Mark Martin Texas Race Recap
Mark Martin and the #6 Viagra® Racing Team
Texas Motor Speedway/March 30, 2003
Roush RacingFt. Worth, Texas (March 30, 2003) - Mark Martin and the Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Racing Team struggled for much of the weekend leading up to Sunday's Samsung/Radio Shack 500. Martin and crew chief Ben Leslie worked way past garage hours and into the late evening on Saturday night, in search of a remedy to provide needed speed to the No. 6 Viagra® Ford Taurus.
"Let me tell you, this car was a piece of junk yesterday," said Martin after the race. "But Ben Leslie and Bob Osborne (team engineer) and myself, we all got together and changed everything on it and it was really awesome today."
The fruit of their labor provided Martin with one of - if not the- fastest cars in Sunday's race. A car that, combined with Martin's mastery of the 1-5 mile quad oval, propelled the Viagra® Racing Team to their third top-five finish of 2003 and their fourth top-10 finish in only seven races.
"We were just short some track position in the end," said Martin. "I don't know that we could have beaten the No. 12 car, but there wasn't anybody else in the field that we couldn't handle.
"We were catching everyone else in the field, we had some great runs. We had to pass more cars out here than anyone else. I thought yesterday that we were going to run 30th, so this really feels great."
Martin was hot out of the gate, and despite a 32nd-place start, the veteran driver had cracked the field's top-20 by lap 43, when he came into the pits for the first time to help 'free' the car, which had begun to tighten up during the long green-flag run.
After a 15.54 second stop to take four tires and make a wedge adjustment, Martin returned to the field in 21st place and once the field went green on lap 49, Martin began to embark on an upward movement that would see the Viagra® Ford Taurus break inside the field's top 10 on lap 83. The Viagra® Ford, which had struggled heavily in Saturday's practice, was running the fastest times of any car on the track. Martin had moved up to sixth place by lap 155 when the day's fourth caution was called.
Martin passed both the No. 38 car of Elliot Sadler and the No. 48 car of Jimmie Johnson on lap 166 to move into fourth place, breaking into the field's top-five for the first time of the race. Continuing to blaze up the field, Martin's chances for a top-five finish looked certain and victory lane was glimmering in the distance.
However, the road to Sunday's finish line would not come that easy. Martin was running in sixth-place when he came into the pits for a planned green-flag stop to take on fuel and tires on lap 221. As the remainder of the field cycled through their stops, the day's seventh caution was called on lap 226. Everyone in the field had not pitted and Martin had to restart the race on the tail end of the lead lap once the field went green on lap 232.
Martin was able to stay on the lead lap, fending off leader and eventual race-winner Ryan Newman for three laps until the day's seventh caution was called on lap 235. The caution aided Martin in his quest to stay on the lead lap, but Martin's car sustained light damage to the front end. The team came into the pits for series of stops to take on fuel, add fresh tires and tape up the damaged front end.
Martin was running in 16th place when the field went green on lap 239. The race saw two more cautions in the next 14 laps and Martin was running in 14th place when the field went green on lap 254. With 89 laps remaining, Martin would have to slice and dice his way back towards the front, despite the fact his car had been damaged.
True to form, Martin and the No. 6 team did not fold. Instead, Martin mounted yet another charge towards the front. Martin passed teammate Kurt Busch on lap 281 to break back into the field's top10, just prior to the day's 10th and final caution on lap 282. Quick work in the pits saw the Viagra® Racing Team take on four tires and fuel in 14.86 seconds and Martin returned to the field in ninth place once the field went green on lap 288, with only 46 laps remaining in the race.
However, Martin wasn't finished. By lap 300 he was running in seventh place. Four laps later he moved into sixth place with just 30 laps to go. On lap 326 Martin passed Jimmie Johnson to claim fifth place, where he would eventually finish the race for his third top-five finish in only seven races in 2003.
"It's great to run fifth," especially when you have so much trouble," added Martin. "But we had a car that was even better than that."
With the win Martin moved up to 13th in the Winston Cup point standings, only 29 points outside of 10th place and 317 points behind points leader Matt Kenseth.
Martin and the No. 6 Viagra® Racing Team will take to the track again next week at Talladega for the second of four restrictor-plate races this season. Martin finished fourth at the Daytona 500 in the season's first restrictor plate race.
All Eyes On Texas For Martin, Viagra Racing Team
2003 Mark Martin Track Notes
Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Roush Racing #6 Ford Taurus
Samsung/Radio Shack 500 Texas Motor Speedway
WhoWon.com & Compiled InformationDriver: Mark Martin
Car Owner: Jack Roush
Crew Chief: Ben LeslieFORT WORTH-DALLAS, Texas (March 26, 2003) - After getting caught up in an accident on lap 198 at Bristol, Martin and the No. 6 Viagra Racing Team move on to Texas Motor Speedway for the seventh race of the season. Martin and the No. 6 team will look to rebound from a string a bad luck that has plagued them early in 2003 and post a strong finish at the 1.5-mile oval.
Martin has finished inside the top eight on three occasions in 2003 and in every race in which he didn't suffer mechanical failures or get caught up in an accident. The team will look to shrug off the bad luck and move back towards the front of the Winston Cup points standings.
LAST SEASON AT TEXAS - APRIL 7, 2002
Texas Motor Speedway - Samsung/Radio Shack 500 - Started 8th, Finished 3rd
A record amount of rainfall in the Dallas area marked the weekend, as both practice sessions on Saturday were cancelled and Sunday's race was postponed until Monday. The car was moderately fast off the truck and the team felt confident from the start. Martin continued his string of top-10 starts at Texas by qualifying eighth on Friday. The cars would not touch the track again until rains subsided on Monday and the race was able to start. Martin proved to have a car that was very fast on the long runs, but had some trouble on the starts. All day the team would struggle on fresh tires, but move through the field once the car settled in. Martin led five laps during the race, on two separate occasions, before moving on to his second top-five of the season.
IN THE POINTS
Martin is currently in 23rd in the Winston Cup points standings, just five points out of 20th position, 76 points outside of 10th and 317 points behind first place.
THE CAR
The Viagra Racing Team will take JR-97 to Texas this weekend. JR-97 last ran in last season's finale, running to a fourth- place finish at Homestead. It also posted top-10 finishes at Richmond (sixth), Martinsville (10th) and Phoenix (fourth) in 2002. JR-97 has finished inside the top-10 in every race it has competed in except New Hampshire where it finished 16th in 2002, after rained forced the event's early end. Martin did, however, take the lead in the WC point's race on that day.
