Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Martin has the chance to go out like a champion

THE NUMBERS

Tuesday, June 21, 2005 | 9:33 a.m.

Brian Hilderbrand covers motor sports for the Las Vegas Sun. His motor sports notebook appears Friday. He can be reached at bh@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4089.

Fifteen races into his final season in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Mark Martin isn't driving like a man who is on the verge of semi-retirement.

And that's just the way Martin had it planned when he announced that the 2005 season would be his last in NASCAR's premier circuit.

"I really am the happiest I can ever remember (being) right now," Martin, 46, said after his third-place finish Sunday at Michigan International Speedway.

"I'm at peace with what I'm doing right now and if I can keep this up, I can truly say that I'm going out at the top of my game and not just near (the top). I would like to go out near the top of my game but if we can keep this rolling, we might be able to justify calling it top."

With 11 races remaining in NASCAR's "regular season," Martin has five top-five finishes, is fifth in points and is looking to qualify for the 10-race "Chase for the Nextel Cup" for the second consecutive season.

"All we're doing is trying to make this Chase," Martin said. "It's still really, really tight. Broken parts and wrecks can destroy the opportunity for us to make the Chase.

"We've already been in (three) idiotic wrecks already that have really set us back ... otherwise, we'd be real comfortable right now. I've got to miss those things if they happen in front of me; I've missed a bunch of them, but I didn't miss three of them."

Martin, who has finished second in points four times in his career and is looking for his first series championship, finished fourth in points last season.

HARD-LUCK TRACK: It was at Infineon Raceway (when it was known as Sears Point Raceway) in 1999 that Las Vegas native Kurt Busch first caught the eye of team owner Jack Roush when Busch, then 20, won a NASCAR Southwest Series race at the road course.

But the 1.99-mile road course hasn't been too kind to Busch since he has been on the Cup circuit. He led 30 laps and finished fourth in 2002, but Busch's other finishes at Infineon are a 23rd in 2001, 28th in 2003 and 36th last season.

PRUETT GETS CALL: Reigning Grand Am Rolex Series champion Scott Pruett will drive a fourth Dodge for team owner Chip Ganassi in Sunday's Nextel Cup Series race at Infineon Raceway.

Pruett, who drives for Ganassi's Grand Am team, will pilot the No. 39 Texaco/ Havoline "Shine On" Dodge. Pruett finished third in last year's race at Infineon while driving for Ganassi.

AT THE BULLRING: Spencer Clark scored a pair of 30-lap Super Late Models main-event victories during NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series action Saturday night at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and moved into the points lead in the division.

Clark won the second main event and finished second in the first, but was credited with the victory after race winner Scott Gafforini was disqualified following the post-race inspection. Clark, 18, holds a five-point lead over Mike Cofer in the Super Late Models standings.

Brian Matzke (Chargers), Johnny Morrissey (Legends Semi-Pro), Josh Gross (Legends Pro/Master), Broc Murphy (Bandoleros) and Tom Gallagher (Bullring Bombers) also won main events Saturday night.