Age doesn't slow down Mark Martin

Yes, the old man is back — with a vengeance.

Mark Martin turned 51 earlier this month., but the popular veteran is refusing to leave the sport he loves without a fight.

He has never lacked confidence or determination. Yes, there have been “brutal disappointments” throughout his racing career. Perhaps that’s the reason he promised at the champions banquet last month to return in 2010 “in a little better shape” and more “mentally tough” than he was last season.

When Martin showed up for fan fest at Daytona International Speedway this weekend, he appeared more charged up, if that‘s even possible. He summed up his philosophy for the upcoming season simply:

“I'm not Mr. Optimistic, I'm not Mr. Pessimistic, I'm Mr. Realistic," Martin said. "And realistically speaking, I can't tell you what the result will be in 2010. But we are better than we were a year ago. I just don't know how much better our competition is.”

Martin knew what to expect from Roush Racing after 18 seasons behind the wheel of the No. 6 Ford. He also had a taste of the Earnhardt Childress engines for a limited stint. For the last few seasons, however, his current company has been light years ahead of the garage. In 2009, Hendrick Motorsports won the Sprint Cup trifecta with Martin securing his fifth second-place finish in the point standings book-ended by teammates Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon.

Last year Martin enjoyed a break most racers only dream of — a ride on the Hendrick Motorsports roster. Not only was Martin granted that wish, but he maximized the opportunity. Despite entering the season with a host of unknowns — new crew chief, new team, new environment — Martin quickly acclimated to his surroundings. Eight races into the season, Martin won the first of his five races in the No. 5 Chevrolet.

Certainly, Martin surprised a lot of people last year — just not himself. So when he was asked for the umpteenth time, "How do you beat Johnson and the No. 48 team?" Martin’s answer was to the point.

“How do we know that Jimmie Johnson is the team to beat in 2010? You can't really control what other people do and how they perform,” Martin said. “What you can do is focus on your performance and strengthening everything in your program. And Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) and I and the team have looked at every piece of it, and we have tried to add strength to every part of it.

“When you're performing on the level that we performed in 2009, it's hard to make large gains in any one area. But if you can make just a little bit of gain in most areas, then hopefully that will be you that the field is chasing.”

Johnson is the racer everyone has been chasing over the last four seasons. But Martin has the ultimate advantage from inside of the Hendrick halls. He’s witnessed firsthand what’s in the No. 48 team’s arsenal and the method behind Johnson’s madness.

“It seemed like it happened in a flick of the switch as soon as he climbed in that 48 car, but I’ve had the opportunity to see up close and personal how Jimmie Johnson’s commitment impacts that 48 car,” Martin said. “And I didn’t know that before, so I thought he drove a fast race car and was pretty lucky. Now I know that race car is pretty fast a lot because of him and what he brings to it. He makes his luck through his commitment and his desire.”

Still, long before Johnson reached the pinnacle of the sport, Martin could have schooled him and every other driver on commitment and desire.

“I can't know what the competition is going to do, but I do know that physically I'm better,” said Martin, who stepped up his workout regime in the offseason. “I am better. I am more ready today than I was a year ago right now. I know that my race team is more ready than they were a year ago right now. I know our pit stops are faster than they were a year ago right now. I know that we have a better understanding of our race cars than where we were a year ago right now. We didn't know any — we hadn't even run a race yet a year ago.

“So we are better. Alan has put together a very, very strong program, and there's been some people moved around between the 5 and the 88 that will make both of us better and stronger. So those things I do know.”

And if Martin claims that he and the No. 5 car will be “better” than they were last year, believe him. His competitors certainly will.