by Brian Tetzler
Today, car owner Rick Hendrick announced that veteran driver Mark Martin will drive the 5 car in 2009. Martin wants to make one last run at a championship after having been the bridesmaid four times. It sounds like a match made in Heaven.
But this is a bad move.
It's not that Martin isn't a great driver. He is. It's not that Martin won't help the 5 team get better. He can.
It's that Casey Mears had to get screwed for this to happen.
In the two short years that Mears drove for Hendrick Motorsports, they changed his crew chief, they changed his team, they changed his car number, and they changed his sponsor. How is anyone supposed to be successful when the rug keeps being pulled from underneath them?
Mears has his only career win with Hendrick. It was a fuel mileage victory at the Coca-Cola 600 last year. You could tell how happy the organization was, just by seeing the other drivers and crew members congratulate Mears in Victory Lane. Where did that feeling go?
I hope Mears will land a spot with a solid team--a team that will give this young and talented man a chance to drive, without all the distractions he put up with at HMS. I hope he shows NASCAR you can't hold a driver like him down.
Ask anybody in the garage--a driver, a crew chief, a tire changer, whoever--and they will all tell you Mark Martin is a class act. He wanted to retire several years ago, and at the last minute, he was asked to drive a little longer, to help out Jack Roush. He did, and then he moved to part time so he could race and still spend time with his family.
Martin has been a friend to the Hendrick family for many years, which is why this move shouldn't surprise anyone. He drove the Nationwide car for Hendrick last year. He gave JR Motorsports its first win in Las Vegas this year.
But can Mark Martin make the chase? Can he endure a 38-event season, after racing just part time the past few years?
Everyone felt for him when he almost won the Daytona 500 in 2007. What's going to happen if he doesn't make the chase? Wouldn't that be a bitter pill to swallow?
Comments (7)
Is Rick Hendrick an astute business owner or a greedy, insensitive, unscrupulous former used car saleman who would throw his dearest friend under the bus just to make a sale?
Maybe he is both, and his actions are suspect.
Who is truly "near and dear" to him, and whom might be his next victim?
Kyle Busch.....Casey Mears....we know.
Perhaps Jeff and Jimmie should "AMP UP" their programs ASAP. There is no telling what Hendrick might plan to do next.....maybe Sliced Bread is in his sights.
That's racin'!
Posted by Tex | July 5, 2008 8:33 AM
Posted on July 5, 2008 08:33
Thank you for recognizing Casey's ability and for acknowledging the numerous changes that Casey has had to endure over the past few seasons. HMS certainly did "pull the rug out from under him." There were quite a few races where the #5 unloaded like crap and Alan Gustafson spent the majority of the practice session making wholesale changes. Maybe Alan and Casey just weren't a good fit. If Rick Hendrick had actually made all of the changes that he claimed to improve Casey's performance, then why didn't he pull Darien Grubb off of Junior's pit box and put him back with Casey, especially since that pairing had such a successful 2nd half of 07??? Thanks for nothing, Rick. And good luck "sharing" with Junior, Mark.
Posted by Fran | July 5, 2008 9:03 AM
Posted on July 5, 2008 09:03
You are so totally right with what happpened to Casey Mears, I would rathet have him than MM at HMS, I am a huge Jeff Gordon fan, and was hoping when Jeff retired I would just pull for Casey, but now that Casey is gone who knows?
Posted by Julie Suiter | July 5, 2008 9:24 AM
Posted on July 5, 2008 09:24
Casey Mears is a nice guy and a decent driver.
But he hasn't produced. For all the changes, he's had a better shot at it in his position at HMS than a lot of guys; J.J. Yeley, for instance.
Kelloggs has been a long-time, loyal sponsor at HMS. They deserve better than running in the second 20.
I hope Casey lands another ride, but Rick did the right thing.
Posted by Bill Gimore | July 5, 2008 1:20 PM
Posted on July 5, 2008 13:20
Well, anyone hates to see a driver change but I question Mears talents also. If he is talented, he will land with another team and win races. I heard Rick talk about what they had poured into this team testing, parts, personnel and the results didn't show it. Jimmy Johnson and Rick Mears are good friends and Hendrick wouldn't have gotten just gotten rid of him if he didn't think there was a legitimate reason.
Posted by Larry | July 5, 2008 3:31 PM
Posted on July 5, 2008 15:31
"Pulled the rug out from under him"? Hardly. You're clearly tuning out half the story. Casey himself said they have done more testing and more work than anything he's ever experienced before. Rick Hendrick expressed sincere dedication to Mears and his team. Changing a number and changing a sponsor? Ohhh, the trauma. Look, I've been a fan of Hendrick Motor sports since it first became a multiple team operation because I was already rooting for Terry Labonte. I was fine with Mears joining the team. Casey Mears was given the best equipment that any Nascar team has to offer, and as it turns out, he is an extremely mediocre driver. He seemed like a nice guy when hired, and I was glad to see the punk attitude of Kyle Bush leave Hendrick Motor Sports. But Casey is not a talented driver. I have been wondering since the second half of last season when they were going to send Casey packing and find a driver that is capable.
Posted by Brian in Evans | July 11, 2008 10:13 PM
Posted on July 11, 2008 22:13
Brilliant!
Posted by Ererurlcrype | August 3, 2008 7:27 AM
Posted on August 3, 2008 07:27