NASCAR's Mark Martin
2008 Season Articles - August & September
Kiefer Sutherland AP & Getty Photos - Pocono 500 - August 3, 2008
Mark Martin Post Race Notes and Quotes
Camping World RV 400 presented by Coleman
GM Racing
September 28, 2008MARK MARTIN, NO. 8 U.S. ARMY IMPALA SS -- Finished 18th:
"It was just one of those days," said Martin. "I just didn't have a good day out there. We had good car, but I got caught speeding on pit road and then I overshot the pit and that hurt us. The team gave me a much better car than the finish. I'll take the responsibility for what happened out there today. I just made too many mistakes."
"It was just really difficult once we got back there in all that traffic," added Martin. "I'm just proud of everyone on this U.S. Army team. They continue to put me in good cars each week and it's a lot of fun to drive them."
Mark Martin Post Qualifying Notes and Quotes
Camping World RV 400 presented by AAA
GM Racing
September 19, 2008MARK MARTIN, NO. 8 U.S. ARMY IMPALA SS -- Qualified 2nd:
"I love this place. The first time I came here in 1981, I was like this place is cool. I really want to give a shout out to all the guys on this No. 8 Chevrolet and everyone at DEI for building such incredible race cars. It is such a pleasure to drive this stuff and work with the US Army. Tony Gibson is a blast to work with. We have great horsepower. Guess I should have given it a little bit more gas there and maybe we would have got ourselves another one. I am really proud to drive their stuff.
"Gosh, I don't think I'm not sure I lost anything. I think when I was out there, I gave it everything I could. We went incredibly fast and we didn't get it done. It is a great race car to drive. I just have a blast coming to the race track and driving this car. It has been a great day and I am looking forward to a great weekend."
Martin, ArmyTeam Soldier Through Tough Day in Kansas
Camping World RV 400 presented by Coleman
DEIKANSAS CITY, KS (Sept. 28, 2008) -- Mark Martin and the No. 8 U.S. Army team fought back from a pit-road speeding penalty and a mishap in the pits to finish 18th in Sunday's Sprint Cup race at Kansas Speedway.
"It was just one of those days," said Martin after the 400-mile event. "I just didn't have a good day out there. We had a good car, but I got caught speeding on pit road and then I overshot the pit and that hurt us. The team gave me a much better car than the finish. I'll take the responsibility for what happened out there today. I just made too many mistakes."
Martin started the race on the outside pole for the sixth time in 2008. His Chevy Impala SS was tight early, but would loosen over the long run.
Martin dropped back to eighth before the team pitted for the first time on Lap 50 of 267. The veteran ran all but a handful of laps inside the top 10, before getting busted for pit-road speeding on Lap 117.
Due to the penalty, Martin restarted in 28th position. Despite overshooting the pits on Lap 130, Martin fought his way back inside the top 20 by Lap 156 where he would run the remainder of the race.
"It was just really difficult once we got back there in all that traffic," added Martin. "I'm just proud of everyone on this U.S. Army team. They continue to put me in good cars each week and it's a lot of fun to drive them."
Crew chief Tony Gibson was proud about how Martin and the team never gave up.
"You can't be great every day," said Gibson. "But making the best of a bad day is what makes people great -- just like our brave Soldiers. We had a lot go wrong, but the team never gave up. It was definitely Soldier-type effort out there today. We never quit and came home with a decent result."
The No. 8 Dale Earnhardt Inc.team remains 15th in the owner point standings.
Martin will hand the No. 8 Chevy over to rookie co-driver Aric Almirola next week at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. Martin returns to action in two weeks at Lowe's Motor Speedway, Oct. 11 in Concord, N.C.
Mark Martin Sprint Cup Race Preview
Camping World RV 400 presented by Coleman
DEI
September 25, 2008MARTIN RIDES WAVE OF MOMENTUM INTO KANSAS
After scoring his fourth consecutive top-10 finish with a solid fourth-place run at Dover last week, Martin rolls into Kansas Speedway where he will look to win his second race in the last four seasons. In addition, Martin and the No. 8 U.S. Army Team will be looking for their third straight top-five finish.
MARK MARTIN AT KANSAS
Starts: 7
Wins: 1
Top 5's: 2
Top 10's: 3
Poles: -
Highest finish: 1st (2005)
First time: 9/30/01 (6th)
Last year: 9/30/07 (12th)MARK MARTIN FAST FACTS - KANSAS
Martin won the Cup race at Kansas in 2005, leading 139 laps en route to the dominating victory.
Martin finished sixth at the inaugural Kansas Cup race in 2001.
Martin has finished in the top three in two of the last three races atƒn Kansas.
Martin has a 12.5 average finish in five races at Kansas.
Martin has finished inside the top 10 in 53 percent of his starts this season; better than seven of the 12 racers in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
Martin has scored the second most points in the last five races at Kansas.
Martin will make his second career Nationwide start at Kansas on Saturday.
Martin last won in the Sprint Cup at Kansas in 2005; 85 races ago.
WORTHY NOTE
Martin's 35th and last Sprint Cup win came at Kansas in 2005; 85 races ago.
MARTIN AT KANSAS
This will mark the eighth time that Martin and the Sprint Cup circuit have visited Kansas Speedway. Martin has finished in the top three in two of his last three races at Kansas, including his 35th Nextel Cup win there in 2005 where he turned in a dominating performance, leading 139 laps en route to the victory. Martin has a 12.5 average finish at Kansas, and will look for his second win at the track this weekend.
GETTING IT DONE AT KANSAS
Martin has scored the third most points in the last 10 races at Kansas and the second most points in the last five events at the 1.5-mile track. Only Greg Biffle has scored more points in the previous five races at Kansas.
STRONG EFFORT IN '08
Martin scored his fourth top-five and 10th top-10 finish of the season last weekend at Dover. Despite only 19 starts in 2008, Martin has four top-five finishes -- more than 17 other drivers who have competed in all 28 events. In addition, the veteran has finished inside the top 10 in 53 percent of his starts in 2008, a better percentage than seven of the 12 drivers who make up the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
ON POINT
Martin and co-driver Aric Almirola currently have the No. 8 U.S. Army Team sitting at 15th in the Sprint Cup owner points. Martin is 27th in Sprint Cup Driver points, despite missing nine races thus far in the season. He leads 12 drivers who have started more events in 2008.
PULLING THE DOUBLE
Martin will pull double duty this weekend in Kansas, driving the No. 5 Chevrolet in Saturday's Nationwide race. It will be Martin's second start in the track at the series. He finished 14th there in 2005.
QUOTING MARK ON KANSAS SPEEDWAY
"I enjoy going to Kansas. I like the progressive banking and it's really the type of track that you can race on. It's one of the tracks that really suits my driving style well. We've only raced there seven times, but the racing continues to improve every time that we go there, and I'm looking forward to this weekend.
"We haven't been as strong on the 1.5-mile tracks this season as we would like, but we will continue to work at those tracks to get better and better. We had a great car last week and I left Dover feeling like I let the guys down with that run. We had a good finish, but we had a car good enough to win the race. You never can tell when a win is coming, so maybe this is the week for this No. 8 U.S. Army Team and Dale Earnhardt Inc."
Mark Martin Nationwide Race Preview
Kansas Lottery 300
JR Motorsports
September 24, 2008MARTIN AT KANSAS
In his one previous NASCAR Nationwide Series start at Kansas Speedway, Mark Martin started ninth and finished 14th in 2005. Martin will drive the No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet in Saturday's Nationwide Series event there.
STATS AT KANSAS
Although Martin has run just once at the 1.5-mile tri-oval, the veteran still has the second-best pre-race Kansas driver rating (106.9) of those running in Saturday's Nationwide Series event. Back in 2005, he spent 86.5 percent of laps in the top 15. Additionally, he is ranked as the top closer at the racetrack, gaining an average of eight spots in the last 10 percent of laps.
IN THE SERIES
Martin, who ran his first full Nationwide season in 1987, is the winningest driver in series history with 48 wins. In 228 races, Martin also has recorded 30 poles, 109 top-five finishes and 146 top-10s. His average start is 10th, and his average finish is 12.3. In a 2006 NASCAR poll of both fans and media, Martin ranked No. 1 among the "25 Greatest NASCAR Nationwide Series Drivers." Martin made his debut in the series on Aug. 13, 1982.
JR MOTORSPORTS WINS
Martin gave JR Motorsports its first win after leading 81 laps in the No. 5 Chevrolet at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 1. Since then, JR Motorsports has scored four total wins -- Brad Keselowski took the checkered flag twice this season in the No. 88 Chevy, while Ron Fellows drove the No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevy to Victory Lane at Montreal in July.
NATIONWIDE SERIES LINEUP
This weekend marks the fourth of five times in 2008 that Martin will pilot the No. 5 JR Motorsports Chevrolet. In three starts this season, Martin has scored one win, two top-five finishes and two top-10s. He also has led 81 laps and recorded an average starting position of 13.7 and an average finish of 9.3. Martin's final Nationwide Series race in the No. 5 Chevy will be Nov. 1 at Texas Motor Speedway.
JR MOTORSPORTS CHASSIS
Crew chief Cam Strader has chosen JR Motorsports Chassis No. 473 for this weekend's Nationwide Series race at Kansas. Martin won with the car at Las Vegas in March. Rookie Landon Cassill drove Chassis 473 as the No. 5 Chevy at Chicagoland in July and finished 10th. Martin drove the car at Michigan in August, starting 10th and finishing fourth.
UP NEXT FOR THE NO. 5
Jimmie Johnson will pilot the No. 5 Lowe's Chevrolet on Oct. 10 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Cassill, 19, will pilot the No. 5 National Guard Chevrolet on Oct. 25 at Memphis (Tenn.) Motorsports Park.
MARK MARTIN, DRIVER OF THE NO. 5 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET (ON THE APPEAL OF DRIVING AT KANSAS SPEEDWAY IN THE NATIONWIDE SERIES.)
