Mark Martin is a decidedly different individual than the
man who fought Jeff Gordon tooth-and-nail for the
NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship three years
ago.Back then, Roush Racing was at the apex of the Winston Cup landscape and Mark frequented Victory Lane an average of once every five weeks. Winning had become the only acceptable outcome. Winning was the mean and not the extreme.
No more.
In today’s NASCAR -- now more than ever -- parity reigns supreme. Winning is a rare treasure, one coveted by all, but realized by few.
“A win is important. No matter if you've had 10, another win is always important,” Mark said. “No matter if it was seven years, like it was for Bill (Elliott), or a couple of races. That's what we all work for and that's what we all do.
“Sometimes you forget, when you've had a run of a lot of really good fortune, just how special even being a contender really is. That's what we work for.
"It's important to everybody -- not just any one thing or not just because there are two races left. It's a big deal. These things are hard to win.”
Don’t believe him? From 1993 to 1998, Mark won 22 races in 188 starts, an average of one win every 8.5 events. Since 1999, he’s won just three times, his last trip to Victory Lane coming 19 months ago at Martinsville.
This has been a difficult year for all involved at Roush Racing, but prospects are much higher of late. Mark posted four-straight top-10s at Kansas, Charlotte, Marksville and Talladega.
Jeff Burton has been downright stellar, posting five top-fives in the past six weeks, including a win at Phoenix, to secure a top-10 position in the point standings.
Mark, meanwhile, has yet to fare better than fourth in 2001, but that could change this weekend. He’ll roll off second when the NAPA gets under way Sunday at 12:30 p.m. ET.
Mark doesn’t feel like his team is a contender just yet, but it's on the way back.
"I don't think we're ready to consistently place forward top-five qualifying and finishes (right now), but I think we're a lot closer than we were six months ago to doing that,” Mark said. “Have we arrived where we want to be? No, I don't think so.
“But we certainly have made significant progress and that's very hard to do in this sport right now.”
