"Pain-free, NASCAR'S Martin Now Back On Track,"
Following is a transcript of that interview.
"Instead of sitting behind the wheel of his red, white and blue racing machine last December, testing for the 2000 Winston Cup season, veteran driver Mark was in a different position. He was flat on his back.
More than two years of back pain (pain that often forced the muscular little guy to be lifted into his familiar No. 6 car) had finally convinced Mark that surgery was necessary. So just hours after his Roush Racing teammates had rolled his Ford Taurus into the garage, Mark went under the knife.
Perhaps appropriately, Mark won the Goody's Body Pain 500 in Martinsville, Va., on April 9. It was his first Winston Cup victory since last September. Sports Spectrum's Rob Bentz caught up with the popular driver and asked him about his surgery, his hunt for a Winston Cup title and much more."
Sports Spectrum:
Mark, your offseason was very different -- no working out, no testing. Tell us about your back surgery and how you spent those months.
Mark:
As soon as the last race was over in Atlanta, I flew home that night. I went into the hospital at 5:30 the next morning. At 7:00, I was having spinal fusion. They removed two of my discs and fused them (the vertebrae) together. Then I spent five weeks, 22 hours a day, basically lying down, letting the bone grow in and fuse. It was quite an experience. Now I've got no pain. I'm feeling fantastic and I'm strong. My stamina is back. I'm working out with weights again, five days a week.
SS:
You're a pretty feisty guy. Was it difficult for you to lie flat on your back 22 hours a day?
Mark:
It was a little bit. I said a few prayers, hoping that I had made the right decision to have the surgery. It has 100 percent totally eliminated the pain I was going through for a couple of years. It was something I needed to do. In order to be ready for Daytona in February, the doctor's orders were that I could get up for 20 minutes, five times a day. That included standing or sitting. That was it. And if I didn't do that, I'd have pain. Whenever I would have pain, it was impeding the healing process, which meant I might not be ready in February. So it was hard, but then it wasn't hard because it was something that had to be done. Just like on the racecar, when there's something broke you have to repair it. This was the same thing.
SS:
Working out has been a part of your routine for a long time. Was it difficult knowing that over the past few years you had worked so hard to stay in top shape, and yet you ran into all the physical difficulties with your back?
Mark:
Well, it really was. One of the biggest things that crushed me about the whole thing was what your body does when it lies down 22 hours a day for five weeks. That's the negative side. The positive side was that my recovery has been absolutely astonishing to my doctors. It's been way ahead of schedule. I was back lifting pretty heavy weights already in February. And all of that was due to the (physically fit) lifestyle that I lived prior to the surgery. But it definitely was a heartbreaker for me to have to take the physical setback and the strength setback.
SS:
Was it tough to climb into the Ford Taurus during the past two seasons, knowing that 500 miles later your back was going to be aching?
Mark:
Not really. My back didn't hurt when I drove the racecar. It was very uncomfortable getting in and out of the car, but racing the car was not a problem. That's one of the reasons I opted to forgo the surgery at the end of the 1998 season. It didn't bother me while I raced, and we didn't want to do something that would put me in the position where it did bother me when I raced. So we held off another year for the surgery and became convinced that it was something we had to do.
SS:
What was going through your mind during that "down" time when you were on your back 22 hours a day?
Mark:
I don't know what was going through my mind. The only thing that really got me through the days was my faith in God. We did the surgery and then found out how bad recovery was. I didn't ask what the recovery was going to be prior to the surgery. It was more difficult than I expected. I was still able to get my notebook pad, my address book and my portable phone out and take care of a lot of business. It was still a very, very busy December and January. Scheduling and planning the last half of January was incredible. Starting on January 10, I allowed myself to get up, start shooting commercials and doing appearances. Then I had a mountain of work to do every day until Speedweek. I don't know exactly how I did it, I just did it.
SS:
Did you ever get to the point where you asked God, "Hey, what's going on here? Where are You in this tough situation?"
Mark:
Not in that way. I viewed it as a mechanical thing. It was something that had worn out and needed to be repaired. I never felt like "poor me."
SS:
After coming so close to winning that Winston Cup title in recent years, do you put a great deal of pressure on yourself to win the title this season?
