There wasn’t much shock in today’s NASCAR announcement that Mark Martin’s contract with Hendrick Motorsports was extended two years. The man just won his 39th career race and leads the SprintCup point standings heading into the Chase (their version of a playoff).
I’m a huge fan of the #5 car, something which started in 2005 – during his retirement tour. Yup: Mark Martin retired at the end of the ’05 season but came back because a team needed a driver and he didn’t feel like fishing on Sunday afternoons (I suppose).
My favorite line of Martin’s announcement today: Who would want to quit?
In some form or fashion, it’s the same line that’s been uttered – now twice – by Brett Favre – my former favorite quarterback in the NFL. Why couldn’t he just let his legacy live? Is owning just about every stat in the record book not good enough?
Though rare, this trend of UnRetirement or RetirementLite or NuUhI’mNotGoinNowhere happens in racing too. Not too often with the horses or trainers, but sometimes with jockeys.
My favorite case: Shane Sellers. I’ve never seen bigger press conference at Churchill Downs – national media, a blue ribbon panel of CDI executives, and Shane announcing his retirement from the game he loves so dearly. But instead of going the Gary Stevens / Jerry Bailey route of TV commentatorship or the Gary Boulanger / Mark Guidry route of trainerism, Shane took his biggest qualm with the industry and helped HBO make an incredible documentary on how jockeys stay so darn thin. And then he came back to riding (successfully, but still).
I happen to love that Shane’s first mount back was on a Guidry horse – Ide Ball on July 2nd at Evangeline Downs. And he was lucky to get a winner that night. But why couldn’t he just stop there? He could have been undefeated in his comeback and simply retired to a speaking circuit or join the Legends Tour with Pat Day or record another country album.
The last big name jockey to come out of riding retirement was Angel Cordero, Jr. Cordero retired over ten years ago and is now an exercise rider and the agent for top jockey Johnny Velazquez, who rides first-call for Todd Pletcher. Several years ago, Pletcher had a filly in his barn named Indian Vale who was supposed to be the second coming of Ruffian and he got Cordero to come out of retirement for her stakes debut. Though Indian Vale finished 5th that day and would go on to be a multiple graded stakes winner later in her 14-race career, to me she will forever be That Horse Cordero Came Out Of Retirement For For No Reason.
While many athletes retire before they absolutely have to (saving injuries, no doubt), there are some who need to be reminded that it’s not all about them. There are coach/trainerships and commentary spots and crew chief positions and teams to own.
There is life after the huddle, the finish line, or the winner’s circle. In other words: we retire horses, don’t we?
Martin's a real driver's driver and a completely likable guy. Best of luck to him in the Chase, and to you and his other fans.
I haven't brought myself to watch that sort of racing for a couple of years, though. Not only did I lose my driver (whose surname has a certain familiar, albeit not familial, ring to it) but I disliked the CoT and am bored by the cookie-cutter ovals.
I sound like a geezer, but there was rarely a bad race at Rockingham. And now there's NO race at Rockingham. … And only one date for Darlington.
For shame!