Martin signs through '11 and adding new sponsor
GoDaddy.com to be primary on No. 5 for 20 races in 2010
CONCORD, N.C. -- Mark Martin has agreed to a contract extension through the 2011 season with Hendrick Motorsports.
"That shouldn't come as any big surprise," Martin said Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. "Who would want to quit?"
And he will have a new primary sponsor.
GoDaddy.com has signed to sponsor the No. 5 Chevrolet for 20 races -- including the Daytona 500 -- during the 2010 Sprint Cup Series season.
GoDaddy.com's affiliation with Hendrick Motorsports began in 2008 with a two-race primary sponsorship of the No. 25, a program that this season expanded to seven Cup events. In 2009, the company also became an associate-level sponsor of the No. 5.
"It's neat to be associated with a fast, edgy company that's aggressive and out there doing what they do like we do on the race track with our race teams," Martin said. "It's a cool thing to be looking forward to year and having different colors and there is more to come."
Martin has four wins, tied for the series lead, in his first Cup Series campaign with Hendrick. The team announced May 6 that Martin would return full time in 2010.
"Mark has been an unbelievable asset to our organization," Hendrick said. "I can't overstate the contribution he's made or the kind of teammate he's been, and we're excited that he'll race with us for the next two years. With his focus and dedication, he will continue to make all of us better."
Martin, 50, is the oldest driver ever to qualify for NASCAR's championship-deciding Chase for the Sprint Cup, which begins Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Having Martin remain with the team for the 2011 season was Hendrick's idea, and embraced by Martin.
"It was still Rick's initiative," Martin said, "and I didn't have any reservations really when we talked about 2010; 2011 is a long way out. It's a long-term commitment. But I understood Rick. He had to make some decisions about some long-range things and he really wanted it. This was his first choice. With the success that we were having, I don't see me falling off a cliff anytime soon.
"I hope that I'll be able to do the job and I'm having a blast. I understand that it works better for sponsor commitments and those kinds of things. And so I'm pretty comfortable. There's no place I'd rather be today than at the race track. I didn't always feel that way. And so I did something about it. And now I feel that way. So now I'm doing something about that."
NASCAR.COM - Martin signs through '11 and adding new sponsor - Sep 18, 2009
I wonder who'll retire first, Mark or Jeff?