NASCAR ROUNDUP News and notes

Martin incurs Hamlin's ire: Mark Martin has a reputation for being one of the cleanest drivers in NASCAR, the kind of guy who never resorts to cheapshots to get something he couldn't otherwise earn and who is a mentor for up-and-coming talent. Good luck getting rookie Denny Hamlin to see it that way. "I respect Mark Martin like no other," Hamlin said Sunday after contact with Martin took him out of the DirecTV 500 early and sent him to a 37th place finish. Hamlin said he was running on the lead lap with Martin one lap down when Martin's Ford bounced off the wall and into Hamlin's Chevrolet, which spun out and crashed. "This ain't the first time," the Chesterfield native fumed. "At Las Vegas, he ran me into the wall. There's so many races I can say the 6 car didn't give me any room. I understand I'm the rookie and he's the veteran, but we're all on the same race track. You've got to give room. He crowded me every time I was around him." Hamlin, who started 41st, was running 14th when his day ended.
Paybacks: The payback-taking frenzy that some expected at Martinsville never materialized, but Matt Kenseth probably feels like he's even with Kurt Busch. A week after Busch nudged Kenseth aside to take the lead en route to winning at Bristol, Kenseth exacted his revenge with 33 laps to go in Sunday's race, clipping Busch's Dodge and sending it slamming hard into the wall along the backstretch. "Guess we're even with the 17 car," Busch said of his former Roush Racing teammate. "We'd gotten around him for seventh. He bumped me up the track and we fell back." Busch, remarkably, kept the car moving forward without spinning and no caution came out. He also rallied despite a loose car after his last pit stop for the last laugh. He finished 11th, while Kenseth crashed with seven laps to go and was 24th.
Ward wants in: Ward Burton could be getting closer to returning to NASCAR racing and made his first appearance at a track this season at Martinsville Speedway. Once intent on coming back only for a quality team in NASCAR's top series, Burton said he is becoming more open-minded about racing in the Busch or truck series, but more because he misses the camaraderie of racing and the excitement of competition. If no ride comes his way, Burton said he could accept that, too. "I can live with it. I mean, I'm living with it right now and I'm fine," he said. "I'm certainly not having any problems being busy and I'm doing what I enjoy."
Associated Press
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