The proof that everything you see and hear isn’t always true rolled out of the back of a huge trailer at East Bay Raceway during the 25th Winternationals as Mars will once again wheel a dirt late model stock car during the coming season. "We plan on running all of the UDTRA shows and go after the championship there," said the 28-year old professional race car driver from Elk Mound, WI. "With Parker Stores on board again this year that was our plan all along. We talked about the pavement late last season but really never settled upon it.

"We have got a lot of good equipment ready to go for this year. The MasterSbilt deal that we have put together puts me back in a car that I feel comfortable with and allows us to try and further that program. Pro Power will do the motors and they are second-to-none. I look for us to have a good year."

Coming off a solid 2000 campaign, which included a win in the unsanctioned Topless 100 at the Batesville (AR) Speedway, Mars, along with his brother and crew chief Chris, are ready for bear and hunting a championship. "The biggest thing that we need to do to be a contender for the title is to go out and try to win races," Mars said. "The way you gain points is to finish up front. Yeah, you have to finish but you can’t be too conservative and you can’t be worried about losing a couple of points. Winning has always been what we want to do and that won’t change. Sure, you need to be consistent but you need to win, too."

Mars racing action won’t be concentrated on the UDTRA Pro DirtCar Series. He plans several stops with the STARS Racing Series along with the large scale shows at the Eldora (OH) Speedway and some starts within WISSOTA, the sanctioning body that oversees late model racing in Wisconsin. "The way the schedule is set-up you can run just about every week for some pretty good money," Mars said. "The races that are going on all over the country are great. When you’re in this for a living you have to do what it takes. We’re on the road a lot but you have to do that to get better and also to survive.

"I really like racing around home when I can, though. The tracks like Red Cedar (Speedway in Menomonie, WI) and Cedar Lake (Speedway in New Richmond, WI) are my favorites. I learned to drive at those places and the fans around that area are great. It’s kinda like going home. There are some great drivers in the area and it always helps to race against that kind of talent."

While the idea of ASA AC Delco Challenge Series racing was in the back of Mars’ mind for 2001 the reality of it all was that the right opportunity never surfaced. Don’t count it out for the future, though. "We are always looking for something to come along and if it is the right offer than it has to be studied very closely," said the former NASCAR ReMax Challenge Series Rookie-of-the-Year. "Asphalt racing doesn’t pay as much as the dirt shows do as far as money goes but the bottom line is if you want to move up in the world you have to take the right line to do so.

"ASA is a good series. You get a lot of TV coverage and the cars are pretty straightforward. Don’t get me wrong, I love racing dirt and this is where I want to be. But there are other hills to climb and the pavement deal is one of them. It’s just something that I have to keep my eyes open to, and see what happens."

Part of the reason that it will take "the right deal" for Mars to make that switch to pavement from dirt is the cash outlay to get going and be competitive. "To run ASA you have to bank about $600,000 and that is being conservative. We have never gone into anything and run it halfway. When we raced our super stock it was to be the best. When we ran late models locally it was to be the best. Now with UDTRA we want to be the best. The same can be said if we switch over to ASA. We want to be the best. It will take a full effort and that costs some money. Like I said, the right option must come along."

Mars’ stint on pavement during the 1999 season saw him chase the ReMax series, a regional NASCAR touring division in the Midwest. He teamed with Lafavre Racing in Minnesota to gain the rookie crown. "I thought we did OK for not racing asphalt before then. It really is a different kind of racing and there are some pretty good drivers in that ReMax deal. Each time we went back to a track we were a lot better which shows that we learned something. I think is would be the same with ASA. The only difference now is that we have some experience and knowledge of how to work a pavement car," Mars said.

For this season it will be dirt. Mars will continue to chase his "Dream." The UDTRA championship is attainable along with many wins. His focus is on the dirt tracks of America. While long term that may be different Mars and his team will take it one race and one surface at a time.