NASCAR.COM - 2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Schedule, Results & Tickets
Mark Martin - 2009 Race Statistics
Mark Martin holds the trophy after winning the NASCAR LifeLock.com 400 auto race at the Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill., Saturday, July 11, 2009 (AP Photo)
LifeLock.com 400 Post-Race Transcript
NASCAR
July 11, 2009
An interview with:
MARK MARTIN
ALAN GUSTAFSON
RICK HENDRICK
KERRY THARP: We're going to roll into our post race press conference. Tonight's race winner is Mark Martin. He drives the No. 5 Carquest/Kellogg's Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. This is his series leading fourth win of 2009. This is his 39th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory. Moves up to 11th in the points.
Mark, congratulations. Just another exemplary performance by you and your race team. You got to feel good about how things turned out there tonight.
MARK MARTIN: Thanks, man, I do. But this guy's birthday is going to be in a few minutes, so a slightly early birthday present. They have wore him out with champagne and Gatorade and everything else. I kind of feel sorry for him. I know he's going to be sticky and stinking going home, but that's how it goes.
KERRY THARP: Congratulations, Rick. In fact, it's past midnight, so happy birthday to you. This has got to be a good present for you tonight to see how this No. 5 team continues to show its determination.
RICK HENDRICK: Yeah, you know, I'll tell you, Mark put on an unbelievable performance tonight. To see him get four wins this year is pretty phenomenal. He's just an awesome talent, he and Alan, a great combination. They just get better and better every week. If we could just take out three or four of those real the two plate races and the three failures, we wouldn't be sweating this top 12 so much.
KERRY THARP: We'll open it up for questions.
Q: Talk me through the last restart. Why did you go with the high line?
MARK MARTIN: Well, I'm racing for my job. He tells me I got it, but he's gonna I've also told him he's in the clear to set me down, you know, when the day comes that I'm not getting the job done.
I feel the heat every day. I know the opportunity that I have driving Alan Gustafson's car and with this team. I feel good we're making the most of it.
The last restart, on cold tires if someone could get to your outside, you know, they would suck you around pretty bad. I think you saw that with the 83. You might not have saw it that much with me, the 48. He managed to slip me enough that I had you know, I couldn't beat him around there the first time. So the second time we went through there, I wasn't going to let that happen again. I almost wiped us both out.
I thought I had me a handful of wheel and was going to race him hard for it, and about slipped and wiped. With Jeff Gordon, new tires, put him on my outside, it was a risky move. Restarting and putting me on the outside of him was also a risky move because it wasn't my favorite place to be. But I thought, you know, I'd rather put him in that vulnerable position rather than me be in it. That was it.
Man, I don't even remember all the things that happened toward the end of the race. But with 15 to go, I thought we were gonna win the race if nothing else happened, but I knew it was going to be a long way. And, boy, it was. It was a lot longer than I thought it was gonna be, and eventful.
But, anyway, it was really cool to make a fan a millionaire tonight. It was really special. I'm glad Jeff got second.
Q: Going into 2007 you were starting to go into the part time rides. Where do you see your career heading? Did you kind of see it going away? What did you see from your career at that point in your career?
MARK MARTIN: Well, I felt my like performance was already slipping in '05. In '06, I thought my performance was slipping. I didn't want to hang on my downward slide. I was really burned out and I needed a break and a chance to reevaluate things and a change of scenery. I got that break and I got that change of scenery in '07. Then I got another change of scenery in '08, and got some breaks. I drove a really fast car. That was the No. 8 car. Really fast. Had a chance to win a couple of races. Sat on the outside pole six times. Rick Hendrick, he wouldn't quit. Between the confidence that I gained driving the 8 car and Rick, I was persuaded to do it. And I can't believe what an idiot I would have been had I not. I had no idea it could be like that. Had no idea it could be this much fun.
And Alan and the team are a huge part of that. But Mr. Hendrick is a huge part of that, as well, his organization, the professionalism, the people, the way that they have treated me and my teammates, you know. The whole thing has been beyond my dreams.
