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2005 Season Final Points Standing 30th After First 26 Races 29th Earnings $4,080,118 Starts 35 Poles 0 Wins 0 Top 5 1 6-10 4 Laps Led 20 Lead Lap Finishes 15 Bonus Points 40 Races Led 8

2005 Performance Below is the ranking of the team on each type of track along with the driver's best finish. Track Type Ranking Flat Tracks 27th Best Finish 9th, Indianapolis Intermediate Tracks 32nd Best Finish 5th, Texas Plate Tracks 13th Best Finish 7th, Talladega Road Courses 41st Best Finish 26th, Infineon Short Tracks 26th Best Finish 6th, Martinsville

The entire MB2 organization should improve with the reliable Marlin at the wheel. While a title run is a stretch, the elements are in place for Marlin to have his best season since 2002. A few top 5s and a possible win could be in the cards for the Columbia, Tenn., native. The one notable issue will be the all-important team chemistry. If this crew can click from the start, Marlin could enjoy an above-average season.

Watch for both Marlin and Joe Nemechek to be competitive on the plate tracks. The MB2 plate program is ahead of Marlin's former team, and he has made a name for himself as a plate specialist with five combined wins at Daytona and Talladega.

The short tracks should be a strong suit for Marlin as well. Although Nemechek has never enjoyed much success at these venues, he should bring some knowledge that could elevate both cars' performance.

Still, Marlin had a great run at Daytona, where he logged a solid top 10 finish. Top 16 runs in five of the next six events had him as high as sixth in the point standings before a wretched string of 13 races, starting at Phoenix, produced an average finish of 30.2. This run dropped him from ninth to 26th in the point standings and out of contention.

An impressive ninth-place finish at Indy was a feel-good run, but it was an anomaly, as the team only managed one more top 10 the rest of the way.

By season's end, the team had sunk to 30th in the standings, its lowest point all year.

• The Good: Marlin started 13th in the Texas spring race and ran up front all day. The Coors Light team gambled on tires for track position late and finished fifth after leading three laps.

• The Bad: Marlin started seventh and had a competitive car at Darlington, but the motor let go while running in the top 10, sending him to the showers after 221 laps.

• The Ugly: With 35 starts, the top Ganassi team led only eight races for a total of 20 laps. The best day was at Martinsville, where it led six laps.