the new arrangement, Martin received a rare perk – time off.
NASCAR’s 36-race schedule is perhaps the most grueling in sports. Between Daytona testing, the races, and public appearances, drivers live in a small bubble. Who could blame Martin for wanting some extra time for himself and his family at this stage in his career?
The plan was for Martin to run 20 races – including the first four events - and for his protégé, Regan Smith, to pilot the U.S. Army machine for the other 16 races. But there is one important fact that Martin and Ginn Racing were not expecting: that Mark Martin would be the leader of the NASCAR Nextel point standings heading into Bristol for Race #5.
Ginn (top) and Martin: lacking commitment towinning championships?
The Big Question last week was, “Will he, or won’t he?” Will Mark Martin and Ginn Racing alter their plans and go for the championship while they can? Nope. They sure won’t. Martin is sticking to his deal. A revised plan may have placed Regan Smith into one of the other Ginn cars while Martin pursued a spot in the Chase. But there is no need since Mark Martin insists on taking his time off. Martin’s stubborn logic has a hole in it. From one side of his mouth comes his stated desire to relax. Meanwhile, from the other side he’s discussing his desire for a possible full-time ride in 2008.
This is where NASCAR needed to step in and force the issue. They needed to sit down with Martin and car owner Bobby Ginn and say, “There are a lot of folks in the stands and at home watching these races. They need to know that trying to win a championship is important.”
Because if winning a championship is not that important to Mark Martin, then why should it be important to the rest of us?
The integrity of the sport is at stake here. This is why Ginn Racing and Mark Martin should be fined and/or docked points for their decisions.
THE REAL WINNER IS: Haas Motorsports. Both cars from the Haas Motorsports stable will automatically qualify for the Martinsville race by placing their cars in the Top-35 Owners Points standings. Johnny Sauter, one of the so-called “Go-or-Go” cars, failed to make the Bristol race, but still landed in the 35th, or final spot that guarantees entry into the following race. It’s been almost five years since teammate Jeff Green scored a Top-5 finish. He came close at Bristol with an outstanding sixth-place run. Green’s timing could not have been better as he secured an automatic berth for the Martinsville event. If Green had finished in the bottom eight at Bristol, he would have landed outside the Top-35.
Sauter (left) and Green are Martinsville-bound
THE REAL LOSER IS: Toyota. Seven cars for their inaugural season of NASCAR. All seven are outside the Top-35. Even the guys who made every race, Dave Blaney (36th) and Dale Jarrett (37th) are in a bad position. Jarrett has already used four of his six Champion’s Provisionals. A Matt Kenseth lovetap helped crush Jarrett’s car at Bristol and his hopes of remaining in the Top-35. The other five Toyota cars have gone 9-for-25 at qualifying for races while scoring an average of about 70 points per race, or about a 31st place finish. Well, Jack Roush, it looks like you’re winning the war.
A HEE-HAW SALUTE TO: Sterling Marlin, hometown Franklin, Tennessee – population,48,593. Marlin was the only “Go-or-Go” driver that managed to qualify his car for all five races this year. Coo-Coo would be so proud. SAAAAALLL-UUUUUUTTTEEE!!!
Marlin has been Sterling so far in 2007: 5-for-5
Because if winning a championship is not that important to Mark Martin, then why should it be important to the rest of us?
The integrity of the sport is at stake here. This is why Ginn Racing and Mark Martin should be fined and/or docked points for their decisions.
THE REAL WINNER IS: Haas Motorsports. Both cars from the Haas Motorsports stable will automatically qualify for the Martinsville race by placing their cars in the Top-35 Owners Points standings. Johnny Sauter, one of the so-called “Go-or-Go” cars, failed to make the Bristol race, but still landed in the 35th, or final spot that guarantees entry into the following race. It’s been almost five years since teammate Jeff Green scored a Top-5 finish. He came close at Bristol with an outstanding sixth-place run. Green’s timing could not have been better as he secured an automatic berth for the Martinsville event. If Green had finished in the bottom eight at Bristol, he would have landed outside the Top-35.
Sauter (left) and Green are Martinsville-bound
THE REAL LOSER IS: Toyota. Seven cars for their inaugural season of NASCAR. All seven are outside the Top-35. Even the guys who made every race, Dave Blaney (36th) and Dale Jarrett (37th) are in a bad position. Jarrett has already used four of his six Champion’s Provisionals. A Matt Kenseth lovetap helped crush Jarrett’s car at Bristol and his hopes of remaining in the Top-35. The other five Toyota cars have gone 9-for-25 at qualifying for races while scoring an average of about 70 points per race, or about a 31st place finish. Well, Jack Roush, it looks like you’re winning the war.
