#5-Mark Martin met with media and discussed Kasey Kahne signing with HMS, his future involvement in the sport, and more, the Chevy Racing transcript in part:
ON KASEY KAHNE SIGNING WITH HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS
“I’m excited, man. This is the absolute best scenario. I’m really, really excited. I’m so psyched about it and so relieved that we can go on and work on racing and not worry about Hendrick Motorsports and my team and everything else and what the future is. We know its set. It’s a perfect scenario. Kasey Kahne is a really right fit for this organization.”
ARE YOU STILL SET THROUGH 2011? “You know that. I don’t know why you had to ask that.”
WOULD YOU CONSIDER GETTING OUT OF THE CAR BEFORE 2011? “If I did, I wouldn’t be driving it. So, no; I’m not sure why you don’t understand. It’s not clear to me why you don’t understand. Those guys wanted me to drive it for 2012. It was a little bit stretched to do one full-time season. I gave them three. It’s been the gift of my career that Hendrick Motorsports has given me. One of my biggest concerns has been who is going to be the successor so that I didn’t knock them out of getting the very best A-number-one fit. That’s why I started talking to Kasey Kahne before anybody, in September of last year; because I do have some real good buddies: Jeff Burton and Matt Kenseth. But since they wouldn’t talk to me seriously and had to keep making jokes and cutting up, I mean, Kasey Kahne was the guy. And the timing wasn’t exactly right but I wanted to make sure that he considered it because it’s the perfect scenario for Kasey Kahne and it’s the perfect scenario for Hendrick Motorsports. I figure three years is enough. I would appreciate it if no one would right anything about me retiring, because I’m not going to retire. I’m going to race in 2012. And so don’t even talk about it. I’m racing in 2012. There will be an opportunity for me I’m sure, that will be exciting and fun and that I can help people. I feel like I’ve done that. I feel like I did that in the No. 01 at DEI and I feel like I’ve helped the No. 5 team realize that they can win races and contend for a championship. And so I’ll find another opportunity that’s exciting to me and I don’t want to commit to that now. I want to make sure that Hendrick is set and they are set. It’s such an incredibly perfect scenario.”
WILL YOU BE BEHIND THE WHEEL OF THE #5 IN 2011? “I’m going to race in 2012.”
I’M ASKING YOU IN BLACK AND WHITE, ARE YOU GOING TO BE BEHIND THE WHEEL OF THE #5 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET? “Of course.”
IS YOUR LEGACY THEN, TO LEAVE A CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM FOR SOMEONE ELSE; THAT THAT MIGHT BE YOUR LEGACY LOOKING FORWARD? YOU CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR OTHERS THAT YOU LEAVE SOME THAT YOU CAN LOOK BACK AND BE PROUD OF REGARDLESS OF WHAT HAPPENS?
“It was really, really important to me to make sure that Hendrick Motorsports had someone better than me to come in behind me. And I’m more comfortable now than I was a month ago because I didn’t know what that was going to be; although I knew I was going to drive through 2011. I didn’t know how that was going to work out with the timing because my choice for the guy that succeeded me here; the timing wasn’t exactly right. They were going to be open in ’11 and I was going to exit in ’12. So, this has fixed that. I’m happy about that. I’ve had the time of my life and I don’t understand how people want to put a negative spin on this. This is actually the most exciting thing that could ever happen to Kasey Kahne, to Mark Martin, to Hendrick Motorsports, and all of us. This is perfect. I don’t know why everybody is digging for something negative.”
IN YOUR MIND, WHAT WOULD BE THE IDEAL SITUATION IN 2011 FOR HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AND KASEY KAHNE? “That’s up to them. Everything is set for ’12. That’s what I was worried about. Everything is set for ’12. You need to talk to them about ’11; I don’t know.
YOU SAID YOU TALKED TO KASEY. WERE YOU A PART OF IT? “I initiated it before ever talking to Rick Hendrick because I didn’t want Rick to know that I was as concerned as I was about it. So I talked to Kasey two or three times last year starting back around September and then I didn’t get involved after that. And to be real honest, I didn’t know the last month that it had gotten to this level. So I’m thrilled. It’s so exciting.”(Chevy Racing)(4-16-2010)
