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NASCAR WCUP: Mark Martin Quotes from Winston Preview

10 January 2001

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

Mark Martin, a new sponsor, Viagra for 2001, up to this point have you done any testing prior to Daytona.

No, we are going to test Monday and Tuesday. We have some other testing scheduled for the month of January. And the team, Jimmy and Sean and all they guys at Roush Racing have done like they do every winter, they try to make the very most of their time that they have had to prepare for 2001, pitstops, horse power, the engine shop, reliability, all that stuff has been addressed and we will find out in January and in early February how well we did with that. But we have already done some ad stuff for Pfizer and looking real forward to a relationship with Pfizer and having the opportunity at this point in my career I think its very important that I can reach so many people through NASCAR Racing. The visibility that we have to try to send out a message of health and of men's health and the importance of men over the age of 35 to see a doctor and have a health screening regularly. Looking forward to that.

Speaking of health, last year you were recovering from back surgery, now you are going into the season completely healthy, how much of a factor do you think that will work in your advantage.

I don't know if I am completely healthy or not. Might be slightly mentally ill and a few other things, but I was really excited when I came to this last year. I'd been laying on my back for about 8 weeks and I remember how I felt here last year. It's kind of hard to beat that. I was pretty excited to be here last year and pretty excited about getting back with my friends and my family. And you are all a part of that family. So I reflected on that when I came in here today. I am looking forward to the season and I'm looking forward like I said to a new as far as sponsor goes sending out a new message and doing something that is important to me and my career at this point and of course I'm always excited about winning races. And we won't know where we stand and all that til we get to the race track. We really don't know that much about it until after we get to the other racetracks past Daytona. Obviously, we're getting excited about Daytona and around the 125s we get all wound up like whoever's got the fast cars at Daytona. We have a great team and I have been so blessed with the opportunity to work with guys that are as loyal as Jack Roush, Jimmy Fennig and Sean. I have what I believe is a great race team. The best we have ever had. We'll see when we place it in competition exactly how it stacks up.

Do you feel more refreshed? Does that help your mental frame of mind?

I reflect back on last year and I have to say that it would be hard to beat. The way I felt when I dropped in here last year. Except I was still recovering from Back surgery, but obviously I think some of us could have used a little bit more of a break than what we've had. I feel like our race team could have used another month to prepare but that is what it is all about. Every race team has worked hard. You get tired of hearing say these guys have worked so hard. Believe me, we don't know. Our guys we may be working on the wrong stuff. We had a really exciting and competitive season last year and we're looking to this year to see what we have and no matter where we stand, will continue to evolve and continue to try to gain an advantage over the competition.

Mark, fourth year of the Taurus and the second year where there have not drastic changes made, do you feel this is going to give you a leg up heading toward Daytona?

I really don't think so. I mean I think we had a great racecar but I certainly think that the other competitors have great racecars as well. I think it's more in the hands of competitors. I think it's what you do with what you have. The balance is fairly close. To answer one more little piece of your question, not necessarily more refreshed do I feel from the break, but I certainly do feel different. And with racing with my son, I spent Dec. 26 thru New Year's Day, six days with my son.

A couple of times last year you seemed depressed about your Winston Cup career. So have these new missions, have they revitalized your feeling for Winston Cup Racing?

That is fairly accurate. I was depressed because I really have enjoyed being a championship contender for a dozen years straight. It was some sort of blow to me to not be. I was depressed a little bit about that. It was because I had six DNFs. Without those DNFs we could have contended with anyone except the 18. They really had a spectacular year in performance as well as consistency. I believe that we have a great team and a good opportunity to go out there and do what we have done in the past. I'm ready to go. We go to Daytona with no points, everybody is on the same level and we will get started. I realize the importance of what I do out on the racetrack. It's more important than winning every race.

Talk about changing the tire compound, making it harder. Putting more of the racing back in the hands of the driver.

I support that a 100% and I'm excited about what Goodyear's doing with the tires. My only desire would be that then NASCAR would come back and take some aerodynamics or down force away from the car. The more down force they take off these cars and the harder the tires they put on then, the crew chief or the driver will have a say in the outcome of these races. And I think we need to head in that direction. And another thing that I really want to comment on is that I'm excited also about NASCAR's decision with the schedule. I support that a 100%. And I would also like to go on the record and say that I also support the points system. When it all comes down to it, it's not as important who wins the Winston Cup championship, as it is if their fans were excited. If they are in the stands and watching TV, then that is really more important ultimately to all of us than who wins the championship. Usually the points race goes down to the last race and lot of times it goes down to the last lap or two. And that's really what it is all about. The system works very well in keeping a very competitive run for the Winston Cup championship. They could change it if they want to. They are smart people, they are smarter than I am, because they came up with that system and it has worked so well over the years. I think it works well.

