Mark Martin, AAA 400 Sprint Cup Race Preview
Press Release & Staff Report
Race: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA 400
Venue: Dover International Speedway (1-mile banked concrete)
Date: Sunday, Sept. 27
Time: 2 p.m. ET
TV: ABC, 1 p.m. ET
Race Distance: 400 laps/400miles
2008 winner: Greg Biffle
2008 pole winner: Jeff Gordon
Mark Martin Race Preview
Driver's Power Ranking on Raceway Report.com: x
NO. 5 GETS FIVE: Mark Martin and the Kellogg’s/CARQUEST team earned their fifth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win of the season Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. This is the most wins for Martin in a single season since 1998, when he recorded seven Cup victories.
HIGH FIVE: Five wins in a single season is the most ever for Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 5 Chevrolet, which is the car Rick Hendrick originally fielded when he started his Cup operation in 1984. Prior to Martin, the team record for single-season wins in the No. 5 car was three. Geoff Bodine set that record in Hendrick Motorsports’ inaugural season, and Terry Labonte matched it in 1994 and 1995.
POINTS LEADER: Martin’s victory at New Hampshire extended his advantage in the championship standings, and he now has a 35-point edge over Denny Hamlin and teammate Jimmie Johnson. This is the first year Martin has been the points leader under the Chase for the Sprint Cup format.
FOUR TO GO: Martin has only four tracks remaining on the Sprint Cup circuit where he has yet to earn a victory: Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, Pocono Raceway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway. If Martin is able to cross one of those off his list by winning the season finale at Homestead, it also would mark the first career win for Hendrick Motorsports there.
ELITE GROUP: Martin is now one of three active drivers who have earned 40 or more Sprint Cup victories. Martin’s 40th career victory last weekend moved him into the group with his Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jeff Gordon (82 wins) and Jimmie Johnson (43).
CAREER MILESTONE: Martin will make his 750th Sprint Cup start on Sunday at Dover, becoming only the ninth driver in the sport’s history to reach that mark. In his previous 749 starts, he has earned 40 wins, 253 top-five finishes and 411 top-10s. He also has recorded 47 career pole positions.
MARTIN AT THE MONSTER: In 46 Sprint Cup starts at Dover, Martin has earned four wins and 29 top-10 finishes. His 21 top-five finishes and 1,723 laps led are a personal best for the NASCAR veteran at any track.
MARTIN IN THE CHASE: In his three previous Chase races at Dover International Speedway, Martin has earned two top-five finishes. He posted results of second, fourth and 14th in 2004, 2005 and 2006 respectively.
OF THE CHASERS: Martin’s four career wins at “The Monster Mile” tie him with Hendrick Motorsports teammates Gordon and Johnson for the most of any Chase driver at the track. Martin leads all Chasers at Dover in top-five finishes and top-10s, and he ranks second to Gordon in most laps led.
ALL FIVES: In NASCAR’s loop data statistics for Dover International Speedway, Martin ranks fifth in average running position (9.75), driver rating (100.6) and laps inside the top 15 (2,776) in the past nine races at the one-mile track.
THE NO. 5 TEAM: Under the direction of crew chief Alan Gustafson, the Kellogg’s/CARQUEST team has competed in nine Sprint Cup races at Dover, earning four top-five finishes. In 2005, his first year as crew chief, the team finished second in both races at Dover, leading 90 laps in the spring event.
WINNING CHASSIS: Gustafson has chosen Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-527 for this Sunday’s race at Dover. This is the same chassis that Martin drove to Victory Lane at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway in May. Martin also drove this car to a 10th-place finish at Dover in June.
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MARK MARTIN, DRIVER, NO. 5 KELLOGG’S/CARQUEST CHEVROLET (ON WHAT WINNING THE FIRST RACE OF THE CHASE MEANS.): “I said last week in New York City that each race of the Chase only counts for 10 percent. You can’t win one race or have a DNF and think that that one outcome is going to change everything. Whether we did really good at Loudon or not so good, I was still going to leave that track knowing that was only 10 percent. I knew that a lot would be made of that race, but the reality is that you can’t start getting a clear picture of the outcome of all of this until about four races to go. So winning was incredible, and I’m so glad that we got to experience that, but I don’t think it’s telling of what the next nine races will bring.”