BY THE NUMBERS AT TEXAS
This will be Martin's sixth race at Texas Motor Speedway, where he has posted six top 10 finishes, five top-fives and one victory. Martin has posted back-to-back top 10 finishes at the 1.5-mile racetrack.
WINNING AT TEXAS
Martin won the Winston Cup race at Texas in 1998, where he started seventh and finished first. In addition, Martin won the inaugural Busch Series race at Texas in 1997. Martin went on to win two more Busch races at Texas in 1999 and 2000.
OFF TO A GOOD START
Martin has never started the Texas race outside of the field's top 10.
FAST FACTS
- Martin won the Texas 500 in 1998, only the track's second Winston Cup race.
- Martin has never started a race outside the field's top 10 at Texas.
- Martin won three Busch Series races at Texas, the inaugural event in 1997 and again in both 1999 and 2000.
- Martin has posted top 10 finishes in his last two races at Texas.
QUOTING MARK
MARK MARTIN ON TEXAS
"Texas is one of my favorite tracks on the circuit. It's the kind of track where I enjoy racing. We were able to win there a few years back and we posted a good run there last season. We've had our share of bad luck to start out this season, but the up-side to that is that we've had really good race cars this year. If the guys on the team keep giving me good race cars, you would have to think that eventually some things will go our way and we'll start running to some really good finishes."
NO. 6 CREW CHIEF BEN LESLIE ON TEXAS
"We will be taking JR-97 to Texas, which is the same car that we ran last year in Phoenix and Homestead and we posted some pretty good results. Texas is a fun track to race on and I know that Mark likes the feel of the track there, and it's also one of his better tracks. We've been kind of unlucky at times this season, but at the same time we've probably had better cars than we had last year. We'll just keep working as hard as we can to put Mark in the best ride possible and I'm sure that work will be rewarded eventually."
Mark Martin Bristol Race Recap
Mark Martin and the #6 Viagra® Racing Team
Bristol Motor Speedway/March 23, 2003
Roush RacingBRISTOL, Tenn. (March 23, 2003) - Sunday's Food City 500 saw 17 cautions before the checkered flag dropped, but it was the day's ninth caution that proved to be the most costly for Mark Martin and the Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Racing Team. The accident, which occurred on lap 198 of the 500-mile race, halted what had been a strong run for the No. 6 team. Martin went on to fight his way to a 29th-place finish. Martin had rebounded from an early problem with his throttle, and was steadily moving his Viagra® Ford Taurus through the field, where he was running in 19th-place on lap 198. Martin's car was running some of the most competitive times on the track, when several cars in front of him started 'checking up.'
The cars behind Martin were unable to stop and Martin's No. 6 Ford was struck from behind and sent into a tailspin towards the apron. After being struck by another car, Martin's Ford had received considerable damage on the left side and the No. 6 Viagra® Racing Team was forced to go behind the wall for repairs.
The Viagra® crew worked feverishly to repair the severely damaged car, and Martin was able to return to the track 48 laps later; forty-seven laps down and in 33rd position. Martin's car proved to be so strong on Sunday, that despite the severe damage he was able to run lap times comparable to that of the race leaders.
"We were going to be really strong," said crew chief Ben Leslie. "We had a great car and even with the damage and Mark taking it easy, we were able to run lap times that were only about 2/10's off of the leader of the race."
"That's the way it goes sometimes," added Martin. "The guys did a great job getting the car ready and we were pretty fast. We had a problem early on with the throttle sticking and that got us behind, but we were able to work our way back up through the field."
"We were just starting to get a run on some guys when we got caught up in the accident. I'm not even really sure what happened, but the car was banged up pretty good. Still, the guys did a great job getting it fixed up and it actually drove great for a wrecked car. We really had a great car today, and we might have made a run at the thing, had we not wrecked."
Martin continued to battle all day and was able to gain four addition positions and run to a hard-fought 29th-place finish.
Martin's car was fast right off the truck. He qualified 19th and ran practice times that were consistently inside the top-10 all weekend. The beginning of the race was plagued by caution after caution and after the day's fourth caution on lap 54 Martin came into the pits for the team's first stop of the day.
With the car starting to become loose, the team came in for right-side tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment to tighten up the car. After a quick stop, Martin returned to the field in 11th place, but with the field still under caution, he began to experience problems with the throttle sticking and was forced to return to the pits on the next lap. The team was able to correct the problem and with the field still under caution Martin returned to the pits on the next lap to take on left-side tires.
By the time the field went green on lap 62, Martin was in 34th position; the last car on the lead lap. Martin soon began to work his car back towards the front of the field, and by lap 109 he was running in 22nd position. By lap 122 he was able to break back inside to top-10 and he was running in 17th position when the day's sixth caution was called on lap 134.
The team came into the pits for four tires, fuel and another wedge adjustment, but struggled in the pits with a 17.50 stop. Martin returned to the field in 20th position when the field went green on lap 141. Martin had worked his way into 17th position when caution was again called on lap 180. The team would again come into the pits for four tires, fuel and additional wedge adjustments. A 14.40 second stop sent Martin back out in 20th position.
Martin had moved into 19th place by lap 194 and was beginning to mount a run on several cars in front of him, when he became the victim of the mishap on lap 198.
"Despite what happened, we never gave up," added Martin. "Like always this team continued to fight until the last flag dropped and that is what we will continue to do next week and the week after that."
Martin's teammates Kurt Busch and Matt Kenseth went on to finish one and two in the race.
The team returns to the track next week at Texas Motor Speedway for the Samung/Radio Shack 500, where Martin won in 1998 and ran to a third-place finish a year ago.
2003 Mark Martin Bristol Motor Speedway Track Notes
Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Roush Racing #6 Ford Taurus
Food City 500 / Bristol Motor Speedway
WhoWon.com & Compiled Information
March 19, 2003Driver: Mark Martin
Car Owner: Jack Roush
Crew Chief: Ben LeslieTrack Length: 0.533 Mile oval
Degrees of Banking: 36 degrees in corners, 16 degrees on Straight
Length of Frontstretch: 650 feet
Length of Backstretch: 650 feet
Distance: 500 miles/266.5 laps
Last Year's Winner: Kurt BuschMARK MARTIN - LAST SEASON AT BRISTOL
MARCH 24, 2002 - Bristol Motor Speedway
Food City 500 - Started 37th, Finished 11thThe car ran slow off of the truck, and Martin was forced to take a provisional at a track where he had captured the pole one year earlier. The team continued to work with the car's setup throughout Saturday and by the final practice on Saturday Martin was able to post times that were as good as 2/3 of the field. Once again the car was in its best shape by race time. Martin worked the car through the field and was running in fourth place by lap 80. He worked his way up to second place on lap 167 and was gaining on the leader when the ninth caution of the day was called. Martin battled through lapped cars and several more cautions to finish 11th. The team posted several key pit stops throughout the day that helped Martin work his way up 11th place.
