ESPN Sprint Cup

CONCORD, N.C. -- Mark Martin will never say he's the guy to beat. He rarely takes credit and surely you'll never hear him brag. His confidence is usually hidden and nearly impossible to read.

So, when Martin say's he's "excited" about the months ahead that gets your attention. It's reason to believe he senses something special.

"I believe we're poised for a fantastic summer, I really do," said Martin. "I'd be surprised if it turns out to be a disappointment. This race team is strong and getting stronger."

The Viagra team deserves recognition; after a disappointing start they've rallied back to 12th in the standings. In the season-opening Daytona 500, Martin's car had engine failure on lap eight and ended the day 43rd.

Martin knows Daytona was a missed opportunity. "It's a hundred less points than you would have scored," he said. "You don't make up for that."

Based on past experience though it's clear Martin can recover. In 1998 he finished 38th in Daytona and ended the season second overall. In 1999 he was 31st and wound up the year thirrd in the standings. Perhaps these past experiences explain Martin's veteran's perspective.

"Whether it's a win or whether it's a last place, on Monday that's behind you," said Martin. "That's not important anymore. What's important is what's in front of you. That's the (race) where you can make a difference in."

What's in front of Martin right now is a promising stretch of races, beginning with Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 at Lowes Motor Speedway. Martin has four victories at the Concord, N.C., track and leads all active drivers with 1,116 laps led there.

"This is tops with me," says Martin. "This racetrack is number one."

Martin also has six Busch series victories at the Charlotte area track. However, his success isn't necessarily the sole reason behind his affection for the high-banked mile and a half.

"The first time I went out on this racetrack in 1981, I said, 'Wow, this is just like driving the quarter mile back at home,'" Martin said. "It was as pure and as real as a racetrack can come. It's just the real deal."

Two years ago this week, Martin won the Coca-Cola 600 -- a win he describes as one of the best of his career. Afterward he celebrated and savored the win, not knowing when or if another one would ever come.

"You'd have to be a fool to be 45 years old and win a race and think you were going to win 50 more," said Martin. "You would be a fool!"

Agreed, 50 more would be unreasonable. One or two though seemed to be with in reach, especially considering how he was running in 2002. After all, Martin did finish the season second in points.

Nonetheless that win was his most recent. Martin comes into the weekend hoping to snap a 71-race winless streak.

"We've been looking forward to this one," said Martin. "We had a good car last week in the All-Star race but knew all along that our car for the 600 would be even better."

Garage sources agree. Many teams who witnessed Martin's testing session earlier this month are pointing to the '6-car' as a pre-race favorite.

However, this weekend alone will not make or break Martin's season. With this year's "Chase for the Championship" format, only those in the standings' top-10 and anyone else within 400 points of the leader with 10 races remaining will be eligible championship contenders in the fall.

"Every race is critical," said Martin. "We started off 43rd in the points and we gotta be in the top 10 by race 26. So they're all important, every one of them."

Looking beyond Charlotte there are obvious opportunities for Martin to capitalize and pull himself into contention. Next week the schedule heads to Dover, a track where he has three victories.

While Martin has never won at Pocono Raceway an argument can be made that he'll be strong there as well. In 34 career Pocono races he has 26 top-10 finishes, and has finished second in the June race the last two years.

For many reasons Martin heads into the next string of races with cautious optimism.

"I think that we can win races if we meet and exceed my expectations. That's if," Martin stressed. "But, we can't fall short of what I expect our team to do. If we fall short in any way, then we won't be able to do those things."

Martin's expectations are left for interpretation. He would only elaborate by saying they're "performance" expectations. That said, one can only assume he strives for great things.

"If we're able to continue the momentum that we've been building and continue to get stronger we can be at that same level as we were in 2002," Martin said. "But we're not far from that now and we are heading in the right direction, so if we can continue that we can beat it."

And that's one of the boldest statements you'll ever hear Mark Martin make.

Mike Massaro covers NASCAR for ESPN and ESPN.com.