Saturday night racing returns
Charlotte County Speedway
heraldtribune.com: Staff Report
February 26, 2004PUNTA GORDA -- Charlotte County Speedway jumps back into Saturday night racing with a program that includes late models, truck racing and even a hardcore daredevil act to please the kids.
The Limited Late Models will race 100 laps with $2,000 going to the winner and $300 to anyone starting in the feature.
There will be two features of truck racing, one 50-lapper for the FASTRUCK regulars and a 25-lapper for the youth division called FASTKIDS.
The FASTKIDS Series features Matt Martin, the son of NASCAR Nextel Cup legend Mark Martin. Matt Martin has won a winter series race and is looking to make it two in Punta Gorda.
Since the Nextel Series race is off this week, Mark Martin will be at Charlotte County Speedway helping out and cheering on his son.
Another FASTRUCK driver is Dustin Skinner, the son of NASCAR driver Mike Skinner.
Keep Martin in a classy ride
By Lee Spencer - SportingNews.com
February 23, 2004Don't despair, Mark Martin.
As far as the Nextel Cup championship goes, it might be better to crap out in the Daytona 500 than to win it.
You wouldn't be the first NASCAR driver to go from worst to first after rolling snake eyes in the 500. Tony Stewart pulled it off in 2002, and last year Ryan Newman finished last in the 500 but rose to fourth in points before finishing sixth.
Since you began driving for Roush Racing in 1988, you've had five finishes outside the top 30 in the 500: 41st in 1988; 33rd in 1989; 38th in 1998; 31st in 1999; and 33rd in 2001. But you battled back and finished 15th, third, second, third and 12th in points, and you and the No. 6 crew will rally again.
It's a shame a blown engine early in the 500 ended your day and landed you in last place, in light of the team's performance in the days leading up to the big race. Yes, stuff happens, but the weekend took an unexpected twist after Friday night's truck race, which was won by Carl Edwards. Your friend and car owner, Jack Roush, announced that Edwards was the heir apparent for the No. 6 two years hence.
Oh, the games people play.
Although you didn't seem too shocked by the news, I'm sure your back felt a little like a chopping block in a Ginsu commercial. You said the statement, which Roush has said was made solely to build Edwards' confidence, was part of "Jack's agenda."
You stood firm. "I'm in the driver's seat," you said confidently. "I know what I'm going to do, and Carl will be ready for a Cup ride long before I retire. I made a plan seven years ago and people laughed at me. This summer, we'll have to decide what 2006 brings, but I feel 100 percent different than I did 120 days ago.
"This is Jack's way of manipulating me and making me try harder. Sure it's mean, but that's what he did. He wants me to race beyond 2005, so he's working it. If I'm going to be riding in the middle of the pack, then I'm going to be looking for a way out. I'm not out there to make laps; I'm here to race."
You say you'd like to race 10 more years, until you're 55. Whether that will turn out to be, say, a partial Cup schedule or a full-time truck schedule hasn't been determined. But for now, you and your primary sponsor, Viagra, are under contract through 2005. Roush president Geoff Smith says that regardless of the sponsor situation, you can race as long as you want.
No one will ever doubt Mark Martin's commitment. But after the disappointing outcome in the Daytona 500, conspiracy theorists began wondering whether the No. 6 -- once the flagship of Roush Racing -- had been relegated to research and development. Teammate Jeff Burton finished in the top 10 in points from 1997 through 2001, but his engine also knocked him out of this year's 500 quickly, landing him in 42nd place.
That wasn't the case for the drivers who embody the future of the organization. Defending points champ Matt Kenseth finished ninth, Greg Biffle was 12th and Kurt Busch finished 16th.
There's no doubt there's a plan in place for Edwards and trucks teammate Jon Wood, the future of Ford. They'll run for the title in the Craftsman Truck Series this season and then graduate to Busch in 2005.
Eventually, Wood is expected to get the family-owned No. 21 Ford that Ricky Rudd races. Rudd has a year left on his Wood Brothers contract with an option for 2005.
But sources say Ford would like Rudd to stick around and mentor Wood in the same manner Bill Elliott is working with Kasey Kahne in Evernham Motorsports Dodges. Martin could do the same for Edwards and Martin's son, Matt, who is 12 and already under contract to Ford and Roush.
"I was miserable and embarrassed last year," Martin says. "I'd be a fool to sign up for some more of that. I'd be an idiot.