MARTIN, VIAGRA RACING TEAM MOVE ON TO BRISTOL
After an impressive fourth-place finish at Darlington, Martin and the No. 6 team head to Bristol, Tenn. for the first short-track race of the season.This will be Martin's 33rd start in a WC car at Bristol, where he has claimed seven poles and won twice.
IN THE POINTS
With the fourth-place finish, Martin began his climb back to the top of the Winston Cup point's standings, gaining nine places up to 16th position.
THE CAR
The Viagra Racing Team will take JR-98 to Bristol this weekend. JR-98 is a new car that will be making its first run.
BY THE NUMBERS AT BRISTOL
This will be Martin's 33rd start at Bristol, where the veteran has tallied seven poles and two wins in 31 starts at the .533-mile oval track. He has driven to 20 top-10 and 15 top-five finishes at Bristol, including six top-five and 10 top-ten finishes in the spring race.
WINNING AT BRISTOL
Martin's first Winston Cup victory at Bristol came in Aug. of 1993, when he won the race after sitting on the pole. He won again there in August of 1998, after starting fourth. His first pole at Bristol came at the spring race of 1989, where he went on to finish sixth. His last pole there came in the spring race of 2001.
FAST FACTS
- Martin scored four consecutive poles at Bristol (1995-1996)
- Martin's seven poles at Bristol tie for the most ever
- Martin has won five of the last 16 poles at Bristol
- Martin has posted two victories at Bristol, in 1993 from the pole and in '98. Both came in the fall race
- Martin has posted three top-ten finishes in five starts in 2003
- Martin led 71 laps during last week's fourth place-finish at Darlington, the most laps he has led in 2003
QUOTING MARK
MARK MARTIN ON BRISTOL
"I'd definitely have to say it's an exciting place to race. I've said it a bunch of times, but the best comparison I have is to say it's like flying a jet fighter around and around the inside of a basketball arena - that's actually probably pretty accurate. We didn't have our best races there last season. We just weren't very good in the fall and we got in a wreck in the spring race, but over the years it has been a pretty good track for me. It's a place where you really do want to qualify well. We qualified really poorly there last spring and it made for a real tough day on the racetrack. Hopefully we'll be able to get off to a good start and have a nice finish this weekend."
NO. 6 CREW CHIEF BEN LESLIE ON BRISTOL
"We didn't really run all that well at Bristol last season. We qualified pretty bad there in the spring and had to take a provisional at a track where Mark has won a lot of poles over the years. Starting at the back of the field is a tough thing to do at Bristol, because it's hard to get through the traffic and the leaders are bearing down on you the whole time. A ill-timed caution can easily cost you a lap and then you are behind the eight ball the rest of the day. With that, I'd say it's really key, to have a good day right off the truck on Friday."
Fresh Off Strong Run At Darlington, Martin/Viagra® Racing Team Ready For Bristol
Martin Hoping for Strong Run in First Short-Track Race of the Season
Roush Racing PRHuntersville, NC (March 18, 2003) – Fresh off a strong run at Darlington, Mark Martin and the Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Racing Team are busy getting ready for the season’s first short-track race this Sunday at Bristol. Martin said that the key to last week’s success was the strong car prepared by the Viagra. Racing Team.
“That was just a great car,” said Martin. “It did all the things that you need the car to do and we were fast. The guys on the Viagra. Racing Team did a great job getting the car ready and once the race started we were fast for most of the day.”
“Actually we’ve had pretty fast car all season,” added Martin. “We were just getting going in Atlanta when we had mechanical problems, but the car was really fast that day.”
Martin also was not concerned with the team’s problem in the pits with a left-front lug nut that ultimately sent him to the back of the lead lap. Martin came into the pits running second late in the race, but was forced to return to the pits a lap later, after NASCAR deemed the front tire changer had a problem with one of the lug nuts on the left front tire. Martin returned to the field in 11th place, but was able to move up to fourth by the time the checkered flag dropped.
“We’ve had some bad luck this year,” said Martin. “But things like that happen in racing. It’s really no big deal. You don’t concentrate on little things like that, you just go out and do what you can do. You worry about the things that you can control.
“I’m not going to sit here and complain about something like that when this team has done everything that a team can do. The fact is, the Viagra. Racing Team gave me a great car last Sunday at Darlington and that is why we were able to run at the front almost all day and I’m grateful to them for that. I’m not joking when I say this is a great group of guys to work with and I’m not at all joking when I say it’s the best crew and resources that I’ve ever had.”
Martin says that he is excited about this week’s race at Bristol.
“It’s an exciting place to race – never a dull moment,” said Martin. “I’ve said before the best analogy I can come up with for it, would be to fly a jet fighter around the inside of a basketball arena. That’s about what racing at Bristol is like. It’s a wild deal and sometimes you just have to hang on.”
Martin has shined at the .533-mile oval over the years. His seven poles at Bristol tie Rusty Wallace for the most ever. All-in-all, he has ran to 20 top ten and 15 top-five finishes at Bristol, with seven poles and two victories. Martin won his first race at Bristol in 1993. He won his first pole there in 1989 and his last pole came just two years ago in 2001.
The Viagra® Racing Team struggled off the truck last year in the spring race, and was forced to take a provisional and start at the back in 38th place. A tough assignment at a track where the last place car is basically a half a lap down at the start of the race. Still, Martin was able to move the Viagra. Ford Taurus up the field for an 11th-place finish on the day.
“We had a hard time from the get-go last year,” said crew chief Ben Leslie. “The car just wouldn’t handle for Mark and it was just slow. We didn’t have a good qualifying run and we had to start at the back, forcing Mark to battle his way though the field all day. Still, he did a great job and we got a respectable finish out of it.
“Hopefully this year, we will get off to a better start and make things a little easier for our driver.” This will mark the 33rd race at Bristol for Martin, who ran his first race there in August of 1982, qualifying 16th and finishing 11th. Martin got caught up in an accident last fall at Bristol, but still managed a 23rd-place finish in the Sharpie 500. Despite his strong record at Bristol, Martin will be looking this weekend for his first top-10 finish at Bristol since the 2000 season when he finished third in the fall race. Prior to the spring race in 2000, Martin had posted a string of 11 straight top-ten finishes at Bristol; eight of which were top-fives. Still, Martin has finished in the top-10 in 62 percent of his races at Bristol and in the top-five 31 percent of the time. In the ten –year span between 1990 and 2000 Martin finished inside the field’s top-10 in 18 of 21 races; including 14 top five finishes, five poles and two wins. Martin has been caught up in accidents in three of his last five races at Bristol.