A HEE-HAW SALUTE TO: Sterling Marlin, hometown Franklin, Tennessee – population,48,593. Marlin was the only “Go-or-Go” driver that managed to qualify his car for all five races this year. Coo-Coo would be so proud. SAAAAALLL-UUUUUUTTTEEE!!!
Marlin has been Sterling so far in 2007: 5-for-5
32 comments:
penalize martin? what a dufuss you are
winning races is important, championship is secondary. the way nascar has screwed martin over the years, I'm only disappointed he didn't win daytona and quit right there
Mark Martin has never been given his due credit and after 20 years of giving himself 100% to the sport of NASCAR he deserves to do what he wants to do for a change.
Penalize him? What an idiot you must be in real life! Scott
what on earth are you smoking? They should be penalized for for doing what they both want to do?????????????? That has got to be the most idiotic comment i have ever heard
jyou should move to Russia if you believe the crap you wrote
Mark WAS docked points, he went from 1st to 7th in the standings. Leave Mark alone..
You must not be a true NASCAR Fan.
LEAVE MARTIN ALONG
Penalize Mark Martin and Ginn Racin? You must be out of your mind, nobody "has" to race in a Nascar race just because of their standings in the points. Mark Martin has earned the right to race when he wants and where he wants. This was the most idiotic column I have ever read in my life. Penalize Mark Martin... only a fool would say such a thing
I agree with the article, if he doesn't care about winning championships anymore and he's lost his will to compete weekly....he could become a risk on the track. NASCAR doesn't need a guy driving around on Sunday trying to come in second, like he did in Daytona.
Reggie
Well, I won't be moving to Russia. However, you may be happy to know that I will be moving to Brazil soon. But, hey, I can blog from there too !!!
Put the crack pipe down, back away and no one will get hurt.
I'm sure a lot of folks are happy to see Martin leave, amoung them, Gordon, Stewart and Harvick.
The guys who should have been penalized were the officials in the tower at Daytona who didn't enforce their own rules and throw the caution when cars were wrecking all across the racetrack. Then they throw the caution the next race for debris no one can find.
Fine and send them home for four weeks.
IMHO
While everybody is entitled to their own opinion, I find the idea of fining Mark Martin for not running a race to be totally stupid.
On the contrary - they should give him 5 points for not responding to the pressure from the media, NASCAR, and writers like you and doing what he has been saying all along - Take a break from full time racing and have some fun!
Awesome post Ressless...That's great stuff. But who should stop smoking crack? Me, or that "Reggie" guy?
What are you smokin? What do you do for a living...work for the democrates? Leave Mark alone.
What rubs me wrong about Mark Martin is his contention that he may run full-time next year. If you read between the lines, this is more about money than anything else. If he can run full-time next year then he can run now while he's first in points. Mark Martin is being selfish.
Leave Mark alone! Roush was giving him sub-par crap these last years, and was the reason why Mark was starting to doubt his abilities.
Mark has always been, and will always be a class act who is finally doing what he wants to do with his life and his career.
I say way to go, Mark!
You have got to be kidding me. It's about the money? If that were true, wouldn't Mark have held SOMEBODY up for big bucks this year? No, it's about the way too long schedule combined with the responsibilities to the sponsors. Mark cut that in half this year. He has said ALL ALONG he wanted to "recharge his batteries" this year, and was open to running a full season in 2008. NASCAR dictates enough of what goes on. When they start telling drivers/teams when they can or can't enter a race, I'm done.
I guess stupid is as stupid does. And being allowed to write on the internet is no guarantee of intelligence. This column is almost as smart as the NASCAR braintrust. I give you the Wednesday Award for the stupidest column of the year
Are you really that idiotic? This still is the USA and if the driver and car owner are in agreement to the arrangments then what is the problem? Maybe you should go work for Brian France because you both seem to be at the same level on the common sense chart!