MARTIN (ON IF HIS DRIVING STYLE WILL CHANGE DURING THE CHASE.): “Absolutely not. I don’t anticipate doing anything different in these next nine weeks than I have in my entire career. I didn’t do anything different on that (final) restart in Loudon either. I tried to win the race. Winning is winning, whether it’s in the Chase or not in the Chase. And if I was 26th and racing for 25th place, I would have raced just like I did for first and second. I don’t anticipate anything changing for me at all.”
MARTIN (ON BEING CONSIDERED A CONTENDER TO WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP.): “This is absolutely incredible. This entire season has been unbelievable to me. I know that someday I won’t be racing anymore. And recently I talked to Dale Jarrett (former driver and current ESPN analyst) who, of course, doesn’t (race) anymore. And he said that there is nothing like driving a race car. You can’t get that feeling anywhere else. He’s right. This is exactly what I want to be doing. Exactly where I want to be. And for all of it to be going so well, so right, it’s just unbelievable.”
MARTIN (ON EXTENDING HIS CONTRACT THROUGH 2011.): “Last year, when I decided to come back full time, I asked the guys on this race team to just make sure I keep having fun. If I was having fun, it wouldn’t seem like work. And let me tell you, I’m not just having fun, I’m having the most fun I’ve ever had. Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) is incredible. He’s like everything you would want in three different people, but combined in one. He has made my life easier. I don’t have to worry about anything if I know he is behind it all. Why wouldn’t I sign on for more?”
ALAN GUSTAFSON, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 KELLOGG’S/CARQUEST CHEVROLET (ON MAINTAINING THE POINTS LEAD AFTER NEW HAMPSHIRE.): “Last Sunday was great. That’s our goal, that’s everybody’s goal — to have the points lead and make it as big as you can. We were able to improve our lead some; not nearly as much as we would’ve liked. But I think those points are going to be few and far between in the Chase because the competition is so tough. That was a track that we felt if we could just not get too much damage and hold serve, we would be in really good shape. To be able to gain was really, really positive. But like I said, it’s not nearly enough. We just have to keep doing that every week — hold the points lead and make it as large as we possibly can.”
GUSTAFSON (ON HAVING THE MOST WINS EVER FOR HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS’ NO. 5 TEAM.): “This achievement means a lot to me. This is a team that I am very proud to be associated with. My goal when I took the crew chief role here five years ago was to make this team the best it possibly could be, and to try to follow in the footsteps of some of the great crew chiefs that have led this team. To be able to bring this car up to one of its highest levels is really a great achievement. It’s a positive reflection on the team, the team members, Mark and everybody involved. It’s something I’m proud of. It’s very special.”
GUSTAFSON (ON EARNING HIGH PRAISE FROM MARK MARTIN.): “Mark is such a nice guy and a very humble individual. He is one of those people who takes a lot of joy in helping people achieve their goals and help make people better at what they do, or to make them better people in general. I think part of that is Mark, and that is one thing that makes him such a likeable person and someone who everybody wants to be around. At the same time, I know that Mark has been through a lot of rough times in this sport. He’s maybe not gotten the results or accolades that he deserves for different reasons. One of my goals was to make sure that we did everything possible for this team and for Mark to show how good Mark Martin is and how good that (No.) 5 car is. If he is happy, that’s great. Another goal is for this team to be at a top level in this sport. Both of those combined make me feel really good. Seeing the smile on Mark’s face, and the smiles on my team members faces in Victory Lane and the confidence they have and the pride they take in putting on their uniforms and being associated with this car, that’s what it’s all about. To me, that’s what I work for. It’s really special to have that happen. Mark is a big part of that. It’s worth all of the sacrifice.”
GUSTAFSON (ON MARTIN RACING TWO MORE YEARS IN THE NO. 5 CHEVY.): “It’s really good for the team to have the driver lineup nailed down for two years. That support really gives us a solid foundation to build on. That helps us in every phase of what we do, and we can now have goals to build toward. There is nothing in flux. We have a really solid foundation to build off of. It’s great. He’s the best driver out there. We were really honored to have him here for a year. For him to want to be here for two more is a huge compliment. We’re really excited about it.”
- Hendrick Motorsports, Press Release
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