JOLIET, IL - JULY 11: Mark Martin, driver of the #5 CARQUEST/Kellogg's Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series LifeLock.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway on July 11, 2009 in Joliet, Illinois. (Photo by Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)
KERRY THARP: Let's hear from Alan Gustafson. Four wins this season. You guys are just getting it done.
ALAN GUSTAFSON: Yeah, it's really special. We're really fortunate. We had a really, really good Carquest Chevy tonight. Mark drove his tail off. The race was really perfect for us about 200 laps in or so. Then Jimmie, being the fierce competitor he is, there's a reason he's three time champion, he knows how to drive that car and put it in places it needs to be. On the restart, I think he knew our Achilles' heel was going to be that we were going to be free to start. He exploited that, got on our right rear quarter and got by us.
From them on it was about a blur until three to go and we won. I couldn't tell you what happened on all the restarts, what we did. We were just working as hard as we could to get back up front. Mark's intelligence and patience showed through again when those guys got to racing really hard, I think he could have been right in the middle of that if he chose to. But he's really, really smart, knows what's gonna happen. He kind of backed out and drove on by 'em.
Q: Mark, you said on the radio, Tell me we won. It was so humble. You really sound surprised. With every position you went back and forth, it was like one spot out of the Chase, one spot in. Did you ever ask on the radio where you were on points all night long?
MARK MARTIN: Thank you. It is very humbling. I can't believe we won.
Q: Almost sounded like you were crying when you told him you loved him.
MARK MARTIN: I mean that, from the heart.
Let me tell you about the points. Tonight I leave the track in 13th. That's fine with me. It's just weird, okay? I'm not gonna let myself get sucked into all that. We were 13th coming here. What we needed to do was lead the most laps and win. No matter what happens going forward, I may change my mind later, but right now I'm leaving the track the same points position I was last week, 'cause it's just a rollercoaster.
I feel more solid and better about the effort that we've made. I can't do anything more about how the points have fallen. You know, we have had a horrendous number of, you know, really unfortunate situations. I will only be disappointed for these guys if we were to manage to not make it. It's very, very tight. It's very, very close. For me to get four wins halfway in was beyond my dreams. These guys deserve it, and I hope we do.
I think my attitude coming here was just fine. We're 13th. The only way we'll ever have a shot at it's to go lead the most laps and win. I think I'll go to the next race, don't even know where we're going, Indy, that's what we need to do at Indy as well.
For now, that's how I'm managing my head, you know, 'cause I really thought when we jumped up to wherever we were, eighth or ninth, wherever we were, several weeks ago, that maybe, just maybe, we would be able to breathe. And that was a mistake. Two horrendous races.
I'm not worried about it. You know, had we not won a race and we were sitting here right now, I'd be worried about it because we need to do something good. But we have done a whole lot of good.
I just couldn't believe it. Jeff Gordon flew up beside me like we were still racing. Damn, have I pulled off on the white flag again? What the hell is going on? I can mess up anything, you know. I don't know what I was thinking. I couldn't believe we won. I mean, it's incredible. It's hard to win these things. And I don't know how we won one, much less four. I don't know how we've done it. I know how these guys have done it, but I don't know how they did it with me.
Q: Mark, despite what you just said, your reputation for being a smart driver was on display the last 20 laps or so. With all the whacky stuff suddenly going on after a relatively calm race, did you feel like you were more or less in control of your own destiny there or not?
MARK MARTIN: You know, no. We were in control of our own destiny till they started wrecking. And you know they're gonna do it. They do it every race. I shouldn't complain because more often than not recently they've run the first two thirds of the races nearly caution free, and I should take that and be happy, because that's a lot better than it used to be a few years ago where it was just 15 laps at a time the whole race. So we get the long greens now, but you don't get 'em at the end, you just don't.
My forte is long runs. We had a spectacular car. The double file restarts, and I don't mean this coy, but seriously when you think about double file restart, what's exciting about that? What's exciting about it is you take the guy that probably earned a spot and you mess him up. That's kind of what it is a little bit, right? It kind of happened tonight. You know, you took the car that was gonna win the race for sure and you had a double file restart and you took the car that was second and put him out front, and then you had another one, and I wound up in fourth or something.