Talk a little bit about Jimmy. Those of us who don't spend time with him on a daily basis like you do. It's not as he is going to win a "blabber mouth" award. He's not much of a talker, so when you and he really get together and go over stuff, just describe what that's like and what his assets are.

Oh, he talks to me. He just doesn't talk to you guys. He's a little bit bashful, but once he gets comfortable with somebody, he talks just about as much as anybody about racing. That's what he really likes to talk about. It is his whole life, that's all he cares about and that's why he's so good at it. He has devoted so many years of his life to that. He has no other interests and he has no interest of going anywhere else. He is so loyal. He stayed with the Bobby Allison team to the bitter, bitter end and he's that kind of guy. I'm real fortunate to be working with Jack Roush who is also extremely loyal. Between Jack and Jimmy and myself, I feel like we all have enormous respect for one another and we all have weaknesses and strengths. We try to help each other with our weaknesses and we try to help each other with our strengths. I think it works real well. Jimmy is not a show boater. He's never cared anything about being noticed. He races for that feeling of winning. He would not care if his name was never mentioned by you guys. It wouldn't matter to him as long he got to experience the win. That's the most important thing to him, and that makes him a hero in my eyes. He can't stand it when it's not good. He takes it probably harder than I do and it's hard to find somebody that takes a whooping worse than me.

Mark, I apologize for being a little late and I know you have probably already answered this, talk a little bit about your excitement for this 2001 season and starting it off in Daytona.

Well, I am looking forward to 2001. I can't wait to find out how all our work and our testing stacks up against everybody else. Everybody throughout the winter works as hard as they can and does as much as they can, but you never really know until you start putting it in competition exactly where it stacks up. I know that Jimmy has put a lot of emphasis on the things that are really important as far as the performance of the car and I can't wait to see it in action. I look forward to it.

Mark, you mentioned earlier you talked a little bit about getting worn down last season and then you mentioned too being excited about the two new races. What is going to be some of the changes in your routine and the routine for the team to try to help folks not get worn down this season since you are losing two weekends.

Well, we expanded our team by a couple of members. You will have to check with Jimmy on his exact plan for the road crew and the shop crew on how he is going to manage it so they can make it through the season without getting burned out completely. Trying to have more cars built going into this season this year than ever before feels good. We have never really had an arsenal of cars when we left to go to Daytona, we usually kind of built as we went and Jimmy and the guys have got cars lined up this year. So hopefully that won't quite be as bad a thrash, especially if we really hit the mark on the cars the way we build them. We are going to have to think about our schedule and what we do. We may have to cut a few things out that we would really like to do or normally do. Either concerning the race team or concerning my own personal schedule to make things that I have to say no to, that I haven't before. So, we're going to do everything we can possibly do, but we do have a 20 week straight racing schedule there and that means for some of our race team, seven days a week for 20 weeks. Not for everyone, but some of them like Jimmy Fennig, he just won't hardly take a day off. You know that may mean almost 20 weeks without a day or two off? We're just going to have to do it. Toughen up. You know that's what the rest of them are going to do. All of the teams are going do that. We've got to be right there too.

Do you look positively at these extra two races, because you just want to race more or is it because these two tracks happen to be laid out so where Mark Martin does well.

Well that's one big part of it. The other part is that our markets are important for our sponsors. This is big and it's big business. And for our sponsors and for our teams and for marketing, for our fans, this is important. A lot of these fans will be able to go to these races that won't travel to Daytona or Talladega or something like that. It's too far from them. So it will open it up for a lot of fans from my home. From Arkansas, Missouri to go to Kansas City. I know it will be full of fans that watch me race on a weekly basis in 1977 and '78. I think that that's really good in Chicago. We've got to have it. It's perfect for the health of the Winston Cup Series, additional races. I wasn't crazy about that, but yes the two new added races were a must. They're really positive for our series.

Text Provided By Marie Mason

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