Roush Racing is a subsidiary of Livonia, Mich., based Roush Industries that operates nine motorsports teams; five in NASCAR Winston Cup with drivers Mark Martin, Jeff Burton, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch and Greg Biffle; two in the Busch Series with Stanton Barrett and Burton; and two in the Craftsman Truck Series with drivers Jon Wood and Carl Edwards. Sponsorship inquiries should contact John Miller, Roush Racing, (704) 370-1010.
Mark Martin Darlington Race Recap
Mark Martin and the #6 Viagra® Racing Team
Darlington Raceway/March 16, 2003
Roush RacingDARLINGTON, S.C. (March 16, 2003) - Mark Martin and the Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Racing Team posted their third top-ten finish in only five races this season, with a dramatic fourth-place run in a race that saw one of the most dramatic finishes in NASCAR history.
Roush Racing teammate Kurt Busch's last lap shuffle with eventual winner Ricky Craven may be the highlight of the race, but Martin maneuvering up the field in the race's final laps will definitely go down as one to remember.
Martin, who led 71 laps of the race's 293 laps, was running in 11th position when the field went green after the day's seventh and final caution. Martin had entered the pits in second position and had one of the field's strongest cars, but a mishap in the pits with one of the lug nuts on the front left tire forced Martin back into the pits and to the back of the lead lap.
Martin wasted no time moving back up front, picking off several of NASCAR's top drivers in route to the front of the field. Martin passed teammate Matt Kenseth to break back into the top 10 on lap 246. Over the next three laps he moved past Bill Elliot and Tony Stewart and was running in eighth place by lap 250.
It took just six more laps for Mark to get around the lapped car of Ryan Newman and then Michael Waltrip to move into seventh place. Martin began to bear down on sixth place, eventually passing Jeff Gordon for the position with just 20 laps remaining.
Martin used the next several laps to edge up on the top-five, before passing Elliot Sadler and Dale Earnhardt Jr. between laps 278 and 280 to move into fourth position where he would finish the race.
Martin started the race in 27th position, but wasted little time moving up the field despite a caution-filled beginning of the race. The Viagra® Racing team opted to pit, take four tires and make a track bar adjustment after caution was called on only the fifth lap of the race. The field went green on lap 10 with Martin in 24th position, but caution was called again just two laps later.
This time the Viagra® Racing Team opted to stay out and Martin had moved up into sixth position when the field went green on lap 16. With the exception of one lap under caution, the veteran would not run outside the field's top 10 again the remainder of the race.
Martin had powered the Viagra® Ford into second place by the time the day's fifth caution was called on lap 67. Martin would run in second place for the next 49 laps before finally over taking the No. 8 car of Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the lead. Martin was still in the lead 15 laps later when the team came into the pits for a green flag pit stop to take on four tires and fuel. An excellent stop of 14.44 seconds helped preserve the lead and once the field had cycled through Martin remained in the lead on lap 136, where he would run for the next 55 laps.
Martin was still in the lead when caution was called on lap 190 for the sixth time of the day. With the car running 'tight', Martin came in for four tires, fuel and to make an adjustment to the track bar. Despite a quick stop of 14.79 seconds, Martin returned to the field running in third place when the field went green on lap 196. However, he was able to power the Viagra Ford back into second place just one lap later, before zoning in on race leader Jeff Gordon.
Martin spent the next several laps moving in on Gordon and was still running in second place, but gaining ground fast, when the day's final caution was called on lap 236. The team came in for four tires and another track bar adjustment in yet another quick stop. However, NASCAR forced Martin to come back into the pits on the following lap after it deemed that the front tire changer had failed to properly tighten all five lug nuts. Martin came back into the pits one lap later to have the lug nuts tightened and returned to the field at the back of the lead lap in 11th position.
Still Martin was able to drive past the adversity and continue his move to a top-five finish.
The car was moderately fast off the truck on Friday, but struggled in qualifying. By the end of happy hour on Saturday, the Viagra® Racing Team had the No. 6 Ford Taurus running some of the fastest times of the field.
Martin and the No. 6 Viagra® Racing Team will return to action next Sunday at the Bristol Motor Speedway.
Martin Salvages Top-Five After Pit Miscue
Dave Rodman, Turner Sports Interactive
March 17, 2003DARLINGTON, S.C. -- After finishing fourth in the Carolina Dodge Dealers 400, Mark Martin knew only too well how good a race car he had at Darlington Raceway.
And his career has taught him how painful it is for potential race winners to fall short.
But Sunday afternoon he refused to lampoon his pit crew for the pit stop error with 55 laps to go when he was running in second place.
A problem getting all the lug nuts on his left front wheel forced Martin to pit a second time and restart as the final car on the lead lap with 52 laps left. He struggled early in the last run but arguably had the best car on the track at the end.
Problem was, it was too far to go and not enough time to get there. Martin led 71 laps, more than three times as many as he had led all season, but ended up with less than what he'd hoped for.
"I was happy about the way we ran," Martin said. "Not everything always goes just right every time. Obviously it (pit miscue) was a little bit of a disappointment for everyone on the Viagra team.
"They really had that Taurus hooked up today and gave us such great pit stops all year. Some days you're going to win 'em in the pits and some days you're going to have problems on pit road."
After an engine failure at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Martin fell out of the top 10 in the standings for the first time in 37 races. Sunday's effort gained Martin nine spots in the Winston Cup standings, back to 16th.
"We had a great car and a great opportunity and I told them (crew), 'If you can give me cars like this we'll win a lot of races,'" Martin said. "The only problem we'll run into is, if we only have a car like this once a year we better make it count.
"But I think these guys can give me cars like that pretty often and if they do that we'll win our share.
"They don't have to run that good every week -- they don't have to run that good to win. But if everything goes your way they've got to be pretty competitive and our car was spectacular today."
Martin was sure of one thing -- that it would be hard to support taking a race away from Darlington Raceway.
"That's racing at Darlington," Martin said of the slam-bang finish. "I think it was a surprise the way the race came down and I think the fans like that.
"It looked like the strongest cars in the race had some problems and it came down to some guys fighting tooth and nail for it and that's what it's all about."
