This past week, Mark Martin announced his plans to hop into in the Hendrick Motorsports #5 entry for the entire season in 2009. What are your thoughts about Martin coming out of semi-retirement/retirement?  Is this good for him?  Is this good for NASCAR?

Arianne:  As much as I respect Mark Martin, the social worker in me can't help remembering his reason for retirement to begin with......his son Matt.  Walking away from the sport isn't easy for anyone; drivers get that urge to jump behind the wheel whenever they are at a racetrack.  But that doesn't mean it is always the best thing for everyone involved.  It would be awesome to see Martin win a championship and he will have a chance to do that with Hendrick.  I just hope his son Matt understands his decision.  Whether or not it is a good decision for him can only be answered by Mark Martin and his loved ones.

As for the sport, it certainly won't hurt having Martin around for another season.  When he finally does call it quits, he will be missed.

Kris:  I think Mark should just take the rocking chair that the FOX Sports guys gave him several years ago and just call it good. I don't really care to see him back at all, let alone full time. He's never going to win a championship and I think it's time he realize that he should not even consider trying. I don't have anything personal against Mark, but in my book, he's not deserving of all the praise he gets from other drivers and fans.  He's kind of like the boy who cried "wolf." After so many times in and out of retirement- who really will believe it when it does happen.  

Brianna:  I think this is a great reflection on Hendrick racing to get truly good race car drivers on their team.  Mark may be old in age but not in spirit.  He draws the crowds and has a huge fan base.  He has come so close to Championships and why not give him the best equipment and technology that provides him one final shot at it. 

Paolo:  Somethings are hard to understand. During the 2004 season of NASCAR, Mark Martin said that he planned to step back, spend more time with his family and stay involved in the sport in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. As we all know, it didn't work out -- he stayed another season with Jack Roush. Then, another surprise; Mark Martin, always loyal to Mr. Roush, revealed plans to run 22 races on the 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet. I still can recall the press release on which he said that Roush couldn't accomodate Martin's desire to run a part-time schedule. Last year, the (now) former Ford Racing Technology director Dan Davis said that Martin did not burn bridges and that he could came back to the oval brigade.

With that in mind, all I can say (just my opinion) is: those who believe Martin would always be a Ford man and loyal to Roush -- including me --, should have in mind that one single word can change the things; money. It's pretty clear to me that Martin made up his mind because of another amount of dollars; this may explains why loyalty starts to play second fiddle. Not only in NASCAR but in all forms of motorsports around the world...(and this is another answer: yes,his plans to continue next season will be... MUST be good for him and his family). And my anwer for your last question is "Yes". Yes, it's good for NASCAR to have an idol like him on the field.