"It's my style of track. I like the progressive banking, and it's a racetrack you can really race on. There is plenty of room, and if you can go through the corner with the right speed, it can be a fun day for sure. The Nationwide car is fun to drive. They are very different from the (NASCAR Sprint) Cup cars, in the way they handle in traffic."
MARTIN (ON WHAT HE IS LOOKING TO ACCOMPLISH IN HIS FOURTH NATIONWIDE SERIES START FOR JR MOTORSPORTS.)
"Driving for JR Motorsports with that great Hendrick Motorsports horsepower is always a pleasure and a lot of fun as well. I really want to get them some more wins this year, so that will definitely be our goal this weekend."
MARTIN (ON WHY HE LIKES RACING IN THE NATIONWIDE SERIES.)
"It's just a lot of fun. The cars now are a lot different than the COTs in the Cup Series, so it's a whole different ball game. But you have a lot of great competition, and I've always enjoyed racing on Saturday in that series. Hopefully, we can add to that this weekend at Kansas in the No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet."
Mark Martin Post Race Notes and Quotes
Camping World RV 400 presented by AAA
GM Racing
September 21, 2008MARK MARTIN, NO. 8 U.S. ARMY IMPALA SS, STARTED 2ND, FINISHED 4TH:
"Well, it is a privilege to be a part of the U.S. Army team. I want to thank them so much for giving me this opportunity. Tony Gibson and these guys gave me a shot to win this thing and I can't tell you what it means to me. I was up on the wheel and I gave it everything I can and everything I have. You know, it just wasn't enough for that 45-lap run. Man this thing was awesome on long runs, it was really coming before that last caution. I thought we were going to be able to make it exciting. Even after that last caution, I thought we might have something for them, I just couldn't run with those guys for about 20-laps, they were really fast. Then my car would really come on strong.
"On that last restart with four fresh tires and Carl (Edwards) on two, I wanted to go up there and take it. But my car just wasn't up to that challenge. We gave it our heart and soul, but we just weren't up to a short run challenge. It looked like before the caution came out that we were going to run Carl down and really make a race out of it at the end. But that last run, we gave it all we had, we were just a little short."
Strong Effort Gives Martin 4th-Place Finish in Dover
Camping World RV 400 presented by AAA
DEIDOVER, Del. (Sept. 21, 2008) -- Mark Martin chased the 'Chasees' for the victory in Sunday's Sprint Cup race, but the veteran driver settled for a rock-solid fourth-place finish at Dover International Speedway.
Martin, who started the 400-mile race second in his No. 8 U.S. Army Chevrolet, ran in the top five for virtually the entire event. And when the race was restarted for the final time with 43 laps remaining he was running in second place.
"I wanted to win so bad for this team and for our Soldiers that I lost my rhythm briefly at the end and got passed," said a candid Martin, who finished behind three Chase drivers: Greg Biffle (race winner), Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards. "I gave it everything I had as did this Army team. The pit stops were awesome all day, and as our Soldiers do ever day, we fought to the end."
Martin's stellar performance at the track known as the Monster Mile was his second straight top-five finish and his fourth straight top-10.
"We were solid from the get go and really felt this could be the day that we would pull off a victory," explained Martin. "This Dale Earnhardt Inc. team, led by crew chief Tony Gibson, gave me an incredible car to drive. We made very few changes throughout the race. It's just a real pleasure to drive for this team and have that big Army logo on the hood of our Chevy Impala SS."
Of the top-nine finishers in Sunday's Camping World RV 400, Martin was the only non-Chase driver.
"We're so close to that win and we're going to do everything humanly possible to get to Victory Lane in the final eight races," said Martin, who shares the U.S. Army/DEI ride with Aric Almirola.
The No. 8 DEI team remains 15th in Sprint Cup owner points.
Martin and the Army team return to action next week at Kansas Speedway, where Martin won in 2005.
Mark Martin Post Qualifying Interview
Camping World RV 400 presented by AAA
GM Racing
September 19, 2008MARK MARTIN, NO. 8 U.S. ARMY IMPALA SS
TALK ABOUT YOUR RUN OUT THERE TODAY AND HOW THAT'S GOING TO HELP YOU IN THE RACE ON SUNDAY:
"The track position and pit stall choice will help. It's so competitive today. Sure would have liked that first pit stall choice. But we'll take second and be happy. It's really a privilege for me to drive for the U.S. Army and Dale Earnhardt Inc. I've had such a good time driving Tony Gibson's car. I believe this has been the most fun I've ever had. It was certainly a great day today. We're on a mission to get a win with the No. 8 car and this would sure be a great place to do it."
JEFF GORDON IS THE ONLY GUY WHO BEAT YOU TODAY. HAS HE CHANGED? IS HE A DIFFERENT DRIVER TODAY THAN HE WAS FIVE YEARS AGO?
"Well, honestly, yes. All of us who have been doing it for the last five years are a little bit different drivers than we were five years ago. Jeff has run really well this year. It's been a competitive year. Anybody who wants to count him out; all they have to do it just hit the set-up on the race car. Something that he really likes. And that can come any day on any race track. Once that starts, that will translate to other race tracks. No one needs to count him out. Some people weren't around when he came into this thing. He was the most incredibly talented driver that a lot of us had seen. And he still is that same guy and same incredibly talented race car driver and has potential to get on a roll and be a Chase contender for sure, here."
VAULT(TM) Joins Forces with the USO and Montgomery Gentry(R) to Generate Support for U.S. Troops
Copyright Business Wire 2008Country Music Duo Headlines Effort to Deliver More Than One Million Holiday Greetings to U.S. Military Worldwide
ATLANTA, Sep 16, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- VAULT is going head to toe camo to announce its national partnership with the USO and generate support for U.S. troops around the world. In keeping with the VAULT motto, "Get It Done. And Then Some.," Coca-Cola North America is kicking off the largest marketing campaign for the brand since its 2006 launch to ensure the program's success.
Country music duo Montgomery Gentry will take center stage to promote VAULT's "Honoring the Uniform: Calling for Support" program. The initiative features an exclusive opportunity for people across the country to send hand-written postcards to troops worldwide and raise up to $100,000 for the USO through MyCokeRewards.com.
People are encouraged to write messages of support on pre-addressed postcards, which can be found on special camouflage-themed VAULT 12-packs, at VAULT displays in participating retail stores or online at DrinkVault.com and MyCokeRewards.com, while supplies last. The postcards can be dropped in the mail with a first-class stamp and will arrive at a USO collection center for security screening before being distributed to U.S. troops during the holiday season.
The VAULT postcard program replicates the popular service previously operated by the U.S. Department of Defense, which allowed the American public to send mail addressed to "any service member" for more than 17 years before being discontinued in 2003 due to security concerns.
"Since email has become the primary form of communication with soldiers, handwritten, personal notes are especially valued and can provide an incredible morale boost," said John Hanson, USO Senior Vice President, Marketing and Communication. "By teaming with VAULT and utilizing the reach of Coca-Cola's distribution system, we're giving people across America a chance to send a positive note to our troops delivered through the network of USO Centers."
In addition to sending postcards, people can help raise up to $100,000 for the USO by visiting MyCokeRewards.com through the end of the year and turning the points they earn by drinking Coca-Cola products into a cash donation. My Coke Rewards points found under caps and on packaging of more than 60 products from Coca-Cola North America can be donated to help support the continuing efforts of the USO to provide a home away from home to U.S. troops wherever they serve.
Joining Forces with Montgomery Gentry
The "Honoring the Uniform: Calling for Support" program represents the first initiative in a new partnership between VAULT and Montgomery Gentry, one of country music's biggest acts of the last decade. The agreement with Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry, which extends through 2009, launches with the duo's participation in special events and publicity opportunities to encourage their millions of fans to send holiday greetings to U.S. troops. In addition, Montgomery Gentry's likenesses are included on thousands of retail point-of-sale displays highlighting the program.
"We're honored to join in the effort to support our U.S. troops, and it's an exciting start to our partnership with VAULT," said Eddie Montgomery. "As USO entertainment tour veterans, we know this program is a great way to spread goodwill and offer thanks to the brave men and women serving our country in the U.S. and around the world."
Packaging and Partners
Special edition packaging features a black and green camouflage "V" scheme for VAULT and black and red camouflage "V" packaging for VAULT Red Blitz. The camouflage design extends across 20 oz. bottles, 16 oz. cans, Fridge Packs(TM), two-liter bottles and 12 oz. cans, all of which are available for a limited time only and begin hitting stores this month.
White Castle, one of VAULT's top foodservice customers, is an exclusive partner for the "Honoring the Uniform: Calling for Support" program and will promote it by distributing postcards in each of the company's 415 Castles. In addition, White Castle will feature camouflage cup carriers and showcase 6-foot by 8-foot postcards customers can sign in selected cities and Castles.
Additional 6-foot by 8-foot postcards will be part of Veterans Day sampling events nationwide and at USO airport centers this fall. The oversized postcards will be collected and sent to USO Centers to serve as reminders of America's love and support.
The VAULT "Honoring the Uniform: Calling for Support" program will be highlighted as part of a special camouflage paint scheme on the No. 8 U.S. Army Chevrolet driven by Mark Martin during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series(TM) Dickies(R) 500 (Nov. 2) at Texas Motor Speedway. VAULT is the title sponsor for the pre-race show and is presenting a live concert by REO Speedwagon.
New Advertising
The USO program is part of a larger campaign for VAULT. A newly redesigned Web site launched at DrinkVault.com, and new television advertising broke Labor Day weekend. The television spots will air during NHRA and NASCAR broadcasts through the end of the racing season, as well as in cinema and on-line.
"Innovative end-to-end marketing is the recipe to revitalize our sparkling core business, and that is exactly what this VAULT program does -- translating a compelling brand proposition into fresh advertising, a passionate music partnership, a cause alliance with the USO, and exciting packaging and retail promotions," said Hendrik Steckhan, President, Sparkling Business Unit, Coca-Cola North America.