Ford Cup Drivers Post-Darlington Race Review
Dan Zacharias, Ford Racing - Campbell & Co.MARK MARTIN - No. 6 Viagra Taurus (Finished 4th)
"It was a little bit a disappointment for everybody on the Viagra team. They really had our Taurus hooked up today. They've given us such great pit stops all year and you're gonna have that. Some days you're gonna run it in the fence and some days you're gonna have problems on pit road. We had a great car and a great opportunity. I told them, 'If you can give me cars like this, we'll win a lot of races.' The only problem that we'll run into is we might only have a car like that once a year and we've got to make it count. I think these guys can give me cars like that pretty often and, if they do that, we'll win our share."
YOU HAD A GREAT CAR.
"This was a day where we had the goods to contend. It was so good that we came back from that last little problem we had. That's sweet. It's a little disappointing for my whole team because they crank out such great pit stops, but once in a while you drive her in the fence or you have a lugnut fall off. That's just the way it goes."
2003 Mark Martin Darlington Track Notes
Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Roush Racing #6 Ford Taurus
Carolina Dodge Dealers 400/Darlington Raceway
March 16, 2003
Roush RacingDriver: Mark Martin
Car Owner: Jack Roush
Event: Carolina Dodge Dealers 400
Track: Darlington Raceway/Darlington, SC
Track Specs: 1.366-miles/ 293 laps
2002 Winner: Sterling Marlin2002 Event: Started: 31st Finished: 29th
The No. 6 was average off the truck running the 19th fastest lap in the first practice. Martin qualified early and ended up 31st as the lap times improved. The team continued to work on the setup throughout both practice sessions on Saturday, and had the car running its best by race time. With several cars forced to start in the back of the field after changing engines, the No. 6 actually started the race 25th. Martin led his first lap of the season on lap 198 after pitting late, and excellent work in the pits by the team sent Martin back out in third place. The car got caught up in lapped traffic and dropped back to seventh place before beginning to gain speed on the leaders. However, Martin got caught up in a multicar accident on lap 226. With the track completely blocked with wrecked traffic, Martin had no where to go and the car suffered severe damage. The team worked on the car and Martin was able to return to the track for the last 54 laps.
Viagra® Racing Team Will Look to Reverse Forturnes/Tame Darlington:
Last week Martin and the No. 6 team were handed a 42nd-place finish at Atlanta, when mechanical problems ended their day after only 133 laps. Martin was moving up the field and had broken inside the top-10 prior to the problems. This week the team will look to reverse their fortunes at Darlington, where Martin has ran to 20 top-10 finishes, 13 top-fives and one win during his 34 races at the 1.366 mile track that is enshrined with two nicknames, the "Lady in Black" and the "track too tough to tame."
In the Points:
Martin, who had been inside the top-10 for 36-straight weeks prior to last weekend, is currently 25th in the Winston Cup Points standings.
Martin in Darlington:
This will be Martin's 34th run at Darlington where the veteran won the fall race in 1993. Martin has posted 20 top-10 and 13 top five finishes at Darlington, where he first ran in April of 1982, finishing seventh.
The Car:
The Viagra® Racing Team will take JR-95 to Darlington. JR-95 has run twice this year, finishing seventh two weeks ago in Rockingham and was running strong prior to mechanical problems in Atlanta. The car ran to a second-place finish last fall at Rockingham. It also finished second in Dover last fall.
Martin Fast Facts--Darlington Raceway:
- Martin has won once at Darlington (9/5/93), but never in the spring race. He has captured two poles at the "track too tough to tame" (4/3/89 and 3/22/98).
- Martin won seven times at Darlington while racing in the Busch series, the seven wins are a Busch record at the track.
- Martin's seven Darlington poles in the Busch series are also a track record.
- Martin has finished inside the top-20 in 20 of 34 races at Darlington and inside the top five 13 times.
- In his last season in the Busch series (2000) Martin swept both poles and wins at Darlington.
QUOTING MARK
Mark Martin on Darlington:
"It's a good track that I've always enjoyed racing on. I've been going there for a long time, but the track is almost completely opposite of what it used to be. Now the emphasis is really on turns one and two and like most of the other tracks we race at, you have to go fast through the corners, if you don't - it'll be a long day. We've been really good there at times and we've struggled there other times. Last year we had a good car in the spring, but we got caught up in a stupid wreck. In the fall, we were pretty good early, but the car tailed off in the end. Hopefully we will be good there this weekend."
No.6 Crew Chief Ben Leslie on Darlington:
"We are looking forward to going to Darlington. We've had a rough couple of weeks the last two races and Mark is pretty good at Darlington. We are taking JR-95, which is probably Mark's favorite car this year. Despite the fact our luck hasn't been great lately, the one thing to be proud of is that these guys never stop working as hard as they can, and that hard work is what will get us back up to the front of the pack."
Ford Cup Drivers Post-Atlanta Race Review
Dan Zacharias, Ford Racing - Campbell & Co.MARK MARTIN - No. 6 Viagra Taurus (Finished 42nd)
"This is a pretty tough road for all of us, but that's how it goes I guess. I feel pretty down about it right now, but you can't change it. The car was really working good. On that last stop we really got it going good. At least we were running, but there's nothing we can do about it. We broke and we're in the garage."
Martin Works To Change Racing Luck With Kentucky Speedway Test
WhoWon.comSPARTA, Ky. (March 12, 2003) - Just six days prior to St. Patrick’s Day, Mark Martin and the No. 6 Roush Racing NASCAR Winston Cup Series Pfizer Ford Team worked to change its racing luck with a one-day test at Kentucky Speedway today.
The 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series runner-up began the season with a fifth-place finish at Daytona and seventh-place finish at Rockingham before falling on hard times as engine troubles forced a 43rd-place finish in Las Vegas and a 42nd-place showing in Atlanta.
Martin’s recent hard luck caused him to slip from a season-high fourth in the series points standings to an uncharacteristic 25th.
“We’re disappointed, we were off to a really good start,” Martin said. “The problems we had were not of our own doing, so we’ll continue to do the best that we can. The things we can’t control we have to try to deal with, and the things we can control, we’ll have to try to do a better job than everyone else.”
Martin shook down his No. 6 Viagra machine to research shocks, springs and other elements of his set-ups.
“We’re just exercising all the adjustment tools that we use,” he added.
The circuit’s stop this week in Darlington may hold the change Martin seeks. In 33 career starts at “the track too tough to tame,” the veteran owns one win and a total of 13 top-five and 20 top-10 finishes. Martin qualified second and finished 11th in his previous Darlington start last September.
NASCAR Winston Cup testing continues at Kentucky Speedway tomorrow when Evernham Motorsports drivers Bill Elliott and Jeremy Mayfield join MB2 Motorsports driver Jerry Nadeau.
