The Cool Down Lap: It’s time to shut up and let Mark Martin drive

By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

(August 9, 2010)

Once and for all, it’s time to lay off Mark Martin.

Recent, apparently credible reports that put Kasey Kahne in a Red Bull car for 2011 should put to rest any notion that Martin won’t drive the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet next year.

Accordingly, it’s time for everyone to shut up and allow Martin, who is locked in a fierce battle with Clint Bowyer for the final position in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, to make the most of his opportunity.

In the maelstrom of speculation that has surrounded the No. 5 ride since the leaking of Kahne’s plans in April, Martin has been the only clear, absolutely consistent voice in the equation.

On the same day that Kahne’s signing with Hendrick was announced at Texas in April, Martin was asked pointedly if he would be driving the No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet in 2011.

“Of course,” Martin replied.

Though more than a half-dozen scenarios to the contrary have worked their way through the media and the garage since then, Martin has remained steadfast. At Michigan in June, Martin reiterated, “I’ve made it clear that I’m going to be driving the No. 5 car next year.”

At Indianapolis in July, ESPN analyst Ray Evernham suggested Martin would step aside for the good of the organization.

“In my opinion, listening to everything that’s going on, I think you’ll see Mark at some point realize that Rick Hendrick’s been very good to him, and they’ve had good success together, and probably the best thing for Hendrick Motorsports is for Mark to make room for Kasey Kahne to come over there,” Evernham said.

Understandably, Martin bristled at Evernham’s suggestion.

“I’m going to do what I want to do (after 2011), but for now I’m going to drive the 5 car,” Martin said. “That’s what I’m going to do in 2011. That’s what I’ve said all along, and I felt very disrespected when the media doesn’t accept that. What that means is that you made me look like I am about to get fired.”

Two days later, on the grid at Indy, team owner Rick Hendrick left some wiggle room in his characterization of Martin’s status.

Asked whether there was any way Martin would not be in the No. 5 car in 2011, Hendrick replied, “I can’t tell you that because I don’t know. … But right now it’s his seat and it’s his call.”

By now, it should be obvious that Martin has made the call. Rather than leave open the possibility of a different option, it’s time for Hendrick to back his driver unequivocally.

It’s not Martin’s fault that the news of Kahne’s signing leaked when it did. That came from Kahne’s side of the fence, and it deprived Hendrick of maneuvering room.

You’ll recall, amid rumors in 2007 that Dale Earnhardt Jr. was coming to Hendrick Motorsports, the team owner coyly said, “There’s no room at the inn.” Behind the scenes, however, Hendrick worked his magic, and—voila!—Kyle Busch was out and Junior was in for 2008.

This time, however, the inn is indeed full.

The early break of the Kahne story was accompanied by a number of black-and-white assertions, among them: 1) Martin would drive the No. 5 through 2011, with Kahne taking over in 2012; 2) Hendrick nevertheless had Kahne under contract for 2011 and was obligated to find a suitable ride for him next year; 3) Kahne would drive a Chevrolet next year.

At this point, placing Kahne under a one-year deal at Red Bull is the most face-saving option available to Hendrick. Under that scenario, Martin will drive the No. 5 next year, and Hendrick has found a suitable ride for Kahne next year, as he said he would.

At Sonoma in June, Hendrick acknowledged the possibility that Kahne might drive something other than a Chevy next year, though he hoped that wouldn’t be the case. According to Foxsports.com, however, a switch to Chevrolet may be part of the Kahne-to-Red Bull deal. Red Bull fields Toyotas in the Cup series and has a year left on its contract with the manufacturer.

No, Kahne can’t remain under contract to Hendrick while he drives for another team. NASCAR has made that abundantly clear to Hendrick and other owners who questioned whether having five top drivers under contract violated the spirit of the sanctioning body’s four-car limit.

That’s not to say there weren’t other options discussed—either with or about Martin—that would have put Kahne in the No. 5 a year early. There’s plenty of evidence to suggest Hendrick explored some of the other avenues that surfaced as rumor in the garage.

Now that the status of both drivers apparently is settled, however, it’s time to free Martin from the distractions of a mess that wasn’t of his making and give him the best chance to nail down a spot in the Chase.

It’s also time to set aside the notion that Martin somehow isn’t doing the right thing by expecting a contract signed willingly by both men to be honored. Martin signed on for three years and he delivered a second-place finish in the Cup series in 2010, his first season with HMS.

This year, he’s fighting for a spot in the Chase, and he deserves to do so with a clear head and the confidence that his entire organization is behind him.

So let’s shut up, and let the guy drive. He deserves no less.