About The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company is the world's largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with more than 450 sparkling and still brands. Along with Coca-Cola, recognized as the world's most valuable brand, the Company's portfolio includes 12 other billion dollar brands, including Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero, vitaminwater, POWERade, Minute Maid and Georgia Coffee. Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, juices and juice drinks and ready-to-drink teas and coffees. Through the world's largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy the Company's beverages at a rate of 1.5 billion servings a day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our Company is focused on initiatives that protect the environment, conserve resources and enhance the economic development of the communities where we operate. For more information about our Company, please visit our website at www.thecoca-colacompany.com.
About Montgomery Gentry
Montgomery Gentry's journey into the front ranks of American music has been one of the most gratifying sagas of the past decade. Their road to gold and platinum albums, CMA and ACM awards, a Grammy nomination and highly successful tours has been paved both with musical integrity and with an abiding respect for the people and the genre they represent. Signed in 1999 to Columbia Records, the duo released its platinum-certified debut album Tattoos & Scars that year. They have since released five more studio albums and one greatest hits package: Carrying On (2001), My Town (2002), You Do Your Thing (2004), Some People Change (2006) and Back When I Knew It All (2008). Now in their 10th year on the national stage, Montgomery Gentry can look back on one of country's most impressive legacies. They have released more than 20 charted singles, with anthems like "My Town" and "Hell Yeah" becoming indelible parts of the honky-tonk landscape.
They have hit the top of the singles charts four times, with "If You Ever Stop Loving Me," "Something To Be Proud Of," 2007's multi-week chart-topper "Lucky Man" and most recently, "Back When I Knew It All." For more information on Montgomery Gentry visit www.MontgomeryGentry.com or www.ColumbiaNashville.com.
About the USO
The USO (United Service Organizations) provides morale, welfare and recreational services to U.S. military personnel and their families. The USO is a nonprofit, charitable organization, relying on the generosity of the American people to support its programs and services. The USO is supported by Worldwide Strategic Partners AT&T Inc., BAE Systems, Blackwater Worldwide, Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc., Clear Channel Communications, The Coca-Cola Company, Gallery Furniture, S & K Sales Co., and TriWest Healthcare Alliance. Other corporate donors, including the United Way and Combined Federal Campaign (CFC-11381), have joined thousands of individual donors to support the USO. For more information, please visit our Web site at www.uso.org.
SOURCE: VAULT
Mark Martin Returns To Try Hand At Old Foe Dover
Camping World RV 400 presented by AAA
DEIDOVER, Del. -- Mark Martin returns to the No. 8 U.S. Army Racing team for this weekend’s Sprint Cup race at Dover (Del.) International Speedway. The veteran driver, who took off last weekend’s race at New Hampshire, will look to slay Dover’s Monster Mile, where he is one of the most successful drivers in the track’s storied history.
MARK MARTIN AT DOVER
Starts: 44 (22)
Wins: 4 (3)
Top 5s: 20 (10)
Top 10s: 27 (12)
Poles: 4 (3)
Highest finish: 1st (4 times)
First time: 5/16/82 (5th)
Last year: 9/23/07 (4th)
Last time: 6/1/08 (23rd)MARK MARTIN FAST FACTS - DOVER
Martin has four wins at Dover, with the last coming in the spring of 2004.
Martin holds the track record at Dover (Cup), winning on 9/21/97 in 3:00:50 (132.717 mph avg).
Martin holds the Truck track record with 120.00 mph average at Dover last year.
Martin’s 20 top-five finishes in the Cup series are the most of any active driver at Dover.
Martin has 27 top-10 finishes (Cup) at Dover, including five top fours in the last eight races.
Martin finished fifth in his first Cup race at Dover on 5/16/82.
Martin has finished in the top 10 in 63 percent of his Cup races at Dover.
Martin finished 1-2 in both Dover Cup races in 2004, 3-4 there in 2005.
Martin earned the first of his record 48 Busch Series wins at Dover in 1987.
Martin is the only driver to have won in all three of NASCAR's major series at Dover.
Martin finished fourth in this event last season.NOTE OF THE WEEK
Martin is the only driver to have won in the Cup, Nationwide and Truck series at Dover.
MARK MARTIN - LAST SEASON AT DOVER
Sept. 23, 2007 – Dover International Speedway
Started 31st, Finished 4thMark Martin was in position to win at Dover, but settled for an impressive fourth-place finish. For most of the closing 50 laps at the Monster Mile, Martin was running in second place, chasing Carl Edwards, who eventually went on to win the event. Martin said after he climbed out of his Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet that the number of cautions and red flags at the end didn’t help his cause for a trip to Victory Lane.
For the record, the final 44 laps saw the yellow flag fly six times for 28 laps. There were also two red flags during this period that amounted to approximately 17 minutes of delay. The result was the best Car of Tomorrow finish for the 01 Army team. The team’s previous best COT finish was seventh at the June Dover race.
Martin started 31st after a sub-par qualifying effort Friday. But when the green flag dropped to start the 400-lap, 400-mile race, he patiently picked off positions on the all-concrete surface. Martin moved into the top 10 just past the halfway mark and stayed there until the checkered flag waved. He led from Laps 288 to 309. On the final restart (Lap 397). Martin was still in second, but was passed in the remaining laps by Greg Biffle and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
TAMING THE MONSTER
This will be Martin’s 45th career cup start at the Monster Mile of Dover, where he has won four times. The four wins tie him for the most ever at the track. Considered one of his favorite tracks on the circuit, Martin has 27 top-10 and 20 top-five finishes at the Monster Mile. The 20 top-fives are the most of any driver. Three of Martin's four Dover wins have been in the fall race.
FIRST EVER NASCAR WIN
The first of Martin's 90 NASCAR victories came via the Busch Series at Dover on May 30, 1987 in the Budweiser 200.
FAST FROM START TO FINISH
Martin was fast at Dover from the very beginning, running fifth in the Mason-Dixon 500 in his first ever Cup start at the one-mile track on 5/16/82. Martin started the event seventh, the first of his 27 top-10 starts at the track. He finished in the top-10 in both races at Dover last season, including a fourth-place finish there in the fall and a seventh in the spring.
GETTING STARTED AT DOVER
Martin has four poles at Dover and started in the top 10 in 26 of his first 38 races there.
COVERING THE SERIES AT DOVER
Martin is the only driver to have won at Dover in all three of NASCAR’s major racing divisions. He has four wins at the Monster Mile in the Cup car, one in the Busch race in 1987 and one in the truck series in 2006.
ON POINT
Martin and co-driver Aric Almirola currently have the No. 8 U.S. Army Team sitting at 15th in the Sprint Cup owner points.
QUOTING MARK MARTIN ON DOVER
"They call Dover the Monster Mile, and I tell you what the track earned that nickname with me a lot in the early days. I won my first NASCAR race at Dover in the Nationwide Series in 1987 and we've won there four times in the Cup car since, but early on it was a big thorn in my side. We should have won there so many times in the Cup car before we finally broke through. We would have a flat tire leading or get wrecked or something. I did not think we would ever get that first win at Dover for the longest time.
"Despite all of that, I've had a lot of success at Dover and I can honestly say it is one of my favorite tracks on the circuit. We ran really well there in this race last year, but we were way off during the spring. Our challenge is to go back this weekend and find what we need to be competitive in the race. We are still looking for that first win in the No. 8 car and Dover does have one of the coolest trophies on the circuit."
ALL-TIME NASCAR ELITE, MARK MARTIN
Martin’s 35 Sprint Cup wins put him fourth on the win list among active drivers and 17th on the all-time list.
Martin started 621 consecutive Sprint Cup races between 1988 and 2007, the fifth-longest streak in NASCAR history.
Martin’s 41 Cup poles are the fifth most in Cup history.
Martin ranks fifth all-time in the Sprint Cup point standings.
Martin has started 715 Cup races, finishing inside the top 10 on 394 occasions, inside the top five 242 times and visiting winner’s circle 35 times.
Martin’s 48 career wins in the Nationwide Series are a NASCAR record.
Martin’s 13 victories in IROC competition are the most ever. Martin has won a record five championships in the IROC series, including a record three straight.
Martin is the only driver in NASCAR to have won a Cup, Busch, Truck and IROC race at the same track (California Speedway).
Martin Army Team Battle Back to Top-Five Finish at Richmond
No. 8 team overcomes pit issues, bad track position to finish fifth
DEIRICHMOND, Va. (Sept. 7, 2008) -- Mark Martin and the No. 8 U.S Army/Dale Earnhardt Inc. team overcame poor track position and a pair of slow pit stops to rebound for a fifth-place finish in Sunday's weather delayed Chevy Rock & Roll 400at Richmond International Raceway.
"This was a great effort by this U.S. Army team," said Martin, who posted his third top-fivefinish of the season. "We had poor track position most of the day and then got behind on a bad pit stop. But these guys just dug in and we fought back for a top-five."
"We had a really good Chevy Impala SS today, but it was hard to pass in all the traffic," added Martin. "Qualifying getting rained out on Friday hurt us, as we would have probably started closer to the front and had a lot less traffic to deal with."
Martin started 17th based on Sprint Cup owner points, after qualifying was rained out due to persistent rains brought in from Tropical Storm Hanna. The storm also forced the postponement of the race from Saturday night until Sunday afternoon.
Once the race started Martin patiently moved from 17th to 12th in just 35 laps. However, during the first pit stop, Martin struggled getting into the pits and lost four spots. He ran the next 130 laps in and around the 15th position, before coming down pit road after the race's seventh caution on Lap 202 of 400.
Martin took four tires and fuel under the caution, but a problem on the front of the stop cost the team 11 positions, falling back to 25th.
"It would have been easy to let that ruin our day," said Martin. "But this is the Army team. When things aren't going our way, we fight harder and never give up. This is just an incredible race team. Tony Gibson (crew chief) and the guys just went to work trying to figure out how to get us back up front and they came up with a solid strategy that really paid off."
Gibson opted for right side tires only during the team's fifth pit stop on Lap 227. Martin returned in 19th position and advanced all the way to 13th when the yellow flag flew on Lap 241.
Martin and Gibson decided to skip a pit stop and the veteran restarted in second position on Lap 246. The calculated move paid off as Martin ran inside the top five for the majority of the remaining laps.
