Mark Martin 2010 Preview, Predictions & Odds

With the NASCAR season underway, we are providing season previews for the top 30 drivers to give you the betting edge. Follow the best NASCAR Handicappers as they analyze their drivers in this 2010 season preview. Use our comprehensive and insider info to bet successfully on NASCAR in our recommend sportsbooks. View the rest of our 2010 NASCAR Season Previews here.

Mark Martin 2009 Stats

Mark Martin 2009 Recap & Review

Mark Martin had the time of his life in 2009 behind the wheel of the No.5 Kellogg’s/CARQUEST Chevrolet, and who could blame him? After all, he thought his days of running a full schedule and fighting for a championship were behind him before a once-in-a-lifetime offer from Rick Hendrick put the 50-year-old in five-star equipment.

Martin didn’t exactly get off to the kind of start that makes people think of a title contender, though. After finishing 16th in the Daytona 500, he failed to finish the next two races; engine failures ended both races early and left him in jeopardy of falling outside the top 35 in points.

But that’s where Martin’s experience made a difference, keeping the team focused and capable of battling back. With a sixth at Bristol, he started a run of four top-10 finishes that culminated with a win at Phoenix – his first since 2005. He finished dead last at Talladega the following week after the “Big One” bit him, but after that, the bad luck that’s dogged his career for the past quarter-century suddenly bit the dust. Martin won again at Darlington, Michigan and Chicagoland, capping off a startling comeback by earning the No.1 seed in the Chase.

Keeping that momentum going, Martin won at New Hampshire to pad his Chase lead. But three wins by Jimmie Johnson in the next four weeks snatched the point lead away, and two incidents – at Charlotte and Talladega – gave his teammate just enough breathing room. Still, with five wins, 14 top 5s and 21 top l0s, Martin wound up a solid second in the standings, falling 142 points short of a title.

Mark Martin 2010 Preview & Prediction

Martin barreled through his competition in his first full Cup season since 2006, and his best since 1998. Dubbed “The Kid” by the media, Martin ran like one, and the now five-time championship runner-up is ready and raring to block Jimmie Johnson’s bid for five straight titles in 2010.

History says that drivers Martin’s age (he turned 51 in January) don’t win championships. But then again, most of them haven’t run in the caliber of equipment he has at his disposal. Hendrick Motorsports built chassis and engines for five of the top 10 in drivers in 2009, and Martin reaped the benefits of stepping up with the right team at the right time. Now armed with a contract extension to reward that performance, what was a one-year commitment to full-time competition has suddenly turned into a three-year odyssey through 2011.

Martin’s comfort level with his crew had him signing on the dotted line, his confidence high in cars prepared under the watchful eye of crew chief Alan Gustafson. Gustafson is 34 years old, young enough to embrace the flexibility and new ideas in a way that some older crew chiefs don’t. He learns from the “old man’s” experience and then uses what he learns to innovate.

That leaves sponsorship the biggest question mark surrounding Martin’s No. 5 team. After losing Kellogg’s, the team signed GoDaddy.com for 20 races. CARQUEST returns for eight, while Delphi has signed on for two more — leaving six races without a primary sponsor. The pockets are deep at Hendrick, so money isn’t the same concern it would be elsewhere, but funding could remain a pesky distraction nonetheless.

However, that doesn’t matter much to Martin, who’s approaching both racing and life with a carefree attitude not seen before. During four agonizing second-place finishes in the standings, the public witnessed as Martin dealt with the grief of a dream unfulfilled. But in 2009, the fifth came with no frustration – only smiles from a man who’s already milked this second chance for all it’s worth.

It’s nice to see NASCAR’s Charlie Brown all warm and fuzzy, although it’ll take more than good feelings to push the No. 5 past the No. 48 on the Hendrick depth chart. But perseverance has been a staple of Martin’s throughout a career that began in 1981, when reigning champ Johnson was only five years old. That toughness is his biggest strength, both mentally and physically. He works harder than almost any man in the garage on fitness, including many half his age, and that is an advantage he carries into battle each week.

So can the man with an AARP card take home a title? It would make him the oldest driver to accomplish that feat; heck, 35 of this year’s full-time drivers weren’t even born the first time Martin drove competitively. But for the first time in his life, this man believes both his luck and his life couldn’t be better, so if attitude counts for anything, you better believe he’ll drive his competition “crazy” all over again this fall.

Mark Martin 2010 Predictions

We predict that Mark Martin will finish 3rd in the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Mark Martin Betting & Odds

Mark Martin NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship Odds: +800

Mark Martin Betting Trends & Situations

• after finishing 2nd to 5th, average finish is 7.6
• when racing in February, average finish is 14.7

Will Mark Martin go all the way to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship? Or, will Mark Martin fall short? Either way, you can still enjoy Mark Martin betting at our feature sportsbooks. Mark Martin & NASCAR Betting is serious business; where you can make a ton of money placing informed, smart bets on Mark Martin. Check out our highly reliable and trustworthy Online Sportsbook Reviews.

Join BetUs.com Today and Bet on Mark Martin and receive a 155% in Total Bonuses!