Over 16,508,819 people are on fubar.
What are you waiting for?

Mark Martin is no quitter

There is no man on the face of the earth more competitive than Mark Martin. I've heard him say dozens of times, "I'll bleed to win." And he has. The list of injuries that he's sustained while racing -- and subsequently ignored while racing -- would turn an orthopedic surgeon's hair gray. I remember the Daytona race when he raced with a broken wrist, a broken rib and a fracture in his knee. I remember him telling Jimmy Fennig how he didn't think he could make it. I remember him asking for scissors to be passed into the car; he was going to try to cut off the cast on his wrist because the swelling was making it unbearably painful. I remember him finishing the race anyway. I remember thinking that most guys wouldn't put up with that kind of pain in order to drive in a race. I remember realizing that Mark Martin isn't "most guys." I remember watching his crew members lift him up, slide him through the window, and place him in the seat of his car, because his injuries prevented him from doing it alone. I remember him "driving his guts out" for a few hundred miles, and then waiting patiently in the cockpit of his car for some assistance getting out. I remember watching him at Richmond drive a car with no power steering for a couple hundred laps. I remember thinking that there was no one else in the Winston Cup garage that would have the physical strength, the mental toughness, and the guts to stick it out until the end. I remember thinking that there was no one -- other than another race car driver -- who would know how hard Mark worked in that race. Sure, he asked for a relief driver that night. And all the relief driver ended up with was one of the best seats in the house to watch the end of the race. He knew, like we all did, that his chances of getting in that car because Mark Martin got out of it were exactly zero. I've been in the winner's circle with him and seen him smile for the cameras. I've looked into his eyes after he won a race and knew that he wasn't thinking about the big pay check, the Monday morning interviews, or shaking hands with track officials. He was thinking about how to win the NEXT week. There isn't much time to celebrate when you're Mark Martin. He's just wired differently than the rest of us, and that's what makes him the best -- bar none -- pure race driver of his generation. I saw him cry after a race in Michigan that he desperately wanted to win and dedicate to his father, stepmother and half-sister, who had been killed in a plane crash. I remember seeing the despair in his eyes and hearing it in his words. I remember him winning the next week at Bristol, dedicating the win to his family, and thereby finishing up that unfinished business. I read an article recently that led with the report of a NASCAR fan that brought a sign to the track that said Mark Martin was a quitter. That story didn't make me mad. It made me laugh. Really hard. That was the first time I had ever read the words "Mark Martin" and "quitter" in the same paragraph. Or the same story. Or the same book. The words just don't go together, and anyone who knows the man knows that. Anyone who thinks Mark Martin is a quitter should read his book. Read about how he's raced with broken legs. Or how he's worked 20-hour days building his own race cars and then racing them. Or how he went broke chasing his dream, and then through only hard work and dedication, made his dream come true anyway. I won't bother listing his career stats. You all know them. Suffice it to say that if he packed it in tomorrow, he'd go down in history as one of NASCAR's best ever. Mark Martin would get out and push his car around Daytona International Speedway for 200 laps before he would ever "quit." Anyone who thinks otherwise has never spent five minutes with the man. I've also read reports by people who think Mark is too involved in his son Matt's career -- that he doesn't care as much about his own racing career any more. More bunk. Matt's racing career has provided Mark the opportunity to spend quality time with his son, teach him the "family business," and provide him with the tools that might allow him to be America's next great race car driver. I think he will be just that. Matt's dad is a man who oversaw the construction of a quarter-midget race track near his home that benefits not only Matt, but also a few hundred other prospective young racers in the area. Ask the parents of any of these young kids what they think of Mark Martin. They'll come up with a long list of words to describe him. "Quitter" won't be among them. Matt's racing career has provided Mark Martin with something that he might have lacked in the past -- balance. If he spends his Wednesday nights thinking about how to make Matt's quarter midget race car go around the track faster, and he doesn't (for a couple hours) think about how to make his car go faster on Sundays, I say good for him. I can assure you that when the weekend rolls around, Mark is again focused 110 percent on his own race car. I've seen Mark at the track with his son, providing encouragement, advice, counsel and love. If Matt were playing Little League baseball instead of racing, his dad would be right there, providing encouragement, advice, counsel and love. Mark is no different than millions of other parents around the country. He loves his kid and he loves being a big part of his life. I don't know if Mark will win a Winston Cup race this year. Although I'd like him to, deep down, I don't really care if he does or not. It's not going to change my opinion of him as a driver, a businessman, a boss, a family man or a friend one bit. There is nothing that can change that. If you're a fan that's never had the privilege to meet him, believe me when I tell you that you've chosen well. There is no better man involved in this sport. I wish everyone had the opportunity to spend some time with him, away from the track. Those that do respect him even more. Mark is a man who would do anything for someone he cares about. I know of this firsthand because he has made the offer to me many times. I am intensely loyal, but my loyalty to him pales in comparison to his loyalty to me. He's as fine a friend as a person could ask for. So, the next time you hear someone criticizing Mark Martin because he and his team are having an off-year, or the next time you hear someone accuse him of being a quitter, or having lost his desire, tell those people to call me. I'll be happy to tell them how wrong they really are. by Rick Maynard Mark Martin's J-Mar Express rick6@jmarexpress.com
last post
16 years ago
posts
1
views
668
can view
everyone
can comment
everyone
atom/rss

other blogs by this author

 16 years ago
In Loving Memory
 16 years ago
ASSHOLES
 16 years ago
Freaking Retards
 16 years ago
My Martin Roots
 16 years ago
Hmmm....Amen to this
 16 years ago
The Fans Have Spoken
 16 years ago
MY WRECK
official fubar blogs
 8 years ago
fubar news by babyjesus  
 13 years ago
fubar.com ideas! by babyjesus  
 10 years ago
fubar'd Official Wishli... by SCRAPPER  
 10 years ago
Word of Esix by esixfiddy  

discover blogs on fubar

blog.php' rendered in 0.0645 seconds on machine '6'.