Mark Martin's early run plenty for the pole start

Saturday, Jul. 25, 2009

INDIANAPOLIS - There have not been many times in Mark Martin’s success-filled NASCAR career that he has been willing to make bold assertions or predictions.

Yet after winning the pole for Sunday’s Allstate 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway he was certain of this:

“I can promise you one thing: There is nobody in NASCAR having more fun than me. I’m sure about that,” said Martin, 50, who became the oldest pole winner of a major racing event in the 100-year history of the historic track.

The previous mark was that of Cliff Bergere, who was 49 years, 175 days old when he won the pole for the 1946 Indianapolis 500.

Why shouldn’t Martin be having fun?

So far this season, he leads the Sprint Cup Series in wins (four), is on track to contend for his first series championship and looking forward to being “in the fray” to win his first Allstate 400.

“I like making history,” Martin said Saturday prior to the final practice. “The very most fun of the whole thing that we’re doing here is to see (my team’s) faces.

“I love those guys, and I’m a pretty tough unit and I’ve had a lot of disappointment. But I feel toward them like you do toward your children. I don’t want them to suffer through disappointment.

“So, I put a lot of pressure on myself to get a good lap so I wouldn’t let them down.”

The pole didn’t come quickly. First, NASCAR officials, teams and fans had to wait through a four-hour rain delay before qualifying, then with Martin among the first three out, he had to wait nearly an hour and a half longer before his position was secure.

It was Martin’s fourth pole of the season and 45th of his career.

Martin’s success Saturday - and that of 53-year-old Bill Elliott, who qualified fourth - fueled a round of questions related to age.

Martin was asked about whether he had watched any of Tom Watson’s charge last week as the golfer tried to become the oldest player - at 59 - to win a major.

“I did hear about it and do watch the news and check the news. I knew a little bit about what’s going on,” Martin said. “But if it doesn’t have wheels on it, I don’t know much."

"I’m going to give it my bet shot,” Elliott said of his chance to win the race. “If a 50-year-old can win, I think a few more years ain’t going to hurt a thing.”

Juan Pablo Montoya, who like Martin is trying to secure a spot in the Chase, qualified second. One of Martin’s Hendrick Motorsports teammates, Dale Earnhardt Jr., was third-fastest.

Earnhardt has battled flu-like symptoms all weekend but is desperately trying to take advantage of fast car - the first built from the ground-up by Earnhardt’s new crew chief, Lance McGrew.

“I feel a lot better,” Earnhardt said after qualifying. “It was real frustrating yesterday because we didn’t come in (to Indianapolis) until Friday morning. I felt so terrible before we flew out.

“Yesterday was just really a frustrating, miserable day for me physically. You know, though, it didn’t really seem to bother us, how we ran, what we needed to get done or accomplished.”

Earnhardt’s qualifying effort was his best of the season and best since he started fifth at Phoenix last November.

David Reutimann was fifth-fastest and series points leader and Indiana native Tony Stewart will line up seventh.

Both Jeff Gordon, who’ll start 22nd, and Montoya will be looking to make their marks in IMS history.

With a win, Montoya would become the first driver to win both the Allstate 400 and Indianapolis 500.

A win for Gordon would be his fifth win at Indianapolis, where the U.S. Grand Prix was last held. And a victory would tie the record held by seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher.

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