Mark:
It's the same this year as it was in 1975, the second year I raced. After finding out that I could be successful winning races -- you expect it from yourself. And I expect to be a contender again this year. I've always been successful in my racing endeavors -- but never as successful as what I would like. Never completely satisfied. I accept the results for what they are, and I expect the maximum in effort from myself and from my whole Valvoline team. If we put out a spectacular effort and have a disappointing result, that's something that we have to accept as God's will.
SS:
How do you handle the frustrations of winning consistently, yet not winning the overall Winston Cup title?
Mark:
It hasn't bothered me that much that I haven't won the Winston Cup title. I think that my competitors respect me the same whether I win a title or not. I've been a firm competitor and tried to do the right thing in my life. I've tried to set the right kind of example and be the man my father raised. Someone my father could have been proud of.
SS:
What is your definition of success on and off the racetrack?
Mark:
I don't know if I have a definition. I don't expect a particular trophy in life that means I was successful -- and if I don't get that trophy I wasn't. I think you do your best and try to put out the maximum effort. Then I believe in accepting the results.
You should really put forth an all-out effort. You should try to live your life as a good solid person, an honest person -- the kinds of things that are laid out in the Bible.
If you read the Bible, you have a handbook. I feel that I have a handbook for what a man is supposed to be. And I do my best every day to try to get closer to that. I'm a long way from that, but I do my best every day to try to get a little closer to it. All I can do as a person is try to keep polishing on it.
SS:
The popularity of NASCAR continues to grow. How has the sport's growth affected your life?
Mark:
The growth has dramatically affected my family and me. The popularity of the sport has made it much more lucrative, and it makes for celebrity status 24 hours a day. You're never able to hide from the popularity and the visibility of the sport. So you pay a price for that.
At the same time, it has enabled me to reach thousands of people and hopefully affect them in a positive way. I hope I've enriched some people's lives along the way and inspired some folks. Those are the kinds of things you can't do when you don't have the visibility and popularity of NASCAR racing. So there's pros and cons to the growth. The more successful you are, the more demands there are -- and the more opportunities you have to reach people. So there's a whole lot that goes with it. A lot more than just driving a racecar.
SS:
While NASCAR continues to grow in popularity, the Christian element on the series also continues to grow. What are your thoughts on the growing Christian presence on the Winston Cup circuit?
Mark:
Max Helton (Motor Racing Outreach chapel leader). I sort of parallel him to some of the great racecar drivers and the great team owners in racing. He has embarked on a very ambitious and very enthusiastic endeavor to spread God's Word. He is as successful and as enthusiastic about what he does as anybody in car racing.
I respect Max and what he's been able to build with Motor Racing Outreach. It's just a tremendous opportunity for people who spend all their time at racetracks and don't have the opportunity to practice Christian (church) fellowship. And I think that's one of the most important things we do in MRO. The Christian fellowship is as important and as encouraging as studying the Bible or having the chapel services.
SS:
How has the ministry of Motor Racing Outreach affected your life?
Mark:
It's made it possible for me to be what I would call a practicing Christian, rather than a Christian who's out there in limbo or in neutral. MRO has made it possible for us to have church and have Bible studies and have Christian fellowship.
The people you hang around with have an impact on what you are like, and what you act like. When you can surround yourself with other good Christians, then you tend to be stronger yourself.
SS:
Mark, many athletes don't like to talk about the concept of fear. Is fear something that affects you when you get behind the wheel?
Mark:
You hope that the fear you have makes you be a better racecar driver. I'm afraid of tearing up my car if I have a good one. It's a concern of mine all the time. I'm rarely afraid that I'm going to tear myself up. But I'm certainly not going to be as successful as I could be if I wreck my car and tear it up. Because the next one's probably not gonna be quite as good as the first one.
One of the reasons there are so many Christians involved in motor sports versus some other sports is that we deal with risk. The risk factor is a little bit higher in our sport than some sports. We understand that. And I personally want to be prepared.
One of the more important things in my life today is knowing that I have eternal life. That's something that is important to me, and was a relief to me when I became secure with that.
SS:
Let's wrap things up with your thoughts on this season. Who can fans expect to see in the winner's circle?
Mark:
Well, I think the same guys as in 1999. Jeff Burton, Bobby Labonte, Jeff Gordon, Dale Jarrett -- some of those same guys you saw last year. Ricky Rudd is also in a great car this year.
SS:
And that Valvoline No. 6 car?
Mark:
We'll be very competitive throughout the season.