So that's kind of what that whole thing is all about. So when the cautions start coming, you know, I cringe because I got the superior car on the long run and who knows what happens on the short runs. We didn't have very many restarts. I got great restarts every restart all night except for that one or two.
So I've got to be thankful for that. I've come out better on the double file restarts this year, more pluses than minuses. So that's a good thing. But there's seven more races or something like that before the Chase starts. All that means to me is I'm likely to lose out more than I gain going forward. So that's why I'm just gonna keep the mindset. I'm gonna still think I'm 13th like I did here, because it seemed to work pretty good. I'm going to go to Indy and drive the fool out of that thing, just like I did this week. Hopefully we can do something the same.
JOLIET, IL - JULY 11: Mark Martin, driving the #5 CARQUEST/Kellogg's Chevrolet, holds the checkered flag after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series LifeLock.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway on July 11, 2009 in Joliet, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Q: Rick, I think many of the pundits would have expected this organization would have won at least one race this year, maybe two. I think that's fair to say. We're at four now. What were your real expectations at the beginning of this season to what this team could really do?
RICK HENDRICK: Well, Alan and I got a glimpse of Mark Martin's talent in a Busch car, and we talked about it. I've said this many times. I don't want to repeat myself to all these folks that have heard it. But when you ask Jeff Gordon what he thought, you ask Jimmie Johnson, Can you get Mark to drive all the races? I said, I think so. He's awesome. And Alan and I, again, witnessed it, just knew you can tell when a guy is so smart on a chassis that he knows how to run a fuel run. I'll put him up against anybody I've had on a car, planning a full fuel run and tire run.
I just knew the two of these guys would be good. Mark's dedication and determination, the way he takes care of himself, you look at him after he got out of the car when he won Michigan, he was probably dryer than our other drivers, and he had no air conditioning two thirds of the race.
When you saw raw talent, you know if you put him in the right equipment, they can get the job done. I'm not surprised. I legitimately, Alan as a witness, he and I talked about it, Mark doesn't want to hear this, but I'm going to say it anyway, Alan and I said we can win a championship with Mark Martin this year. We said that before we started. We were confident we could win races. He's so smart and takes care of his stuff. The Darlington car didn't have a scratch on it. The only car in that race that came out of that race without the right side tore off of it. So he's a little bit more modest than we are about him. I think we felt that way early on.
Q: Rick, when we look at your organization, how dominant it's been, whether with your homeboys or the satellite organization at Stewart Haas, the one thing is you choose your generals very carefully. Very little leaves your company as opposed to a lot of the back and forth that goes between the middle range organizations out there. Can you talk about your philosophy, how you choose people like Alan, like Stevie, get them young and train them, Chad coming back into Hendrick Motorsports. It seems like the information doesn't leave the building, which is why you keep getting stronger rather than depleting your resources by everybody finding out what your secrets are.
RICK HENDRICK: Our secret is people. It's pure and simple. It's talent. We've got a lot of young guys. We've got a lot of guys that have been there, like myself, for 25 years. You've got a guy like Alan that is as smart as anybody that I've ever worked with, that loves the company, and Stevie, and they've worked together and been together for a lot of years, and Chad. About five races to go, the end of the year, I'll start thinking about how to keep it all together for the next year, keep the momentum going, keep the guys building on the momentum we have. If you have a bunch of crack soldiers that go into battle, you got the best training, you got a plan on how to win, you know, the fit factor of trying to plug people in is one of the most critical things that we have to do in our organization. It's no different than Mark. Will they add to our company? Will it be a positive move for all the teams?
Alan stuck with us. He had tremendous offers. He never flinched. It's all about the human capital. It's not about money. It's not about anything else. It's about the folks that are working together, getting smarter together, getting a little bit better each week, and believing, like Jeff Gordon coming over to congratulate Mark. The 24 team got beat by the 5 team. The 24 team was out there congratulating these guys.
