Martin Dominates at California, Wins 46th Career Busch Series Race
Mark Martin and the #9 Pennzoil Racing Team
California Speedway/February 26, 2005

FONTANA, Calif. (Feb. 28, 2005) - Mark Martin's performance in Saturday afternoon's Stater Bros. Busch series race at California Speedway was nothing short of dominant. In what turned out to be a "throw back" to an era when Martin dominated the series on a weekly basis, Martin took the lead for the first time on lap five and went on to lead 102 of the race's 150 laps.

"It was an honor for me to drive that car tonight," said Martin. "It felt like the old days and I know that I can only do that when these people behind me give me the tools to do it with. That doesn't come easy. It looked easy through the years many times, but we've gone through spells when we didn't have the tools to do it with, but believe me, I appreciate it when it comes like it came today.

"Jack really deserves the credit for this. He's made my career and this is a throw back to the good old times," added Martin. "Pat (Tryson) and the guys did a great job with the car and the work in the pits was excellent. All I had to do is take advantage of the opportunity. Also, I have to thank Pennzoil for sponsoring the car, and the guys that work at the shop and build those giant engines under the hood."

Martin took the lead for the last time on lap 117 and his No. 9 Pennzoil Platinum Ford never trailed again. Three more cautions, including a stoppage for rain on lap 121 would do nothing to deter Martin's effort as he moved on to his 46th career win in the series, but his first since the 2000 season when he "retired" from the series.

Martin started the race third, but wasted little time taking the lead on lap five. He would go on to lead on six different occasions for a race-leading 102 laps. Martin came into the pits for the first time of the day on lap 32 under caution and came out in second behind Tony Stewart, who would provide Martin's steepest competition for most of the race. Martin reclaimed the lead however on lap 45 and led until coming into the pits under caution on lap 50. Some teams opted for different pit strategies and Martin returned in ninth, his lowest running order of the day, as the field went green on lap 52.

The veteran would have little trouble moving back through the field. By lap 58 Martin had broken back inside the top five, before retaking the lead on lap 71. He would never run any lower than second again on the day and he would never again surrender the lead on the track. Martin came out of the pits second after a caution on lap 115, but quickly retook the lead on lap 117 and he never trailed again.

Several late cautions would give the field a chance to catch Martin, but each time his No. 9 Pennzoil Ford was able to distance itself from the field.

Martin will return to action in the Busch Series in two weeks at Las Vegas.

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Ford Racing: News: Ford Post Race Notes and Quotes - Busch Series

MARK MARTIN-9-PENNZOIL PLATINUM FORD TAURUS (FINISHED FIRST)

"I knew the 21 was really fast for a few laps. I knew I had my hands full. Kevin was going to do everything he could to win that race. We had such an awesome car. A real heartfelt thanks to Jack Roush who made this all possible for me."

YOU SAID EARLIER THAT THIS CAR WAS JUST BUILT PRIOR TO THE RACE.

“I'd say it was just barely done. We got in just a little bit of practice yesterday and I told them it's OK because we didn't need a lot. It's such a special race car, right down to the wire, getting it all put together. I'm blessed and honored."

HOW SPECIAL IS YOUR 46TH BUSCH SERIES VICTORY?

"It's pretty special. I know there's not many more out there for me, so it is pretty special, but that first one was pretty good, too."

YOU HAD A DOMINANT CAR TODAY.

“The car was awesome yesterday and we had it really close. I was real worried about finishing at night, but it didn't matter. The car was just fast."

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Martin captures Stater Bros. 300
By Bruce Martin
SportsTicker Contributing Editor
February 26, 2005

FONTANA, California (Ticker) When it comes to Mark Martin racing in the NASCAR Busch Series, who needs retirement?

Martin, who originally retired from the NASCAR Busch Series after the 2000 season, returned to victory lane by winning Saturday's Stater Bros. 300 at California Speedway.

It was Martin's Busch Series-leading 46th career victory and first since winning at Darlington Raceway on September 2, 2000.

"This win is pretty special," Martin said. "I don't have that many wins left, but this one is pretty special."

