Martin, Gordon not giving up; look forward to Texas

Talk about hangdog. Mark Martin's car had been flipped and turned into a sparking bottle rocket heading to the white flag at Talladega last Sunday. He finished 28th, and the final thread connecting him to hopes of his first Cup Series championship had frayed to the point of nothingness.

His frustration was evident in his tone, his words and the look on his face. Tough old Mark Martin looked liked all-in; like he would just as soon head home to drink lemonade on the porch.

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The problem is, he can't. There still are three races left in the 2009 season. There still are obligations to team and sponsors and himself, and even the faintest of hopes that he still can catch and pass Jimmie Johnson in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

So this weekend, Martin will arrive at Texas Motor Speedway for the Dickies 500 (2:30 p.m. ET Sunday, ABC) and commence to picking himself up off a deck upon which he now finds himself splattered.

"I am tired of the points," Martin, who is now 184 behind Johnson, said this week. "I'm not just saying that because of being behind. We were chasing points to get into the Chase, and now that we're here, that's all people are talking about. I'm just ready to have a fresh outlook and get back to it just being about the race itself."

At least Martin will not be alone in his boot-strap pull. Hendrick Motorsport teammate Jeff Gordon also went through a major deflation at Talladega. Like Martin, he was in position to gain good ground on Johnson late in the race. Although he did not crash, he ran out of fuel and limped home 20th and now trails the Chase leader by 192 points.

"I can't wait to get back there," Gordon said of Texas.

The pessimists, the quitters, would ask: Why?

Martin's crew chief didn't have to dig very deep at all to answer that question.

"Winning," Alan Gustafson said. "Winning is the biggest thing. It's a huge deal. There are a lot of good teams and good drivers that haven't won a race. We have to stay hungry.

"We have a chance to win at Texas." (Continued)