The Associated Press

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - A victory in the opening round of the International Race of Champions has Mark Martin well on the way to the goals that brought him back to the all-star series this year.

Martin, a four-time series champion, beat Roush Racing teammate and IROC rookie Kurt Busch to the finish line Friday by 0.123 of a second - about 11/2 car lengths. That gave him a record-tying 11th IROC victory.

Martin was insulted when he wasn't invited to participate in IROC the past two years because he failed to finish among the top five in NASCAR's Winston Cup series in either 2000 or 2001.

It was the possibility of matching or beating the series record for victories by the late Dale Earnhardt and Al Unser Jr., and the chance to break a tie with Earnhardt for the most IROC titles that brought Martin back.

Martin's win Friday was a big step toward passing seven-time Winston Cup champion Earnhardt and two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Unser on the victory list.

After emerging from his car with a big smile, Martin thanked IROC officials for inviting him back.

"To come back like this after sitting out is special," he said. "I'm the kind of guy that likes being on top and likes being respected. It was very important to me to come out and have a strong year in IROC."

Martin dominated the 100-mile race for 12 identically prepared IROC Firebirds, leading 21 of the 40 laps, including the final nine.

Busch, one of NASCAR's young stars, worked with Martin at the front early in the race but was penalized after going under the yellow line at the bottom of the banked track to pass World of Outlaws sprint car star Steve Kinser.

"I got inside of him and I saw him starting to move down," Busch said. "Kinser kept coming and coming and coming, and I went below the yellow line to save his car and my car."

NASCAR's Jimmie Johnson and Greg Biffle, the Busch Series champ, finished fourth and fifth.

The next event on the four-race IROC schedule is April 5 at Talladega Superspeedway.

CRAFTSMAN TRUCKS: Rick Crawford got his first truck victory in nearly five years Friday, losing and regaining the lead in the final lap of a frantic three-wide battle.

Crawford nipped Travis Kvapil by 0.027-seconds - about 10 feet - with Robert Pressley only a few feet farther back in the Florida Dodge Dealers 250 at Daytona International Speedway. It was the season opener for the Craftsman Truck Series.

"We're driving a Ford pickup and this happens to be a Dodge race, so now we're the mayor of Truckville," Crawford said.

BUSCH: Winston Cup drivers Joe Nemechek and Dale Earnhardt Jr. start on the front row today for the Koolerz 300.

Another familiar name racing is open-wheel star Jimmy Vasser, who will be making his first career NASCAR start.

DEATH IN THE FAMILY: Longtime Motor Racing Network announcer Barney Hall might miss his first Daytona 500, after his mother died in North Carolina.

The funeral for 87-year-old Cindy Mazie Shumate is today in Elkin, N.C.

Hall is the co-anchor of MRN's Winston Cup broadcasts, and he was one of the network's original announcers. He has worked in some capacity for each of the 44 Daytona 500s, dating to 1959.