With age comes whiz-dom: Martin, 50, claims pole

March 8, 2009 at 12:00a.m.

HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) — Mark Martin bounded into the room like a 22-year-old rookie. He had just become the second-oldest driver in NASCAR Cup history to claim a pole.

Turning a harrowing lap on tires that provided little grip, the 50-year-old Martin took the top spot Friday night at Atlanta Motor Speedway, proving he’s still fully capable of showing those young whippersnappers a thing or two.

“When I saw that lap posted, I said, ’I can’t touch that. I’m not even going to come close,’ ” said Kurt Busch, who settled for the second spot behind the guy who’s nearly two decades his senior. “Everyone was holding their breath for 30 seconds out there.”

Martin turned a lap of 187.045 mph for today’s Kobalt Tools 500, earning his 42nd career pole but first since May 5, 2001, at Richmond.

Only Harry Gant, who was 54 when he claimed the pole at Bristol in August 1994, was older than Martin.

“I feel like a rookie,” Martin said. “I really, really do.”

With everyone renewing their complaints about a lack of tire grip on the high-banked, 1.54-mile oval, Martin managed to hold things together for a nearly perfect run that took less than 30 seconds.

“I’m still shaking,” he said. “I thought I ran out of talent in turn four. There was no possible way to hold my foot on the floor and not hit the wall, back end first, in turn four. But that was really fun. I live to scare myself like that.”

After two seasons as a part-time driver, Martin returned to a full-season ride with the powerful Hendrick Motorsports team this season, looking to claim the first Cup championship of a long, brilliant career. Blown engines the past two weeks put a damper on his new gig, so the long-awaited pole couldn’t have come at a better time.

“This is cool,” Martin said. “It doesn’t have any real implications for what’s going to happen Sunday, but we won a competition tonight.”

Busch will start from the outside of the front row after a lap of 186.365. He, too, found it difficult to keep the car under control on a track that felt like ice.

“We’re scratching out heads a little bit on how hard the cars are to drive, but we seem to have some speed,” Busch said.

Ryan Newman missed out in a bid for his eighth career pole at the Atlanta oval, remaining tied with Buddy Baker for the most in track history. Newman qualified 12th in his Stewart Haas Racing Chevrolet, just behind his team owner, Tony Stewart.

Todd Bodine, Scott Riggs, Jeremy Mayfield and Geoff Bodine failed to make the 43-car field.