Martin: No racing plans

Mark Martin of Batesville said Friday that he has no plans to race beyond next week’s season finale at Homestead. But the 54-year-old shied away from announcing an official retirement when discussing his NASCAR future. “Let’s just don’t talk about it,” he said. “On the plus side of things, it’s not like I’m going to go hide. I’ve got 40 years invested in this sport and I’ve had tunnel vision the whole 40 years. I won’t be at every race, but I’ll be at races and I’ll still be involved in the sport. My life is going to change and it’s going to open a new chapter, and I expect to have a lot broader windshield and be a lot less wound tight and tunnel-visioned.” Martin plans to work in an undefined role with Stewart-Haas Racing, which for now calls for him to test the No. 14 Chevrolet until injured driver Tony Stewart can race again. Stewart is expected to return from a broken leg in time for the season-opening Daytona 500. Considered by many to be the best driver never to win a Sprint Cup championship, Martin has 40 victories and will make his 881st career start Sunday at Phoenix. He has finished second in the standings five times, most recently 2009, when he returned to a full Cup schedule after racing a partial season for two years.

Jimmie Johnson won the pole Friday for the penultimate race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship, moving him a step closer to his sixth NASCAR title. The fivetime NASCAR champion set a track record with a lap of 139.222 mph in his Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet to earn the top starting spot for Sunday’s race at Phoenix International Raceway. The lap broke the mark of 138.766 set by Kyle Busch last November. Matt Kenseth will start 14th in his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Kenseth trails Johnson by seven points with two races remaining in the Chase. Denny Hamlin qualified second with a lap at 139.023 for JGR, but he went out much later in Friday’s session than teammate Kenseth. Joey Logano qualified third in a Penske Racing Ford, and Kyle Busch was fourth as both of Kenseth’s teammates out-qualified the title contender. Johnson is coming off a dominating performance last week at Texas, where he led 255 of the 334 laps to win his sixth race of the season and break a tie with Kenseth in the standings.