It was almost a week ago, fans screaming bloody murder over Jack Roush and Fastenal's announcement, four days later there might been a soothing announcement in the Roush Fenway camp, long-time driver Mark Martin would be coming home to work as a driver development coach and possibly more.
I grew up watching Mark Martin as a driver. Say what you will, Mark Martin is the driver that helped make Roush what it is today, it wasn't Edwards, Kenseth or Biffle. The line of history that Mark Martin put into place at the company is far greater and when he left at the end of the 2006 season it was the start of Roush's troubles in my mind. They lost the company leader, the guy that could put all the right pieces into place.
Martin is someone that might be in Jack Roush's eyes the one that could step in and do part of his job since he has been wanting to step away in some form. Mark Martin will bring back a lot to the table, even though, he is not an engineering, he brings the pieces he gained from organizations like Hendrick, Michael Waltrip, and Stewart-Haas Racing. The company needed someone to come in from the outside and tell them where they are going wrong in places.
Mark Martin and Jack Roush shared one of the longest running deals in NASCAR, from 1988-2006; they were a winning combination on the track. Martin earned 35 of his 40 Sprint Cup Series victory behind the famed No. 6 that will be returning to the track next season with Trevor Bayne behind the wheel. I had a gut feeling back in May, when Martin did the video as part of Bayne coming to Cup, he in some form was returning to the company.
“I’m excited to return to Roush Fenway Racing, as it feels like I’m
going home to where I belong,” Martin said in a news release. “I was
fortunate to help build this team from the beginning and it’s very
humbling to be a part of Jack’s team again. When Jack first hired me in
1988, we didn’t talk about salary or benefits or perks, we talked about
testing, tires and putting the right personnel into place to win on the
track.
“That commitment is what stood out to me then and it’s still what stands out to me today.”
I have said since he left the organization, it's been lacking a true "leader" form. Martin was the go-to guy for everyone when he was there, he gave advice, helped the teams with car data. He knows his way around the organization and can help fix some of its issues. Martin can help develop drivers like Trevor Bayne, Ricky Stenhouse, Chris Buescher and Ryan Reed for the companies future.
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