The finish was Martin's ninth top-10 in 18 starts this season and his second top-five at Richmond in 2008. It also marked his 15th career top-five finish at the .75-mile track. In addition it is the 242nd top-five finish of Martin's career and his 394th top-10.
The No. 8 DEI team closed out the first 26 races of the 2008 season in 15th position in the Sprint Cup owner standings.
Martin will hand the wheel over to co-driver Aric Almirola next weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, before returning to action the following weekend in Dover, Del.
Mark Martin Post Race Notes and Quotes
GM Racing
September 7, 2008MARK MARTIN, NO. 8 U.S. ARMY CHEVROLET IMPALA SS, Finished 5th in the race and is not in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship:
"This was a great effort by this U.S. Army team. We had poor track position most of the day and then got behind on a bad pit stop, but these guys just dug in and we fought back for a top-five.
"We had a really good Chevy Impala SS today, but it was really hard to pass in all the traffic. Qualifying getting rained out on Friday really hurt us, as we would have probably started closer to the front and had a lot less traffic to deal with."
Mark Martin Q&A - Richmond
GM Racing
September 5, 2008MARK MARTIN, NO. 8 U.S. ARMY IMPALA SS, met with members of the media at Richmond International Raceway and discussed being on the bubble heading in to this race, improvements in ECR engine program, Joey Logano, the Chase and other subjects. Full transcript:
WHAT WAS IT LIKE FOR YOU IN ’04 AND ’06 BEING IN A BUBBLE POSITION GOING IN TO THIS RACE?
“That was tough. Especially ’04. We were more comfortable in ’06. That was as much stress as I have ever been under for a period of time. The frustration really started to build at Indy when we had a flat tire with two laps to go. That was tough. It meant a lot to me to make it. I know it does to everyone, but it really meant a lot to me.”
TALK ABOUT THE ENGINE DEVELOPMENT YOU HAVE DONE FOR EARNHARDT CHILDRESS RACING AND THE IMPROVEMENTS YOU HAVE SEEN.
“They have made some gains and obviously the reliability is there to go with it. Right now our engines are capable of running with anything on the race track. Out running a lot of them and running with the best ones on the track right now.”
IS ANYONE GOING TO BE ABLE TO CONTEND WITH KYLE (BUSCH), CARL (EDWARDS) AND MAYBE JIMMIE (JOHNSON)?
“Remember last year? Just thinking of Clint Bowyer. I just think I would be careful making that kind of statement when I thought about last year. I think that anybody that is in it, all they have to do is put together a 10-race, unexplainable hot streak. Don’t tell that has never happened. (LAUGHS).”
HOW MUCH CREDIT TO YOU TAKE IN HELPING JOEY LOGANO GET HIS BIG BREAK?
“None. I didn’t do it, he did it. And his Dad. His Dad deserves maybe more than 50%. His Dad molded the man that he is and helped him realize his dreams. The kid has got in there and done it ever since he was 10 years old.”
DOES IT SURPRISE YOU THAT THEY TRUSTED HIM BEHIND THE WHEEL OF THE FAMILY CAR AT SEVEN YEARS OLD?
“That doesn’t really surprise me. In this day and age, it might be different. That sounds like the early ‘70s to me where I came from. Some people do a lot of things really good, more people do one thing really good and they are lucky that they can. Then some just aren’t that blessed. He is one of those that is blessed by certainly being able to do that well everything in conjunction with the racing thing.”
WHAT WAS IT THAT CAUGHT YOUR EYE THE FIRST TIME YOU SAW HIM?
“I know what I am looking at. I knew he was better than the rest. Same thing you see today, just amazing. Same thing. He is fast; he knows what he is doing. I am not going to ever answer that question.”
HOW DO YOU EVALUATE YOUNG TALENT LIKE THAT WITHOUT A DRIVER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM?
“It would be like the high jump. One guy does five feet. Another guy does six feet and another guy does seven feet. Nobody has ever done eight and this guy does eight. I think he is better than the other guys. It is that simple. You are making a very complex question out of something that is, to me, very simple. It is just not that complex. He is better than everyone else in his league.”
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT HIM MAKING HIS DEBUT IN THE LAST RACE TO MAKE THE CHASE?
“What is wrong with that?”
SOME PEOPLE HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT THAT.
“Who is that? He will probably out run them.”
IS THIS RACE SORT OF A WILD CARD RACE?
“No, it’s still a race. Everybody is here to race. It’s not that much different, really.”
DO YOU VALUE YOUR OFF-WEEKENDS MORE AND MORE NOW, KNOWING THAT YOU WILL BE RACING FULL-TIME NEXT YEAR?
“Oh, you’d better believe it. We’re really making the most out of them. It’s really been good. I’m living a dream, I really am.”
BEFORE MOTOR COACHES, WERE DRIVER LOUNGES USED AS A GATHERING PLACE FOR DRIVERS?
“I never did use them. I didn’t know there were any to speak of. I don’t know that they were ever used as a gathering place. I’ve been around since ’82. If they had them and people gathered there, I didn’t know about them. I raced through 1990 without a lounge in the trailer. Roush had work trailers. There were no lounges in them. We came to the race track and hung out in the trailer and when we finished, we went back to the motel or went to the motor home. I got a motor home in 1989. I was one of the first handfuls of drivers that had motor homes. Morgan Shepherd and Jeff Bodine had motor homes and that was about it.”
GOING INTO THE CHASE, DO YOU LIKE IT BETTER WITH 10 DRIVERS OR 12 DRIVERS?
“Well, I liked better it when it was 10. And then the first year they went to 12, and I thought that was too many. And then I got used to that idea and its fine, and sometimes wonder if it should be 15. They make the rules and we play by them.”
Army Reserve Centennial Commemoration at NASCAR'S Chevy Rock & Roll 400
RICHMOND, Va., Sept. 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Army Reserve will commemorate its 100th anniversary this Saturday, September 6, 2008 at the Richmond International Speedway, which is hosting NASCAR's Chevy Rock & Roll 400. Mark Martin, the U.S. Army's NASCAR driver will be competing on the famed 3/4-mile speedway layout.
Army Reserve Soldiers supporting Mark Martin at the race include Major General John McLaren, Jr., Commander of the 80th Division Training Command, based in Richmond, Virginia. "I am proud of each Soldier who has helped to shape the Army Reserve into the strong operational force it is today," said McLaren. "Army Reserve soldiers dutifully manage both their civilian life as well as their military life. It is a pleasure to commemorate this momentous anniversary throughout the year, and especially at events such as the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 race."
The 2008 Army Reserve Drill Sergeant of the Year, Sergeant First Class (SFC) Michael Noland, who resides in Mineral, Virginia, will also be representing the Army Reserve at the race. "I look forward to energizing NASCAR fans to help commemorate the Army Reserve's 100th anniversary and also to cheer on Army driver Mark Martin," said Sergeant Nolan. "It's going to be a thrilling weekend and I am honored to share in the festivities as this year's Drill Sergeant of the Year."
The Drill Sergeant of the Year is awarded to the winner of a week-long Army competition consisting of challenges requiring technical, physical, academic, and leadership abilities.
Since the U.S. Army Reserve's formation in 1908 as a small medical unit, the Army Reserve's role within the military has expanded greatly, and has played a vital role in every major conflict and humanitarian mission of the past century. For more information about the Army Reserve and its 100th anniversary, please visit the Army Reserve 100th Anniversary Web site at Army Reserve 100th. Please also visit the Army Reserve Web site at Army Reserve.
SOURCE U.S. Army Reserve
Mark Martin Race Preview - Chevy Rock & Roll 400
DEI
September 3, 2008MARTIN RETURNS TO ACTION AT RICHMOND
After two weekends off, Mark Martin rejoins the No. 8 U.S. Army Team this weekend, where the team will look to take up where they left off in a third-place finish at Richmond earlier this season.
MARK MARTIN AT RICHMOND
Starts: 45 (22)
Wins: 1 (1)
Top 5s: 14 (7)
Top 10s: 24 (12)
Poles: 3 (2)
Highest finish: 1 (2/25/90)
First time: 9/13/81 (7th)
Last year: 9/8/07 (21st)
Last time: 5/3/08 (3rd)MARK MARTIN - LAST YEAR AT RICHMOND
Sept. 8, 2007 – Richmond International Raceway
Started 19th, Finished 21stMark Martin and the U.S. Army Race team finished 21st in the Chevy Rock and Roll 400. Martin and the team struggled early with the car’s handling, were forced to battle poor track position for most of the night and never were quite able to get into a rhythm during the 400-lap event.
Martin started 19th and struggled with the car’s handling from the green flag. He fell back to 24th by just lap six and as far back as 29th on lap 58. The No. 01 U.S. Army Team worked with the car during the first three cautions of the race, but was unable to find the necessary blend of speed and handling necessary to move forward.
Martin patiently bided his time for the first half of the race, running between the 26th and 22nd position for the majority of the time. He broke back inside the top 20 on lap 238 where he would run the majority of the remainder of the race. He moved all the way to 15th after the race’s ninth caution on lap 262.
Martin restarted in 17th with 50 laps to go after the 11th caution of the race. The car’s handling took a turn for the worse as Martin was forced to contend with heavy traffic and the veteran fell all the way back to 23rd. He was able to regroup and move on to the 21st-place finish.
WORTHY NOTE
Martin won his second career Cup pole in his first Cup start at Richmond in 1981. He finished seventh in the race, his first career Cup top-10 finish.
DEEP HISTORY FOR MARTIN AT RICHMOND
This will be Martin's 46th start at Richmond, dating back to Sept. 13, 1981 when he earned his second career Cup pole in only his fourth career start. Martin rolled to a seventh-place finish, the first of his 23 career top-10 finishes at Richmond and the first of his Cup career. Over the years, the veteran has logged over 12,600 miles at the .75-track. He leads all drivers in top-five and top-10 finishes in both the Cup and Nationwide Series and his five Nationwide wins are a track record as well.
ON THE POLE
Martin earned his second career Cup pole at his first start at Richmond in 1981 and his 41st pole there in September 2001. His other pole came in September of 1996.