Kentucky Speedway opens May 9-10 with the return of the ARCA RE/MAX Series for the “Channel 5-205” and an autograph session with NASCAR Winston Cup Series stars. Racing continues June 13-14 when the NASCAR Busch Series convenes to contest “The Meijer 300” and the NASCAR Kodak Southeast Elite Series runs “The Kentucky 150.” The July 11-12 weekend features the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series “Kentucky 225” and NASCAR Goody’s Dash Series “Kentucky 150.” The Indy Racing League Indy Car Series will provide the season finale August 16-17 with “The Belterra Casino Indy 300” and Indy Racing Infiniti Pro Series “Kentucky 100.”
Martin Takes Disappointment In Stride
By Rupen Fofaria
ESPN.com
March 12, 2003“ I've done a lot of great things in this sport and experienced a lot of highs. So don't think for one minute that anybody's going to feel sorry for me. And I don't want them to. Because I feel great.” — Mark Martin
Mark Martin is one of the few drivers in NASCAR who admits to counting points and paying attention to the standings from Day One.
In fact, he says he started worrying about this year's points race last November -- the day after last season's championship chase ended with him 38 points short of the title in second.
Four races into 2003, however, Martin would be better off forgetting about the championship journey -- in particular how the shortcomings of his last two outings might affect his result.
"This is a pretty tough road for all of us, but that's how it goes I guess," Martin said after a disappointing run last Sunday in Las Vegas. "I feel pretty down about it right now, but you can't change it."
Martin might sound like he's hiding his feelings, but, in truth, that's the real Martin. His experience has left him with two conclusions:
First, he's had so many highs in his career, that even if he doesn't win a title before retiring he'll still feel fulfilled. Second, he's started out on top and finished near the bottom in races and title chases, so he knows it's too early to feel dejected about the measly 377 points he's counting for himself right now -- 241 points fewer than the leader's got.
"We'll be fine," Martin said. "There's a long ways to go."
Entering Las Vegas two weeks ago, Martin was riding a seven-race streak of posting top-10s -- a string which dated back to last year's October race at Martinsville, Va.
And there was no reason to believe the streak was in jeopardy. After all, Martin performed well in his first two races of the year -- hushing critics who predicted a sputter for the veteran after last year's runner-up effort.
Add to that the fact Martin had never finished outside the top-10 at Las Vegas and it's easy to see why the driver of Roush Racing's No. 6 Ford was feeling confident.
"It's been a race track where we have run well over the years," Martin said. "We had a great run there last year and that is one of the places that we actually ran well (during a down season) two years ago. I like racing at Las Vegas. I like the track and we have a good record there. It suits my driving style."
But on race-day, an engine failure on the 115th lap put an end to his afternoon and he finished 43rd. He also dropped from fourth to 11th in the standings.
"The car was really working good," Martin said. "On that last stop we really got it going good. At least we were running, but there's nothing we can do about it. We broke and we're in the garage."
Disappointment, sure. Panic, not yet.
Sure, Martin posted only his third last-place finish in 533 races, but the race at Atlanta was coming up and that was reason to cheer up.
"We got lucky last year and didn't break a lot of engines," Martin said before arriving in Atlanta last weekend. "Maybe we'll get lucky this year and only have one.
"I've been racing (at Atlanta) for some time now and it is one of my favorite tracks."
Again, though, his confidence would be hushed. He experienced another engine failure, this one on lap 134, and finished 42nd. He plummeted another 14 spots in the standings and now sits 25th heading into Darlington, S.C. -- one of the toughest tracks on the circuit.
But, the man who starts counting those points before the season is still not reaching for the panic button. You see, while many competitors who are close to the end of their careers start to stress over winning a title, Martin steers clear of that.
He's had an accomplished career, so he's taking things -- including the last two weekends -- in stride.
"I don't feel a great sense of urgency because I have had so much success in my career," he said. "I don't feel a great sense of urgency, but the fierce competitor in my still views this as the best package I've ever had -- the best sponsor, the best people to work with, the team, cars, the whole package is definitely the best I've ever had in my career.
"I'm feeling really good about that. It's absolutely right, we need to maximize each and every opportunity even more now because you can see the end of the line out there now, whereas 15 years ago you couldn't even imagine something like that. But it could be a great year for us.
"We have all the ingredients. We have the great race team that we had last year with a little bit more polish on it. We can't control the competition, but we can sure do everything we can with the part we do control."
Martin said the bump in the road means little in the long run. These were two setbacks along a journey that has 36 stops. Almost everybody is going to trip up from time to time. Maybe his time just came earlier than most.
The thing is, after coming agonizingly close to winning his first title and falling short for the third time, everybody's keeping a close eye on Martin. Everyone seems to think that even little setbacks could take a big toll on him since he's already feeling frustration from 2002.
But these people are wrong. These people aren't reading Martin properly.
"I have a hard time understanding how finishing second in the Winston Cup championship is a bad thing," he said. "That's hard for me to understand. I don't quite comprehend where people are coming from and I guess they don't mean it. I think it's a good thing.
"I've been very successful in Winston Cup and Busch Grand National and IROC and ASA. I have a great career, lots of wins, and that's what has made my career. I will either win every championship that I run for from now on or I won't win any or I'll win some in between.
"I don't know, but the effort will be the same. I wasn't disappointed with 2002. As a matter of fact, I was incredibly proud of 2002 and I take a lot of pride in what we managed to do in 2002. I hope I can be as proud or prouder of 2003."
Ben Leslie, who is entering his second season as Martin's crew chief, said he knows these past two weeks were tough but that it won't phase Martin. The veteran pilot has seen tough times before, so he knows how to react.
"In my opinion, I haven't seen the peak of Mark Martin yet. That's my opinion," Leslie said, adding that "it's an awesome experience" working with Martin "because it helps you more than just in racing, it helps you in life to be around somebody like Mark that has a true never-quit philosophy.
"He makes you look at not only racing, but a lot of things in life. You sit back and say, 'Doggone it, it didn't work out for me, but I'm not going to stop trying. I know it will work, I've just got to keep going.' It's an awesome situation to be in actually. It's helped me personally in racing and in my personal life."
For Martin, a man who puts a tremendous amount of emphasis on people -- both in whom he lets into his working environment and personal life -- having this sort of impact on a person is one more in the long list of accomplishments he can cite over his career.
So, though he won't lie about counting points, he isn't concerned about being 25th. There's time to bounce back. And if that doesn't happen, he's not looking for sympathy from anyone.
"Nobody's crying for me," he said. "I've done a lot of great things in this sport and experienced a lot of highs. So don't think for one minute that anybody's going to feel sorry for me. And I don't want them to. Because I feel great."