"But Jack's on me. He's already started his campaign. Jack wants me to race for a long, long time, and Jack gets what he wants. But I don't think that running a deal like Bill has would be an option to me."
Last year, Martin couldn't wait for his contract to be over. The cars were slow, and morale on the No. 6 team was miserable. There's a renewed optimism with the team this year, and Martin credits crew chief Pat Tryson for the change.
But if Roush wants Martin to continue, the organization must provide him with strong cars. That way, when he does decide to retire, he can race out of the series with a blaze of glory, not with a flicker as he did at Daytona.
Martin, No.6 Team Fight to 12th Place Finish at Rockingham
Martin overcomes multiple obstacles to post solid finish.
Roush RacingRockingham, N.C. – Mark Martin and the No. 6 Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Racing Team battled unlucky timing and lapped traffic for much of Sunday’s Subway 400. In the end Martin was still able to notch a respectable 12th-place finish, but Martin knew that if not for two ill-timed cautions and an accident on lap 262 the finish would have been much higher.
"Everything went wrong,” said Martin. “We lost our track position and then we got in a wreck. Then we fixed all of that and was fixing to rebound from that and then got caught on another caution."
“It looked like we had a top-10 just about wrapped up before we got caught up in another caution. We had a good car today and it was a solid performance by this Viagra® Racing Team. It’s just too bad that all of the breaks went against us today.”
Martin started the race 21st and had moved up to 18th when the day’s first caution was issued on lap 39. The team came into the pits for four tires and fuel, and a quick 14.01-second stop gained Martin six positions up to 12th place when the field went green.
Martin broke into the top 10 for the first time of the day on lap 69. By lap 108, Martin had moved into eighth place. With the car’s handling becoming loose, the team came into the pits on lap 131 for a scheduled green-flag pit stop. In a stroke of bad luck, caution was issued as Martin came into the pits. Martin was able to drive through the pits - without stopping - to preserve his status on the lead lap, but the No. 6 Ford lost valuable track position, dropping to 14th place in the transaction.
The loss in track position would turn out to haunt Martin and the team for much of the day. Another quick stop in the pits under caution (14.49 seconds) on lap 214 helped Martin move back into 10th place once the field went green. Martin was still running in 10th position and gaining ground when the No. 0 car of Ward Burton – running just in front of Martin - made contact with the No. 01 car of Joe Nemechek, The contact caused a chain reaction that would ultimately cause the No. 46 of Carl Long to flip several times along the back stretch going into turn three. Martin was able to avoid the worst part of the accident, but his No. 6 Viagra® Ford did sustain substantial damage to the front left fender.
The team came in for a series of pit stops under caution to repair the damage sustained in the wreck. When it was all said and done, Martin was still running on the lead lap but in 17th position when the field went green on lap 279. Again the No. 6 team had lost track position and Martin would have to fight his way back through the field.
The damage from the accident caused the car to ‘push terribly’, but Martin had still managed to work his way back to 13th place by lap 321. The team short pitted on lap 345 to take on four tires and make a track bar adjustment to help free up the car’s handling. The team reeled off another quick stop of 14.50-seconds, but yet another ill-timed caution just four laps later would catch Martin and 34 other cars a lap down. With only eight cars still on the lead lap, Martin would restart in 10th place with 30 laps remaining.
Martin lost two positions on the restart and he would go on to battle the race leaders in an attempt to gain his lap back. Martin would hold his position, but he would be unable to run down 11th position during the final laps, as he moved on to finish 12th. Teammate Matt Kenseth, who twice had narrowly escaped losing a lap in the pits, went on to win the race. Finishing just .010 seconds ahead of the No. 9 car in the fourth-closest race since NASCAR implemented the electronic timing and scoring system in 1992.
The day was not quite yet over for Martin once the checkered flag dropped, as NASCAR summoned Martin, crew chief Pat Tryson and team owner Jack Roush to the trailer after the race for a post-race discussion regarding allegations that Martin blocked the No. 9 and No. 42 cars in order to allow Kenseth to build a larger lead. An allegation that even Jamie McMurray (the driver of the No. 42 car) did not appear to believe. Martin, one of the most respected drivers on the circuit, not only vehemently denied the allegation, he was offended by it.
"When you double-file restart these things and you put the lap-down cars on the inside for the sake of a show, things like that happen,” said Martin. “I was on the lead lap all day and I restarted 15th but was 30th on the race track. I wrestled the last-lap cars all day. The No. 24, the No. 19 and the No. 6 were all racing. If the caution would have come out, one of those three would have gotten a lap back and would have been back in the race.”