It's a sharing of information. It's working and not letting someone drive a wedge between 'em. I'm real proud of the longevity of our guys, guys like Alan that have built the company. They've been there. They've never worked anywhere else. I hope it stays that way.
Q: Rick, since Charlotte, either your cars or the Stewart Haas cars, you have a lot of people scratching their heads how to keep up with you guys. Is there a way to define how dominant your organization has been the last six to eight weeks? Is there a way to compare it to something? Do you feel you're as dominant as the records might show?
RICK HENDRICK: I really don't. I really don't feel that way. The 18 car and the 11 car were awesome at Daytona. The 11 car got up there tonight. I watched his lap times there toward about the 50 to go, 75 to go. He was really, really quick. You know, I hate to say we've been lucky in a lot of ways, but we have been lucky.
Alan, you might jump in here, but I don't think we're that dominant.
ALAN GUSTAFSON: I don't either. There's a lot of guys who have picked their performance up. The 9 comes to mind. He was really, really fast. He was fast again tonight. Juan. The 42. We lapped him when he was 26th. He was running really good at the end of the race. He finished 10th, it looks like. He's battling really hard and running good. It's tough.
If you take a break for a minute, these guys are going to jump all over you. I've never seen anybody dominate this sport since I've been here. You may have some things go your way and it looks like it on paper, but in reality I don't think you're dominating. I don't think we have that. I think if we have that, we're going to be real sad at Indy because they'll whip us. We have to stay focused on what we do. I definitely don't underestimate the talent we've got to race, the people they've got, the drivers they've got. I feel like we've got the best, but they're not far behind us. We've just got to keep pushing.
JOLIET, IL - JULY 11: Mark Martin, driver of the #5 CARQUEST/Kellogg's Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series LifeLock.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway on July 11, 2009 in Joliet, Illinois. (Photo by John Harrelson/Getty Images)
Q: Mark, do you feel 50? Does any part of you feel 50?
MARK MARTIN: I will in the morning. I don't right now.
Q: Do you feel it more the next day, the days after?
MARK MARTIN: Oh, I'm going to feel like hell tomorrow because I ain't gonna sleep much tonight (laughter). But that adrenaline is something, there's nothing like it. When I'm pumped up driving fast racecars, I certainly don't feel 50. But I do on Monday mornings, or tomorrow Sunday morning. It's going to be nearly daylight by the time I get home. I don't care. But that is certainly past my bedtime.
That adrenaline is something really, really special. These guys have made me feel really, really good and really special, even on the days when I stub my toe, they're the first ones to pat me on the back.
KERRY THARP: Gentlemen, congratulations. Great show out there tonight. We'll see you at Indy.
Mark Martin Post Race Notes and Quotes – LifeLock 400
GM Racing
July 11, 2009
MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 CARQUEST/ KELLOGG'S IMPALA SS – Winner
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THIS NIGHT FOR YOU?
"I've been watching Hornaday. I just knew this double-file restart was going to cost us. But I want to thank CARQUEST/Kellogg's and Chevrolet, Sprint, Rick Hendrick and his race team. That was fun! That's what life's all about right there. These guys deserve to win. We could have parked the car yesterday with an hour left in practice. But you know the best car doesn't usually win. The double-file restarts are to mess the best car up so he doesn't win to make it good for the fans and it did but we luckily pulled it off anyway."
Mark Martin NASCAR Sprint Cup Race Preview – LifeLock.com 400
Chicagoland Speedway
Mark Qualifies 14th
ONE OF SIX: In eight NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Chicagoland Speedway, Mark Martin has earned three top-10 finishes. He has finished outside of the top 20 just once in those eight starts and has completed 99 percent of all the laps he's attempted at the track (2,136 of 2,139 total). Chicagoland is one of just six remaining active tracks where Martin has yet to reach Victory Lane.
