He walks like Mark Martin, but sure doesn't talk like him

INDIANAPOLIS

Mark Martin pursed his lips as if considering whether to let the words escape and reveal his true feelings.

For years, the 49-year-old ignored the thoughts bouncing in his mind that were trying to break free. Bold predictions serve little purpose except to disappoint. Martin hates boasting. He fears failure even more.

Yet there Martin was in front of a microphone, before a crowd, this man known as much for his pessimism as his passion, about to break his own rules last month at Pocono.

He winced, knowing what he was about to do to himself, then spoke.

"I'm planning on winning the Brickyard in the 8 car," he said, his head bobbing in affirmation, as he talked about today's race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Jimmie Johnson, seated beside Martin, turned toward his future teammate with a wide-eyed look.

"The fact that he was so confident about it, I couldn't believe it was Mark Martin sitting next to me," Johnson said.

Few could.

This is a man who has won 35 Sprint Cup races and is the Nationwide Series' all-time winner, yet the most influential moment of his career likely came when he was fired in 1983. It haunts him.

He recalls standing along the fence at Daytona in February 1984 without a ride or a garage pass, watching others work and compete. The memory remains vivid. Not racing scares him.

"Knowing his personality... no, it doesn't surprise me that has affected him and his career through the years," said Martin's wife, Arlene.

While Jeff Gordon and Johnson enjoy traveling and Dale Earnhardt Jr. owns a bar in downtown Charlotte, N.C., Martin has few interests outside racing.

What happens on the track affects his mood and life.

So far, it's been a good weekend. He qualified second - Johnson starts on the pole - for today's race.

"That's one step in not embarrassing myself," Martin said.

It is days like Saturday and today that tug at Martin and keep him racing after he planned to make 2005 his final Cup season. One thing led to another, and he's kept racing. He'll join Hendrick Motorsports next year and return to a full-time schedule after two years of part-time duty.

"Here's a guy that went from retiring with me in '05 to say, 'Hey, I'm going to drive for five more years,' " said former champion Rusty Wallace, who has not raced since.

Some compare Martin's desire to that of Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre, who is looking to return to the NFL after announcing his retirement earlier this year. Martin admitted earlier this month he didn't know much about Favre except that Matt Kenseth, a Packers fan, liked Favre, so he must be good.

Martin, though, understands Favre's desire to return. Martin feels it as he extends his career as long as possible.

"I don't have the same kind of passion toward anything else," he said. "That is going to be a tremendous void for me unless I find something.

"When I drive fast race cars... that is what life is all about. I won't have a chance to do that very much longer. So, you know, this is also very precious to me."

His front-row starting spot has him excited that he could earn his first Indianapolis win. He posted the sixth-fastest lap in Saturday's final practice session, making him among the favorites.

Martin's confidence is evident. He smiles.

The car he'll drive today nearly took him to Victory Lane at Phoenix in April. He finished third with it at Richmond in May. It has been sitting at Dale Earnhardt Inc., awaiting this day, this chance to make Martin's declaration reality. That would make him the second Cup driver to predict an Indy victory.

Andy Petree, who served as Dale Earnhardt's crew chief, recalls Earnhardt saying he would win the 1995 race at this track that weekend.

"That confidence that he came in here with carried all week long until we won that race," said Petree, now a broadcaster for ESPN. "With Mark saying that, I say watch out for Mark Martin."

Should Martin call his shot in one of the sport's most prestigious races, well, maybe he'll speak out more often.

"I didn't feel like Babe Ruth pointing at where he was going to knock it out," Martin said of his prediction. "Maybe it was, but I didn't mean it that way.

"But I did mean that we were going to come here and be strong. So I think that prediction is coming true."