An Indy guarantee?

Martin likes his chances for win at Brickyard picked Indianapolis Motor Speedway as the spot he plans to end his 97-race winless streak. Then he announced it to all of NASCAR, an uncharacteristic burst of boldness that literally raised eyebrows. "When Mark said that, I looked at him ... because Mark never is optimistic about things," said two-time defending top-series champion Jimmie Johnson. "The fact that he was so confident about it, I couldn't believe it was Mark Martin. "I think that's a huge statement." Was it ever. Martin turned a lap yesterday at 181.393 mph in his Chevrolet to beat everyone except Johnson in Allstate 400 qualifying. Johnson's lap of 181.763 gave him his first pole at the Brickyard, and an up-close look at what Martin has in store for the field in today's race. "He's a much better racer than he is at... [read full story]