INTERIM REPORT: At the midway point of the season, Martin owns the eighth-highest driver rating of all Sprint Cup competitors. The driver rating is based on a formula combining the following categories: wins, finishes, top-15 finishes, average running position while on the lead lap, average speed under green, fastest lap, laps led and lead-lap finish.
LAP STATS: Martin has spent 73.8 percent of the green-flag laps this season running in the top 15 (3,831 laps of 5,194 total). That ranks Martin sixth among his Cup competitors. He also has led 219 laps, which is the eighth-best. This season, Martin has maintained the ninth-best average running position (14.962).
FAST CHEVY: The CARQUEST/Kellogg's Chevrolet ranks inside the top-10 in four categories based on the car's speed. The No. 5 Chevy is the second only to points leader Tony Stewart among the fastest cars late in green-flag runs. It is also the third-fastest car in traffic and the fourth-fastest overall during green flags. Martin has scored 234 of the fastest laps run so far this season, which places him sixth overall in the Sprint Cup Series.
IF HISTORY REPEATS: After 18 races this season, Martin has earned three wins, three pole positions, four top-five finishes and eight top-10s. In the three seasons that Martin qualified for the Chase -- 2004, 2005 and 2006 -- Martin had not earned this many wins or poles by the season's midway point. Only in 2005 did he have more top-five finishes (five) and more top-10s (nine) than he does at this point in the season. In 2005, he finished fourth in the Sprint Cup standings.
THE NO. 5 TEAM: Crew chief Alan Gustafson has guided the No. 5 team in four Sprint Cup races at Chicagoland Speedway. The team earned a best finish of third in July 2006 with Gustafson at the helm.
APPROACHING MILESTONE: On Aug. 22 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, Martin will make his 1,000th career NASCAR start. That date will mark his 746th Sprint Cup start. Martin also will have competed in 231 Nationwide Series and 23 Camping World Truck Series events. He will become the third driver to achieve this mark, behind only Richard Petty and Michael Waltrip. Over all three series, Martin has won 93 points-paying events.
NOTHING BUT A NUMBER: Four drivers have earned Sprint Cup victories over the age of 50, however, only two have earned multiples. Martin's three wins rank second only to Harry Gant, who earned eight victories after his 50th birthday.
CHASE RACE: Martin and the No. 5 team are currently 13th in the Sprint Cup standings, 65 points behind 12th. WINNING CHASSIS: Gustafson has chosen Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-527 for Saturday's race at Chicagoland. Martin has driven this car twice already this season, notably reaching Victory Lane at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway in May. He also raced Chassis No. 5-527 at Auto Club Speedway in February.
HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS ON FACEBOOK: Become a fan of Hendrick Motorsports on Facebook. Visit www.facebook.com/HendrickMotorsports for information on Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the rest of the organization.
MARK MARTIN, DRIVER, NO. 5 CARQUEST/KELLOGG'S CHEVROLET (ON HOW THIS SEASON COMPARES TO PAST SEASONS.): "This is the best one. Our on-track performance has been really spectacular. And that, combined with the fact that I am really, really happy just makes this an awesome year. I'm in a great frame of mind. Even though we've had an unusual amount of trouble and disappointments, I still am having a great time. The team's performance has exceeded even my expectations."
MARTIN (ON HOW HE IS HANDLING THE FULL CUP SCHEDULE.): "I'm doing OK. I am, though, looking forward to the weekend off. I'm doing well this year managing everything. The weekends off have been helpful, and I've really enjoyed them. Everyone on this team is so good to work with -- the sponsors, the crew members, everyone. It's just a great race team to be with. All of that has made the transition back to full time easy to manage. If I had any idea that it would be like this, I wouldn't have resisted at all. I had no idea it could be this fun. I wouldn't trade this for anything right now."
MARTIN (ON THE BEST SEASON OF HIS CAREER.): "The best season, statistically, was definitely 1998. We won seven races that season and won the all-star race. But even so, we still finished second in points. Jeff (Gordon) beat us by nearly 400 points. So, even though it was the best season of my career, it still wasn't enough. I had a lot of fun that year, too. I was working with a new group of guys. Everyone was pretty charged up. That season was almost as fun as this one has been."
