CONCORD, N.C. (AP) -Dale Earnhardt Jr. posted consecutive top-five finishes once last season. Mark Martin accomplished that feat when he finished fifth and third in the past two races - as a part-time, 49-year-old driver.
So much for the demise of Dale Earnhardt Inc.
``I think that goes a long way in quieting any naysayers that there might have been,'' Martin said. ``I'm very proud to be a part of the program.''
Martin was relaxed at Lowe's Motor Speedway on Tuesday. He briefly sat in a U.S. Army helicopter parked in the track's infield during a news conference promoting NASCAR's tribute to American troops during the Coca-Cola 600. Then before climbing in his car for a testing session, he talked about his success replacing Earnhardt in the No. 8 Chevrolet despite driving in only seven of 10 races.
``I don't think anybody else has got a deal like mine,'' Martin said of being able to work with a full-time crew. ``They're kind of hard to put together. Whether we win or not, we've managed to do it and get really close several times. I don't think the trophy makes the difference. I think we've proved that it can be done and I'm proud of that.''
DEI's future was shaky last summer when Earnhardt announced he was leaving the race team named after his late father and joining powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports. Crew chief Tony Eury Jr. went with him to Hendrick, and Budweiser left DEI to become Kasey Kahne's primary sponsor.
DEI then merged with Ginn Racing, which Martin raced a partial schedule for last season as part of a his semiretirement. DEI worked out a deal where Martin agreed to drive in 24 races, with 24-year-old Aric Almirola driving the other 12. Martin's sponsor, the U.S. Army, moved to his new ride.
``When Dale Jr. left we were, 'Where are we going? What are we doing?''' said Tony Gibson, DEI's car chief and interim crew chief for the No. 8 last year. ``Mark stepped in and said, 'This is the direction the company needs to go in.' It helped guide us down that path and get us going.''
With Gibson as crew chief and most of Earnhardt's old crew members staying on board, Martin finished 10th at Las Vegas in his third race. After finishing 22nd at Atlanta, Martin has reeled off three straight top-10s at Texas (8th), Phoenix (5th) and Saturday's third-place effort at Richmond.
``We've had two shots at winning races. One of them we couldn't make it on fuel, and the other night we kind of got mixed up with some lapped cars,'' Gibson said. ``To start like we started this year, moving shops, new drivers, new cars, I think we've done a great job. The whole company has done a good job at making that transition.''
Martin and Almirola, who has finished eighth, 42nd, and 33rd, have combined to put the No. 8 car in 14th place in the owners standings. But because the lineup for the season-ending Chase for the Championship is based on driver points, there will be no championship run for the No. 8.
``It's been fun,'' Gibson said. ``It's a little stressful with two different drivers, a veteran and a rookie. But both of them have done really well.''
Martin's success has brought memories of David Pearson, the three-time Cup champion who won races throughout the 1970s despite not running a full schedule. Martin had five top-five finishes in just 24 races last year.
``First of all I'm no David Pearson. That makes it tougher,'' said Martin, who has 35 Cup wins. ``I'm sure it is tougher today with the competition like it is. Things were different back then. There were good teams that didn't run the whole schedule. We don't have that today. It's hard to put together a schedule with a part-time (driver) that can compete.''
But DEI is doing that, and confidence was soaring around the team during Tuesday's test session. Martin will drive Saturday night at Darlington Raceway, where he has 25 top-10 finishes in 41 career starts.
``I love Darlington and I love driving Tony Gibson's car,'' Martin said. ``The 8 car the last two races has been a contender and hopefully we can pull one off at Darlington.''
