DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Mark Martin makes his debut with GoDaddy.com as his sponsor in the Shootout. More noted for its affiliation with Danica Patrick, the web-domain seller has a name conducive to a 51-year-old driver still competing for championships.

Martin spent his offseason typically, fighting Father Time.

"I didn't go anywhere. Let's start with that,” he said. “I stayed home and enjoyed every minute of the time with my family, just relaxing.

Relaxing? Actually, uh, no.

“I trained hard this off season, some days for three or four hours straight. I wanted to be in my best physical condition this year, and I think I am. I know I'm better than I was last year. I feel the best that I have in years, more physically and mentally prepared to start the season.”

            Besides Danica – Saturday’s ARCA race, the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200, is notable for other reasons besides the stock car racing debut of Danica Patrick. To wit:

            Ken Schrader will be an owner in the ARCA race and a driver in the Budweiser Shootout on Saturday night. As a former winner of the Shootout, Schrader is eligible and will drive the No. 82 Toyota normally driven by Scott Speed.

            Driver Leilani Munter is the brother-in-law of Grateful Dead founding member Bob Weir.

            Nelson Piquet Jr., a former Formula One driver whose father won the World Driving Championship three times, is entered and plans to compete at least semi-regularly in NASCAR’s Camping World Truck Series.

            Quite a tandem – Rising NASCAR star Marcos Ambrose has signed a persona-services contact with The Wheeler Company.

            The primary “Wheeler” is former Charlotte Motor Speedway president and Belmont native H.A. “Humpy” Wheeler. The company president is son Trip Wheeler, who is establishing an office in Australia to market Ambrose in his home country.

“Back a couple hundred years ago when they loaded those prison ships up in England, Scotland and Ireland, my descendants stepped on one that ended up in Australia instead of Philadelphia,” said Ambrose, who is from the island off Australia’s southern coast, Tasmania. “If they had gotten on the one to the States, I'd have started my NASCAR career much earlier.”

The Kasey Shootout – This is Kasey Kahne’s third year as the driver of “the Budweiser car” in the Budweiser Shootout. Certainly his corporate sponsor would prefer to see Kahne win, particularly over, say, Kurt Busch, who drives “the Miller Lite car.”

“I always want to win,” said Kahne. “As a driver that’s just the way it is. I mean, would it mean more to win the Shootout as the Budweiser driver? Yeah, I think it would.”

You may contact Monte Dutton at mdutton@gastongazette.com.