JOLIET, Ill. — Mark Martin will feel his age in the morning, or a day or two after a race.
His bones will stiffen and his body will ache after driving 400 grueling miles, even though the fitness fanatic is still in top shape.
After all, 50 is 50 and that matters — well, everywhere but on the track.
Martin is still nifty at 50 and has made Sprint Cup racing his personal senior circuit. He won at Chicagoland Speedway, getting the strong jump off the double-file restart with two laps left to win his series-high fourth race of the season.
“I’m going to feel like hell tomorrow because I ain’t going to sleep much tonight,” Martin said Saturday night. “When I’m pumped up driving fast race cars, I certainly don’t feel 50.”
He’s far from the sunset of his career and proved it under the lights on the 1 1/2-mile track.
Martin dominated the race early and led 195 laps, easily the most of the 400-mile race. He was in so much control of the No. 5 car, he radioed his crew to say, “this is easy.”
But he dropped the lead to Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson with just over 40 laps left. Then a frantic finish that saw Johnson and Kurt Busch tangle on the track allowed Martin his chance to regain the lead and hold on.
“I don’t know how we have one, much less four,” Martin said.
Jeff Gordon’s hard-charging finish got him second place. He made a late pit stop for four fresh tires which helped him quickly make up ground and earn his third runner-up finish in the last five races.
“I saw Jeff coming and I was like, ‘Get it, get it,’ ” Martin said. “I wanted him to get it. This is really, really special. Incredible what everybody does for us.”
Not only that, they gave team owner Rick Hendrick a nice early birthday present. Hendrick turns 60 today.
“It’s a slightly early birthday present,” Martin said just a few ticks before midnight.
Martin might still be racing and winning races at 60, showing no signs in the No. 5 Chevrolet of slowing down.
Kyle Busch had a dreadful night and was unruly on the radio as his No. 18 car was on the track and finished 33rd. He complained all race about his car to his crew and fell to 10th in the points standings.
“I got nothing,” Busch said over the radio. “I don’t care what you do. It’s junk.”
