Roush Racing team owner Jack Roush confirmed Thursday he has asked Mark if
he would remain with the No. 6 Ford team one more year should new driver
Jamie McMurray be unable to join the team until 2007."I made my appeal to Mark, I asked him if he would make an encore performance for one more year to help me keep this team together," Roush said.
"He thought about it and had a conversation with his wife, Arlene, and his son, Matt, who were expecting to spend more time with their husband and dad. He told me the next day they were OK with it. He said, 'I hope you don't need me, but I'll do it if you need me.' "
Roush is concerned the No. 6 team might not remain intact should a one-year fill-in driver be used in the car before McMurray can take over. Mark offers the best chance to prevent that and keep the new sponsor happy, Roush said.
McMurray's current owner, Chip Ganassi, has until September to exercise an additional year's option on McMurray's current contract. Roush said he spoke with Ganassi Sunday and that Ganassi indicated he planned to keep McMurray in 2006.
Mark was not as certain sounding about the 2006 possibility as Roush, but admitted when all was said and done, he wanted "to hand the No. 6 car to Jamie McMurray."
"I didn't realize doing that might require me to drive another year. It may, but I don't know," Mark said. "What is important to me is to continue the Truck series program. I have to keep moving forward on that and it could be September before we are sure (about McMurray).
"I got to try to make this Chase. Once I make the Chase, I got to try to win this championship and that's a tall order because I haven't been running as well as (Greg) Biffle and (Jimmie Johnson)."
Mark is currently sixth in points, with five top-five and nine top-10 finishes. The top 10 in points, plus any drivers within 400 points of the leader, qualify for the Chase for the Nextel Cup.
"I'm real proud of this organization, I've been part of it for 18 years since Day One and I don't want to let them down," Mark said.
"I'll be honest with you, I want to get going on my new chapter, because you never know. There are things in life that I really want to do and haven't gotten to do yet. I have to get started on those."
