Martin left the door open to competing in some NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races next year and even the possibility of returning full time to the Cup Series in 2008. Martin said the first race he will skip next year will be either Martinsville or Bristol in the spring and that missing his first race will tell him whether he wants to come back full time or not.

Originally, Martin planned to retire from the Cup Series after 2005 and move full-time to the Craftsman Truck Series. Car owner Roush urged him to stay on for '06 and tried to get him to stay next year, too. But Martin didn't want to run a full Cup schedule and NASCAR's limit on team size precluded him running a part-time deal with Roush.

"What I'm looking for right now doesn't fit in with what's going on at Roush Racing," Martin said. "I'm very proud of what we've been able to build over the last 19 years. … I can't thank Jack Roush enough for what he's done for me professionally, but more importantly, for what he's done for me personally and all the things that we've been through together. Jack is the guy who gave me a chance when nobody else would in 1987. And for that, I've given him 19 years, 19 of the best years of my career and unwavering loyalty. And at this time, I have the opportunity to do something that's going to be a new challenge for me."

In recent weeks, he'd been linked to part-time rides with Boris Said's fledgling team and as a possible replacement for Jarrett in the No. 88 Yates Ford. All the while, Martin and Roush management insisted he was on track to compete full time with the Roush NCTS No. 6 truck next year.

Just 19 days ago at New Hampshire, Roush Racing President Geoff Smith announced that sponsorship and contract issues had been solved and a verbal deal had been struck for Martin to drive Roush's No. 6 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series entry full time in 2007. "On a handshake basis, those details are out of the way and now I have to get the paperwork done," Smith said Sept. 17. "I think it's a formality now."

But the lure of remaining in the Nextel Cup without the headaches of a full schedule proved to be too much to resist. "I think everybody knows that I'm not interested in just riding around," Martin said. "When you can compete like I have been able to the last couple of years at this level of competition, it's hard to step away from. I've got a chance to keep going on a limited basis with great flexibility in Nextel Cup competition. It's hard to walk away when you still have an opportunity to win races."

Dan Davis, director of Ford Racing Technology, said, he, too, thought the Martin-NCTS deal was all set. "I've had a strong relationship with Mark ever since joining Ford Racing and I speak for everyone at Ford when I say that Mark has earned the right to do whatever he wants as far as his racing career is concerned," Davis said Friday. "He's been the ultimate competitor on the track and a great representative for Ford over the past two decades. That being said, I'm disappointed that Mark may not end his NASCAR career with Ford. We were under the strong impression that Mark wanted to run a full-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series program in 2007 and were negotiating with Roush Racing to provide manufacturer support. We completed that process last week and felt like all systems were go for Mark to compete for the championship in that division next season."