Mark Martin is planning a cookout Sunday. But the TV will be on during the barbecue - tuned to the Food City 500 telecast from Bristol Motor Speedway.

Martin, the Nextel Cup points leader, has been true to his word and is sticking to his partial race schedule this season. That means he will not drive in NASCAR's next two races, the Food City 500 and the Goody's Cool Orange 500 at Martinsville, Va.

Martin, who will be watching his 16-year-old son Matt compete Saturday night in the same stock car race in Lake City, Fla., in which he'll be tutoring Ginn development driver Ricky Carmichael, has stood firm in his decision to reduce his schedule to 22 races this season.

But that means his streak of 621 consecutive starts, fifth longest in NASCAR history, will come to an end. It will mark the first time a points leader has skipped a race since Cale Yarborough drove a limited schedule in 1983.

"(The decision) hasn't been gut-wrenching at all," Martin said. "I mean, I've had mixed emotions, but it's not been about the championship. It's about racing in general.

"I'm not interested in chasing that championship. I've done that for 19 years, and I've had a great career. I have got some other things that I'm very interested in doing, pursuing. There are portions of my life that are passing, have been passing me by. And I'm going to try to capture a couple of little pieces of that at age 48. It's never too late."

Rookie Regan Smith knows he'll be in the spotlight when he drives Ginn Racing's No. 01 Chevrolet in Martin's absence.

"There's always little things as a rookie you're going to have to learn as you go, and they're going to see that stripe on the back of the car and it's going to remind them it's not Mark Martin this week," Smith said on a conference call. "I was at the shop, and the stripe on the back of the car is neon yellow. It's not like even Army yellow, and it doesn't fade in with the race car. It stands out pretty big time."

Not only will Smith face the tough challenge of jumping into the points leader's car on a short track where bumping and grinding is the rule, but he'll be driving the Car of Tomorrow, which makes its NASCAR debut Sunday.

"A finish will be great for us this week, especially if we finish all the laps," Smith said. "I'd love nothing else than to be up there rubbing fenders with Tony Stewart for the win at the end of the race, but at the same time, you have to grow and mature.

"I've never been in a 500-lap race before, so there is going to be a little bit of a learning process there. I'm definitely going to go out there and be (competitive). I'm not riding, that's for sure."

Recruiting Gillett

Ray Evernham, who's in search of a partner to help nurture his racing teams, has talked with Vail businessman George Gillett Jr..

Gillett, former chairman of the Grand Prix of Denver, owns the NHL's Montreal Canadiens and is a co-owner of the FC Liverpool soccer team in England.

"George is one of the people I'm talking to," Evernham said. "We don't have anything done yet. Just hanging out with him, I'm learning a lot of stuff.

"I've been to Montreal to watch a hockey game with George, and they lost and George is about as much fun as I am (after a loss). I expected him to be throwing sticks out on the ice like I throw stopwatches some days. I like that."

Gillett would talk only about his love for racing.

"For many, many years since the late 1960s, I have been a NASCAR fan and previously was an acquaintance of Bill France Sr.," Gillett said. "I know and love the sport. We, as a family, love racing. We have an interest in racing and have been fans of it for a long time."

Pit stops

• Kurt Busch, Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth are the most successful of active drivers who have driven the .533-mile short track at Bristol. Busch and Gordon each has five wins at Bristol, and Kenseth has won twice.

• Bill France Jr., the 73-year-old former vice chairman of NASCAR and chairman of International Speedway Corp., has been released from a Daytona Beach, Fla., hospital after recovering from a virus.

• Kenny Wallace will drive an excavator and assist in the demolition of an Oak Express store at 5770 N. Broadway at 2 p.m. Monday. He also will break ground for a new shopping center on the site and will race a go-kart around Denver's Malibu Grand Prix track. Wallace then will sign autographs from 5-8 p.m. at the Bedroom Expressions store at 5353 Bannock.

Inside line: Casey Mears

Casey Mears has moved to Hendrick Motorsports after finishing 14th last season in his fourth year with Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates. He recently answered questions from Rocky Mountain News NASCAR reporter Jim Benton.

• If racing hadn't worked out: I'd probably own a rental equipment shop on the beach.

• Greatest influence: I would have to say my dad. I've learned so much from him in my life, both in racing and away from the track.

• Person in history you'd most like to meet: I'd like to meet JFK. I think he was a great president and someone who inspired people.

• Changes you'd make in Nextel Cup: I love the beach and comfortable clothes, so I wouldn't mind wearing flip-flops and shorts in the garage. But something tells me that probably isn't going to happen.

• Favorite music: I listen to a little bit of everything - rock, country, rap, you name it. Right now, I like G.A.R. and Jack Johnson a lot.

• Childhood hero: Probably my dad and my uncle Rick because of everything they accomplished in racing.

• Last book you read: The Da Vinci Code.

• Most valuable thing you own: 1961 Impala.

• Strangest request from a fan: To sign a baby diaper.

• Person to play you in a movie: I'd probably say Matt Damon. He always does a good job.

• Beach or mountains: Definitely the beach. There's no other place I'd rather be.

bentonj@RockyMountainNews.com

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