“I'm just disappointed because I think that the people in this sport know that I have a lot of integrity. I watched it on the tape and I didn't see anything. I'm a big fan of these guys. I'm a big fan of Jamie McMurray. I don't care who wins that race. I wanted to win the race. I was racing and I wasn't in anybody's way. I never got in anybody's way.”
"I couldn't help it that the No. 9 and the No. 42 got side by side,” added Martin. “That wasn't of my doing. I never held the No. 9 up. I left him the outside when he was there and when he wasn't there I used the racetrack. This is rare. I couldn't believe it when they said that, but they're taking that real serious. I hate it, but, like I said before, I didn't cause those guys to get side by side. Once they got side-by-side I was going to be in somebody's way, but I never held the outside lane up - ever, ever, ever. I wouldn't do that.”
“We went up and met John Darby and Mike Helton and the guys wanted Mark and I to look at the video and see how it developed,” said Roush. “It was real clear from what Mark said he was doing and from what he did on the race track that he got out of the way as soon as the No. 9 got to him. It was unfortunate that the 9 and the 42 were racing side by side, but Mark pulled down - not off the race track - but pulled down out of the way of the 9 which was the first car that caught him.
“He was in line with the 9 and pulled down in such a way not to slow him down at all, but the 42 was impacted by the fact that there was a lead-lap down - who was Mark - that was down there. At the same time, you've got to realize that the 19 and the 24 were right behind the 42 and Mark was racing for position there. I feel bad for everybody that got their feelings hurt and this is one race in a 36-race schedule.”
“Whatever the rules are. Whatever the interpretation is, it's just fine. But for there to be a question whether Mark tried to benefit Matt; that is out of order. This is my 17th year with Mark and he doesn't block anybody or get in anybody's way and never has for all those years. For a question to be raised about whether he was intentionally in the way of somebody, Mark Martin is a guy that's never in anybody's way."
Martin and the Viagra® Racing Team will return to action in two weeks at Las Vegas.
Martin Called To NASCAR Trailer
fordracing.com
February 22, 2004Rockingham, N.C. — Following today’s Subway 400 at North Carolina Speedway, Mark Martin was called to the NASCAR trailer to speak to officials for allegedly blocking for Roush Racing teammate and race winner Matt Kenseth on the final restart of the race.
Martin, one of the most respected competitors on the NEXTEL Cup circuit, discussed the incident on the track.
MARK MARTIN - NO. 6 VIAGRA TAURUS
"When you double-file restart these things and you put the lap-down cars on the inside for the sake of a show, things like that happen. I was on the lead lap all day and I restarted 15th but 30th on the race track. I wrestled the last-lap cars all day. The 24, the 19 and the 6 were all racing. If the caution would have come out, one of those three would have gotten a lap back and would have been back in the race."
ARE YOU FRUSTRATED?
"I'm just disappointed because I think that the people in this sport know that I have a lot of integrity. I watched it on the tape and I didn't see anything. I'm a big fan of these guys. I'm a big fan of Jamie McMurray. I don't care who wins that race. I wanted to win the race. I was racing and I wasn't in anybody's way. I never got in anybody's way."
MORE ON THE RESTART.
"I couldn't help it that the 9 and the 42 got side by side. That wasn't of my doing. I never held the 9 up. I left him the outside when he was there and when he wasn't there I used the race track."
THIS DOESN'T HAPPEN TO YOU OFTEN - BEING CALLED TO THE TRAILER.
"This is rare. I couldn't believe it when they said that, but they're taking that real serious. I hate it, but, like I said before, I didn't cause those guys to get side by side. Once they got side by side I was gonna be in somebody's way, but I never held the outside lane up - ever, ever, ever. I wouldn't do that."
Martin, No.6 Viagra® Racing Team Look to Rebound in Rockingham
Martin looks to add to his victory total, at the same track where he earned his first Cup victory in ‘89
Roush RacingCONCORD, NC (Feb. 19, 2004) - Mark Martin and the No. 6 Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Racing team cannot wait to get back on the track this weekend at North Carolina Speedway for the Subway 400. After expiring early in Sunday’s Daytona 500, Martin and the team are anxious to go out and show exactly what they are made of.