As for the comment of we don't need someone running around to be second out there. What do we need a field full of AJ Allmendinger's, give me a break. Kudo's to Bobby Ginn for not pressuring Mark to run the entire schedule and in case you forgot, you only need to be in the top 12 in points to qualify for the chase, an Mark still qualifies and probably will be 14th or 15th in points after Marty. so a championship is within reach still if he desires it.
what part of "doing it his way" don't you understand??? he has more than earned the right to take a break and if he decides next year he wants to run the full seaon no one should stand in his way!!!!!!! P.S do you have anymore of whatever it was that you were on when you wrote this??????
A couple of comments on my article. A few posters have wondered, why punish Ginn Racing? For the same reason Ray Evernham and Buffy Waltrip got hit at Daytona. The penalties come in pairs - driver or crew chief plus owner. Also, the common criticism from readers is that Mark Martin can do what he wants...which misses my point. Sure, Mark can do whatever well he pleases. But his choice not to alter his course, which must have been available to him but not taken, undermines the most basic premise of NASCAR racing: It is the duty of each racer who is in a position to compete for the championship, to do so to the best of their abilities. By failing to race at Bristol, Mark Martin thumbed his nose at the sport and at the fans who pay to watch it.
Please allow me to re-phrase my previous statement...by choosing not to race at Bristol while leading the points standings, Mark Martin let the sport down. He's helped build NASCAR up...but this time he let it down.
All sport is entertainment, and does absolutely nothing to change the world, good or bad, so NASCAR championship, who cares? If Mark Martin can make a ton of money working part time, more power to him. He doesn't owe anyone anything.
By your rationale, one of the greatest drivers ever, David Pearson, also should have been fined and docked points. He raced for over 25 years but only ran a full schedule in four of those seasons. Incidentally, he won three championships and has a better winning percentage than Richard Petty. Sounds to me like he did things the way he wanted, which is what Martin is doing now that he is finished with the dork in the hat. Martin has given a ton to the sport and will continue to do so both on the track and behind the scenes.
I think an anology can be made here with Lance Armstrong and the Tour de France. While the general sporting public worshipped Armstrong for dominating cycling'g biggest event, the cycling world looked down on him for choosing to race in only one event a year, while most his rivals competed on the year-round circuit. Armstrong never won the cycling championship series because he never cared about it, nor did he care to go through the rigors of year-round competition. His choice. I think Martin is in a similar situation. If winning the championship isn't important to him, that's his choice. He is fair game to criticism (as was Armstrong) but official sanctions don't seem to fit here.
I'm just shocked anyone could think this was a rational idea. Mark Martin is not the first driver to run a partial schedule. So, Bill Elliott and Terry Labonte should have faced sanctions recently? Mark is not even the first points leader to skip a race. If we're going to penalize drivers who aren't taking the championship "seriously", then let's nail Schrader, Bliss, R. Gordon, anybody that's outside the top 20, I guess. They must not be trying.
What NASCAR rule was violated in taking the decision not to compete in the racing series individual event ? A points reduction or monetary fine would be levied as punishment for violating a sanctioning body rule. I could not support NASCAR punishing a competitor on an ad-hoc basis. Perhaps "NASCAR Needs a New Rule"
would be a better starting point for your arguement.
You make a fair point. What troubles me is that I think NASCAR should have pulled Mark aside and explained the importance of him being on the track competing. If David Stern, the NBA commissioner was incharge of this situation, there is almost no chance the points leader is not on the track for a race (when healthy). I think NASCAR and Mark messed up. Mark has a lot of respect and credibility and when he was making a poor choice nobody intervened properly to help explain to him why it was imperative for him to continue racing.
"What troubles me is that I think NASCAR should have pulled Mark aside and explained the importance of him being on the track competing."
yes, I see your point. then Mark could have pulled nascar aside and told them how important winning the championship was to him in 89 or Daytona this year
Geez, if you were around 34 years ago what you must of thought of David Pearson and the Wood Brothers winning 11 of the only 18 races they raced and not go for the title. Sorry, but Mark Martin owes nobody - not NASCAR, not Ginn, not Jack Roush, not the fans and certainly not you - a single thing. The man has earned the right to do whatever he pleases. I can assure you your comments would not have been voiced if it was Dale Earnhardt Sr. running a partial schedule and he chose to stick to his original plans - old Dale would be pulling you behind the woodshed for a 'little talk'.
Naw...I'd only be scared of Dale if he had a rifle in his hand.
James, thanks again for your excellent post. First of all, I was not aware of Pearson's awesome stats that you mentioned. Pearson is a little bit of a mystery figure in this sport. Second in all-time wins but during the pre-televised races era. I'd love to hear more stories if you got 'em.
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