stand-in for that smiley-face guy on the Enzyte commercials. He's that
happy. And I mean all the time.Why? Don't know. Don't care. Because, man, is it refreshing.
This is the guy who, for the past several years, harped incessantly on the grim prospects that he'd ever again go to Victory Lane. That's right, ever.
Now he doesn't so much as bat an eye at the notion of running the table. (Excluding Talladega, maybe. Though Mark is quick to point out that he's posted a pair of sixth-place finishes on plate tracks this year).
This is the guy who used to detest the media, run like hell and sometimes even hide at times when we showed up. And if we did manage to corner him, he'd often respond in a surly, annoyed fashion.
These days he's lounging gleefully behind his transporter in a director's chair, welcoming all comers with insightful, poignant analysis and even commending reporters when he feels they've asked a thoughtful question. Example:
Q: How much is patience and savvy going to come into play these last 10 races compared to last year?
A: "That's a good question, and it's a tough question to answer because if I give you the answer you might like to hear, which is, 'It's very important,' but I don't have the rest of the tools to work with, then it doesn't help enough. But if you've got equal tools and have an equal opportunity, then it could make a considerable difference.
"But the biggest variable is the tools that are in your hands to work with. If your car is just not up for the performance, then all the smart savvy in the world won't carry you far enough. It can help you, but it just can't fix that."
Agreed. It's like I've always said: Not even Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart could win in Morgan McClure equipment. These days, all the experience and talent in the world get you nowhere without competitive equipment to mobilize them.
That's how Mark felt last year. He didn't have a chance. His cars were slow, outdated. He finished a career-worst 17th in the championship standings. Some thought he was done.
That's one reason he's falling all over himself this year. He's competitive again, and with that comes the heightened feeling of respect from his peers. Mark is undeniably the sentimental favorite in the Chase for the Nextel Cup.
"I've already received the biggest trophy that any man can receive, and that's from people that I had to beat," Mark said. "It's not easy to pull for somebody that beats you occasionally or on a regular basis -- owners, drivers and all that -- but they've shown some support toward me and they did in 2002, but even more this time. It's nice."
Obviously. Mark was so laid back at New Hampshire, he even answered questions from fans that'd inched their way into a media scrum in the garage area. More often than not, such sessions are abruptly terminated the moment fans integrate themselves.
Mark not only tolerated it, he seemed to enjoy it, even when the most forbidden of topics sprung up: retirement. He's not ready for the rocking chair just yet. Matter of fact, the way he's running right now it should be the furthest thing from his mind.
"I know for a fact that we can contend to win half -- half of them (races) and that's a lot," Mark said. "Half is a lot and before we ever made the Chase, I believed that we could win some races in the last 10 based on where we go -- how much I love Dover; how much I love Charlotte; how much I love Atlanta; how much I like Darlington; how we ran at Chicago and Kansas is just about like Chicago.
"It looks good. I've run good in the past at Phoenix, so we could go out there and run good or not, but I have confidence that we can go and hold our own at Phoenix. We have three killer racecars sitting in the shop, which is more than I've had since 1998 - race cars that I really like. We're ready."
This is the guy who used to complain about NASCAR's commercialization trend. Now he's strutting his stuff on "Live with Regis & Kelly", grinning that grin, modeling a hooded sweatshirt befitting Eminem. Some of his peers were not so amused.
"I didn't keep (the outfit), but I didn't hate it nearly as much as Matt (Kenseth) hated his," Mark chuckled. "Tony (Stewart) looked fine -- he was all puffed up about it, but he looked fine in that sweater. I asked him if that was a ladies sweater, but I was messing with him. "Jeremy (Mayfield) wouldn't wear (a sweater). He carried it over his shoulder out there.
"I didn't look good at all, but I didn't look bad, so I was real impressed. When I got my stuff on I looked and said, 'Man, that's not bad. I'm OK.' Then Jeremy was whining, and he got the coordinator and she said, 'Why don't you trade with Jeremy? Jeremy can wear yours.' I said, 'No! I look good!'"
Remember, folks. This is Mark we're talking about.
This is Mark on the set of MTV's teenybopper phenomenon Total Request Live, relishing the fact that he's the self-proclaimed "oldest guy ever on TRL," yet knows more about popular music than most of those chasing the Cup with him. (He's proud to note that the top 20 video countdown is a staple of his legendary early-morning workout regimen).
In the past, such appearances would have been an annoyance. Not this year.
"It was nice to be included. The nice thing about it, really, especially (last Thursday), is that they treated us all equally," Mark said. "In other words, Jeremy (Mayfield), Ryan (Newman) and myself got almost equal billing to Junior and Jeff Gordon, which is very uncommon.
"So it was an enjoyable day in that respect and that may be pretty unique. After a couple of races that may not happen again, so I enjoyed that. I enjoyed all of us being treated equally on the hype and the excitement."
Maybe even as much as we enjoy that he enjoys it.
