When Mark Martin pulled into Michigan Speedway this past Sunday for the Lifelock 400, it might have never crossed his mind that one of the reasons he was here was to get reacquainted with an old friend. A friend that Mark hasn't visited since 1998 which is 11 years ago, and it was also a friend that Mark had visited two other times while taking his journey around the NASCAR racing circuit.

Ever since Mark joined forces with Hendrick Motorsports to start the 2009 racing season, he has taken on the identity of a race car driver from the past that is quietly showing the younger generation of fan, just how dominant he was during his younger years. Martins displaying of youthfulness, is a breath of fresh air during a time when all the focus seems to be riding on the shoulders of a few drivers who are hell bent on keeping all the attention on themselves.

When you look around at all the situations that NASCAR has been facing in today's racing world, you could almost see the smiles of jubilation from the faces of Brain France, and Mike Helton as Mark Martin beat the fuel mileage odds, and brought home his series tying third win of the season. Not only did Martin beat the odds, but he also beat the hottest driver-crew chief combo in the sport today at their own game.

What looked like a battle between Roush/Fenway driver Greg Biffle and the reigning Sprint cup champion Jimmie Johnson, quickly materialized into a one man show for Martin when both Biffle and Johnson, ran out of gas on the last lap while fighting for the win. "I always, always come up short on the gas mileage thing," Martin said. "I always have. If you look at the stats, you know, I've lost 25 and won two probably on it. You know, I just don't have the luck for it."

"When [that] started, I got sick at my stomach. 'Here we go, another day,'" Martin said. Really what I was thinking about was the hole that we are in, in the point standings," he said. "Before we started that final run, [crew chief Alan Gustafson] and I knew what we were going to do. Alan has actually taught me some things about how to do this deal when it comes down to the fuel thing. I saw the pace they were wanting to run, and I started saving [fuel] from the third lap," Martin said.

Before Sundays race, Mark had talked about how important a win would be for Chevrolet, especially since he also owns a dealership of his own. "I'd love to win a race for Chevrolet this weekend. I hate seeing them go through a rough time, but I think everything that's going on will make for a better, more prosperous company." This just added more incentive why this Batesville, Arkansas native was even more deserving of the win.

HMS drivers have combined for 6 of the 14 wins so far this season, with the oldest driver in the stable picking up three of them. If the chase were to start today, Martin would be in a very good position to finally get that elusive championship, as one of the hottest drivers out on the track today. At an age when most drivers are sitting back, enjoying the fruits of all the hard years they put behind the wheel. Mark continues to stay on top of one the most grueling sports known to man.

His patience along with his many years of experience played a major role in him finally getting to visit an old friend from the past. Mark waited 11 long years to get back to victory lane, and the chance to relive some old memories. "We couldn't push those guys for the win on sheer speed because we have to finish, we have to pad our points," Martin said. "It was important to me to finish this race. If we were in the top five in points, I would have run out [Sunday] because I would have gone after it. But, you know, we just weren't. I just had to let them go do their thing. I couldn't save gas and run the pace that they were trying to run. "Fortunately for us, it was our day, so we got both." Im Out