Johnny Benson

The 47th time will be the charm for Mark Martin.

In his 46 previous Cup starts at Daytona International Speedway, the 50-year-old has never made it to Victory Lane. He’ll change that on Sunday as he starts from the outside pole after a qualifying run of 187.817 mph.

Working in Martin’s favor
Besides his terrific starting position, Martin will make his first Sprint Cup Series start for Hendrick Motorsports as he begins competing in his first season of full-time racing since 2006. Martin announced last July he was hooking up with Hendrick Motorsports, which should not only give him a great chance to win races but also to capture his first Cup championship, something that despite all the success he has enjoyed over the years has proven elusive since he began racing in NASCAR’s top series in 1982.

Hendrick Motorsports is one of the top organizations in Cup racing and its drivers and cars have had their share of success at Daytona. Don’t put much stock in what the history book says – that only 10 drivers have won a race over the age of 50. Martin is not your average 50-year-old and he’s certainly anything but an average driver. He’s one of the best. Team owner Rick Hendrick might have said it best when he commented that while Martin is 50 he’s got the body and the mindset of a 35-year-old.

Martin is in great shape due to his incredible fitness regimen. He does strength training four days a week but doesn’t rest on the other three days. That’s when he gets in his cardio. He’s not slowing down and his determination and dedication show he still feels he has something to prove.

Talk about heartbreak in this race. Martin knows that feeling as well as any driver. In 2007, he not only had the lead when the field came out of a caution for a green-white-checker restart, but he was also still in front coming out of the final turn. Then misfortune struck as cars began wrecking behind him and from the outside Kevin Harvick passed Martin to win the race by .02 seconds. The margin of victory is the closest ever recorded in the Daytona 500. Overall in his 46 Cup starts at Daytona, Martin has one pole, eight top-fives and 16 top-10s.

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Martin turned 50 on Jan. 9 but if he wins this year he wouldn’t be the oldest driver to win the Daytona 500. Bobby Allison holds that distinction as he was 50 years, two months and 11 days old when he won in 1988. Martin would be 50 years, one month and six days old after the 500-miler on Sunday.

Martin should not only be optimistic over his chances at winning the biggest race in the Sprint Cup Series, he should be optimistic over his title chances. The move to Hendrick Motorsports is a tremendous plus for him and he’s working with crew chief Alan Gustafson, who is one of the brightest at what he does. Martin was runner-up to winning the title in 1990, ’94, ’98 and ’02. Martin's Cup career has him marked as being the best driver never to win a championship. This might well be the year he gets rid of that label.

Other drivers to watch
Jimmie Johnson’s aim this season is to win a fourth straight Sprint Cup title. His aim on Sunday will be to win his second Daytona 500 (he got to Victory Lane in 2006). He’ll be making his 14th start at this superspeedway where in addition to his win, he has two poles, five top-fives and eight top-10s.

Just like Martin, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr., Johnson has the advantage of being in a Hendrick Motorsports’ car. The three-time defending Cup champion is going to be tough to beat as he has consistently run well at Daytona, and most times out on a restrictor-plate track, Johnson holds his own with any other driver.

When it comes to accomplishments at Daytona, Gordon's been living a dream. In 31 Cup starts he has six wins, four poles, 11 top-fives and 16 top-10s. With a driving style and car setup preferences different from his teammates, Gordon struggled to adapt last season to NASCAR's new-style car, otherwise known as the Car of Tomorrow. He went winless in 2008 but he hopes to have his ride much more figured out this season.

Earnhardt Jr. drafts extremely well and even before he came to Hendrick Motorsports last season, he had built an impressive resume on restrictor-plate tracks. He’s one of the best, if not the best, on these types of tracks. In 17 Cup starts at Daytona, Junior has two wins, six top-fives and 11 top-10s. With a year under his belt at Hendrick Motorsports, he should be even tougher to beat in 2009.

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Harvick is hoping to carry momentum into Sunday’s race from his win last weekend in a wild exhibition Budweiser Shootout that will be remembered for a record number of lead changes, eye-popping wrecks and it’s edge-of-the-seat ending.

Using a huge push from Denny Hamlin, Harvick came from behind and passed Jamie McMurray on the last lap. It was Harvick's first trip to Victory Lane in 71 races. But remember he won this race in 2007 and the Richard Childress Racing driver has one pole, three top-fives and five top-10s to go along with his win at Daytona.

Kyle Busch had a terrific season leading up to the Chase for the Championship last year, but he had his problems in the playoff and finished 10th in points. He was fourth last year in the Daytona 500, but won the Cup race at this superspeedway last July. He’d love to pick up where he left off the last time he raced this venue.

The pole sitter is Martin Truex Jr., who edged Martin with a qualifying speed of 188.001 mph. My darkhorse is Bill Elliott, who was brought in to drive for the Wood Brothers in 12 races this season. The veteran was fifth in qualifying for the Daytona 500.

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