“No doubt about it, last week was a tough one,” said Martin, who earned the first of his 33 Nextel Cup victories at North Carolina Speedway in 1989. “But it basically boils down to something that this Viagra® Racing Team can’t control. That finish was in no way indicative of all the effort and work that these guys put into speedweeks.
“The shame of it is that we had a strong car and we had one of the best speedweeks that we’ve ever had,” added Martin. “Hey, these guys had this thing going in the right direction. I’ve said it a lot, but the Twin 125 was the most fun I’ve ever had driving a racecar at Daytona. I hate the fact that in the end, the record book is going to show a 43rd-place finish, but I think that by the end of this season, it’s all going to show an entirely different story.
“We have great people on this team and Pat (Tryson) has done an excellent job,” said Martin. “The team has really come together and we are going to get some things done this season and hopefully starting this week at Rockingham.”
Rockingham is familiar ground for Martin, who will start his 36th Winston Cup race on the 1.017 mile oval. Martin earned his first career Winston Cup victory at "The Rock" in 1989, taking the checkered flag in the AC Delco 500 on October 22, 1989.
"It was well overdue, when we finally got it," said Martin referring to that first win in 1989. "We had run second several times and it finally all came together at the right time. I'm reminded of it (the first win) more by the media than anything else. I've had a lot of success there-a lot of Busch success. It's a track that has been good to me. We won again there in '99."
In over 20 years of racing at Rockingham, Martin has racked up 19 top-10 finishes, 11 top-five finishes and two victories at the track. At the spring race he has ran 18 times, with nine top-10 finishes, five top-five finishes and one victory.
Over the years, Martin has been so successful at Rockingham in both the Busch and Cup series that many fans coin the track "Mark-ingham." He wracked up 11 victories in Rockingham while running in the Busch series, as well as six poles. In fact all in all Martin holds over 10 records in the Rockingham Busch race. For that he was named the Grand Marshal of last year’s spring Busch race.
“I’m excited about going back out on the track this week,” said crew chief Pat Tryson. “Rockingham is Mark’s kind of track and it’s up to us to give him the type of car he needs there, because if we do that, then there is no doubt in any of our minds that Mark will go out and get the job done.
“That’s what this team is looking to do,” added Tryson. “We want to run up front and we want to win races and that is what we plan to do. Everyone on this team is dedicated to doing that and that is what we plan on doing.”
In addition, Martin is looking forward to racing at Rockingham, a track where he feels a lot more is in the hands of the drivers.
“It’ll be good to get on a non-restrictor plate track, where things are more in the hands of the drivers. Rockingham is really the start of what we do week in and week out," said Martin. "It's a great track and it's a good race where you can run anywhere on the track that you need to and most importantly, you can pass.”
For Martin, who's 33 all-time Winston Cup victories are the forth most among active Cup drivers, this will mark his 511th straight Cup start.
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 Martin, Burton, Kenseth and Biffle and two in the Craftsman Truck Series with drivers Jon Wood and Carl Edwards.
2004 Mark Martin Rockingham Track Notes - February 22, 2004
Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Roush Racing #6 Ford Taurus
Subway 400/North Carolina Speedway
Roush Racing
February 17, 2004DRIVER: Mark Martin
TEAM: No. (6) Viagra® Ford Taurus
OWNER: Jack Roush
CREW CHIEF: Pat TrysonMARK MARTIN 2003 EVENT: Started: 3rd Finished: 7th
2003 WINNER: Dale Jarrett
"SPECIAL" PFIZER PAINT SCHEME
Once again Martin will run a 'special' Pfizer paint scheme on his No. 6 Ford Taurus this weekend at Rockingham. Currently, Martin is set to run a special "reverse" paint scheme at all the night races as well.
FIRST CUP VICTORY SCORED AT THE ROCK
Martin earned his first Nextel Cup win at the Rock in Oct. of '89. The win was the first of two for Martin at the track, where he has since went on to score 11 top-five and 19 top-10 finishes.
ON THE POLE
Martin's five poles at Rockingham tie for the most ever at North Carolina Speedway. In addition, Martin earned six poles while Busch racing at Rockingham.
MARTIN TO MAKE 600TH CAREER NEXTEL CUP START IN '04
Martin is scheduled to make his 600th career Nextel Cup start this season at Phoenix. Martin made his first Cup start on April 5, 1981 at North Wilksboro. Since then he has amassed 205 top fives, 325 top 10's, 33 victories and 41 poles. Currently Martin has started 510 consecutive Nextel Cup races.