MARTIN (ON RICK HENDRICK BEING NOMINATED TO THE NASCAR HALL OF FAME.): "Rick (Hendrick) being nominated is great. The fact that he's being acknowledged as part of the first 25 is just really incredible. There are 24 other NASCAR greats on that list with him, too. It's impressive."
ALAN GUSTAFSON, DRIVER, NO. 5 CARQUEST/KELLOGG'S CHEVROLET (ON THE TEAM'S SEASON SO FAR.): "I would probably grade this team a B-plus right now. If we could get a few races back where we had engine issues or missed opportunities, we would be in a much better points position, and I would probably give us an A-plus. But this team is as good as any team out there. I think our strength is just being solid in every aspect of racing. Whether it's handling or coming back from adversity or pit stops or having just a mechanically sound car, this team gets it done. We are sound on every one of those fronts. We may not be the best in each individual category, but I do believe we are one of the best over all the categories."
GUSTAFSON (ON THE RACE FOR THE CHASE.): "The main goal is just to secure the maximum amount of points possible. We have to look at every race as 'situational.' Every one of them will be evaluated on the fly. Sure, we're going to look at having good points days, but we can't become complacent either. We can't risk a win when the outcome could be a 32nd-place finish. But if the risk could have a fifth-place finish as the worst possible outcome, that's different. We aren't approaching races really any differently now than we were in February. There's always pressure. The main concern is the Chase right now."
GUSTAFSON (ON RICK HENDRICK BEING NOMINATED TO THE NASCAR HALL OF FAME.): "For me, he really deserves to be a first-ballot inductee. I don't think anyone would argue him being in the Hall of Fame. He's an obvious choice. Over the last 25 years, he has consistently fielded the best organization in NASCAR. Drivers have come and gone. Teams have changed. The cars have changed. But his organization has been solid through all of that. Of all the owners in the sport, he's the pinnacle. I think he really deserves it."
Mark Martin Post Race Notes and Quotes - Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola
Mark finishes 38th
MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 CARQUEST/KELLOGG'S IMPALA SS - Involved in crash with No. 17 Kenseth and No. 42 (Montoya)
"Matt (Kenseth) ran the top side there and got a run up off the corner, and I was trying to keep it down and leave us room and I just pinched him; front wheels were cut and it just didn't turn quite enough. It's really slick out there. It's my fault."
Mark Martin Media Visit – July 2, 2009
GM Racing
MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 CARQUEST/KELLOGG'S IMPALA SS met with media and discussed Jeremy Mayfield and the drug situation, his season to date, and more.
MARK, EVERY DRIVER SO FAR TODAY HAS BEEN ASKED ABOUT JEREMY MAYFIELD AND HIS SITUATION. IT SEEMS AS IF IT'S AN UNCOMFORTABLE QUESTION FOR A DRIVER TO ANSWER. DO YOU FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE?
"I'm comfortable with being on the racetrack with Jeremy Mayfield. One-hundred percent.
I feel that NASCAR needs to have the authority to say whether or not that you drive. I don't know anything about judges. I don't know anything about laws and I don't know anything about anything else, but I do believe that NASCAR needs to have the authority to make that call. And they need to be responsible with it and careful with it. I think that somebody is wrong. Either Jeremy or NASCAR is wrong, and I don't know which one, but whichever one is wrong is really hurting the other. I don't know. That is about all my thoughts on that matter."
IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU THINK JEREMY IS RIGHT IF YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE RACING WITH HIM. DO YOU HAVE A REASON TO FEEL THAT WAY?
"I'm just not concerned with being on the racetrack with Jeremy. None whatsoever. I'm not concerned with that. I feel one-hundred percent confident being on the racetrack side-by-side with Jeremy. That doesn't mean that he didn't fail. I don't know what happened. Okay? I'm just saying that if he races, I have no problem.
"I do however have a problem with NASCAR not being able to say you can't. That is a problem for our sport. They need to be the authority. They need to be able to say if you do or if you don't. They need to be responsible with it, and careful with it, but they need to have the say."