FRONT ROW
In addition to his two poles at Richmond, Martin has started on the front row at Richmond seven times during his Cup career at Richmond, including earlier this season in May and twice in the last three seasons.
LAST 10 RACES AT RICHMOND
Martin has scored the fourth most overall points in his last 10 races at RIR. During that span he has posted five top-10s and four top-fives, including a third-place run in May.
NO. 8 LOOKING FOR RETURN TO WINNER'S CIRCLE
The No. 8 Dale Earnhardt Inc. Team's last trip to victory lane came at Richmond on May 6, 2006 - 88 races ago. Martin and the team hope to end that streak this weekend at RIR.
"We are looking forward to going back to Richmond this weekend. We've had a lot of success on these types of tracks this season and the U.S. Army Chevy was really strong at Richmond earlier this season. We had one of the best cars in the race, and if we can go back there and build on what we had last time, we should be up front competing for the win.
"We have a long history at Richmond, going all the way back to the early '80s when I first broke into Cup racing. I sat on the pole there the first time we went in 1981. We were able to actually get a top-10 there the first time as well. It has always been a track that is pretty fun to race on and we've had some great battles and quite a bit of success there over the years. I was able to win there in 1990, but I think a lot of people will remember that for the now famous 46 point penalty that we got after the race. That really played an important role in the championship that season. We've also had some really memorable runs there to race our way into the Chase in our last couple of seasons of point racing. There can be a lot of pressure with this race, but for us this weekend we'll be looking to get our car back into victory lane."
Martin's Battle Cry: Win One for the Soldiers
RICHMOND, Va. (Sept. 3, 2008) -- As the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup season heads into the homestretch, Mark Martin's steely determination will be evident with a strong focus on scoring a victory for the men and women in uniform who he proudly represents as the driver of the No. 8 U.S. Army Chevrolet.
Martin is scheduled to drive in eight of the remaining 11 Sprint Cup races, including Saturday night's Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway.
"I've been blessed to wear the Army uniform and drive the Soldiers' car," said Martin. "I've had the privilege to speak to many of our Soldiers. When I hear and read about their acts of bravery, I get overwhelmed and feel so proud that I was given the opportunity to drive their car. I will give everything I have and more to get this Army Chevrolet Impala SS a win in the remaining races."
The victory that has eluded Martin in the Army car could come sooner rather than later. In the spring race at Richmond, Martin qualified on the outside pole and ran in the top-four for the majority of the race before finishing third.
"No question, we had a car good enough to compete for a win at Richmond earlier in the year," noted Martin. "I don't see any reason why it will be any different this weekend. Richmond is known to attract a large number of military personnel and it would be the coolest place to win in the Army car."
Since he started to drive the Army Chevy at the beginning of last season, Martin has come close to victory a number of times, most notably the 2007 Daytona 500, where he fell a few inches short of winning NASCAR's most prestigious event.
"That was my first official race in the Army Chevy and we nearly pulled it off," recalled Martin. "It was a thrill to contend for the Daytona 500 victory. But what was also thrilling were the e-mails that followed from our Soldiers around the world telling me how excited and proud they were to see their car almost grab the biggest prize. It was an honor to receive those e-mails. I realized then how lucky I am to represent these Soldiers who put their lives on the line every day so we can enjoy our freedom."
Martin, who has 35 career victories, feels that his U.S. Army/Dale Earnhardt Inc. team has all the ingredients to capture win No. 36.
"We have the talent and the resources to be a winner," added Martin. "And we also have the Army spirit of never giving up until the mission is completed. I can't think of a better way to say thank you to our Soldiers than to put their car in Victory Lane."
Mark Martin Race Report - 3M Performance 400 presented by Bondo
Veteran patiently moves through field to earn 8th top-10 finish of season
Martin Finishes 6th in Michigan
DEIBROOKLYN, Mich. (Aug. 17, 2008) -- Mark Martin meticulously moved his way through the field during Sunday's 3M Performance 400 to score a sixth-place finish.
The race was Martin's record-extending 72nd career start at Michigan International Speedway. His experience at the 2-mile oval showed as he patiently drove the No. 8 U.S. Army/DEI Chevrolet to his eighth top-10 result of the season.
"That was just an awesome effort by this Army team," said Martin moments after the race. "We had a great car today and the team really did a great job on pit road. Tony (Gibson, crew chief) made a great call to take four tires there at the end and the car really liked fresh tires today."
Martin was running in 10th position when the race's fourth caution was issued on Lap 178 of 200. Gibson and the team opted to put four tires on the car, while the majority of the field elected for two tires. The move paid off, with Martin restarting in 12th on Lap 187, but needing only five laps to advance all the way to seventh.
The team stayed out under the next caution, and Martin drove his Chevy Impala SS into the top five on Lap 194. Seconds later another caution was issued on Lap 195. Martin again stayed out and looked to be headed to a top-five finish before getting passed just at the finish line by the No. 17 car of Matt Kenseth.
Martin started the race 15th based on Friday's qualifying session. He struggled for much of the race with the grip in the right rear tire over the long run. The car started to get faster after the team made a track bar adjustment on Lap 85. Martin broke into the top 10 for the first time on Lap 178, and kept his car there for the majority of the race.
The finish was Martin's eighth top-10 result in 17 starts in 2008. It is his 28th top-10 Sprint Cup finish in 46 Cup starts at MIS and his 49th overall top-10 finish at the two-mile track.
The team remained 15th in the Sprint Cup owner points, only 146 points outside of 12th, the final position for the Chase.
The No. 8 team will return to action next week (Saturday) for the under the lights at Bristol Motor Speedway, with rookie Aric Almirola behind the wheel of the U.S. Army Chevy. Martin will return to the No. 8 car on Sept. 6 at Richmond International Raceway.
Mark Martin Post Race Notes and Quotes - 3M Performance 400 presented by Bondo
GM Racing
August 17, 2008MARK MARTIN, NO. 8 U.S. ARMY IMPALA SS -- Finished 6th
NICE RUN WITH A 6TH PLACE FINISH, IT WAS REALLY CLOSE THERE AT THE END
"Yep, it was really close. Our car liked short runs and we got a bunch of them at the end. So we did a lot better. And (crew chief) Tony (Gibson) did a lot better at the end than we did on the long runs. We got those short runs and everything worked out pretty good for us. Tony Gibson made great calls today in the pits. He was really on it.
"That was just an awesome effort by this U.S. Army Team," said Martin moments after the race. "We had a great car today and the team really did a great job on pit road. Tony made a great call to take four tires there at the end and the car really liked fresh tires today."
Martin To Make Record-Extending 72nd Start at Michigan this Weekend
Mark Martin will start his 71st and 72nd races at Michigan International Speedway this weekend - the most of any driver in the track’s esteemed history. Martin, who has raced 70 times at MIS in the Sprint Cup, Nationwide, Craftsman Truck, International Race of Champions and ASA, will race in both the Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series this weekend at the two-mile track.
“I guess the first thing that says, is that I’ve been racing quite a while,” joked Martin. “But remember, these past couple of years I’ve been able to pick my schedule and there is a reason that Michigan is on that list twice. I’ve always enjoyed racing here. It’s a big race track with long straight-aways and plenty of room to pass.
“We’ve had a lot of success here,” continued Martin. “It’s a place where if you get your car set up just right, you are going to have a lot of fun and we’ve had a lot of fun here. Hopefully we’ll have a little more fun here this weekend.”
In addition to his 70 starts at MIS, Martin has experienced his share of success, winning races in four different series at Michigan. To date, Martin boasts a combined eight wins at MIS (four Sprint Cup, two Nationwide, one IROC and one ASA).
Mark Martin NASCAR Sprint Race Preview - 3M Performance 400 presented by Bondo
DEI
August 13, 2008MARTIN BACK IN THE NO. 8 U.S. ARMY CAR AT MICHIGAN
After taking a week off from Sprint Cup racing, Mark Martin will step back into the No. 8 U.S. Army/DEI Chevrolet this weekend when he makes his 46th career Cup start at Michigan International Speedway. Martin, who had a dominant car and led a race-high 55 laps two weeks ago at Pocono, will be looking for his fifth Cup win at the 2-mile track.
MARK MARTIN AT MICHIGAN
Starts: 45 (22)
Wins: 4 (3)
Top 5's: 16 (10)
Top 10's: 27 (14)
Poles: 1 (1)
Highest finish: 1st (4 times)
First time: 6/20/82 (33rd)
Last year: 8/21/07 (42nd)
Last time: 6/15/08 (25th)WORTHY NOTE
Martin has four wins at Michigan in the Cup car, two more in the Nationwide Series and one in the IROC Series.
MARTIN AT MICHIGAN
This will be Martin's 46th run at MIS, where he boasts four wins, 16 top fives, 27 top 10s and a pole. Martin has finished inside the top 10 in seven of his last 14 races at Michigan. He has four wins at MIS, where he first won on Aug. 19, 1990. Martin has won three more times at MIS, with the last trip to Victory Lane coming on June 14, 1998. Martin ran out of fuel late at Michigan in June, being forced to settle for a 25th-place finish in what looked to be a sure top-five run.
DRY SPELL AT MICHIGAN
In addition to his 25th-place finish there in June, Martin finished 29th and 42nd at Michigan in 2007. The 42nd-place finish - due to engine issues - was Martin's worst in 44 starts at the 2-mile track. In addition, last year's 34.5 average finish at Michigan in 2007 is Martin's worst ever in 25 years of racing at MIS. Last season was only the second time since 1988 that Martin has failed to post a top-10 finish at MIS. Martin has now finished 25th or worse in his last three races at Michigan and in four of the last five; his worst streak there since 1983.
THE WINNER
Martin has taken seven trips to victory lane at MIS. In addition to his four wins in the Sprint Cup Series, he boasts two Nationwide wins and a win in the International Race of Champions Series. Also, three of Martin's four wins at Michigan came in the fall race.
