Catchfence

Mark Martin - (Photo Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR)

MARK, EVERY DRIVER SO FAR TODAY HAS BEEN ASKED ABOUT JEREMY MAYFIELD AND HIS SITUATION. IT SEEMS AS IF IT’S AN UNCOMFORTABLE QUESTION FOR A DRIVER TO ANSWER. DO YOU FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE?
“I’m comfortable with being on the racetrack with Jeremy Mayfield. One-hundred percent.

I feel that NASCAR needs to have the authority to say whether or not that you drive. I don’t know anything about judges. I don’t know anything about laws and I don’t know anything about anything else, but I do believe that NASCAR needs to have the authority to make that call. And they need to be responsible with it and careful with it. I think that somebody is wrong. Either Jeremy or NASCAR is wrong, and I don’t know which one, but whichever one is wrong is really hurting the other. I don’t know. That is about all my thoughts on that matter.”

IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU THINK JEREMY IS RIGHT IF YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE RACING WITH HIM. DO YOU HAVE A REASON TO FEEL THAT WAY?
“I’m just not concerned with being on the racetrack with Jeremy. None whatsoever. I’m not concerned with that. I feel one-hundred percent confident being on the racetrack side-by-side with Jeremy. That doesn’t mean that he didn’t fail. I don’t know what happened. Okay? I’m just saying that if he races, I have no problem.

“I do however have a problem with NASCAR not being able to say you can’t. That is a problem for our sport. They need to be the authority. They need to be able to say if you do or if you don’t. They need to be responsible with it, and careful with it, but they need to have the say.”

HOW HARD IS IT FOR A GUY THAT IS SITTING ON THE BUBBLE OF THE CHASE TO COME TO A PLACE LIKE DAYTONA AND WORRY ABOUT THE UNKNOWNS AND RACE SMART AND BASICALLY POINTS RACE?
“It’s tough, but Daytona is not as tough as Talladega when it comes to that. You do what you do. You know, you go out here and you race and we take our lumps and we take our good days. Some days we get more than we deserve and some days we don’t get what we deserve. We just go out here and do our thing and hope it turns out well.”

THE FIRST HALF OF THIS SEASON HAS BEEN A DREAM RIDE SO FAR FOR YOU. YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN SO SOLID THAT YOU HAVE BUILT THIS TO WHERE YOU EXPECT TO BE A TOP-FIVE CAR OR RACE WINNING CAR EVERY WEEK.
BUT YOU HAVE BEEN IN THIS SPORT SO LONG THAT YOU KNOW HOW QUICK SOMETHING LIKE THAT CAN UNRAVEL. WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL RIGHT NOW THAT YOU ARE IN THE BEST SITUATION THAT YOU HAVE EVER BEEN IN?
“Number one I think that Alan Gustafson is the one thing that makes me feel good. The car has been spectacular at all but a couple of races this year, but you know for me, I’m living a dream to be able to be a part of this team and to be a part of an elite group at Hendrick Motorsports and to be able to work with Alan and our sponsors Kellogg’s and CARQUEST, Chevy and all the folks from Hendrick Motorsports. I’m just living a dream.”

General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), one of the world’s largest automakers, was founded in 1908, and today manufactures cars and trucks in 34 countries. With its global headquarters in Detroit, GM employs 235,000 people in every major region of the world, and sells and services vehicles in some 140 countries. In 2008, GM sold 8.35 million cars and trucks globally under the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, Hummer, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn, Vauxhall and Wuling. GM’s largest national market is the United States, followed by China, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Canada, Russia and Germany. GM’s OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and information services. More information on GM can be found at www.gm.com.

- GM Racing Communications, Press Release