Playing favorites

RICHMOND, Va. – I'm going to do something I rarely do: I'm going to cheer for a driver.

That's right, I'm going to pull for, root for, cheer on and support one of the 43 guys who will compete in Saturday night's Chevrolet Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway.

In 32 years in this business, I can count on one hand the number of times I've cast my journalistic objectivity aside. I've taken pride in having over three decades of virtually untarnished impartiality.

But today is different; this time it's personal. And while it may not exactly be journalistically or politically correct, I don't care. I'm going to say what's on my mind – at least that part isn't different – and assume the role of cheerleader.

Go Mark Martin!

That's right, I'm pulling for the driver of the No. 6 Ford to go out and whoop some butt on the ¾-mile RIR oval.

But I'm not going to fawn all over him, ask for his autograph or wear a Mark Martin t-shirt. No, I'm going to cheer on Martin for one simple reason: perhaps more than any other driver who is eligible to make the final field for the inaugural Chase for the Nextel Cup, Martin deserves it.

No other driver or team over the last two months has collectively worked harder to race their way into the top 10 than Martin, who has climbed from 16th after the June race at Michigan to his current spot of 10th. Along the way, especially in the last six weeks, Martin has been on fire. He's recorded two runner-up and two third-place finishes, including this past Sunday at California.

Now it all comes down to Saturday night. With Martin on the Chase bubble, just 25 points ahead of 11th-ranked Jamie McMurray – and with just 76 points separating No. 8 (Ryan Newman) through No. 15 (Kevin Harvick) – the Arkansas native is arguably in the performance fight of his life. Never has he, or any other Cup driver, had to fight so hard simply to qualify for a chance at the championship, let alone compete for it.

While the other 14 Chase-eligible drivers are all championship worthy, no one has had to endure the kind of close but no cigar runner-up tag – in four different seasons (1990, 1994, 1998 and 2002), no less – that Martin has had to drag around him year after year.

Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart, Bobby Labonte and Dale Jarrett have each won at least one championship already. Martin has none.

And while Jimmie Johnson, Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Elliott Sadler, Kurt Busch, Newman, Kasey Kahne, Jeremy Mayfield and McMurray also have yet to win their first Cup titles, they too have something Martin no longer has: youth and the promise of 10 or more years of good racing still ahead of them.

That's why I feel Martin is good for the Chase, and it's obvious how good the Chase is for Martin.

At 45, Martin, if he's lucky, has maybe two or three more seasons left – and given how Bill Elliott and Rusty Wallace have struggled in the twilight of their respective careers, the 2004 season may very well be Martin's last good chance at capturing that Cup championship that has eluded him throughout his 22-year career in stock car racing's major league.

Admittedly, Martin is not easy to figure out, let alone get along with at times. In interview situations he can be feisty and even semi-combative. You just know that he'd much rather be out running his race car rather than answering the same, often inane questions over and over.

He absolutely detests "what if" questions that speculate on what is, what might have been or what may be for him. We saw that once again Sunday night at Fontana. When asked about what his team's momentum gain over the last six weeks might mean going into Richmond, Martin simply deadpanned, "I don't know."

A colorful quote, he's obviously not.

But at the same time, no one his age works harder to keep his body, mind, reflexes and ability at the top of their game. In fact, Martin regularly outworks drivers 10 or more years younger. He knows what it's like to come up the hard way, to fight for everything he's ever earned – unlike some of today's young guns that came to Nextel Cup not only with talent, but mega-bucks in their pockets.

He's shaken off last year's dismal 17th-place finish – after almost stealing away the title from Tony Stewart the year before – to be right in the thick of things at the thickest time of this season. Starting with his last-place finish in the season-opening Daytona 500 (blown engine after just seven laps), Martin has had to battle back more times from behind the 8-ball this season than Minnesota Fats.

Even if he doesn't go on to win the championship, Martin is worthy of a spot in the top 10 for no other reason than the fact that this may very well be his last good opportunity to snag that elusive Cup title. Remember how long it took Dale Earnhardt to win the Daytona 500 after years of frustration in NASCAR's premier event? Martin can relate to that big time.

That's why, for all the misfortune and close calls he's endured in his career, Martin so deservedly merits a spot for the Chase ... and he'll take it from there.