MARK MARTIN FAST FACTS
- Martin's five poles ties for the most at Rockingham.
- Martin raced to his first career Cup victory at Rockingham in the AC-Delco 500 on Oct. 22, 1989.
- Martin has 24 top-10 starts, 19 top-10 finishes and 11 top-five finishes in 35 races at Rockingham.
- Martin has finished eighth or better, including once victory in seven of the last 12 races at Rockhingham.
- Martin holds virtually every record in the Rockingham Busch race, including 11 wins and six poles. Last year he was named the Grand Marshal of the Busch race for his efforts.
- Martin has an 8.83 starting average in his 35 races at Rockingham, the best of active drivers with more than 10 starts there.
QUOTING MARK MARTIN AND PAT TRYSON
Mark Martin on Rockingham:
"I love racing at Rockingham. It's a tough and challenging track and a challenge for any driver, but it always seems to make for good racing. It's a track where you can run just about anywhere and you can pass. At Rockingham a lot of the control is in the hands of the driver and that is the type of track that I really enjoy racing on.
"Obviously no one on this team was happy with what happened in Daytona, but to be honest with you there isn't any time to worry about yesterday, because tomorrow will be here real soon. Rockingham is the biggest race on our schedule this week, because it's where we are going next. We are just going to have to dig down and fight our way out and back up to the top and we are going to do that or go down trying. Everyone on this team is committed to running up front."
Crew Chief Pat Tryson on Rockingham:
"I like Rockingham. It's Mark's kind of track and we are excited about going there this weekend. We had a really strong car there in the fall last year and hopefully we can keep moving forward with what we had then. The team is really anxious to get back on the track and show what we know that we can do on race days."
Martin finishes 43rd in Daytona 500; No. 6 team falls victim to early mechanical failure
“We’ll fight back,” says Martin after race.
Roush RacingDaytona, Fla. – “Well it sure wasn’t the finish we were looking for,” said Roush Racing’s Mark Martin just moments after climbing out of his No. 6 Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Ford Taurus after running only seven laps in the 46th running of the Daytona 500. “I’m disappointed, but I’m not going to say that all is lost. The Viagra® Team did an outstanding job and we had a pretty strong Speedweeks leading up to today. We were going to be really fast today. It felt like those other cars were just in our way there at the first of the race.”
“Somehow or another I feel cheated,” added Martin. “We had a car that I believed all week could contend - one of the few times in my 20 times down here - and I didn't even get a chance. I feel bad for my team. They worked for this so hard and they deserved to have a chance."
“We had more power than we’ve ever had and the car was great all week. We’ve made a lot of gains and we’ll take that and move forward. I know that the finish right now won’t show it, but we are just going to keep moving forward. We’ll fight our way back from this and we’ll do it starting next week at Rockingham. Right now that’s what we have to worry about. We’ll take it one race at a time and we are going to keep moving in the right direction.”
“I’m very pleased with this team and I’m extremely happy with the effort we have made. The Twin 125 on Thursday was probably the most fun that I’ve ever had at Daytona and I’ve been coming here for a long time. I’m just sorry that it could not carry over into today’s finish, but we aren’t looking back because there is too much to look forward to.”
The day started off with a much-anticipated visit by President George Bush. Unfortunately for the No. 6 team the pre-race festivities would prove to be the highlight of the day. Martin started the race in eighth place, his fifth best starting position in 20 races at Daytona and his best since 1997, based on his strong finish in Thursday’s Twin-125. However, Martin’s day would come to an end just seven laps into the race.
"It went pretty fast. It started to go and then I had cars behind me and I couldn't just stop or get down because I was on the outside. I was stuck, so before I could get the engine to stop turning it was making all kinds of smoke and I couldn't see a thing."
“The spotter (Eddie Pardue) kept telling me to stay up, but I didn't know what up was. I thought I was going to hit the wall any minute. It's like having a blindfold on. I don't really know what happened. We broke something in the engine. I just feel bad for this Viagra® team.”
“Still, we were stronger here this week then we’ve ever been. We just have to keep moving forward. We’ll come back. It’s a long season and we aren’t about to give up. We’re going on to Rockingham next week with every intention of winning that race.”
The team returns to action next Sunday at North Carolina Speedway, traditionally one of Martin’s strongest tracks on the circuit.
