and run a full Nextel Cup schedule this season. He reiterated this
morning his plans to sit out the March 25 race at Bristol Motor
Speedway.After that, however, Mark did not discount the possibility of adding more races to the 23 he currently has planned. Regan Smith will drive the remaining races in the No. 01 Ginn Racing Chevrolet.
Mark's success in the season's first two races - which has put him atop the Nextel Cup point standings - led to speculation that team owner Bobby Ginn would ask Mark to run a full schedule to compete for a spot in the Chase For The Nextel Cup.
Mark said Ginn first mentioned the idea the evening of March 8.
"He said, 'You know Mark, a deal's a deal,'" Mark said. "And I said, 'I know.'"
Mark maintained that after two decades running a full-time NASCAR Cup schedule, he's ready to take a break, no matter where he is in the standings.
"I'm past chasing [the championship]," Mark said. "I've been chasing that Cup for 20 years, and at this point in time, I've put that chase behind me. ... Just because we did well in the first two races, why change it?"
However, Mark said that he has no idea how he'll react when he watches the Bristol race on TV. Will he feel an urge to get back in the car? Or will he be happy to have sat out the first of several races this year?
When asked if he might consider adding more races to his schedule, Mark said, "Yeah."
But Mark questioned why he'd want to do that, given he's "not running for the championship."
Plus, he is eager to finally have some free time.
"It's about claiming a portion of my life that I haven't been able to have since I was 15," Mark said.
Still, Mark said he'll know more about his future come March 25.
"After Bristol, I'll know a lot more," Mark said. "But I don't expect to have a change of heart."
