Forget the girls, Mark Martin has gone wild

By Mike Harper

On October 14, 2004 the racing world was rocked when Mark Martin announced he’d be leaving the Nextel Cup Series at the end of the 2005 season. "First off I have to be clear that I’m not retiring from racing. I’m too young to retire from racing, but I’ve been out here chasing this thing for a long time," said Martin. "For me it’s just time to do something different."

Just over a year later from that announcement Martin agreed to stay on at Roush Racing to pilot his No. 6 Ford with a new sponsor for the 2006 season with an exit plan to leave the Cup Series for the Craftsman Truck Series in 2007.

Now we’re heading into the 2007 season and I don’t think anyone had a clue of just how different things would be for this NASCAR veteran driver when he said back in 2004, "it’s just time to do something different."

Mark Martin will drive for different owners in 2007. The original plan was to have Martin remain at Roush and drive a Roush Racing truck in the Craftsman Truck Series in 2007. Martin also showed some interest in specific Nextel Cup Series events such as the All-Star race and the Daytona 500. But something backfired with his plans.

Instead of staying on at Roush, the place he called home for 20 years and the place he put on the NASCAR map, he will now leave and drive a part-time schedule in the Nextel Cup Series for Roush rival MB2 Motorsports. In addition, he will compete in the Craftsman Truck Series for the Wood Brothers in 2007.

Rumors are floating about Martin driving in the Busch Series next season too including for Hendrick Motorsports and according to Martin himself he tried to strike a deal with Dale Earnhardt Jr., to drive his Busch Series car. "I talked to Dale Junior about sharing a Busch car with him and a couple of other guys next season," said Martin. "We both wanted to do it, but we couldn’t get the details figured out."

While Martin has gone wild on partnering with multiple teams in multiple series for 2007, you’ve got to wonder why he decided to leave Roush in the first place. "Mark put Roush Racing on the map. My enduring relationship with Mark has been the proudest accomplishment of my business life. Perhaps more importantly, he has been the second brother I never had, my best friend, and the cornerstone of the effort I have devoted my competitive ambitions to," said Roush Racing’s owner Jack Roush at the time of Martin’s original announcement in 2004.

Ford’s Dan Davis, was asked by Martin after his 2006 announcement if he could remain in a Roush Ford truck even though he would be driving a Chevrolet in 2007. Davis said to Martin, "Mark, man, wow. You've sort of...my life at Ford headquarters is not real good right now because of your little deal here, so you're asking me something that's real hard. Maybe we need to get over the initial hurt of this whole thing and try to look at it in hard, cold business terms and that's what I would really like to do and be unemotional about it."

Martin will remain in a Ford Truck next season, but not for Roush Racing. And if Martin and Roush mean so much to each other, then why would they separate? If Ford’s so hurt that Martin left to race a Chevrolet in the Nextel Cup Series, then why would they separate in Cup? To me these are the million-dollar questions and it leads me to believe that there’s some sort of an issue going on behind the scenes at Roush Racing.

Last season when driver Jamie McMurray was rumored to take the wheel from Martin when he resigned the driving duties of the No. 6 Ford, Martin said, "But, for many of us the six-car will always be my car, and Jamie McMurray is my choice to take the car over." Could Martin be upset that McMurray didn’t get the job in the No. 6 or could Martin disagree with Roush Racing’s upcoming merger with Fenway Sports Group who also owns the Boston Red Sox?

If I were a bettin’ man, I’d bet Martin is upset that Jack Roush is selling up to half of his racing empire, an empire that Mark Martin helped build. An empire that if sold, Martin would have no future ownership interest and ultimately no future at Fenway-Roush. If this is truly the case, can you blame Martin for going wild and signing with other teams?

I think back to the 2005 season when Chip Ganassi Racing partner Felix Sabates was seen in the garage at one of the tracks having a conversation with Jack Roush about signing Jamie McMurray away from Ganassi. When asked what he told Roush, Sabates said, "I just said it was a great, great move hiring Jamie, so he’ll have a stable of great drivers, so when he sells the company, he’ll get a bunch of money. He’s been trying to sell it."

According to the report Roush told Sabates, "I’m not for sale, pal."

Maybe Martin leaving Roush validates Sabates’ comments after all and if so, losing the organizations biggest name to another team has become a normal practice for Fenway Sports Group. Just ask those Red Sox fans.