Martin prepared to replace Gordon if baby calls
Quote selected text Published May 23rd, 2007 in NASCAR News
If Jeff Gordon is forced to miss a race to attend the birth of his daughter, series veteran Mark Martin will man the No. 24 Chevrolet, multiple sources within the Hendrick Motorsports organization told ESPN.com Wednesday.
Martin on Wednesday afternoon will be fitted for a racing seat in preparation for the substitute role, sources said, and plans to begin stand-by duty for Gordon at Infineon Raceway next month.
Hendrick Motorsports officials chose not to comment, saying rather that Gordon would address the matter Thursday at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, site of this weekend’s Coca-Cola 600.
Sources said Gordon personally sought out Martin to stand in for him, and after clearing the idea with Ginn Racing officials, Martin gladly accepted.
Gordon’s wife, Ingrid Vandebosch, is due the week of the June 24 Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma.
Martin will fly to Sonoma, during a weekend when he is slated to be idle from racing. If Gordon doesn’t require his services, Martin will remain on hand to coach Regan Smith in the No. 01.
Bookmark to:
- Jeff Gordon on baby watch, could miss Sonoma
- With baby on the way, Gordon not thinking of retirement
- Sam Hornish becomes a father
- Truex and Stremme under consideration to replace Newman
- Martin to run first Busch race for Hendrick
That is very nice of Mark Martin.
Oh i hope the baby comes on Monday!
Does that mean Martin will get points for himself or for Gordon?
GORDON WILL GET ZERO points unless he STARTS the ACTUAL race..and jumps outin the middle..so mark martin will get all the pts if he starts it..haha gordon m ight lose 180pts that would be halarious..[Comment Edited]
you gotta love Mark Martin that is just the kinda guy he is. Jr is my driver but i have alot of respect for Mark Martin and some of the older drivers. And hey if Jr is having a bad day i could actually pull for the 24
Hmm…I’m hoping the baby comes a week late cuz I’m gonna be at Louden, I’d rather see Mark Martin race any dayover Gordon.
Mark’s the man.
You will NEVER find a classier driver then Mark Martin and will never see another like him in your life time.
You have to wonder what effect this will have on the chase. If Gordon misses the race and loses the points it could knock him out. I know he’s sailing along right now and looks like he can afford to lose the points, but he hasn’t had any trouble yet. What if he comes back and all of a sudden blows a motor one race, gets wrecked out of another. All of a sudden things will get tense. It’s tough to get through the whole season without problems happening and just what if all his problems occur right before the chase. This could change the entire season.
Darrell you are a disgusting person!
I love Mark. He is my man, BUT WHY HENDRICK? Gawsh I hate Hendrick drivers, but looks like I might be rooting for the 24 for the first time in my life and hopfully the last.
LMAO AT DARRELL!! HAHAH!!
dont get me wrong, i love mark martin..
but anyone that gets in the 24 car is probably plagued for life.
i don’t want to see a classy guy like martin get into a dirty cheater’s car like gordons.
boo!
If you think about it Martin is already driving for Hendrick considering Ginn has Hendrick engines, so whats the big deal?
That Mark Mrtin sure is a class act. I agree with Ryan, why HENDRICK I have never cheered for the 24 but if Marks Driving I will for the first and hopefully last time ever.
And I guess I have to give Gordon credit for seeking out one of the best drivers to fill in for him.
I love Mark Martin he’s just the greatest. I’m not sure how many other drivers would do this.
BUT WHY HENDRICK??? cuz jeff asked him and he agreed. ignorant people. he’s doing jeff a favor. marks a nice guy helping someone out. the car isnt “cursed”. grow up. and darrell is digusting. “keep it in yer pants”, he is having a child for christ’s sake!!! all you haters are so immature. my driver is jimmie and i dont hate anyone. why the need for hate? i guess i will never understand that part. these are all good guys and i love to watch all of them go at it. i believe that hate stems from jealousy. think about that.
Sorry all, I’ve edited the offensive remark above. Unfortunately people have to be crass sometimes.
My congratulations go out to Jeff and Ingrid on the upcoming
birth of their daughter.
I applaude him for being with his wife at this time
when SHE needs him more than the sport does!! I
personaly know of many men who wouldn’t be present
for the birth of their child in any work related
situation. Jeff is already showing signs of being a
great daddy!!
Excellent choice in replacement drivers!! Mark Martin will
do him and the team proud.
It’s refreshing to see a man put POINTS last and his
family first!!
Congratulations Jeff and Ingrid!!
how much fun is martin having! i agree mike i am a rousch fan (26) and will always like mark martin A TRUE CLASS ACT
Amanda…you disgust me.
Sometimes life is more important than racing. Jeff has waited a long time for a lil baby and I’m so happy for them both. Thanks to mark for being the sport he is.
Who knew Jeff was actually capable of producing children? I kid, I kid (sort of).
But, I definitely would not call Gordon a cheater by any stretch of the imagination. Gordon is possibly the most straight up guy at Hendrick.
It would be funny if Mark out performs Gordon’s potential when he drives that car. I love seeing drivers swap cars/teams. It makes for a nice baseline of driver ability.
I hope the baby comes on monday, I can’t imagine seeing Jeff miss Sears point…but still congrats for him and Ingrid
Mark in that car could be hard to beat. I’d like to see it just for fun. Mark Martin is such a great driver / person. Who cares if he doesnt have a Cup , he’s still one of the greatest drivers of our time.
Jeff will be in that car. There is no sence in even discussing this issue.
[[Yet again he proves how stupid and ignorant he is. And no, I'm
not talking about Jeff Gordon this time. Aaaanyway.]]
Wow, for the first time in my life I’m giving Jeff Gordon credit. As
a human being, that is. I’m honestly impressed that he’s willing to
miss a race for the birth of his child. Cuz I’m sorry, I know a lot
of guys who wouldn’t. Especially at what is, if I’m not mistaken,
one of his better tracks. [[Normally I'm a fair shake at stats, but
I really don't pay attention to Gordon. haha.]]
It won’t be my favorite thing in the world to see Mark Martin in that
particular car and I just don’t think I could bring myself to pull
for it no matter who’s in it, but I won’t wish him bad luck either.
It truly shows how much of an amazing guy Mark is, though.
I would love to see Mark start for Jeff. Not a Jeff fan at all, when I started
watching NASCAR I was a Mark Martin fan. I miss seeing drivers of his caliber
out there. Not speaking of just talent, but also class and integrity.
::bows:: thank you, thank you.
Jeff isn’t going to give up his car to Mark Martin. That baby will be born on monday, so chill people!