What is Mark Martin doing?

Mark Martin will return to a fulltime schedule next season, driving the No. 5 car for Hendrick Motorsports. It's a change after running a partial schedule last year and this year.

So why do it?

A chance to get an elusive championship?

Money?

Pride?

Or some other reason?

Here's the deal. His season will be billed as a final hurrah for a championship. Martin has always stressed that he's never worried about a career without a Cup title (he's finished second four times). He may believe it, but this is such an intense athlete that if he did believe it 100 perccent deep down in his soul it's doubtful he'd have the success in his career that he has had. Remember he still has more wins than Tony Steawart (35-32) although Stewart has two series crowns. You get the sense he says a title doesn't matter to convince others. Then again maybe he's the rare athlete who can excel without that drive for the title.

Money? No. This is not the upteenth comeback as other drivers have had to collect a paycheck.

Pride? Maybe a bit. Since going to a partial schedule he's refreshed. He was worn out after the 2006 season. The last few years up to that point taxed him tremendously mentally as much as physically. He needed this break. He feels better. He's had some success in the 8 car and he can help keep Hendrick Motorsports strong. One thing Martin is very good at is mentoring young drivers, having worked with Aric Almirola the last couple of years. Now, he'll turn his attention to Brad Keselowski, who if he does well, should share Martin's ride in 2010 when Martin cuts back to a partial schedule.

This is a good fit for Hendrick because Martin can mentor Keselowski. Who else would Hendrick put in the car? Martin Truex Jr.? It's hard to imagine that Hendrick would take a DEI driver for a second year in a row when both are backed by Chevrolet even with Martin buds with Dale Jr. Ryan Newman certainly could fit. He fits the corporate image well (he has plenty of experience while being at Penske). His engineering would seem to fit in with Hendrick. Then again, Newman seems set to join Tony Stewart at the Haas CNC team Stewart looks to become a co-owner in next year. David Ragan might fit but it appears as if Roush Fenway Racing will sign him to an extension, so Martin appears to be the perfect driver for Hendrick at this time.

ADVISORY: Users are solely responsible for opinions they post here and for following agreed-upon rules of civility. Comments do not reflect the views of The Virginian-Pilot or its Web sites. Comments are automatically checked for inappropriate language, but readers might find some comments offensive or inaccurate. If you believe a comment violates our rules, click the "Report Violation" link below the comment to alert an editor. Update on new comment functions.