HOW HARD IS IT FOR A GUY THAT IS SITTING ON THE BUBBLE OF THE CHASE TO COME TO A PLACE LIKE DAYTONA AND WORRY ABOUT THE UNKNOWNS AND RACE SMART AND BASICALLY POINTS RACE?
"It's tough, but Daytona is not as tough as Talladega when it comes to that. You do what you do. You know, you go out here and you race and we take our lumps and we take our good days. Some days we get more than we deserve and some days we don't get what we deserve. We just go out here and do our thing and hope it turns out well."
THE FIRST HALF OF THIS SEASON HAS BEEN A DREAM RIDE SO FAR FOR YOU. YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN SO SOLID THAT YOU HAVE BUILT THIS TO WHERE YOU EXPECT TO BE A TOP-FIVE CAR OR RACE WINNING CAR EVERY WEEK. BUT YOU HAVE BEEN IN THIS SPORT SO LONG THAT YOU KNOW HOW QUICK SOMETHING LIKE THAT CAN UNRAVEL. WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL RIGHT NOW THAT YOU ARE IN THE BEST SITUATION THAT YOU HAVE EVER BEEN IN?
"Number one I think that Alan Gustafson is the one thing that makes me feel good. The car has been spectacular at all but a couple of races this year, but you know for me, I'm living a dream to be able to be a part of this team and to be a part of an elite group at Hendrick Motorsports and to be able to work with Alan and our sponsors Kellogg's and CARQUEST, Chevy and all the folks from Hendrick Motorsports. I'm just living a dream."
Mark Martin NASCAR Sprint Cup Race Preview - Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola
Daytona International Speedway
July 1, 2009
ROUND TWO: This Saturday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway marks the first return race of the season. The last time Mark Martin raced at the superspeedway, he was making his first Cup start with Hendrick Motorsports, crew chief Alan Gustafson and the No. 5 Chevrolet. Since then, the team has run 17 races together, earning three victories, three pole positions, four top-five finishes and eight top-10s.
LAST TIME AT DAYTONA: In February, Martin scored the outside pole position for the Daytona 500 and finished second in his Gatorade Duel qualifying race after leading 36 laps. In the Daytona 500, Martin led one lap, ran inside the top 15 for the majority of the race and finished 16th in the rain-shortened event.
LOOP STATISTICS: In his last nine races at Daytona, Martin has an average running position of 15.768, which ranks him 10th amongst all competitors. Martin also has the 10th-highest driver rating of 85.7.
MORE LOOP DATA: Martin has spent 62.6 percent of laps run in the past nine Daytona races inside the top 15, ranking him ninth. He has led 46 of those laps, which is the eighth-most of any competitor.
ONE OF SIX: Daytona International Speedway is one of just six remaining active tracks where Martin has yet to reach Victory Lane. In 48 starts, the NASCAR veteran has scored one pole position (July 1, 1989), nine top-five finishes and 17 top-10s at the historic track.
THE NO. 5 TEAM: Crew chief Alan Gustafson and the No. 5 team earned the runner-up finish in both the 2006 and 2007 July events. The team has led a total of 29 laps in eight races at the superspeedway.
HENDRICK AT DAYTONA: Hendrick Motorsports, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, has tallied 10 wins, 39 top-five finishes, 72 top-10s and led 1,315 laps in 50 Cup events (158 starts) at Daytona International Speedway.
HOMETOWN CREW CHIEF: Gustafson grew up in Ormond Beach, Fla., just seven miles north of Daytona International Speedway. After graduating from Seabreeze High School, he enrolled at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, which is located less than one mile east of the track. Gustafson has earned one victory at Daytona: the Nationwide Series event in July 2007.
NOTHING BUT A NUMBER: Four drivers have earned Sprint Cup victories over the age of 50, however, only two have earned multiples. Martin's three wins rank second only to Harry Gant, who earned eight victories after his 50th birthday.
