Thank You for Not Sharing.
Written by Tiffany Ricardo · July 5, 2008
Yesterday, Hendrick Motorsports announced that Mark Martin will run the full schedule in the #5 car in 2009, and again part-time in 2010. No surprises there, although Hendrick and Martin say they can’t figure out how the story broke so quickly as most of the deal was done through text messages.
What was uncertain, though, was how and if Brad Keselowski would fit into the new format. It was speculated early on that, since Martin had shared a ride this year at DEI with Aric Almirola, he would consider the same arrangement at Hendrick Motorsports.
As it turns out, there was no mention of Keselowski for ‘09. Perhaps Brad is in the plans for 2010, since Martin has already said that year will be a partial schedule only for him. Thank goodness there is a season between now and ‘10. This ride sharing phenomenon, to put it mildly, stinks.
Mark Martin has one more shot to run for a championship. He has joined a team that has seven championships under its belt. I think his chances are good, especially since his full focus will be back as he returns full time. At DEI, it was fairly evident that none of its three teams would be running for the championship, so why run tracks he has openly admitted to not enjoying? Leave that to the new kid.
While sharing a ride with a veteran like Mark Martin may be a good way to break a rookie into Sprint Cup racing, I think it really takes away from the team, and also from the rookie. The crew has to constantly adapt to different drivers, and who can expect casual fans to keep up with who is in the car from week to week? Plus, how is a new driver going to get experience when he runs so few tracks? I’m an all-or-nothing kind of person, and I say one car, one driver in Sprint Cup. Good luck enforcing that in the Nationwide Series.
Whatever happens, Mark Martin fans can rest assured that their favorite driver will be around for at least two more seasons. There was a comedian once who said that there are only two things with enough stamina to withstand a nuclear holocaust and keep going- cockroaches and Cher. Maybe we should consider adding Mark Martin to that list. At this point, it’s doubtful we’ll ever get rid of the little guy. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
Comments
Got something to say?
You must be logged in to post a comment.