Mark Martin Now the Driver to Beat for the Sprint Cup Title

There is no substitute for momentum in NASCAR.  When a driver has it, they know it, and when their momentum stops, they make every attempt to get it back.

This year, with only 11 races left before the Chase to the Sprint Cup, the driver with the momentum is Mark Martin.

At the beginning of the year, there was no questioning Martin's desire to win—not only races, but a championship, as well. 

Signing with Hendrick Motorsports to run a complete season put a lot of pressure on a man who spent the last two seasons running a partial schedule, but you could truly see a difference in Martin when he signed to drive the No. 5 car.

It did not start off very well, as Martin had three finishes of 31st or worse in the first five races, two of which were DNF's because of engine failure.

The next five races were a complete turn around.  He had only one DNF because of an accident at Talladega, four top-10 finishes, and two top-fives and one victory at Phoenix, his first in over two years.  It was then that people could tell that Martin was having the most fun of his career.

Martin has since won two more races, giving him his first three-win season since 1998 when he finished second in the points to Jeff Gordon.

Many members of his team are starting to call Martin "The Kid," going as far as putting that nickname on his car for the All-Star race.  The name truly does fit for Martin, even at the age of 50; he is having one of his most successful and consistent seasons of his long career.

He has already signed to drive the No. 5 car for the 2010 season.  That shows the confidence that Hendrick has in his driver and the faith that he has in Martin to win a championship.

But who's to say he won't win it this year? He is a very legitimate contender. 

Martin has not contended for a championship since his second-place finish in 1998, but is comfortably in the top-12 for the championship.  If the Chase were to start right now, Martin would be the points leader because of his three victories and having more top-ten finishes than the other three-win driver this year, Kyle Busch.

Martin has often been called the best driver to not win a championship, but if he continues on the success he has experienced this year, he will finally get that championship that has eluded him his entire career.