CONCORD, N.C. — Mark Martin had no intention of taking a nostalgic ride around the track in his final All-Star race. He wanted to win it.
Martin pulled it off Saturday night, winning the Nextel All-Star Challenge and its $1 million prize in what is supposed to be his final appearance in the dash-for-cash race.
But after crossing the finish line at Lowe's Motor Speedway, Martin told his Roush Racing crew he's willing to come back for more.
"Thank you guys! Thank you!" Martin screamed over his radio. "I'll be back next year if you give me a ride!"
As an All-Star race winner, Martin is forever eligible to enter the race regardless of whether he competes the rest of the year.
Martin was in second place, lined up next to leader Elliott Sadler, on a restart with 19 laps left in the race. But Sadler struggled on the restart and seemed to bump into the side of Martin. The contact knocked Sadler out of line, and Martin darted into the lead.
He never looked back and was never challenged in winning his second All-Star race. Martin also won the 1998 event but picked up a paltry $257,500 for that victory.
Sadler was second and was followed by Brian Vickers, who raced his way into the event by winning a qualifying heat right before the All-Star Challenge. Vickers spun out Mike Bliss right before the finish line to win the qualifier.
Jeff Gordon was fourth and followed by Jimmie Johnson, Dale Jarrett, Kurt Busch and Jeremy Mayfield. Bobby Labonte and Dale Earnhardt Jr. rounded out the top 10.
NEXTEL OPEN: Brian Vickers won the Nextel Open with the kind of move that made NASCAR's all-star weekend so popular.
As the leaders raced to the checkered flag, Vickers nudged Mike Bliss' Chevrolet into a spin, with Vickers narrowly beating his rival to the line Saturday night at Lowe's Motor Speedway. The victory moved him into the All-Star Challenge, where the winner got $1 million.
Bliss hung on for second, with Travis Kvapil, Kyle Busch and Bobby Hamilton Jr. rounding out the top five.
"We came to the line, and I was there. I don't know what else to do," Vickers said. "When he started to spin, I went right to miss him. We played it just right."
For Bliss, who sat on the pole with a track record 189.208 mph, the result left him out of the big race. Martin Truex Jr., a regular on the Busch Series who drives for Dale Earnhardt Inc., won the fan vote to advance after finishing 10th.
"He spun me out," said Bliss, trying to carefully watch his words. "The only thing, I wish I would have turned right and wrecked (him). We've got 600 miles here next week, and I don't want to race that way. But when you're going for nothing to lose, I guess that's what you have to do."
This was the first race for the Cup cars on the newly ground surface at Lowe's, and the consensus was the outside groove was the place to be. With the format for the special, non-points event calling for double-file restarts, the car on the outside of the front row took the lead each time.
In fact, Bliss took advantage of a rarely used rule that allowed him to move to the outside at the start, and he led the first four laps before Kvapil took over and dominated the first 20-lap segment. Neither pitted during the caution before the final 10-lap dash, and Bliss quickly took the lead again from the outside on the restart.
He kept it until the final 200 yards.
"He's in the big show, and I'm not," Bliss said dejectedly.
DRIVERS' CONFUSION: Ryan Newman didn't really understand the rules, and neither did Mark Martin or Jack Roush. Finally, NASCAR president Mike Helton stepped in to clear up everything. Maybe.
The issue was the restarts for both All-Star races. Normally, the lead lap cars stay in a single line coming to the green, with lapped cars on the bottom. To make the All-Star races a bit more exciting, the rules were tweaked to allow the double-file lineup used at the initial start.
Also, no passing was allowed until the cars passed the finish line, where the green flag was waving, and that's where the confusion came.
"What are you going to do with a guy that brake checks?" Roush asked.
Newman, who started on the pole in the All-Star Challenge, also wanted to know how the restarts would be policed because normally the leader dictates when everyone goes. With the altered order, the flagman was responsible for that.
That's when Helton came to the microphone.
"All of the restarts are just like you start every other race," he said. "We're not going to split hairs over a couple of inches."
PEOPLE WATCHING: Several celebrities were on hand for the festivities.
Actress Pamela Anderson was the Grand Marshal and gave the order for the drivers to start their engines, and John Walsh, host of "America's Most Wanted" on Fox, also was on hand.
Several Carolina Panthers came, including quarterback Jake Delhomme, safety Mike Minter and defensive end Mike Rucker.
As they filed out of the drivers' meeting, Delhomme sought out Dale Earnhardt Jr. to wish him luck.
"It's my first race," Delhomme told Junior, who was quick with his response.
"It should be a good one," he said with a smile.