Serious Mark Martin question?

May be...

Mark actually said he though long and hard about it. he said if he doesn't take the opportunity to race for one last chance at a championship, then then he would wonder about it for the rest of his life. I think he could handle it if he doesn't still have the ability to do it, but not if he doesn't win a cup in his life because he doesn't try. This season, he has started 13 races, had 2 top five finishes, and 6 top tens. Kevin Harvick has 2 top fives and and 5 top tens and is currently in 13th in the standings on 18 races, so Martin would probably be a contender for the Chase if he had only run the other 5 races, if he had only finished in the top 25 in those 5 races. Not to mention, he has said he feels alot younger now than he did a few years ago. As much as alot of people hate HMS, they Have some great cars, and that is something that Martin has never Really had in his career. I will be excited to see him give it his last shot, even though i'd prefer to see him in a JGR toyota. I also believe you'll see a little bit more an aggressive Martin, since he will know its his last chance.
I seriously expect him to make the chase for the cup, and probably finish in the top 5 in the standings. And a top 5 finish in the series is in no way tarnishing anyones legacy.

interesting point. i think mark is he's own person. and if he thought he was making a mistake, then he wouldn't have done it.

he does his best to stay in the race

First let me say, I admire Mark Martin, and his career. But lets take a look at this objectively. Mark Martin is 49 years old, he has not won a race since Kansas 2005. I know there is a lot of hype with him in the 5 car, but could he be making a mistake, that would damage his legacy? Look at the last few years of Rusty Wallace, Darrel Waltrip, Dale Jarret, and even the King Richard Petty. Aside from Rusty making the chase (although winless), all these guys struggled and many would say they held on too long. What if the schedule is too much, and Martin is just an "also ran" the entire 2009 season? Doesn't he have enough money? Someone would split a ride with him to run a partial. Martin has always been a "play it safe" driver, but has anyone noticed how far that goes with him now? Again, I like Martin, but is he making a mistake?

He's a good guy, but he got all of his wins from Roush. Whether or not he's good with HMS, that 5 car could be left for a young gun who needs a shot. The Mark Martin era is over, and he will never be the same Mark Martin as he was with Roush Fenway. I say we should get Brad keselowski or Jason Leffler or some Nationwide driver in the 5, not a semi-retired 49-year-old who can only be great if he's in a Ford.

PS. I am a fan of Mark Martin, but yes, he's making a mistake.

He's not making a mistake. Racing is what he does. If he wants to put a ton of effort into one more season he should go for it. He's good enough and HMS has better cars than he's been driving. Even if he only wins one race, he will make a better contribution to the team and be of better support to the #24, #48, & the #88. So basically it's a good thing. I would rather see Mark get a decent chance and "wring the life outta him", than to see him retire. He can retire in 2010. That's a pretty fair compromise. don't you think?

yes he already "retired" he should get out and leave the driving to the young guns who are winning. I cant believe Rick Hendrick let Kyle go and made the mistake of putting Casey Mears in and now Mark Martin?? Wake up Rick. Should have put Truex in the car for next yr. He and jr work good together.

I say "Let them race until they become a danger to themselves and to the other drivers". I think he has a few more years to go......and so did Dale Jarrett and Jimmie Spencer.....but that's another subject.