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MARTIN'S STORY TAKES ANOTHER TURN

 
Published Oct. 3, 2009|Updated July 9, 2010

Mark Martin's sentimental run through the Sprint Cup took another turn on Friday, when the age-defying driver turned a lap of 175.758 mph at Kansas Speedway to earn his career-best seventh pole of the season.

"He still has the urge and the yearning to do it as if he were in his first season," said Hendrick Motorsports teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr., who starts second in Sunday's Price Chopper 400 in Kansas City, Kan. "You see guys, their temperament seems to soften over time, but he seems just as excited about going around a racetrack as he did when he first strapped into a car."

"Have any of you ever stepped on a cat's tail?" said Martin, 50. "I have accidentally stepped on cat's tail before. They make a noise and go really fast. When I stepped on the gas of that No.5 car today, it was like stepping on a cat's tail it had so much horsepower."

Martin's lap on the 1.5-mile track edged Earnhardt (175.279) by nearly half a mile per hour.

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Logano back after scary Dover ride

Joey Logano, above, did not hesitate as he climbed back into his car Friday and headed onto the track for the first time since his harrowing accident at Dover.

Rolling his Toyota seven times left the rookie shaken, but not scared.

And there's a difference.

"I think the first time is going to shake you up more than anything else," Logano said before practice at Kansas. "You go through a ride like that and tell me you aren't shaking when you get out of there. You are going to be shaking."

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Elsewhere

Suspended NASCAR driver Jeremy Mayfield is turning to high-profile attorney Mark Geragos to help fight his drug suspension. Geragos said he's finalizing a deal to represent Mayfield out of his Washington-based firm. "It's clear to me that there are real issues here, substantial issues, and I think he's getting a raw deal," Geragos said. ... Danica Patrick still isn't saying what she plans for next season. During an appearance at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, IndyCar's most marketable driver just glared when asked about her reported signing of a three-year deal to stay with Andretti Green Racing. Team spokesman Al Larsen also declined comment. ... Jean Todt and Ari Vatanen will face off for the presidency of motor racing's governing body after no other candidates emerged for the job. The FIA said the two men were the only candidates when nominations were closed. Todt is a former Ferrari team principal; Vatanen is a former world rally champion. Voting details have not been finished. ... Larry Dixon took the provisional top spot in Top Fuel with a 3.810-second run at 318.99 mph on the first day of qualifying at the NHRA Mid-South Nationals in Millington, Tenn. Robert Hight (Funny Car), Mike Edwards (Pro Stock) and Andrew Hines (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also led their classes.

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Keselowski vs. Hamlin still simmers

The Brad Keselowski-Denny Hamlin feud is not over. In last week's Nationwide race at Dover, Keselowski, top left, spun Hamlin into a wall. After the race, Hamlin, bottom, shoved Keselowski and a skirmish followed. Friday, Hamlin said Keselowski never apologized and warned, "He needs to be worried whenever I'm around him." Keselowski's take: "This is what makes racing awesome, otherwise it's just cars going in circles. You've got to have some human drama."

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Number of the week

3 Races at Kansas Speedway won by drivers outside the Chase for the Championship, the most of any track. The non-Chase drivers to win at Kansas: Joe Nemechek in 2004, Tony Stewart in 2006 and Greg Biffle in 2007.