Martin Puckering Up For Victory Tradition Patrick Fired Up Again

By TONY FABRIZIO The Tampa Tribune Published: July 23, 2008 Is part-timer Mark Martin a favorite to kiss the bricks after Sunday's Allstate 400 at the Brickyard? In his own mind, he is. The 49-year-old surprised the media last month at Pocono when he basically predicted a Brickyard win in Dale Earnhardt Inc.'s No. 8 Chevy. "I meant what I said," Martin said this week. "Indy is one of the crown jewels of racing, and we have the team that can get it done." Martin's reasoning: DEI has a good setup for flat tracks (Indy is the least-banked track the Sprint Cup series runs on), and Martin has a solid record at Indy: nine top-10 finishes in 14 starts, including sixth last year. What's certain is this won't be the final Brickyard for Martin, who is returning to a full-time ride next year with Hendrick Motorsports. Here Come ESPN,... [read full story]