Martin finishes fourth in Twin-125's, Will start eighth in Sunday's Daytona 500
Roush Racing“This is just a preview of 2004 with the new Ford Taurus, the Ford power under the hood and this great race team,” said Martin after the strong finish.
Daytona, Fla. – Mark Martin narrowly beat the No. 29 car to the checkered flag to seal a forth-place finish in Thursday’s second edition of the Gatorade 125’s at Daytona International Speedway. The finish earned Martin an eighth-place starting nod on the outside of the fourth row for the Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Racing Team in Sunday’s famed Daytona 500. It was Martin’s second fourth place finish of Speedweeks. Martin finished fourth in Saturday night’s Budweiser Shootout, ironically finishing just inches behind the No. 29 car.
"I love Pat Tryson and the Viagra® team,” said Martin just moments after climbing out of his Viagra® Ford Taurus. “They gave me a great pit stop when we needed it and the car was good. This is just a preview of 2004 with the new Ford Taurus and the Ford power under the hood and this great race team. We couldn't win it today, but we had a great run. I think if we can find it, it's in that car - if we can just find it."
Martin started the Twin 125 tenth, based on his 20th-place qualifying effort on Sunday. Martin was shuffled out of the draft early and dropped to as low as 17th by lap 11, as Martin reported to the crew that the car was handling tight in traffic.
The field became segmented into three packs and Martin and Roush Racing teammate Matt Kenseth worked together with the No. 48 car to move back up the field. By lap 22, Martin was running in eighth place. Martin came into the pits just six laps later to take on four tires and fuel, while making air pressure adjustments. A quick stop of 14 seconds helped Martin to beat the No. 17 car out of the pits. Once the field had cycled through all of their stops, Martin was running in sixth place and in the lead pack.
The lead pack consisted of eight cars at that point, with Martin running in sixth place with just 10 laps to go in the 50-lap race. Martin broke into the field’s top five just five laps later as be made his way around the No. 01 car and he used a last lap dash to the checkered to take fourth place away from the No. 29 and secure the strong finish.
“We had a good car,” added Martin. “The longer we went the stronger we got and that's sort of our trademark. When you throw 500 miles in there maybe we'll be better. "I don't like to predict, but we had a pretty strong car today. We need to do some work if we want to be a contender to win this thing on Sunday, but I think it's there if we can just find it in the car.
"Let me tell you something, that 2004 Taurus with that Ford power under the hood is like nothing I ever drove at Daytona. If we can just get it a little bit better, we'll have a chance."
Sunday will mark the 20th start for Martin in the famed Daytona 500. Martin has finished inside the top-six of the last two 500’s.
Martin finishes fourth in record 16th straight Budweiser Shootout
Mark Martin and the #6 Viagra® Racing Team
Daytona International Speedway/February 7, 2004
Roush RacingDaytona, Fla. – Mark Martin gained six positions in the final four laps of Saturday night’s Budweiser Shootout to earn a fourth-place finish in the all-star event. After a caution on lap 59 of the 70-lap race the cars were brought down pit road as crews worked to repair damage sustained to the track in the accident. The team used the stoppage to take on four fresh tires. Martin started sixth in what would be an eight-lap shootout to the checkered flag.
Working in and out of the draft lines, Martin dropped back to 10th by lap 66, but fought back up the pack moving into third place with one lap to go. Not content with third, Martin pulled up on the No. 8 car, hoping for help from the No. 24 car of Jeff Gordon. When Gordon chose to go low, and Martin became engaged in a battle for third with the No. 29 car before finishing inches behind the No. 29 for a fourth place finish at the line. Dale Jarrett would be the winner.
“I pretty much had third place wrapped up,” said Martin after the race. “But there’s no prize for finishing third in the Shootout, so I took a chance and tried to pass the eight hoping that the No. 24 would follow. It didn’t work out that way, but you might as well go for it in a race like this.”
"We were just trying,” added Martin. “I made one move that was boneheaded and then I got it back by making another move that was risky. There were a lot of risky moves made out there. I had a great run on Junior (Earnhardt Jr.) and could have followed him in for third, but third means nothing in this race.
“We got a fender on the outside of him, but everybody wanted to line up and get a better finish so it would look better on paper, but it was a great run for the Kraft car and the team. This is a great race car and a great power plant. I can do something with that. I was able to come back in the last couple of laps from getting shuffled back. I hit it wrong once and hit it right once and got back up there. We had a run, but I just would have liked to have continued it. One pusher would have put us side by side. The biggest thing was I helped Dale (Jarrett) win the race.