DOUBLE DUTY
In addition to Sunday's Sprint Cup race, Martin will race in Saturday's Nationwide race, driving the No. 5 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. It will be Martin's 11th Nationwide race at Michigan, where he has seven top-fives, eight top-10s and two wins.
QUOTING MARK ON MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
"Michigan is one of my favorite tracks on the circuit. It's big and wide and you can really pass there. If you are able to get your car set up right, you can do a lot of passing and have a whole lot of fun there. We were pretty good there in the spring race, but came up short on the fuel mileage at the end. It cost us a certain top-five finish. We should be able to take what we learned back there and have another strong run. Hopefully this time we won't get burned on the fuel mileage.
"We had a great car at Pocono and a rocket ship at Indy, so this team is really building momentum. We are getting really close to winning a race, and these guys on this No. 8 U.S. Army Team really deserve it. They have worked so hard and they give me great cars to drive each weekend. They are the best on pit road and if we can keep coming to the track with these types of race cars, I think we will have a good chance at winning one or two of these races.
MARK MARTIN - FAST FACTS AT MICHIGAN
Martin's 27 top-10 finishes at Michigan are the most of any driver.
Martin's 16 top-five finishes at Michigan are the most of any active driver.
Martin has four wins at Michigan in the Cup car, the third most of any active driver.
Martin has led 22 races at Michigan for a total of 851 laps.
Martin has finished in the top 10 in seven of his last 15 races at Michigan.
Martin has finished in the top five in four of his last eight Cup starts at MIS.
Martin boasts two Nationwide and an IROC win at Michigan.
The No. 8 DEI Team is currently 15th in the Sprint Cup Owner points.
MARK MARTIN - LAST YEAR AT MICHIGAN
August 21, 2007
Started 10th, Finished 42ndOne of the longest NASCAR weekends in series history culminated in a frustrating ending for Mark Martin and the No. 01 U.S. Army Race Team. Running in 16th position just prior to the half-way point, Martin’s U.S. Army Chevrolet began to smoke heavily, bringing out the third caution of the race.
Martin and the team were forced to take the car behind the wall, eventually repairing a broken rear seal in the engine. The repairs were extensive and took several laps, before Martin was able to go back out for a handful of laps, before finally losing the engine on lap 170.
In a race that was delayed two full days for rainfall, Martin started 10th based on Friday’s qualifying effort. With the race conditions much different than they were for the final practice on Saturday, Martin started the race ‘tight’. The team made adjustments to loosen the cars handling on lap 31.
With the car too loose in the corners, Martin fell back as far as 17th, before the car’s handling started to come around. He moved back to 15th by lap 73, before having to go behind the wall on lap 88 to attempt repairs.
Mark Martin NASCAR Nationwide Race Preview - Carfax 250
DEI
August 13, 2008MARTIN AT MICHIGAN
In 10 NASCAR Nationwide Series starts at Michigan International Speedway, Mark Martin has recorded two wins, one pole position, seven top-five finishes and eight top-10s. He has led a total of 134 laps, has an average start of 10.7 and an average finish of 5.2. Martin will drive the No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet in Saturday's Nationwide Series event.
STATS AT MICHIGAN
Martin has the best pre-race Michigan driver rating (110.0) of anyone running in Saturday's Nationwide Series event. He owns an average running position of 6.7 at the track and has run 92.9 percent of his laps in the top 15 in his last two races there.
IN THE SERIES
Martin, who ran his first full Nationwide season in 1987, is the winningest driver in series history with 48 wins. In 227 races, Martin also has recorded 30 poles, 108 top-five finishes and 145 top-10s. His average start is 10th, and his average finish is 12.4. In a 2006 NASCAR poll of both fans and media, Martin ranked No. 1 among the "25 Greatest NASCAR Nationwide Series Drivers." Martin made his debut in the series on Aug. 13, 1982.
JR MOTORSPORTS WINS
Martin gave JR Motorsports its first win after leading 81 laps in the No. 5 Chevrolet at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 1. The organization recorded its second win June 7 with driver Brad Keselowski at Nashville, Tenn., and its third when Ron Fellows drove the No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevy to Victory Lane at Montreal in July.
NATIONWIDE SERIES LINEUP
This weekend marks the third of five times in 2008 that Martin will pilot the No. 5 JR Motorsports Chevrolet. Martin's next race will be Sept. 27 in the No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet at Kansas Speedway. Martin also will drive the No. 5 Chevy at Texas Motor Speedway on Nov. 1.
JR MOTORSPORTS CHASSIS
Crew chief Cam Strader has chosen JR Motorsports Chassis No. 473 for this weekend's Nationwide Series race at Michigan. Martin won with the car at Las Vegas in March. In May, Dale Earnhardt Jr. started 10th with the car as the No. 83 Chevrolet at Lowe's Motor Speedway and finished fourth. Rookie Landon Cassill drove Chassis 473 as the No. 5 Chevy at Chicagoland in July and finished 10th.
UP NEXT FOR THE NO. 5
Cassill will pilot the No. 5 National Guard Chevrolet on Aug. 22 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. Cassill, 19, now sits first in the Nationwide Series Raybestos Rookie of the Year point standings, four points ahead of Bryan Clauson.
QUOTING MARK MARTIN - DRIVER OF THE NO. 5 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET
DRIVING IN THE NATIONWIDE SERIES FOR 20 YEARS
"I've been racing in the Nationwide Series for a long time now, and I've had a lot of fun racing in that series. I've had some great battles, I've driven some really good race cars, and we've had a lot of success. There has always been a lot of great competition, and there still is today. In fact, the competition level has gone up in the last 20 years. There are more Cup teams involved now than back then. But I still like the series, and I love racing the car at Michigan. We've had some really strong runs in that No. 5 car, and I'm definitely looking forward to getting back in the car this weekend."
ON HIS SUCCESS AT MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
“It's just my kind of racetrack. It's big and wide, and you can really pass there. If you have your car set up just right, you can have a whole lot of fun racing at Michigan. Hopefully, we'll have one of those types of days this weekend."
QUOTING CAM STRADER, CREW CHIEF OF THE NO. 5 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET
WORKING WITH DIFFERENT DRIVERS EACH WEEK IN THE NO. 5 CHEVY
"The biggest challenge has been learning the way each driver communicates with what he needs in the car. You also have to try and understand their personalities on top of having to learn my new role as crew chief. The benefit with the experienced drivers is that they can help me make decisions with our changes. They know exactly what they are looking for in the car."
WHAT HE'S LEARNED SO FAR AND HIS EXCITEMENT TO WORK WITH MARTIN THIS WEEKEND
"I have learned so much since I have taken on this role. What changes to make, how big of a change to make, race strategy and how to read drivers' comments. I am very excited to have Mark in the car this weekend. He was a hero of mine growing up, and I am very honored to be his crew chief at Michigan. Mark knows exactly what he wants the car to do and is a big help in making decisions with the changes."
Mark Martin in Dale Jr.'s car at Michigan
Rotoworld.com
August 13, 2008Mark Martin is on the entry list for Saturday's Nationwide Series race behind the wheel of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s #5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet.
In 10 NASCAR Nationwide Series starts at Michigan International Speedway, Mark Martin has recorded two wins, one pole position, seven top-five finishes and eight top 10s. He has led a total of 134 laps, has an average start of 10.7 and an average finish of 5.2. Martin gave JR Motorsports its first win after leading 81 laps in the No. 5 Chevrolet at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 1. He will drive the same chassis in Saturday's race.
Michigan A Favorite On Martin’s Limited Series Schedule - Carfax 250
PaddockTalk.com
August 13, 2008Coming in cold doesn’t really faze Mark Martin. It’s sort of become a trademark of the all-time wins leader in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.
Martin has taken a three-month hiatus from the series, but don’t expect much rust. He’s made a living at running part-time in the series and still being able to snag wins. Take 1993, for instance. Martin won seven times while only running 14 of the 28 races that year.
This weekend, he looks to make it 2-3 (he won at Las Vegas Motor Speedway). The statistics suggest it’s a possibility. Martin has the top pre-race Michigan Driver Rating of anyone running in Saturday’s race: 110.0. Along with that mark, Martin has an Average Running Position of 6.7, 11 Fastest Laps Run and a Laps in the Top 15 percentage of 92.9% in his last two Michigan races.
NASCAR Drivers Stewart And Martin Named Drivers Named Drivers Of The Decade
Watkins Glen InternationalWatkins Glen, NY (August 8, 2008) -- Prior to the scheduled time for qualifying for the Centurion Boats at The Glen, Watkins Glen International honored two of NASCAR's greatest racers. Mark Martin and Tony Stewart were each named as a Driver of the Decade and inducted into The Legends of The Glen during a press conference held in the media center this afternoon. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stars have etched their names in WGI history with a combined stat line of 7 wins, 19 Top 5's, and 23 Top 10's.
"Over our 60 year history some great racers have competed at The Glen and we are proud to recognize Mark Martin and Tony Stewart as a part of that elite class," said Craig Rust, president of Watkins Glen International. "To induct these two drivers into the 'Drivers of the Decade' exemplifies how competitive NASCAR drivers are on our historic road course. We are honored to have them join the inaugural class of the Legends of The Glen."
Stewart had one of the most dominating ten year runs of all-time from 1998 to 2007. He scored four wins over six years and captured a total of eight Top 10 finishes. Stewart used his victory in 2004 to help propel him to his second career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship. In 2005, he become the third driver to win two consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at The Glen, but this time it came from the pole. Stewart seemed to have a great appreciation for the prestige that goes along with being named Driver of the Decade along with legends such as Al Holbert, Sir Jackie Stewart, and Graham Hill.
"It's an extremely huge honor, especially when you look at the other drivers on the list and see the names of Jackie Stewart and Mark Martin," said Stewart. "No matter what kind of car you bring here, Watkins Glen is one of those places that you have fun at. I'm almost speechless. It's a huge honor to be in the same categories as those other guys."
