Mark Martin's last trip to Victory Lane was at Martinsville in April, 2000.

Key stat: Last year marked the first time in 14 seasons Martin did not compete in the NASCAR Busch Series, after being the circuit's all-time winningest driver with 45 victories. Martin often took things he learned -- like setups and ideal lines around a track -- and translated what he could into his Winston Cup situation. Without the Busch experience, it's no wonder Martin slipped down in the standings. In the past, what he learned through his Busch exploits was probably worth at least two or three places in the final Cup standings each season.

2002 outlook
What needs to be done: There have been some major changes within the Roush camp during the off-season, with Martin's team having the most. He has an entirely new crew, including new crew chief Ben Leslie, who replaces Jimmy Fennig. With such wholesale changes in the team's lineup, Martin may continue to struggle in the early part of the upcoming season as he, Leslie and the rest of the crew develop a better feel for each other's abilities.

Prediction: Despite his 32 career victories, Martin has never won a championship in his career (although he has finished runner-up three times -- 1990, '94 and '98). At 43, time is starting to run out on Martin. And with an entirely new team and crew chief, the odds are 2002 will not be a championship season. Because there will likely be several stumbles along the way before the team is able to walk and then run well on its own, Martin will be lucky to finish in the top-10 in 2002. A more realistic finish will be somewhere around 15th-place.

Your take
Does Martin have another title run in him or are his best days behind him? Here are your thoughts.