Mark Martin Atlanta Race Recap
Mark Martin and the #6 Viagra® Racing Team
Atlanta Motor Speedway/March 9, 2003
Roush RacingHAMPTON, GA. (March 9, 2003) - "This one hurts, it's really a big blow," said Roush Racing's Mark Martin moments after mechanical failure forced him to retire his No. 6 Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) to the garage after only 133 laps in Sunday's Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway.
"The car was really working good," added Martin. "We were really rolling out there today, but there is nothing we can do about it now."
Indeed Martin and the No. 6 Viagra® Racing team were rolling on Sunday. Martin, who started the race 29th, had patiently moved his way to the front of the field. Martin was running in 12th place and on the move when his day ended on lap 133.
Martin wasted no time when the green flag dropped in Sunday's race, breaking inside the top-20 on lap 41. Martin had moved into 15th place by lap 56 when the team came in for its first pit stop of the day, a green flag stop that saw the team take four tires, fuel and make air pressure adjustments in an attempt to give the 'loose' car more grip in the corners. After a stop of 15.76 seconds, the team returned to the field in 18th place once all the cars had cycled through.
By lap 85 Martin had moved back into 15th place; ready to make a move to the front. Martin moved to 13th place on lap 94 and into 11th place on lap 113. The field began to green flag pit again on lap 114 and Martin came into the pits for the second time of the day, running in fourth place on lap 119.
The team took four tires, fuel and made wedge adjustments in 15.18 seconds and returned to the field in 13th place on lap 120. Martin moved into 12th place on lap 124 and was beginning to run times as good or better than the leaders when his day came to an early end on lap 133.
"It's really unfortunate that we had to go out that way," said crew chief Ben Leslie. "Everybody had worked really hard and we had a good car today, but you just can't worry about things that you can't control. We'll come back next week and do it again. Hopefully we'll get a better result, but I'm still proud of the effort the guys and Mark gave today."
The finish dropped Martin to 25th in Winston Cup points standings.Mark Martin and the Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Racing Team will return to action next week at Darlington Raceway.
2003 Mark Martin Track Notes
Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Roush Racing #6 Ford Taurus
Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 - Atlanta Motor Speedway
WhoWon.com
March 6, 2003DRIVER: Mark Martin
CAR OWNER: Jack Roush
EVENT: Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 - Sunday - March 9, 2003
TRACK: Atlanta Motor Speedway
TRACK SPECS: Oval, 1.54 miles, 24 degrees banking in turns
RACE DISTANCE: 500.5 miles, 325 lapsMARTIN, VIAGRA RACING TEAM LOOK TO REBOUND IN ATLANTA
Last week the No. 6 team saw it's luck run out, along with Martin's string of six consecutive top-10 finishes. Mechanical problems on lap 114 put an end to Martin's day, sending the team home from Vegas with a 43rd-place finish at a track where Martin had never finished outside the top 10. For Martin, it was only the third time in 533 Winston Cup races that he has gone home in last place.
LAST SEASON AT ATLANTA
RACE #4, MARCH 10, 2002 - Atlanta Motor Speedway
MBNA America 500 - Started 39th, Finished 8thThe team took a new car to the Atlanta and again struggled throughout the weekend with the car's setup. They were forced to take a provisional after a slow lap in qualifying and started the race 39th. The weather continued to get cooler as the weekend progressed. Once the race started, Martin steadily worked his way up the field, breaking into the top 20 by lap 94. He broke into the top-10 by lap 214. Confusion in the pits was caused by the No. 7 car attempting to pit early (off lead lap). Martin overshot pit stall, but the team rebounded with excellent work in the pits. Still Martin returned to the field 14th and was forced to regain several positions. The car got stronger as the day progressed and Martin worked his way back up the field for the top-10 finish.
Tony Stewart passed Ward Burton with 24 laps to go and held off Earnhardt Jr. to win the MBNA America 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
IN THE POINTS
With the finish, Martin dropped to 11th in the points, outside the top-10 for the first time in over a year. He is currently 14 points outside of 10th place and 121 points outside of first.
THE CAR
The Viagra Racing Team will take JR-95 to Atlanta. JR-95 has run once this year, finishing seventh two weeks ago in Rockingham. The car ran to a second-place finish last fall at Rockingham. It also finished second in Dover last fall.
MARTIN IN ATLANTA
This will be Martin's 35th start at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, where he has run up 17 top-10's, including a pair of eighth place finishes last season. The veteran driver has also posted nine top-five finishes at Atlanta. Martin ran his first race at the track on March 21, 1882, finishing 19th. The veteran driver has one twice in Atlanta, with both wins coming in the fall race.
FAST FACTS
- Mark Martin has an 8.74 average start in 34 races at Atlanta, the best among drivers with 10 or more starts there.
- Mark Martin finished seventh or better in seven of the eight races at Atlanta between November 1996 and March 2000. He finished 22nd or worse in the next three races there before posting eighth-place finishes in both races in 2002.
- Martin has started in the top-five in four of the last six races at Atlanta.
- Martin has won twice in Atlanta, with both victories coming in the fall race.
QUOTING MARK
MARK MARTIN ON ATLANTA
"Atlanta is the fastest racetrack that we go to that is not a restrictor plate race. For that reason alone it is a really fun track. I like Atlanta, because it is my kind of track. The key to going fast around Atlanta is the same as a lot of tracks, you have to go fast through the corners. If you do that, you'll be in good shape on the straight-aways. I've been racing there for some time now and it is one of my favorite tracks."
NO. 6 CREW CHIEF BEN LESLIE ON ATLANTA
"We've been pretty good there. Last year we finished in the top-10 in both races and hopefully we can rebound with a strong finish at Atlanta this weekend. Last weekend was really disappointing and I think that we can come back from that with a strong run. We are taking JR-95, which is one of Mark's favorite cars. We had a pretty good run with it a couple of weeks ago in Rockingham, and I think the guys on the team are going to go all out for a strong run this Sunday."
ONE OF NASCAR's ALL-TIME ELITE, MARK MARTIN
- Martin's 33 Winston Cup wins make him the fourth most winning active driver on the Cup circuit.
- Martin has currently started 476 straight races, the fourth-longest string of any current driver and the eighth-longest streak in Cup history.
- Martin's 41 all-time Winston Cup poles are the fifth most in Winston Cup History.
- Martin ranks fifth all-time in Winston Cup points standings.
- Martin has started 533 Winston Cup Races, finishing inside the top 10 on 317 occasions, inside the top five 201 times and visiting winner's circle 33 times.
- Martin's 45 career wins in the Busch series are a NASCAR record.