Mark Martin was undoubtedly the man to beat at Watkins Glen International during the 1988-1997 time periods. During that ten-year span, Martin scored an incredible nine Top-5 finishes. Martin not only had three consecutive wins from 1993-1995, but all three of those wins came from the pole. Martin's only result outside the top ten during that decade was a 28th place finish, which he achieved during his debut at Watkins Glen International in 1988. Martin was unable to accept the award in person this weekend, but recorded a message to be shared with fans via the Sprint Vision Screen during the pre-race ceremony for Sunday's Centurion Boats at the Glen. In the recorded message, Martin discusses his experiences at The Glen and what the Driver of the Decade award means to him.
"Being selected Driver of the Decade at Watkins Glen is a real special honor for me, "said Martin. “I've had some of the greatest times of my life at Watkins Glen."
Tickets for the historic 60th Anniversary of racing in Watkins Glen are on-sale now! The action continues at Watkins Glen International, this weekend when the stars and cars of NASCAR take to the track. The Centurion Boats at The Glen NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race will be on Sunday, August 10 at 2:00 PM, and Zippo 200 NASCAR Nationwide Series event will be on Saturday, August 9 at 3:00 PM. Both races will broadcast live on TV. Don't miss the return of the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series during tonight's Crown Royal 200 at The Glen starting after Sprint Cup qualifying at 6:00 PM. Tickets are going fast! For more information and ticket orders, please contact the Watkins Glen International ticket office at 866-461-RACE or log on to the official website at www.TheGlen.com.
Mark Martin Post Race Notes and Quotes - Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500
GM Racing
August 3, 2008MARK MARTIN, NO. 8 STEAK-UMM BURGERS IMPALA SS, FINISHED 8TH
YOU HAD A GREAT RACE CAR TODAY!
"That was an awesome car. I hate for these guys but I told them to be proud of what we did do. Don't be disappointed about what we didn't do. We did some great things today, I am proud. I appreciate them letting me drive the car. I just want to thank everybody at DEI and this whole No. 8 team for letting me drive their car. That is what life is all about right there. I know that they are disappointed.
"This car was good enough that if everything went our way, that is what we were looking for at Indy. With that kind of performance at Indy, we could have give them a run for it. Everything still has to work out in your favor. We got one of the fastest crews on pit road and I don't think we have had a disappointing pit stop all season long.
"We had a little snag or two today and that is ok. I told them to be proud of what you did do.
"Getting behind on the pit stop affected our strategy most. We were looking for a way to try and get that back, we just had to get it back. We got a long green flag at the end, we just had to do it all on the race track. We didn't get any on pit strategy, the way it fell. We just had to go battle. We finished 8th on two stops when all the cars but one ahead of us made one stop, that is pretty awesome. That is a lot of speed."
Martin Qualifies Second at Pocono
Veteran earns back-to-back outsides poles and third second-place qualifying effort of 2008
DEI
LONG POND, PA. (Aug. 1, 2008) -- For the second week in a row Mark Martin will start on the outside of the front row in second position along side the No. 48 car of Jimmie Johnson. Martin's No. 8 Steak-Umm Chevrolet turned a lap of 53.712 (167.560 mph), which was bested only by Johnson's pole effort of 53.503. The effort is Martin's third outside pole of the season and his second in as many weeks.
"I just can't say enough about Tony Gibson and this No. 8 team," said Martin. "These guys are putting me in great race cars each week and it's really showing in our qualifying efforts.
"As for the race, we qualified third here in June and we did not run quite as well in the race. We know that it will be key tomorrow that we have two productive practice sessions, and if we can build on what we have, then we may just have a car that can be competitive on Sunday."
"I also have to give a big shout out to these ECR (Earnhardt Childress Racing) engines," added Martin. "These engines have some really big power under the hood and they sure make it a lot of fun to drive these cars."
Sunday's Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 will mark Martin's 44th Sprint Cup start at Pocono Raceway, where he boasts six second-place finishes, 19 top-fives and 30 top-10 finishes, but is still looking for his first career victory.
"Well after last week I'm finished making predictions," joked Martin. "But we should have a good car and I know I'd love nothing more than to see this No. 8 team and that Steak-Umm car in victory lane on Sunday."
The qualifying effort marks the seventh time in 2008 that Martin and the No. 8 Dale Earnhardt Inc. team have started inside the top five in 16 events this season.
Mark Martin Post Qualifying Interview
Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500
GM Racing
August 1, 2008MARK MARTIN, NO. 8 STEAK-UMM BURGERS IMPALA SS (Qualified 2nd)
TALK ABOUT YOUR LAP
"It was fun. It is just great to go to the race track with this No. 8 team. Right now, we are just having a blast. I was strong in practice and we are looking forward to tomorrow's happy hour and trying to get the car a little bit better for the race. I think we improved it some from last time's qualifying (at Pocono Raceway) to this time's qualifying. We need to improve the race setup just a little bit last time versus this time. If we do that, we can try to put ourselves in position to be a contender."
LAST WEEK AT INDY, WAS YOUR CAR AS GOOD AS YOU THOUGHT IT WOULD BE WHEN YOU WERE RACING AND THIS WEEK'S CAR AS GOOD OR BETTER?
"We weren't good enough to beat the No. 48 last week. Now there is a lot of ways to win these races. You can be the fastest car out there or you can be one of the group behind the fastest car and still win. For me to have won last week I would have had to have things really go my way because the No. 48 had the fastest car. Sixty percent or 65% of the time, the fastest car wins, the other 35%-40% of the time, someone else is able to pull it off. But our car was clearly better than 11th last week. What happened was, I lost two spots on the first pit stop and I thought on the next run, I could get those back so I tore the right rear off and had to pit under the green. At that point, then I ran harder than I should have trying to make that up and had to pit under the green before the next caution. So after that, I had to run at 80% and come from 33rd to 11th. Doesn't look like much; still, I didn't totally embarrass myself. It was a pretty strong showing although the final result of the race didn't really show it.
"I will know more what I have for Sunday here tomorrow. We need to make it better than it was in race setup last time here. We improved the qualifying setup a little bit. So if we can find some things that will make the car stay strong longer in to the run, than it did last time, then we can be a contender. It is just really tough to beat the No. 48 right now. Like I said, we will do everything we can to have the fastest, best car and have all the best decisions and then we have to rely on, what, fate, or whatever. We have to rely on some other things to line up for us. I am really proud of this team. I will be careful about what I say going forward. I have great respect for how hard this stuff is. I have educated most of you guys in this room for years about being overly optimistic and I really wanted Indy to work out. It didn't, but we gave it a great go."
TALK ABOUT A 500-MILE RACE AT POCONO
"Now it seems like our longest race just about. It can certainly be a long race here. For some reason the weather seems to be brutal. That mix between humidity and temperature. There are certain things that make particular races brutal that you wouldn't necessarily see coming. It is a pretty long race.
"But, I will be honest with you. I love racing here. This is on my schedule because this is one that is upper on my list of places to go. When I was looking for races to cut off of my schedule, I couldn't bear to cut Pocono off. So we wound up with 26 races instead of 22 races. These two and a couple of others."
ARE YOU HAVING MORE FUN THAN YOU HAVE HAD AT ANY POINT IN YOUR CAREER?
"I feel like the mix is perfect right now for me. Between wonderful equipment that DEI is putting me in, the team and Tony Gibson's attitude, the opportunity to be working so closely with Aric Almirola, the schedule for a year and a half that I have had, plenty of weekend's off, yes, I am 100% rejuvenated. I really know today how much racing means to me and I would answer a lot of questions differently today than I would have a year and a half ago or two years ago about this sport. One of which would be, why would I want to go to a race if I wasn't driving.
"Well, if I couldn't drive, I would still want to be a part of a race team right now. I feel differently toward it than I did when I was so burned out from 19 years straight. I love it. This is where my friends are. This is where I belong."
ON WORKING WITH ARIC ALMIROLA
"That is all Aric and Kevin, we have a nickname for him, it is Two-Beer. He is our car chief, but he is crew chiefing Aric this weekend in the ARCA race. It is those two. To be honest with you, I have talked to Aric some after qualifying but I didn't talk to him before practice or qualifying or anything. Just an incredible talent and such a fine young man. Just to give you an example of what kind of commitment he has made, he has stood by and watched me run 3/4th of the races this year. He has been at almost every race. Listened to every conversations; watching every bit of it and was one of my two spotters last week at Indy. Don't forget that name and in ten or 15 years from now he has earned it and I am proud to be working with him."
IS THE NO. 48 TEAM HEATING UP?
"Oh man, what I saw last weekend, because I watched pretty close and what I have seen today, this weekend. The field should be very frightened of what I have seen the last two weeks out of that group. I ran that lap and Tony Gibson was telling me how awesome it was. After I ran my lap and Tony and I was talking and I said 'Man, if Jimmie can beat that, he can have it.' Well not he only beat it; he just humiliated me by 2/10ths of a second. I was pretty proud of what we accomplished and that lap we laid down out there. He just demolished it. They are looking pretty potent right now. But don't forget, somebody else could rise by Chase time."
HOW IS SITTING ON THE FRONT ROW GOING TO HELP YOU GET YOUR FIRST WIN AT POCONO?
"Clean air is very very important and for us to not stub your toe during the race or get caught in a pit strategy that places us back in the field will be very important. Completely critical is happy hour tomorrow. We have to improve the longevity of our car. It is fast, it was fast last time here, but it fell off about 10 laps in to a run. It started to fall off. We have to get the car where it stays for 30 laps instead of for 10 without giving up the sheer speed that it has, then we can be a contender and be a serious contender for the race. We don't have that yet, we have to achieve that during Happy Hour."
Mark Martin Media Visit - Pocono Raceway
GM Racing
August 1, 2008MARK MARTIN, DRIVER OF THE NO. 8 STEAK-UMM BURGER IMPALA SS, met with members of the media at Pocono Raceway and discussed the tire issue at Indianapolis, why he likes racing at Pocono, having momentum and much more.
IS YOUR CAR THE SAME AS WHEN YOU DROVE HERE IN JUNE AS FAR AS SETUP OR HAVE YOU GUYS PROGRESSED?
"We're using all the same stuff. We're starting just exactly where we left off. So we haven't really involved a lot. We did a lot of work in the beginning of the year. We came up here and tested and we felt like that was the best that we could do and we haven't come a long way since then."
