NOTEBOOK: Brickyard makes Martin bold

            INDIANAPOLIS - Mark Martin must be feeling a certain sense of destiny.

            Martin, 49, hasn't won a Sprint Cup race since Oct. 9, 2005, at Kansas Speedway, but next year he will once again compete full-time, moving to Hendrick Motorsports for what, once again he insists, is going to be his last bid for the championship that has eluded him.

            Known for caution and humility, Martin is brazenly predicting a victory in Sunday's Allstate 400 at the Brickyard.

"I've been looking to this race for quite some time, actually," he said. "We kind of shocked everyone ... when I said that we were going to Indy looking to win the Brickyard 400, but I meant what I said.

"Indy is one of the crown jewels of racing, and we have the team that can get it done. Our car was awesome at Phoenix and Richmond, and we parked it after that in order to have it for the (Allstate) 400. What we learned at those tracks should really apply well at Indy, and I'm excited about our chances this weekend."

            Earlier, Martin was more bold.

            "I'm planning on winning the Brickyard in the ‘8' car," he said. "We've got the stuff. We've got the team."

What a crock

            Perhaps the year's most absurd statistical issue is the alleged "record" being sought by Kyle Busch for victories in one year over NASCAR's three national touring series. So far, Busch has won 14 times: seven times in Sprint Cup, five in Nationwide and twice in Craftsman Truck.

            The alleged record is shared with Kevin Harvick, who won 14 times in 2001.

            First of all, there have only been three national touring series since 1995. Secondly, no one else has ever attempted (or even wanted) to compete at least semi-regularly in the three series. And, thirdly, there's the little matter of the 27 races won by Richard Petty in Grand National (now Sprint Cup) alone back in 1967.

            Petty won 27 races in 48 tries. That's much more comparable to the number of races in which Busch will compete this year.

Not so fast

            Tony Stewart eventually wants to put four cars on the track every week at the team he will take over next year, but on his weekly Sirius satellite-radio show, the two-time Cup champion said that won't happen soon.

"That is not true. One of the guys asked if we were ever going to grow it to a four car team," said Stewart, "and that is exactly what the plan will be eventually, but right now, we're going to concentrate on getting these two Cup cars exactly where they need to be: contenders to win a championship each year before we expand."

Appropriate

            At the track where his uncle, Rick, won the Indianapolis 500 four times, Casey Mears is making his 200^th career start in NASCAR's premier series.

"It's perfect," said Mears. "This place is so important to my family and to me, personally. Every time I walk into the track, I think about my dad (Roger) racing in the Indy 500. Then I think about my Uncle Rick winning the Indy 500. All of our memories here are good ones."

For the record

            The six drivers who won the (now) Allstate 400 en route to the Cup championships are Jeff Gordon in 1998, Dale Jarrett in '99, Bobby Labonte in 2000, Jeff Gordon in '01, Tony Stewart in '05 and Jimmie Johnson in '06.

            You can reach Monte Dutton at mdutton@gastongazette.com.