Mark Martin, driver of the No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion, is in sixth place in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series points standings heading into this weekend’s event at Michigan. Martin met with reporters behind his hauler Friday morning before the weekend’s first practice session.

MARK MARTIN – No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion –- WHAT are you looking at for the Truck Series? “It’s pretty crazy, the door keeps opening and it keeps closing. Last week it seemed like the door was closed and this week it seems like it’s open again. So who knows, I’ll tell you what I really feel like, I feel like a kid in a candy store that’s really had enough candy. But there are all of these new and exciting flavors out there that really get your interest. I don’t have a clue and I’m not going to be able to tell you anything for a long, long time. You know that’s the nature of this business, things don’t just happen that fast and you know there are a lot of opportunities out there, a lot more that I ever dreamed I would be faced with. This is going to be the most interesting and most exciting last four months of NASCAR season ever, I think.”

What about Todd Kluever’s status? is he locked into the 6 car next season? Todd Kluever is the driver of the No. 6 car, so if I were to come back full-time, at this time, it would not be in the 6 car. I don’t have any idea, but my primary focus is still to do the full Craftsman Truck Series schedule and I would be very interested in an additional 10, 12 race Nextel Cup schedule, we just don’t know what that car would be right at this point. Roush Racing already has five teams, so with the rules, that limits that opportunity. The coolest thing is I don’t have to, for the first time in 20 years, I feel like I don’t have to do anything, or I don’t have to make a decision, so there is nothing finalized on any of it. We are still in the process of working on the contracts for the Truck Series. There are some pieces not done in the deal yet, for me to be in the 6 truck. We’re just in the early talks of a limited schedule and there are some wild and crazy other things that are starting to swirl around out there. I never expected.”

What would it take for you to come back full time next year? “I don’t know that. I just don’t know. I don’t have to come back, so I’d have to get real excited. That’s what it would take. It would take something that would really get me excited.”

What would you thought if six or seven months ago, someone suggested to you that you might consider coming back full time? “In the middle of summer, I would have said ‘No way,’ but in the spring, actually, what I thought, were some fairly serious talks about me coming back full time in a different car than the 6, that I thought might happen. It looked to be exciting enough to do, but then that did not materialize, or it won’t materialize in ’07, that sort of went away. It’s been on again, off again, on again, off again, kind of like that. That’s why I never closed the door on a full schedule, for a number of reasons. First of all, I said I wouldn’t be back in ’06, so I’m not going to say I’m not going to be back in ’07 until it’s for sure. You never know, this is a crazy business and the toughest thing about this business is the schedule. You see Bill Elliott, you give him an opportunity to recuperate, you give Ricky Rudd some time to recuperate a little bit and then maybe they are interested in coming back. That’s the toughest thing about this deal, is the schedule. I’m not done racing, I’m going to be driving race cars for a lot time. It’s just this schedule we’re involved in. It’s something that makes you question where you are at. I’ve been racing 32 years and I’ve been married almost 22. There are some things I want to do with my family before it’s too late. I don’t want to look back and think I should have done more when I had the opportunity. So I’m just kind of in limbo right now. I’m in good shape, because I don’t have a plan, but there’s nothing in stone, and crazy things are starting to happen out there.”

The pressure is going to be on next year, when 50, 51 cars show up for the race. There are going to be sponsors unhappy, owners are going to have to be grabbing somebody…“Well there are a lot more opportunities than there were before. You know I’ve done some of the most rewarding work of my career this year with AAA. Helping them work on driving safety has been incredible for me. Working with AAA has been a tremendous opportunity and it got me excited last year looking into 2006 and making the commitment to come back and run in the 6. There are a lot more exciting new opportunities that are starting to come available for ’07 based on the new teams that are coming into the business and the sponsors and manufacturers. The opportunity is just greater for ’07 and there are a lot different opportunities that get people excited. It’s an exciting time in NASCAR racing and it’s probably more exciting than I’ve ever seen it before. There is a greater demand for experience, which surprises me. Because for the longest time, everyone just wanted the next young driver. Right now, there are a lot of them out there that aren’t looking for the next kid driver, they are looking for experience and someone who has displayed leadership. That’s just something that really surprises me. Right now, it’s really good for anybody that’s had some experience behind the wheel of a stock car.”

Would this be an issue of Kluever was better prepared to step in there right now? “The 6 car is set right now, as of right now, the 6 car is set, Todd’s going to drive the car and there have been no changes. But what you do have is a high demand on drivers. I see all the drivers in the field right now as very faithful drivers. We are going to interject a number of five to 10 new teams that aren’t interested in taking the guy from a short track and giving him a shot. These guys want proven drivers who have substantially long records and a history of being very competitive in this sport. The demand, it’s supply and demand, it’s like anything else. Right now the supply is short based on the demand out there and it’s honestly going crazy.”

Matt Kenseth, driver of the No. 17DeWalt Ford Fusion, is in second place in the standings, with just four races remaining before the Chase. Kenseth is one of two Roush Racing drivers currently in the top 10.

MATT KENSETH – No. 17 DeWalt Ford Fusion –- LAST year, Roush Racing really set the bar high. Has it been kind of tough this year with you and Mark having good seasons and the other teammates have struggled. Why is that? “I don’t know exactly. Last year, I think we were a little ahead of the curve a little bit on some things. The 16 figured something out early and brought us up for performance and all of us got caught up at the end of the year. Last year was a great year for Roush, our performance is probably worse than last year. I think the 16 learned some things early and everyone has just kind of caught up and passed us and we’re still trying to get it back.”

Is there still time for Jamie McMURRAY, Carl edwards and Greg biffle to catch up and win some races? “Yeah, there are a lot of races left that they can win. I think that the 16’s performance has been a little bit spotty, but basically they have performed well enough to win a few races this year and they’ve had some problems. The same for Carl and the 26 for McMurray.”

What was it like yesterday over at the Lions practice camp? “I was actually at the Packers’ practice camp on Wednesday, and then there was a Winner’s Circle event yesterday at the Lion’s camp. I’m a really big Packer fan, but it was cool to check it out.”