Hendrick signs Martin through 2011

LOUDON, N.H. -- The news Hendrick Motorsports had extended Mark Martin through the 2011 season, with GoDaddy.com as the primary sponsor of his No. 5 Chevrolet beginning next season, shouldn't have come as any great surprise or shock to anyone in the NASCAR Sprint Cup garage area.

As the 50-year-old Martin, the top seed in NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship, intoned today at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, ``Who would want to quit?''

Although he retired and the un-retired from Roush Racing, Martin, who is back in the Chase for the first time since 2006, was a rejuvenated racer when he joined Hendrick Motorsports this season and paired with crew chief Alan Gustafson, a combination that produced 4 wins, 6 poles, 9 top 5s and 14 top 10s in the first 26 races of the regular season.

Just as was the case when he started out in the sport as an impressive 22-year-old wunderkind in 1981, making his first start at North Wilkesboro and winning his first pole three months later at Nashville Fairgrounds, much as been made about Martin's age. But he's grown used to such scrutiny.

``It was kind of a big deal for a 22-year-old to be getting a pole in 1981,'' said Martin, who prolonged his career by becoming a fitness and nutrition buff who tips the scales at a fit and trim 125 pounds. ``Now it's not such a big deal at all, so times are changing. We're talking about almost 30 years ago. The fact that a big deal is being made about my age now doesn't surprise me, because I would expect that no matter who was getting it done, but times have changed and it's lended itself more toward younger drivers.

``Before engineers, before technology infiltrated NASCAR, the driver was the data acquistion and he was very important and he could not do that at 22,'' Martin continued. ``He had to have years under his belt -- many years -- so this sport lends itself some to younger drivers.

``But there's no reason why more guys my age can't be doing what I'm doing.''