Mark Martin gives Regan Smith a 'little extra bounce'.
A telephone call from Mark Martin following Sunday's Bristol race pumped new life into rookie driver Regan Smith, who finished 25th in his Nextel Cup debut at the half-mile oval.
Though the 23-year-old U.S. Army driver accomplished his main mission of finishing the race, he was upset with himself about an early pit road mistake that might have cost the team a better result. He had trouble shaking the incident until he got a call from his mentor.
"One thing about Mark - when he tells you something he doesn't do any sugarcoating," said Smith. "And when he said he was excited for me for finishing the race at Bristol and called it a big accomplishment, that really made me feel good. I told him about the pit road mistake and he told me to shake it off and not to let it get me down. After that call I had a little extra bounce in my step."