“There's no doubt about it. I could have switched lanes, but I pushed the No. 8 car so that he could push him into the lead. Then I didn't follow the 8 car to try to push him by and I hope some day he would return that kind of favor. I knew that with the position I was in I couldn't win, so I'm happy for Jarrett."
Martin started the race seventh, based on a random draw. The competition was fierce from the green flag, as Martin moved up and quickly became engaged in a vicious three-wide battle for third place. On lap twelve, Martin was able to hold off the No. 8 car for fourth place, but on lap 15 he was shuffled out of the draft and fell out of the top 10. He was running in 12th place when the first segment ended on lap 20.
“We were running really good there from the start,” said Martin. “But I got put in a bad spot areo-wise and we lost position. Still the car was strong from the beginning.
"We had a really fast race car, probably the best I've had at Daytona. The Ford power is incredible. That's a contender (his shootout car). I like that car."
The second segment, which consisted of 50 laps, saw Martin move in and out of the top 10 and the No. 6 was running in 10th place when the cars started to pit for tires and fuel. Martin came in on lap 49 for four tires and fuel. The team reeled off a quick stop, but the car stalled leaving the pits.
Martin found himself running in 12th place after the stop, well behind the lead pack, but in a strong three-car pack that consisted of the No. 42 and the No. 8 cars. Working together, the fast trio quickly gained on the pack, and Martin broke back into the top 10 of the 19-car field by lap 58, where he was running when the caution was called just one lap later on lap 59.
While some cars came into pit, Martin stayed out and moved up to sixth place. After two caution laps, the cars were all brought down pit road, setting the stage for the eight lap shootout that would see the No. 88 car of Dale Jarrett take the win.
The start marked a record 16th-straight Budweiser Shootout.
The No. 6 team returns to action tomorrow for qualifying for the Daytona 500.
2004 Mark Martin Daytona 500 Track Notes
Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Roush Racing #6 Ford Taurus
Daytona 500/Daytona International Speedway
Roush RacingDRIVER: Mark Martin
TEAM: No. (6) Viagra® Ford Taurus
OWNER: Jack Roush
CREW CHIEF: Pat TrysonCHASSIS
RK-125 and RK-235 - The Viagra® Racing Team will run RK-125 in the Gatorade Twin 125's and Daytona 500. It's the same car they tested at Daytona in January. The team will run RK-235 in the Budweiser Shootout. RK-235 is a brand new car that the team built based on the knowledge gained at the January test.
Budweiser Shootout Practice: Mark Martin, the 1999 Budweiser Shootout winner, sports a special paint scheme for the Saturday's race.
NASCAR driver Mark Martin sits in his car as he makes final adjustments Friday, Feb. 6, 2004, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla., in preparation for the Budweiser Shootout Saturday.
(AP Photo/Paul Kizzle)
ROUSH RACING FAST FACTS
- Mark Martin has started a record 16-straight Budweiser Shootouts.
- Martin won the 1999 Bud Shootout.
- This will be Martin's 20th running in the Daytona 500.
- Martin has finished in the top six in five of his last seven starts at Daytona. This will be his 38th Nextel Cup start at the track and his 16th straight start in the Daytona 500, dating back to Feb. 14, 1988.
- Martin is one of only 22 drivers who have completed every lap of the race on five or more occasions.
- Martin has six top-10 and three top-five finishes in 11 Busch starts at Daytona.
- This will mark Martin's 201st start in the Busch series.
MARK MARTIN FAST FACTS - SPEEDWEEKS
Martin and the Viagra® Racing Team roll into Daytona for 2004 Speedweeks. This will mark the 20th running of the famed Daytona 500 for Martin.
MARTIN SET TO START 20th DAYTONA 500
Martin, who is a resident of Daytona Beach, will make his 20th career start in the famed Daytona 500 in 2004. Martin's first start in the 500 came on Feb. 14, 1982, when he finished 31st. Since that time, Martin has started in 18 additional Daytona 500's, tallying seven top-10 finishes and four top fives. Martin has finished in the top 10 in the last two 500's and he finished fifth a year ago.
RECORD BUD SHOOTOUT START
Martin will make his record 16th consecutive start in the Budweiser Shootout on Feb. 7. Martin won the event in 1999. Once again Martin will power the No. 6 Oscar Mayer/Team Kraft Ford in the all-star race.
