CONCORD, N.C. -- Throughout his storied career as a Nextel Cup driver, Mark Martin has thrived on consistency.

So it should be no surprise that he remained consistent with his plan for this season.

With six races left in the 2007 Cup season, Martin can't believe it's almost over. And he's saying exactly the same thing now that he said back in the spring -- that he's having the time of his life, running a part-time schedule that ultimately prevented any chance he might have had of crashing the Chase for the Nextel Cup party currently under way.

After finishing second in dramatic fashion in the season-opening Daytona 500 and then taking the points lead in the second week by finishing fifth at Fontana, he kept telling everyone that the points lead didn't matter to him. Almost day after day for the next three weeks as he continued to hold it, he was asked if he really was going to stick to his plan of running a total of 26 races -- 24 points events, the Bud Shootout and the Nextel All-Star Challenge.

And every time he was asked, he surrendered the same answer. Yes.

Yet a seemingly large segment of the racing world population did not appear to believe him until, as scheduled, he sat out races at Bristol and Martinsville after leaving Atlanta with the points lead following the fourth race of the season there.

"It was funny to me at the time because I just let you guys [in the media] keep asking me about it," the 48-year-old Martin said Thursday at Lowe's Motor Speedway, where he was preparing to run in this Saturday night's Bank of America 500. "It was interesting. I never had a second thought about my decision from the first race to leading the points leaving Atlanta and not going to Bristol [the following week].

"It's exactly what I wanted to do, and it was the best decision of my life. I'm the happiest I've ever been, and I couldn't have a better life right now."

Despite sitting out a total of 10 races thus far, Martin still sits 26th in driver points -- and the No. 01 Chevrolet ride he now shares with rookie Aric Almirola is 14th in owner points.

But much of what was out of Martin's control this season has been a roller-coaster ride for him. He began the season employed by Ginn Racing and sharing his ride with rookie Regan Smith. But in late July, Ginn Racing basically was folded into Dale Earnhardt Inc., and Martin's world changed. (Continued)