Regan Smith, who admits that he sometimes over analyzes his performance after each race, feels a new surge of enthusiasm heading into this weekend's event -- the Goody's Cool Orange 500 at Martinsville Speedway. "Going into Bristol there were plenty of distractions since it was my debut and I was driving the number one car in points," offered Smith. "Now that we got that race out of the way and did a decent job I feel more relaxed about this weekend. I feel we have the potential of having a pretty good performance. It's exciting to get right back into the Army Chevy."
"I think of our soldiers in this situation," added Smith. "You never quit or allow a setback to get in the way of completing the mission. That's exactly how I feel heading into Martinsville."
Regarding Martinsville, Smith will be driving a new U.S. Army Chevrolet Impala SS in the second straight race for NASCAR's Car of Tomorrow. "We tested the Army Chevy last week at Greenville Pickens (S.C.) Speedway and we were pleased with the car," noted Smith. "Our goal is to have a top-20 performance and I know we can achieve that or maybe even better. We just need to stay out of trouble and avoid mistakes."
And before Smith heads to the half-mile flat track in Southern Virginia, he will make a call to his mentor, Mark Martin. "I plan on calling Mark on Thursday to go over a few things about the race," said Smith. "Mark really has a knack for teaching. When he talks you listen -- there's nobody better to get advice from."
Mark Martin gave up a spot in the show to watch it from home, and wouldn't change a thing about his first weekend off in 622 NASCAR races. Martin wasn't sure how he'd feel watching Sunday's race from Bristol Motor Speedway, but after dozing off twice during the 500-mile event, he realized he can live without racing.
"I never once wished I was out there," Martin said Monday. "When they started the engines, there was a few seconds there that seemed a little bit eerie to me. But that was the only time that it ever even crossed my mind. "There was no anxiety whatsoever. I enjoyed watching the race. I nodded off once or twice during a commercial, but snapped right back up. It was just a wonderful weekend. I wouldn't trade it for a Nextel Cup."
It was the final hurdle Martin had to cross to know for sure that he can continue his plan of easing into retirement. He tried to walk away from NASCAR's highest level, only to be pulled back into the 36-race schedule by former car owner Jack Roush. Then Ginn Racing gave him a chance to set his own schedule, and Martin jumped at the idea of re-claiming part of his life back. But the pressure to abandon his partial-schedule plan mounted after a terrific start to the season put Martin on top of the Nextel Cup standings. Five years ago, the pursuit of a championship would have consumed Martin. No more.
Bobby Hamilton Jr. hasn't driven a Busch Series car in two years and some have questioned his comfort level after the absence. Bobby responded, "As I said when we first started, there's no phones to answer, and I'm going to tell you guys that I've had a rough time, and it's not all about my dad (Bobby Hamilton Sr.).
As a young married person Bobby is going through some rights of passage that can be hairy for all of us. Bobby explains, "We've been trying to close on a house, and we finally get into it and then all of a sudden I run down here. We had to be out of our house by Friday and I had to go to the shop and get back down here. We just threw everything in a pile to get out. Then (there's) trying to get moved in and to take care of the stuff with my dad and trying to just get situated again and come down here. I swear it was the biggest relief to put the window net up and it was like being on a beach somewhere by yourself because it was just my thoughts and my race car and I was ready to get back to work.
Bobby is very fortunate to have a beautiful young wife named Stephanie that is from a racing family and is able to give him the support he needs. As Bobby explains it,"We took two days to come here. It was just me and my wife to get away from all of the hoopla and relax. It's funny that you come to work to relax, but I love this stuff. I've got Legend cars at home, Late Models, and I'm trying to fill every day that I've got running just to keep me busy.
We love this stuff. And like I said, there's nothing more relaxing than to put that window net up and there's nobody in there talking to you. It's just you and your spotter and your crew chief, and, to me, that's peace, that's ease."
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