Martin will retire from the Nextel Cup series at the end of this season. He was able to hold off a fellow Nextel Cup regular, Kevin Harvick, over the final laps.

"I knew that Kevin Harvick was really fast and I had my hands full that he was going to do everything he could to win this race," Martin said.

"I give a special heartfelt thank you to Jack Roush for helping me do this. It's a special race car and we went down to the wire to get this car put together in time. The car was awesome (Friday) and it was really close. I was concerned about finishing this race at night, but that car didn't car."

Martin's Ford Taurus defeated Harvick's Chevrolet Monte Carlo by 0.629 seconds in a race that ended under the lights at the Southern California oval. Shane Hmiel's Chevrolet was third, followed by Clint Bowyer's Chevy and Reed Sorenson's Dodge.

Saturday's race was a one-day show, with qualifications being held in the morning and the race starting in the early evening.

Tony Stewart won the pole during qualifying and led four times for 20 laps. But Martin had the dominant car in the race, leading six times for 102 laps - including the final 34.

Martin took the lead for the first time on lap five and moved ahead for the final time on lap 117. The race was red-flagged for rain after 129 laps, but the track quickly was dried off and racing resumed on lap 132.

Tracy Hines crashed on the backstretch on lap 134 to bring out a yellow flag and give Harvick a chance at passing Martin on the restart. Three laps later, the green flag flew and Martin drove away.

Defending Busch Series champion Martin Truex Jr. crashed in the third turn on lap 140 for the final caution period of the race. Three laps later, Martin hit the accelerator and raced to victory.

Harvick is now the Busch Series points leader after two races. He has a 47-point lead over 19-year-old Reed Sorenson. Carl Edwards is third, 51 points behind.

The Busch Series heads to Mexico City for its first race outside the United States next Sunday.

"I'll just be glad to come back," Harvick said. "But it's good for our sponsors and there will be 100,000 people seeing that race."

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NASCAR Busch driver Mark Martin holds the trophy after winning the Stater Brothers 300, Saturday, Feb. 26, 2005 at the California Motor Speedway in Fontana, Calif. - (AP Photo/Joe Cavaretta)

Martin adds to Busch Series wins
By Mike Harris
AP Motorsports Writer
February 26, 2005

FONTANA, Calif. (AP) -- Mark Martin added to his record Busch Series win total, pulling away from Kevin Harvick on Saturday at California Speedway for No. 47.

Martin, the longtime star of NASCAR's top stock car series, was dominant. He led 102 of the 150 laps, including the last 34. He easily held off Harvick in an eight-lap sprint on the 2-mile oval after the last of eight caution flags, driving his Roush Racing Ford across the finish line about 10 car lengths ahead of Harvick's Chevrolet.

``I knew that Harvick was really fast on the restart,'' Martin said, grinning. ``I knew I had my hands full, that Kevin was going to do everything he could to win that race. But we just had an awesome car today.''

Busch regular Shane Hmiel finished third, followed by Clint Bowyer, 19-year-old Reed Sorenson, in only his second Busch race, and Carl Edwards.

Martin came back last season from a self-imposed three-year Busch Series retirement and ran five races, picking up his 46th victory in the steppingstone series. It was his first Busch win since the fall race at Darlington in 2000.

The Saturday's event began in daylight but, with a series of yellow flags and a 26-minute red flag after a brief rain shower slowing things down, ended under the lights. That made for constantly changing conditions on the track.

``I was real concerned about finishing the race at night, but this car didn't seem to mind. It was great,'' Martin said.

Harvick, another Cup regular, finished second in Busch for the second straight race.

NASCAR Busch driver Mark Martin competes in the Stater Brothers 300, Saturday, Feb. 26, 2005 at the California Motor Speedway in Fontana, Calif. - (AP Photo/Joe Cavaretta)

"He got away from me toward the end and there was nothing I could do," Harvick said. ``Too little, too late, but I'm glad to see Mark win on his farewell tour."

Martin, who will retire from the Nextel Cup series at the end of the 2005 season, is just the latest ``Buschwhacker'' -- regulars from Cup who drive limited schedules in Busch -- to beat the Busch regulars.

