Mark Martin (left), whose Chase hopes are almost a mathematical impossibility, took pause in a recent press conference to say that Kyle Bush (right) races up with, if not ahead of, the greats. (photos: Getty Images)
RICHMOND, Va. - Mark Martin expects no miracles.
He is 147 points behind 12th-place Clint Bowyer with one race, Saturday night's Air Guard 400 at Richmond International Raceway, remaining.
"We just got ourselves too far behind to expect to jump in there," he said.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Martin was asked to assess Kyle Busch's skill and he responded by putting Busch in the context of other contemporary racers.
"What Kyle does is not head and shoulders above what all the greats do," said Martin. "In other words, you know, there were some greats when Earnhardt was out there doing all that but there weren't as many greats with great cars as there are today. What Kyle does is make him shine and place him up at the very top of the class.
"But not as far ... (Dale) Earnhardt just, he was like way elevated and didn't think there was anybody in his league when it came to that. ... You still have Jimmie Johnson, and you still have Tony Stewart, and you still have Carl Edwards. As far as that matter, I'll tell you what: Matt Kenseth's style is not showy or flashy, but what he does is incredible, when I sit back and just watch what he manages to do so often with when he has what appears to be so little."
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SAY WHAT?-- The driver of Team Red Bull's No. 83 Toyota at Richmond is ... Mattias Eckstrom.
Eckstrom's only previous Sprint Cup appearance resulted in a 21st-place finish at Infineon Raceway. He has since tested with the team at Gresham Motorsports Park in Georgia and North Wilkesboro Speedway.
"To do a race on an oval is something different," said Eckstrom. "It's a lot of laps and a lot of cars. Racing in Richmond will be one of the biggest tasks of my life so far, but I feel I am ready for the challenge."
At least he doesn't seem to be underestimating the task.
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HI-OH, SILVER!-- Two-time champion Terry Labonte is back. He will attempt to compete in the first of three races, pairing in ownership with Bill Stavola, who owned a Cup team in the 1980s and '90s.
Terry Labonte won titles in 1984 and 1996. His younger brother, Bobby, won the championship in 2000.
Stavola and Labonte intend to compete more extensively, and perhaps full-time, in 2011.
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COULDA BEEN A CONTENDUH-- Not even a longshot can put Martin Truex Jr. in the Chase.
"A few weeks back I was one of those guys," he said. "I was a contender. I won't race them (the contenders) any differently or cut them any slack because they don't cut me any breaks. I race them clean, anyway, so my focus is on winning races."