Perilous Positions for Mark Martin, Others

Veteran racer Mark Martin is the "cautious" in the expression, "cautiously optimistic." That's why his unabashed excitement coming into the season was a story in and of itself.

His fans and competitors alike hoped a prime job in the No. 5 Chevrolet for mighty Hendrick Motorsports would land this popular four-time championship runner-up a last really good -- perhaps long -- shot at a Sprint Cup title. Instead, a string of uncanny bad racing luck -- uncharacteristic Hendrick engine problems and a flat tire -- have left Martin ranked 34th in the standings entering Sunday's race at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.

He's got only a nine-point cushion on 35th place, and a fall outside the top-35 will cost him a guaranteed starting spot on the grid beginning next week, when the guaranteed starts are allotted based on the current top-35 standings.

Just as surprising as seeing Martin in this perilous predicament is the high-quality company he's keeping there.

Last year's Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman (32nd), this year's rookie almighty Joey Logano (33rd), Martin and 35th place Earnhardt-Ganassi driver Aric Almirola are separated by 47 points. There is only a 72-point gap between 37th-placed rookie Scott Speed and Newman, who moved from Penske Racing to the Stewart-Haas team.

These are the big guns, not the start-up teams.

It was supposed to be a year of resurgence and breakthrough and redemption. But the early going has felt more like shock and awe.

"We don't have the time to sit back and feel sorry for ourselves." Martin's crew chief Alan Gustafson said this week. "Things have definitely not gone the way we envisioned this year, but we can't afford to lose any of our intensity or our drive."

And it's not as if Martin really has to worry about qualifying on speed. He's won a pole and an outside pole position in four races. Starting hasn't been the problem.

"The first goal is to finish a race -- the complete distance on the lead lap,'' said Martin, who hasn't competed at Bristol since a 2007 reconfiguration.

"Instead of trying to shoot the lights out, we really just need to complete the distance and continue to build our communications with Alan (Gustafson)."

Martin has won more pole positions (seven) at Bristol than any other driver entered this weekend and he has a pair of wins too -- the last, however, coming in 1998.

And in Martin's case, the season's results have honestly not matched his performance. He ranks among the top-15 drivers in most key statistics. His average running position is 17.2 and he's run more than 60 percent of all his laps in 15th place or better. Only six drivers have turned in more "fast laps" than Martin.

And his No. 5 Kellogg's Chevy is a winner at Bristol -- taking the first Car of Tomorrow (COT) victory right after the track's reconfiguration two years ago with driver Kyle Busch.

The Bristol beat-and-bang races are always exciting enough without anything extra on the line.

If anything, the worst part of Martin's current circumstance -- and Newman's and Logano's and the rest delicately balancing on the top-35 bubble -- may simply be having to talk about it every week.

A few years back there were 50 or so cars that would show up as legitimate shots at qualifying for the 43-car fields. Before this season started, there were questions if any cars would have to even be sent home from some races.

These high profile teams teetering on the top-35 won't get much sympathy from owner-driver Michael Waltrip, who is ranked 16th in points, but who spent the first two years as a team owner struggling to stay among the top-35.

"I sort of think, 'welcome to my world,' a little bit," said Waltrip, who's enjoying the best early season run since starting his own team in 2007.

"I think it's healthy for people to experience and understand that it's not always a given in this sport. There will be bumps in the road and sometimes you'll have to work your way out of the hole."

"But then again, this hole ain't nearly as deep as the hole I fell into when I was just starting my teams. When I hear people say how tough it is right now, I just want to say, 'Come here. Do you have a minute?'"