- Martin gets his 11th career IROC win, tying him for most series wins with Al Unser, Jr. and the late Dale Earnhardt. He also ties Earnhardt with four True Value IROC championships and holds a record of three consecutive titles.
Martin, No.6 Viagra® Racing Team Look To Rebound In Atlanta
Martin Optimistic About 2003 Viagra® Racing Team
Roush RacingHuntersville, NC (March 5, 2003) - If ever there was a sure bet amongst the glitter and shinning lights of Vegas, it has been Mark Martin at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Heading into last week's race, Martin was a sure role. Five top-five finishes in as many races at the track where Martin won the inaugural event in 1998 and a string of six straight top-10 finishes dating back to last season, made a strong run for the No. 6 team all but inevitable.
But just as with any role of the dice in Vegas, anything can happen and last Sunday for the No. 6 Viagra® Racing Team it did. The team struggled with an ill-handling car for almost all of the weekend, before mechanical problems ended their day after only 114 laps of the race. It marked only the third time in 533 Winston Cup starts that Martin has gone home in last place.
However, just as with any role of the dice, Martin and the No. 6 Viagra® Racing Team know that there are a lot of laps remaining in 2003 and that off weeks are just a part of racing. In fact, Martin saw signs in last week's race of why he has such high hopes for this season.
"After the race I thanked the guys for trying so hard and for all their work," said Martin. "These guys on this Viagraâ Racing Team simply never give up. Almost nothing was going right for us in Vegas, but the team just kept working. They never gave up and that is what I like about them.
"We kept virtually everybody from last year's team and that says something," added Martin. "These guys want to be here. They are dedicated and they want to work. They want to be competitive and they want to win races and a championship. That is what you want to see in a race team.
"This season I think that I have one of the most complete packages that I've ever had," said Martin. "We have a great team and the pit stops have been solid. We have a pretty good stable of cars and that's only getting better and we have pretty good notes for most of the tracks that we go to. Those are the type of things that you like to see."
Crew chief Ben Leslie gives credit to his driver for his teams 'never give up' attitude.
"It helps you more than just in racing," said Leslie. "It helps you in life to be around somebody like Mark that has a true 'never quit' philosophy. That makes you look at things, not only in racing, but it makes you look at a lot of things in life and say 'it may not have worked for me, but I'm not going to stop trying. I know it can work, I just have to keep working at it'."
"The guys on the team see that in Mark and they see that he never gives up and that sort of rubs off on everyone. I know it's helped me in my racing career and even in my personal life."
Leslie will look to lead his team back to the front of the pack when the green flag drops on this weekend's Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Roush Racing is a subsidiary of Livonia, Mich., based Roush Industries that operates nine motorsports teams; five in NASCAR Winston Cup with drivers Mark Martin, Jeff Burton, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch and Greg Biffle; two in the Busch Series with Stanton Barrett and Burton; and two in the Craftsman Truck Series with drivers Jon Wood and Carl Edwards. Sponsorship inquiries should contact John Miller, Roush Racing, (704) 370-1010.
Mark Martin and the #6 Viagra® Racing Team
Las Vegas Motor Speedway/March 2, 2003
Roush RacingLas Vegas, Nevada (March 2, 2003) - Mark Martin and the Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Racing Team fought all 114 laps they completed in Sunday's UAW-DaimlerChysler 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but in the end the odds were just too tough to overcome.
"I tell you what, we fought," said Martin moments after climbing out of his Viagraâ Ford Taurus. "We had a tough time out there today, but I have a great team that could not have given me more out there today.
"I feel like I'm very fortunate to be working with these guys and I'm proud of the effort here. We had a great year as far as engines go last season and hopefully we'll have another great year this year. Hopefully this will be the only one we lose all season."
Martin and the No. 6 team struggled all weekend, at a track where Martin had been near flawless over the last five years. However, the odds caught up with the Viagra® Racing Team on Sunday, who struggled with the car's handling for much of the first 114 laps before mechanical problems retired the No. 6 Viagra® Ford Taurus to the garage for the remainder of the race.
The team qualified 29th on Friday after rains pushed qualifying back into the evening. Martin continued to struggle as the race started on Sunday, dropping back to 34thplace by lap 18. With the car handling too tight in the corners, the team made air pressure and wedge adjustments during their first pit stop of the race on lap 51.
Martin came into the pits running in 33rd place; the last car on the lead lap. Stellar work in the pits by the Viagra® Racing Team (14.72 seconds), sent Martin back out in 26th place once all the cars had cycled through on lap 61.
However, the No. 6 Taurus started to tighten up again and with Martin having problems with the car's handling, he was passed by the leader on lap 78; falling a lap down while running in 30th-position.
The team came into the pits again after the day's first caution on lap 98 with Martin running in 29th position, one lap down to the leader. The team changed four tires, took on fuel and made major adjustments to the track bar in a stop of 16.07 seconds.
Martin returned to the field in 27th position when the field went green on lap 105. Martin moved up to 26th position a few laps later, where Martin was running when mechanical problems claimed the team's day on lap 114.
"I'm just sorry that we didn't have a better car for Mark and this team to work with," said crew chief Ben Leslie. "It was a great effort by everyone involved and we'll come back with something better in Atlanta next week."
The Viagra® Racing Team will return to action next week at the Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Martin 43rd After Engine Failure At Las Vegas
By Lee Montgomery
Turner Sports Interactive
March 2, 2003LAS VEGAS - There had been no driver any better than Mark Martin at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Of course, that's past tense.
Martin, the only driver to finish in the top 10 in each of the previous five Winston Cup races at Las Vegas, apparently blew an engine on lap 116 of Sunday's UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400.
"We lost a bearing or broke a rod or crankshaft," Martin said. "It just went all at once. ... We got lucky last year and didn't break a lot of engines. Maybe we'll get lucky this year and only have one."
Martin won the first Cup race at Vegas in 1998 and was second to Jeff Burton in laps led. The Roush Racing driver had completed all 1,216 laps at the 1.5-mile track, but he finished last in Sunday's race. He had a poor run going as it was, running outside the top 25.
"Well, we sure would have liked to have been running better, but we're a great race team, and we were wrestling as hard as we could go," Martin said. "We were in the process of making the best day out of it that we could." Martin took a hit in the points standings, too. He came to Las Vegas fourth but left 11th, falling 121 out of the lead.
2003 Mark Martin Articles - January
2003 Mark Martin Articles - February
2003 Mark Martin Articles - April
2003 Mark Martin Articles - May
2003 Mark Martin Articles - June & July
2003 Mark Martin Articles - August
2003 Mark Martin Articles - September