BACK TO THE BUSCH SERIES
Martin will make his return to the Busch Series in Daytona, when he powers the No. 9 Pennzoil Ford in the Hershey's Kisses 300 on Feb. 14. Martin, who is the series all time win leader, will be looking for his record extending 46th win in the series.
MARTIN TO MAKE 600TH CAREER NEXTEL CUP START IN '04
Martin is scheduled to make his 600th career Nextel Cup start this season at Phoenix. Martin made his first Cup start on April 5, 1981 at North Wilksboro. Since then he has amassed 205 top fives, 325 top 10's, 33 victories and 41 poles. Currently Martin has started 509 consecutive Nextel Cup races.
LAST YEAR AT SPEEDWEEKS
Martin had a successful Speedweeks in 2003, finishing fifth in the Daytona 500. In addition, Martin won the IROC race for his record-tying 11th win in the series.
DID YOU KNOW?
Martin has finished inside the top five in two of the last four Daytona 500's and inside the top 10 in three of the last four. In fact in his last 11 Daytona 500's Martin has finished inside the top 10 seven times and inside the top six on six occasions.
QUOTING MARK MARTIN AND PAT TRYSON
MARK MARTIN ON SPEEDWEEKS AND THE DAYTONA 500
"I'm really excited about Speedweeks. I can't wait to get out there right away at Bud Shootout practice and start drafting. I'm also very excited about the car that we have for the 500. We had a great test there in January and we are really excited about getting back on track for the real thing. I'm feeling such good vibes from everyone on this team. Our pit stop practice has been phenomenal and I feel the electricity."
"I'm really excited about the car we have for the 500. We had a great test there in January and we are really excited about going back there for Speedweeks. Somebody told me that this will be my 20th Daytona 500 and we are still looking for that first win there. You never can tell, but I can't think of any better way to start the year than by winning that race. At the least we feel that we will be competitive and I'm really excited about getting back out there on the track.
CREW CHIEF PAT TRYSON ON RACING AT DAYTONA
"The team is really looking forward to going down to Daytona this year. We had a good test and we are excited about what we think we can do. We've had a very busy off-season and we have some new faces on the team this year. The guys are really starting to bond and get used to working with each other and Mark and I can't wait to go down there and get on the track. I believe that we are going to be competitive and hopefully we can go down there and start the season off on a high note with a strong finish."
MARK MARTIN ON THE THE RETURN TO THE BUSCH SERIES
"I'm excited about returning to the series. I'm excited about getting the honor of doing the maiden voyage in the No. 9 Pennzoil car for Roush and Pennzoil in the Busch Series. The car looks great, the colors look great on the car and I think it's going to be something that the fans are really going to enjoy. We had a great test at Daytona in the car," added Martin. "We really have a good race team there and a good car for the race. We had some real competitive times down there (at Daytona) and hopefully between now and then we can improve on some of our pieces and parts and hardware and go down there and be even better."
"There is no doubt that with the aero-package they have in the Busch Series that drafting is going to be pretty easy. The cars are going to make a big hole, it will make for a big draft and it will make the drafting easier and better. That will be a good thing and I'm really looking forward to getting back in a Busch race. We had a lot of success in that series before and hopefully we can pick up right where we left off. I'm looking forward to going back to Speedweeks for a lot of reasons and getting a chance to compete in the Busch race with the Pennzoil Team is one of the reasons."
MARK MARTIN ON THE BUDWEISER SHOOTOUT
"The shootout is always a fun event. We'll be driving the Oscar Mayer/Team Kraft car again this year and it's always fun for the fans to run different paint schemes and stuff. As for the race, you just never know in the Shootout. Basically you go out and look to win an event like the Shootout. Last year we gambled a bit to get up front and in the end it didn't pay off. But the bottom line is that second place is no better than 17th or 18th in the Shootout, so it's not uncommon to see teams go for it all. This year we are going to go out and try and win it again like we did in '99. Hopefully we can have those type of results. You just never know in that race."
MARK MARTIN ON THE 2004 SEASON
"I'm feeling such good vibes from everyone on this team. Wally Brown, Todd Zeigler and all of the guys on the team seem to be really enjoying working the Pat (Tryson). Our pit stop practice has been phenomenial and I feel the electricity every time I'm around those guys. It just feels like it felt in the past when we had really great seasons. I'm getting all the good vibes."
