HAMPTON, Ga.–If Mark Martin was devoting any time to his plans for 2014, that line of thinking came to an abrupt end when he opted to replace injured Tony Stewart in the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet.
“I will be real honest with you–I could care less about 2014 right now, because I am doing all I can to tread water,” said Martin, who will make his second start in the No. 14 Chevy in Sunday’s AdvoCare 500 at Atlanta. “Making this change (from Michael Waltrip racing to Stewart-Haas) was pretty huge, because not only is it different crew guys work on the car–which really isn’t a huge thing–but it’s a whole different thought process.
“It’s a whole different bunch of guys that I didn’t have a chance to go to test in February and go hang out in the shop… So I am really pushed and driven to try to get immersed in this team and figure out what I like in these cars so that we can start putting that in there week to week.”
Quite simply, thoughts and plans for next year will have to wait.
“For me, making a decision on what I do in 2014 is not important right now,” Martin said. “I’m in no hurry, because I’m not really worried about what I do. I do have a focus on what I can do in NASCAR. I want to do more in NASCAR than drive race cars. I want to do more than that.
“I had a good time at MWR and they let me be a part of that organization a little bit more than just to ‘Show up and drive, driver;’ and I want to grow more of that. So that’s of great interest to me and is where my primary focus was before Tony’s No. 14 car came up. After that, it’s like I’m not worried. I’ve got to stay focused on what’s in front of me.”
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
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