Cup star Tony Stewart won the opener a week ago in Daytona, beating Harvick for his first Busch Series win. Stewart started from the pole Saturday in the same car, owned by Harvick's wife, Delana, and was in contention until a flat tire slowed him in the last few laps. He wound up 29th, the last car on the lead lap.

Reigning Busch champion Martin Truex finished 30th after blowing a tire and spinning late in the race.

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Victory lane: race winner Mark Martin
NASCAR-BUSCH > Fontana, 2005-02-26 (California Speedway): Saturday race
Image by Autostock

Martin cruises to California win
Racing series NASCAR-BUSCH
Date 2005-02-26 (Fontana, CA)

By Aaron Bell - Motorsport.com

It's not easy to describe Mark Martin as a hungry driver.

The 46-year-old Roush Racing pilot is the winningest driver in Busch Series history and exudes all the coolness of a cagey veteran. But don't let the carefree talk outside the car fool you. When Martin straps himself into a racecar, he does it for one reason - to win.

Martin did just that today, satisfying his appetite for victory lane by taking the checkered flag at the Stater Bros. 300 at California Speedway. He outpaced a crew of high-profile mid-30-somethings to claim his series record 46th career Busch Series win.

Martin dominated the race, taking the lead for the first time from pole-sitter Tony Stewart seven laps into the event. He led a race-high 102 laps and took the checkered flag more than half a second ahead of fellow Cup-regular Kevin Harvick.

"It is pretty special - I know there aren't too many more out there for me," said Martin, who won the Cup race at California in 1998. "We had such an awesome car. I was real concerned about finishing the race at night, but that thing was just fast - it didn't care."

On the final re-start of the race with eight laps to go, Martin led Harvick, Shane Hmiel, Clint Bowyer and Carl Edwards to the green flag. Harvick edged the nose of his Reese's Chevrolet and tried to take a bite out of Martin's back bumper, but Martin held him off and put his Pennzoil Ford into victory lane.

"He got away from me a little bit, but I couldn't make the ground up," said Harvick, who surged into third on lap 119 and took second from Stewart on lap 120. "It was too little, too late. It was good to see Martin win here in his final year."

Roush drivers have dominated the Busch events at California - Greg Biffle swept both events last year at the two mile oval and Kenseth has three wins, including back-to-back checkers at California in 1999 and 2000. Biffle lasted just 29 laps on Saturday but Kenseth finished ninth and Edwards brought his #60 Ford in sixth.

Martin and Stewart exchanged the lead before Hmiel, who started fifth, took the point when he elected not to pit under caution on lap 50. Hmiel, who had the fastest car in the final practice session on Friday, paced the field for 19 laps before Stewart charged back into the lead on lap 69. Two laps later, Stewart made a nice save when his car bobbled with Martin closing in on the lead. Martin took the lead on the next lap.

After starting 17th, Kenseth surged into the top five early in the race. He beat the field off of pit road under caution on lap 82 to take the lead for the first time. Martin jumped up to the front shortly after the green flag dropped.

"We really didn't have that good of a car," admitted Kenseth. "I was doing all I could to keep them behind me."

There were eight cautions during the race, including rain delays that brought the yellow flag out on lap 110 and again 13 laps later. The race was red-flagged with 21 laps left on the board.

Martin was casual enough during the late race break to make a quick snack out of a sandwich he had stashed in his car.

"Mark Martin is the only guy at the race track that carries a lunch box with him in the race car," said Stewart, who plummeted to 29th in the final laps with a flat tire. "He's probably been snacking on it all day. That's how comfortable his race car was today."

Hmiel, Bowyer and rookie Reed Sorenson rounded out the top five.

"I thought we could run second, but Kevin and Mark were way better than me," said Hmiel, who equaled his career-best finish. "We overcame a lot (today). We came from dead last and that shows that we are going to be (good) all year."

After qualifying fourth, Sorenson spent most of the day in the top 10 and moved into second in the series standings behind Harvick.

"We had a little better car than we thought at the start," said Sorenson, the highest finishing rookie. "The car was awesome."

Defending series champion Martin Truex Jr. started ninth, but quickly dropped back in the field. He smacked the wall in Turn 3 after cutting a tire with 10 laps to go.