ARE PEOPLE CATCHING UP TO YOU OR ARE YOU HAPPY WITH WHERE YOU ARE AT?
"I feel like we've held our ground. We have been a top-10 car pretty much all season. I don't feel like we're losing any ground. Certainly we would like to do better but if you go out and do worse because you're trying to better, I don't know if that's really doing better or not. Sometimes you've got to wait until you find something that is worthwhile before you try to implement it."
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT THE YOUNGER DRIVERS CAN DO TO HELP BUILD CONFIDENCE?
"I think solid performances. Solid performances and learning to make good decisions consistently are all ingredients to becoming a top-10 team."
ON THE ECONOMY
"It's tough times for everybody. I think everyone sees it or feels it. Most of America feels it. At the same time, I think America is very resilient. It's not the first time that there's been an economic pinch and certainly and unfortunately it probably won't be the last time."
HOW DO YOU GUYS DEAL WITH IT, IS THERE ANY DIFFERENCE TO YOU GUYS AT ALL?
"I don't think we're as affected as the average middle-class family. We see the effects. There are fewer sponsors out there, fewer endorsement deals, smaller numbers in some areas but for the most part the people that I really feel for are the middle-class."
IT SEEMS LIKE EVERYBODY IN THE PRESS MAKES A BIG DEAL ABOUT IT WHEN A DRIVER OR TEAM GETS ON A ROLL, IS THERE MOMENTUM FOR REAL AND WHAT EFFECT DOES IT HAVE ON A TEAM?
"Well, it's for real but its air. It's not something that you can pick up and hold in your hand. It is real. A one dollar part will break your momentum. It's like ridiculous sometimes when the media carries it to the point where momentum is great but you can't live and die by momentum because a dollar part breaks it. It's like any other sport or basically anything I've ever done, anything. Sometimes you get on a roll and everything goes good and you can do no wrong. Even when you do something that's wrong it turns out right for you. That's momentum."
POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE, WHAT IS THE IMPACT? DO YOU JUST FEEL LIKE YOU'RE GOING TO WIN?
"I don't know how other people feel. I've always felt really good when I was riding the wave."
WHEN YOU HAVE CONFIDENCE, HOW MUCH OF THAT TRANSFERS OVER TO THE RACE TEAM? WHEN YOU PULL OUT ONTO THE TRACK AND YOU'RE GOOD HOW MUCH DOES THEIR PREPARATION GIVE YOU CONFIDENCE?
"Confidence is very important. To me confidence is more important than momentum because a dollar part doesn't necessarily break your confidence. If a race team does not have confidence in their driver they will not over the long haul get great results. Their results will diminish as that feel good starts to deteriorate and go downhill. I've seen it over and over again in my career. There's something magic when a race team believes in a driver and when a driver believes in a race team. They'll get better results than they even should for a long period of time based on that."
WHAT WOULD YOU PREFER GOODYEAR DO IF THEY EVER HAD A QUESTION AGAIN ABOUT HOW THE TIRES AFFECT RACING?
"I don't think they had a question about the tire for Indy. I think they expected it to do the same as it has done in the past few years. I would have too. They do always favor the conservative side of the tires and I've been frustrated with the handling characteristics of the tires because they weren't a little bit more aggressive but they always try to put themselves on the safer side, the conservative side. What happened at Indy was it didn't do what it always does. Last year we went there and we had tires chord in five laps on Friday. On Saturday by the end of happy hour we could make 15 laps and then Sunday in the race we could go a fuel stop. Same thing here except Saturday was different, chorded them Friday in five laps, chorded them Saturday in seven laps and chorded them all day Sunday in seven to nine laps. They didn't expect that and nor did I. I don't blame them for anything that happened there. For some reason it didn't do what it has done in the past. The tires are a lot different than they used to be. They used to be gooey. They used to have oil in them or something in them. They were gooey, rubbery. They're powdery now. They're carbon, they make black dust. They don't put rubber down in the corners, they put black dust down in there and I'm not sure that's the same thing. Over the period of the last five or 10 years the tires just get harder and dryer and spitting off more black powder. I don't know, I kind of like the old gummy tires."
YOU'VE LED A LOT OF LAPS HERE, YOU'VE FINISHED WELL HERE BUT YOU'VE NEVER MADE IT TO VICTORY LANE, WHAT WOULD IT MEAN TO COME IN HERE THIS WEEKEND AND TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS?
"What would really be special to me is to see this No. 8 team in Victory Lane. They really, really deserve it. They're due and it would mean a lot to me to be a part of that."
WHAT ABOUT THIS TRACK, DO YOU LIKE RACING THIS TRACK?
"Remember I'm running a limited schedule so any track I'm at racing, I like. A lot of people were surprised that I chose this but I wanted to run both races here because I really like racing in Pocono."
HOW IMPORTANT TO YOU IS IT A FACTOR OF PUTTING ON A SHOW FOR THE FANS?
"Well I believe the driver's first responsibility is performance but we know to make this thing viable for the long haul there has to be a good show put on but selfishly each race team really wants to win. If you've been around this thing for a while and you got some maturity to you, you understand the show is very critical."
WILL THE NEW TESTING POLICY HELP POSSIBLY AVOID ANYTHING LIKE WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK?
"Yes, it will. I've never understood why we didn't test at Indy, the second biggest race of the year. I still don't and don't have a clue why we're going to Charlotte again for a test. If it is where we could test at Indy or some of us can or the ones that choose can whatever, that will help a ton."
ARE YOU FOLLOWING THE BRETT FAVRE SAGA, WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT? "Not really because I'm not a sports fan, just a motor sports fan. I did read one article, which is huge for me, on the situation where he didn't go to camp or whatever it was. He's kind of in a bad spot. He wants to play and it sounds to me like if he wants to play he gets to sit on the bench or nothing kind of. You know what, every decision that every human being makes is not always going to be right. I don't know for sure. Maybe he didn't make the right decision at one time that put himself in a box and I just feel sorry for him because I know that he wants to play. I wish he was able to go play. I understand that his position is filled at the Packers but maybe he would like to go play somewhere else and maybe somebody would like to have him. I wish he could."
DO YOU FEEL SOMEWHAT LUCKY THAT YOU ARE ABLE TO COME BACK AND DO WHAT YOU WANT TO DO?
"I'm lucky to be able to do what I want to do. That's why I feel for Brett. It looks to me like he's in a position where he can't really do what he wants to do and he's physically up to it. For me, I just really feel fortunate that I'm physically and mentally up to doing what I really love and I have the opportunity to do that."
ON WHY HE LIKES RACING AT POCONO
"It's just a great place to race. I love this place. I always have. I love racing here. I don't know what they're talking about when they start talking about Pocono not being at the top of their list because it's right near the top of my list of placing to go racing. The fans are awesome here. The track's awesome. I love it."
IS THE TRACK DIFFERENT FROM THE FIRST RACE TO THE SECOND RACE AND IF SO HOW?
"I don't know about this time but characteristically it's much, much looser and quite a bit different here the second race from the first race. Usually the second race is in the past used to really throw the teams for a loop. They would unload and think they were going to be good and set up like they were for the first race. It was only a month apart and yet it was like whoa what happened here. I don't know what it will be like this time."
HAVING RUN THE NEW CAR HERE ONCE, IS THERE A LITTLE BIT MORE OF A COMFORT ZONE AS YOU COME BACK HERE WITH IT NOW?
"I was pretty comfortable with it before. I don't see that as being an issue. We had a test here and we were all pretty zeroed in on what we needed with the car and I thought we had a great race."
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE TIRE ISSUE LAST WEEK? IN THE AFTERMATH WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN DONE?
"I think that everyone did the very best they could with the situation and I think that in defense of Goodyear the race track didn't do what it has always done. I wasn't concerned on Friday when we chorded tires in five laps because we did a year ago Friday in five laps. I was however extremely concerned when we chorded tires in seven laps on Saturday at the end of happy hour because last year we could make 15 by then. The race track never ever took rubber like it had the year before. At that point and time all we could do is dig in, grab hold and make the best of the situation. So I think that Goodyear got, I don't know how to word it, tricked. Something happened that it didn't react historically speaking like it had in the past. It would be very hard for them to know that. I didn't know that but I knew we were in trouble Saturday but at that point there was no fixing what we had."
ANY THEORY ABOUT WHY THAT HAPPENED THOUGH?
"I don't, but I don't know the chemistry. You know I don't know a lot of things. I do know that the race tires, in order to make them durable and whatever other reasons, I'm not a chemist, but I know that the tires are very, very what I would call, dry. They don't have hardly any oil in them. All they seem to make is black powder, black dust. Back in the day they put off gum. That gum would have gone down in those grooves in the race track and maybe would have filled them in but the black powder didn't seem to fill in the grooves in the race track and the wear just never gave up but I'm sure there was not a major difference in the chemistry of the rubber from a year ago. I don't know why it did it but Goodyear needs to be defended in that respect because they had every reason to believe that they were okay on Friday."
WHERE DOES THIS TRACK FALL IN TERMS OF TIRE WEAR COMPARED TO SOME OF THE OTHER ONES YOU RACE ON?
"This place is good. This place is good for tire wear."
DID YOU EVER HAVE ISSUES HERE?
"No, don't say that. It's good now. It's right good, it's good. We don't need to dig into the past history and different evolutions of asphalt, evolutions of tire construction and everything else.”
WILL YOU PAY MORE ATTENTION TO WATKINS GLEN NEXT WEEK EVEN THOUGH YOUR OFF BECAUSE YOU'RE GOING BACK NEXT YEAR?
"To the Glen, yeah we pay more attention to watching the race."
WILL YOU GO BECAUSE YOU'RE GOING BACK NEXT YEAR?
"No, I'm not going. I watch the races very closely anyway and actually even watched Sears Point. I watch them all but I watched Sears closely because I hadn't been out there in two years and know I'm going back. I'll watch it the same as I have. I'm a great fan and I've watched almost all of all the races that I haven't raced in."
