Nextel All-Star Challenge winner Mark Martin told Sirius Speedway (MRN Radio/Sirius Satellite Radio) host Dave Moody that his plans for 2006 have not changed as a result of last weekend’s win, but that Roush Racing is working on a deal that would “absolutely blow everyone’s mind. As of now, my plan is to run the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series next season in one of Jack’s trucks, but they’re working on a sponsorship deal that could change things quite a bit. It’s a real longshot to happen, but if it did, it would be totally different than anything we have ever done before. People will be blown away when they hear about it. It will absolutely blow everyone’s mind. I’m not putting a lot of stock in it, though, because it probably won’t happen. My plan is to spend 2006 running a truck and spending more time with my family.”(Sirius Speedway – MRN Radio/Sirius Satellite Radio)(5-23-2005)
UPDATE: Mark Martin with Claire B. Lang on XM Satellite NASCAR Radio’s “Dialed In” talks in detail about his plans for the future…..
Mark: Well, there’s this far-fetched idea that someone has, to take two let’s say “retiring” drivers and split a season. You understand what I’m saying?
Claire Yeah!
Mark: When I first looked at scaling back to do, let’s say, 12 or 16 races, that’s a great idea. Except the problem is is that you can’t make that work. The team can’t work. You can’t have a top-notch crew chief and a top-notch team and get a sponsor that can afford to make that work. The only way you can do it is a full-time deal. And so the only way that you could see a possibility to make a deal work would be to run a full-time car with two drivers.
Claire: I’ve heard that brought up by the fans before, like two or three drivers doing it, they love that idea. Would it be a driver currently retired or one that’s already stepped down?
Mark: Look (laughing) I told you I already gave you all I can give you.
Claire: (laughing) You did.
Mark: It’s far-fetched. I really know what I really want to do is I really want to do this truck thing. But you know there’s all kinds of crazy ideas out there, and that’s one of them, but you know I expect I don’t have a deal signed yet with Jack and with a sponsor on the truck but that’s obviously not going to be any problem. That’s where our focus is right now.
Claire: If you were to do this other wild deal, and there’ll probably be other wild deals coming up, too, then would that mean you couldn’t do the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, that you’d have to choose? And is part-time racing something that is intriguing to you?
Mark: No, uh, first of all, that’s something crazy that ..
Claire: But it’s a cool idea.
Mark: It’s a cool idea. Its really hard to find a sponsor that would, you know, sponsor multiple drivers for a full schedule and do it right. And then it’s also hard to find the right drivers and everything. But, you know it is an idea. I’ll say again, my focus is on getting this truck thing put together. That’s what I want to do, and that is very real, and that’s what we’re working on and I expect to be doing that.(5-24-2005)