Cup regulars Joe Nemechek, Dale Jarrett, Jamie McMurray, Sterling Marlin and Michael Waltrip also ran the Busch race.

Jarrett, who last competed full time in the Busch Series in 1987, finished 10th in his first race in the junior circuit since 1999. Marlin has never competed full time in the Busch Series, but was making his second straight start after a 42nd place finish at Daytona last week. He finished 15th.

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2005 Mark Martin California Busch Track Notes for February 26, 2005
Pennzoil Roush Racing #9 Ford Taurus
Stater Bros. 300/California Speedway
February 22, 2005

DRIVER: Mark Martin

TEAM: Pennzoil Roush Racing #9 Ford Taurus

OWNER: Jack Roush

CREW CHIEF: Pat Tryson

2004 EVENT WINNER: Greg Biffle

MARTIN TO KICK OFF 2005 BUSCH SEASON AT FONTANA

Martin will make his first of eight scheduled 2005 Busch races this weekend at Fontana. Martin, who will drive the Pennxoil Plantinum Ultimate Protection Ford in seven of the eight races this season, will be looking for his record extending 46th series win this weekend.

THE CAR

Chassis Number: (RK-292) - The team will run RK-292 this weekend at Fontana. RK-292 is brand new car, built for this season.

IN THE BUSCH SERIES

Martin made a name for himself in the Busch Series, taking a series record 45 checkered-flags from 1987 until he 'retired' from the series in 2000. All in all Martin has run 205 Busch races, collecting 130 top-10 and 94 top-five finishes. Martin has won 22 percent of all the Busch races he's entered and finished inside the top 10 sixty-four percent of the time. Martin has led 5,083 laps in the series.

RETURN TO THE SERIES

Martin made his return to the Busch Sereis last season, running five races with four top-10 finishes and one top five.

NEW LOOK FOR NO. 9 TEAM

The No. 9 Pennzoil team will have a new look this year with No. 6 Viagra Cup team crew chief Pat Tryson at the helm. Drew Blickensderfer will serve as car chief on the operation. The car will sport a new 'Platinium' look as well.

FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING

This will be Martin's first Busch race at California Speedway.

RECORD 45 CAREER VICTORIES

Martin will be going for his record-extending 46th win in the Busch Series. Martin's first win in the Busch Series came on May 30, 1987 at Dover. His last win in a Busch car was on Sept. 2, 2000 at Darlington. Despite running a limited schedule of 15 races or less, Martin won at least two Busch races each year from 1993-2000, including six-win seasons in '92, '96, '97 and '99.

PENNZOIL AND ROUSH

Pennzoil first sponsored Jack Roush in the 1960’s, when the former Ford Motor Company engineer was a driver himself. This season Pennzoil is proud to once again team up with Jack Roush as sponsor of all five 2005 Roush Racing Nextel Cup teams as well as the NASCAR Busch Series Pennzoil No. 9 Team. Martin will run seven races this season in the No. 9 Pennzoil Platinium Ultimate Protection Ford, with Matt Kenseth running two (Charlotte 2, Texas 2).

MARK MARTIN FAST FACTS

• This will be Martin's first start in a Busch race at California Speedway.
• Martin has 130 top 10 and 94 top-five career finishes in the Busch Series.
• Martin has finished in the top 10 in four of five Busch races last season.
• Martin will be going for his Busch Series record extending 46th win in the series this weekend at Fontana.

QUOTING MARK MARTIN AND CREW CHIEF PAT TRYSON

Mark Martin on the Busch race at Fontana:

"We've been really good on that track in the Cup car the last few times and we are looking forward to running at Fontana with the No. 9 Pennzoil car this weekend. I'm very happy to have Pat (Tryson) in charge of that program this season. The guys in the shop have worked really hard on getting ready for this weekend and we'll be looking to get Pennzoil a win come Saturday."

Pat Tryson on Busch program:

"I'm really glad that we are a part of the Busch program this year. It gives us a great opportunity just to go out and do some good racing with Mark and hopefully it'll give us a chance to go to victory lane a couple of more times this season."