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SONOMA, Calif. -- It is hard not to root for Mark Martin. Doing so, though, comes with risk.

Few drivers have been tormented as often. For every great moment, there is another that frustrates him. And his fans.

Yes, all drivers eventually have their tough times, but few come so close to a momentous accomplishment so often without reaching it.

Consider a few of the many gut-wrenching moments Martin and his fans have shared:

l Martin's best season came in 1998 when he won seven races. Jeff Gordon won 13 races that season -- the most since Richard Petty won that many races in 1975 -- to beat Martin for the series title.

l Martin nearly won the 2007 Daytona 500, but NASCAR's controversial decision not to display the caution immediately as cars wrecked behind allowed Kevin Harvick to beat Martin by two-hundredths of a second. Martin still has not won a Daytona 500.

l Martin has never won a Cup series title, finishing second four times. He's finished behind Dale Earnhardt (twice), Tony Stewart and Gordon -- arguably among the sport's greatest drivers ever.

l The first year Martin cut back to a partial schedule (2007), he led the points standings when he was scheduled to miss his first race. He skipped it along with others later in the year.

So, as Martin comes off his third NASCAR Sprint Cup win of the season, returns to the top 12 in points and shows signs he could be a serious title contender, the question is how he and his fans will handle this.

Mike Ellis, a Martin fan since the early 1990s, ignores the past close calls, though, and remains faithful. Even hopeful.

"I want to say normally I would be cautious about saying this is a championship season for him,'' said Ellis, a 38-year-old from the Phoenix area who has followed Martin for more than 15 years. "I do think this is his best chance (for a title) yet.''

Martin, though, refuses to boast even for a driver who ranks 17th in the sport's all-time victory list with 38.

And don't mention winning a championship.

"I'll answer the questions and everything else, but I'm not going to lay in bed at night and think about what it will be like to lift that trophy,'' Martin says.

Teammate Jimmie Johnson, who has won the past three championships, wonders how Martin can be blasé about the title despite the ups and downs Martin has experienced.

"The way this year's going for him, when we get to the Chase, as much as he's a strong man and is strong mentally, he's going to lie awake at night because he's going to have a (darn) good chance at winning this thing,'' Johnson says. "It's going to be hard for him to chase those thoughts out of his head.''

Maybe so, but the thoughts that stick in Martin's mind the most are races. Thirty years after he admittedly spun someone out to win a dirt race, Martin lamented the moment. Martin recalls a Bristol race he won after making contact with Davey Allison, causing Allison to spin.

"That win doesn't mean anything to me because that's not how I wanted to win the race,'' Martin said earlier this year.

Just as fresh in his mind was being fired from his ride in 1983 and coming to Daytona the following season without a ride. Martin stood pressed against the fence peering into a garage where he was not welcome.

"This whole sport has forgot that it's about the race,'' Martin said after his win last weekend at Michigan.

That's why Martin's emotions yo-yo so often. Blown engines at California and Las Vegas and a flat tire at Atlanta dropped Martin to 34th in the points after three races. The hoopla about his return to full-time racing seemed laughable with that start.

"I'm sure they were looking at each other after race No. 4, going what do we need to do?'' TNT analyst Larry McReynolds said.

Martin and his team rebounded. He won at Phoenix and then at Darlington and Michigan.

Even with such success, Martin's emotions swing day to day. Johnson notes Martin's frustration after qualifying 32nd at Michigan last week.

"He told me he was going to quit,'' Johnson said. "The man was dead serious.''

The next day, Martin was the fastest in practice.

"He is a unique person that does not give himself an inch of room to make a mistake,'' Johnson says. "He entertains us with his ups and downs.''

Johnson is just grasping it. Martin's fans have lived this year for years. They hope maybe this is his year.

"You would probably see one of the most emotional, highly celebrated championships,'' McReynolds said, "if Mark Martin could, indeed, do it.''

Contact Dustin Long at 373-7062 or dustin.long@news-record.com