Mark, I understand there is some breaking news with regard to a sponsor announcement.
MARK MARTIN: Carquest has signed up to come back as a major sponsor on a number of races and a major associate for ‘10 and ‘11. I’m pretty excited about working with them again. It’s been an awesome relationship so far this year that we’ve had. I really enjoy all the Carquest
Q. Mark, even though you whittled it down to a 73-point lead, do you still feel like you have a big mountain to overcome knowing how the 48 performs when it seems to matter most?
MARK MARTIN: Well, NASCAR racing’s no different today than it was 30 years ago in this respect. If there are no problems and you have the two top-five performing teams, then there won’t be any major shift if nothing goes wrong, okay? I mean, I hope that answers your question. There won’t be any major shift in our points unless things go wrong.
You know, we turned upside down at Talladega. Had I managed not to be involved in that wreck, you know, then the race would be on and it would be basically down to who scored the most points in the last two races, right down to performance.
But this is the same as it’s always been. There are a lot more than just flat-out performance week in and week out to it.
Q. Racing two of your teammates for a championship, you have crew guys that work on both cars, how do you keep an even keel, how does the team maintain its relationships with each other, not be so competitive that it’s toxic and destructive?
MARK MARTIN: Well, it’s certainly not been toxic at all. I have noticed very little difference, very, very little difference in our interaction from the drivers and the crew chiefs as well. We’re still working hard to make our four Hendrick Motorsports cars the four cars to beat when we’re off the racetrack. When we’re on the racetrack, we’re working to make our car, whichever one we’re in and we’re associated and worked on, the car to beat.
Q. A lot has been made of what you’ve been able to accomplish this year at age 50. Tonight Ron Hornaday has a chance to clinch his fourth Truck Series title at age 51. I wanted your impressions of that accomplishment and wonder if you ever spoke to Ron in the garage or had contact with him, that sort of thing?
MARK MARTIN: Yeah, Ron and I had a chance to speak at Martinsville. Obviously both of us are, you know, proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish this year, as well as a number of other drivers that are in our age bracket.
Q. I guess you look at the guys who make up the Chase, so many of them from Hendrick Motorsports or have ties to Hendrick. Looks like Hendrick Motorsports is going to be a champion again. Why is that operation so good when we got like Roush and the other teams that are kind of struggling? What makes Hendrick Motorsports so good?
MARK MARTIN: I think it has a lot to do with, you know, the people and how they all interact together. You know, we talk a lot about team chemistry, ‘team’ being the 5 or the 48. But, you know, you can go into a broader scale, you know, when you talk about Hendrick Motorsports and four cars, and that team chemistry as well that encompasses the whole program.
There’s a little bit of Rick Hendrick in every person that works at Hendrick Motorsports. You know, when I deal with them, I see a little bit of Rick Hendrick in each one of ‘em. It just works. You know, it’s the mentality and the chemistry of everyone that seems to get incredible results.
Q. Next week when the checkered flag drops at Miami, are you going to be able to look back and go, Wow, this is one of the years I’ve had the most fun driving, and after a week off be ready to start 2010?
MARK MARTIN: Yes. I’m going to look at 2009, I may not have the best memory in the world, but I’m going to look at 2009 and say I’ve had the best year of my life personally as well as professionally. This has been the best year of my life. You know, I found so much peace and happiness and good-quality time with people, relationships, family, coworkers, fans, competitors, as well as success on the racetrack.
Q. Media?
MARK MARTIN: You guys, too (smiling).
Q. Mark, having had almost a week now to look back at it, how shocked were you that the 48 actually had the troubles they had at Texas? He was just in here saying he doesn’t expect lightning to strike twice. I’m wondering your thoughts on that also.
MARK MARTIN: That’s what I said at Talladega: I don’t expect lightning to strike twice. But for me it did, so… Sometimes the unexpected happens. But I don’t expect it to either. I’m still optimistic, even when it comes to their, you know, efforts as well.
The thing you have to remember is, you know, my focus is on the race at Phoenix, it’s not on the point accumulation. The point accumulation will take care of itself if I focus on the race and do our very best, so…
Q. If you can’t win this championship and Jimmie does win four in a row, can you put that into perspective? Is that going to be bigger than Petty winning seven, Earnhardt winning seven, some of the other major accomplishment in the sport’s history?
MARK MARTIN: I think when you look back on it, it will. I think everyone has it tempered some. I don’t think that they really realize that they’re getting their brains beat in by that group like they really are in today’s age. I think when we get down 10, 20 years down the road and look back, people will realize what an incredible feat that they have achieved. Golly, who would expect that to discontinue anytime soon based on what you see. Incredible, incredible stuff that they’re doing and have done. So I wouldn’t expect them to be done at the end of ‘09.
Q. Mark, can you put on your track owner hat and talk about how important tracks like yours are to the grass-roots of motorsports in general and the effect of having tracks like yours in that area help to benefit Homestead and Daytona in the bigger picture?
MARK MARTIN: What track are you talking about?
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