IN THE TOP 12: Martin and the No. 5 team remain 11th in the Sprint Cup Series championship standings, trailing 10th place by just two points.
CHASSIS CHOICE: Gustafson has chosen Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-548 for Saturday's race at Daytona. It is a brand new chassis that never has been raced or tested.
AUTOGRAPHS: Mark Martin, driver of the No. 5 CARQUEST/Kellogg's Chevrolet, will sign autographs at the Port Orange, Fla., Wal-Mart Supercenter on Dunlawton Avenue on Wednesday at 5 p.m. local time.
SPRINT STAGE: On Friday, Martin will be a guest at the Sprint Experience outside of Turn 4 at Daytona International Speedway. Martin's question-and-answer session will begin at 3 p.m. local time.
QUOTES
MARK MARTIN, DRIVER, NO. 5 CARQUEST/KELLOGG'S CHEVROLET (ON HOW THE TEAM HAS CHANGED FROM THE SEASON OPENER AT DAYTONA UNTIL NOW.): "This race team is a lot more confident in itself than it was last time we were at Daytona. I feel like we all know each other a lot better now, having had half of a race season together. Those 17 races or so have really helped us to jell as a team. We are better prepared for situations now than we were in February. Alan (Gustafson) and I know what each other are thinking a lot better now. The way we respond to conditions and situations with the car and on track is better now having had races together. We're just an overall better prepared and more confident race team. We know what we are capable of now, and that's a good thing."
MARTIN (ON HOW HE FEELS ABOUT TRACKS WHERE HE HASN'T WON.): "I don't get frustrated with any of the tracks that I haven't won at. I look at it more on the other hand. I'm grateful for the tracks I have managed to win at. Rather than expecting to win, like I'm owed that, I feel more fortunate to have the success I have had in my career."
MARTIN (ON IF DAYTONA IS AS UNPREDICTABLE AS TALLEDEGA (ALA.) SUPERSPEEDWAY.): "Not this race. The July race at Daytona is so much different than the 500. Unlike Talladega, and more so than the 500, this race is really dependent on the car's handling. A team's ability to get its car handling well for this race can really set it apart from the competition. In this race, you're not as reliant on drafting. You have the ability to put yourself in the right place at the right time if your car is handling well. The 400, in my opinion, is better than the 500, although the 500 is the one you want to win so badly. This race really comes down to the actual racing. There's not as much pressure, and you can actually have fun and enjoy it."
ALAN GUSTAFSON, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 CARQUEST/KELLOGG'S CHEVROLET (ON IF HIS APPROACH TO DAYTONA IS DIFFERENT IN JULY.): "In July, the speedway never has as much grip as it does when we first go there in February. It's hotter outside, which makes the track slicker. Handling will be at even more of a premium for this race. We're not as concerned with speed for the July race as we are for the 500. In February, we get concerned with how to maintain speed and not sacrifice that for a better-handling car. In July we're way more concerned with the handling itself."
GUSTAFSON (ON HOW HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH MARK MARTIN HAS CHANGED SINCE THE LAST DAYTONA RACE.): "There's no replacement for on-track time when you're trying to get to know your driver. Mark and I have had that now, and we've had the chance to add more depth to our relationship. This team has gone through both successes and failures since February and I think that makes you stronger. This team, as a whole, is much stronger than it was in February."
GUSTAFSON (ON WHY THE TEAM PERFORMS BETTER IN JULY.): "The car's handling and the driver's racing ability tends to shine a little more in the July race. We have used both of those to our advantage in the past few years. Kyle (Busch) did a great job racing for this team and scored runner-up finishes twice for us. Mark is an extremely talented driver, and I don't doubt that will show Saturday night."
GUSTAFSON (ON FINISHING SECOND TWICE AT DAYTONA.): "Of course it's frustrating. This is a racetrack that I really want to win on. In 2007, we won the Nationwide race Saturday morning. We had the opportunity to be the first team to win two NASCAR races on the same day. And on the white-flag lap, we were leading. We lost that race by about four inches, if that. It was so disappointing."
