Mark Martin NASCAR Sprint Cup Race Preview – LifeLock.com 400
Chicagoland Speedway
Mark Qualifies 14th

ONE OF SIX: In eight NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Chicagoland Speedway, Mark Martin has earned three top-10 finishes. He has finished outside of the top 20 just once in those eight starts and has completed 99 percent of all the laps he's attempted at the track (2,136 of 2,139 total). Chicagoland is one of just six remaining active tracks where Martin has yet to reach Victory Lane.

INTERIM REPORT: At the midway point of the season, Martin owns the eighth-highest driver rating of all Sprint Cup competitors. The driver rating is based on a formula combining the following categories: wins, finishes, top-15 finishes, average running position while on the lead lap, average speed under green, fastest lap, laps led and lead-lap finish.

LAP STATS: Martin has spent 73.8 percent of the green-flag laps this season running in the top 15 (3,831 laps of 5,194 total). That ranks Martin sixth among his Cup competitors. He also has led 219 laps, which is the eighth-best. This season, Martin has maintained the ninth-best average running position (14.962).

FAST CHEVY: The CARQUEST/Kellogg's Chevrolet ranks inside the top-10 in four categories based on the car's speed. The No. 5 Chevy is the second only to points leader Tony Stewart among the fastest cars late in green-flag runs. It is also the third-fastest car in traffic and the fourth-fastest overall during green flags. Martin has scored 234 of the fastest laps run so far this season, which places him sixth overall in the Sprint Cup Series.

IF HISTORY REPEATS: After 18 races this season, Martin has earned three wins, three pole positions, four top-five finishes and eight top-10s. In the three seasons that Martin qualified for the Chase -- 2004, 2005 and 2006 -- Martin had not earned this many wins or poles by the season's midway point. Only in 2005 did he have more top-five finishes (five) and more top-10s (nine) than he does at this point in the season. In 2005, he finished fourth in the Sprint Cup standings.

THE NO. 5 TEAM: Crew chief Alan Gustafson has guided the No. 5 team in four Sprint Cup races at Chicagoland Speedway. The team earned a best finish of third in July 2006 with Gustafson at the helm.

APPROACHING MILESTONE: On Aug. 22 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, Martin will make his 1,000th career NASCAR start. That date will mark his 746th Sprint Cup start. Martin also will have competed in 231 Nationwide Series and 23 Camping World Truck Series events. He will become the third driver to achieve this mark, behind only Richard Petty and Michael Waltrip. Over all three series, Martin has won 93 points-paying events.

NOTHING BUT A NUMBER: Four drivers have earned Sprint Cup victories over the age of 50, however, only two have earned multiples. Martin's three wins rank second only to Harry Gant, who earned eight victories after his 50th birthday.

CHASE RACE: Martin and the No. 5 team are currently 13th in the Sprint Cup standings, 65 points behind 12th. WINNING CHASSIS: Gustafson has chosen Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-527 for Saturday's race at Chicagoland. Martin has driven this car twice already this season, notably reaching Victory Lane at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway in May. He also raced Chassis No. 5-527 at Auto Club Speedway in February.

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS ON FACEBOOK: Become a fan of Hendrick Motorsports on Facebook. Visit www.facebook.com/HendrickMotorsports for information on Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the rest of the organization.

MARK MARTIN, DRIVER, NO. 5 CARQUEST/KELLOGG'S CHEVROLET (ON HOW THIS SEASON COMPARES TO PAST SEASONS.): "This is the best one. Our on-track performance has been really spectacular. And that, combined with the fact that I am really, really happy just makes this an awesome year. I'm in a great frame of mind. Even though we've had an unusual amount of trouble and disappointments, I still am having a great time. The team's performance has exceeded even my expectations."

MARTIN (ON HOW HE IS HANDLING THE FULL CUP SCHEDULE.): "I'm doing OK. I am, though, looking forward to the weekend off. I'm doing well this year managing everything. The weekends off have been helpful, and I've really enjoyed them. Everyone on this team is so good to work with -- the sponsors, the crew members, everyone. It's just a great race team to be with. All of that has made the transition back to full time easy to manage. If I had any idea that it would be like this, I wouldn't have resisted at all. I had no idea it could be this fun. I wouldn't trade this for anything right now."

MARTIN (ON THE BEST SEASON OF HIS CAREER.): "The best season, statistically, was definitely 1998. We won seven races that season and won the all-star race. But even so, we still finished second in points. Jeff (Gordon) beat us by nearly 400 points. So, even though it was the best season of my career, it still wasn't enough. I had a lot of fun that year, too. I was working with a new group of guys. Everyone was pretty charged up. That season was almost as fun as this one has been."

MARTIN (ON RICK HENDRICK BEING NOMINATED TO THE NASCAR HALL OF FAME.): "Rick (Hendrick) being nominated is great. The fact that he's being acknowledged as part of the first 25 is just really incredible. There are 24 other NASCAR greats on that list with him, too. It's impressive."

ALAN GUSTAFSON, DRIVER, NO. 5 CARQUEST/KELLOGG'S CHEVROLET (ON THE TEAM'S SEASON SO FAR.): "I would probably grade this team a B-plus right now. If we could get a few races back where we had engine issues or missed opportunities, we would be in a much better points position, and I would probably give us an A-plus. But this team is as good as any team out there. I think our strength is just being solid in every aspect of racing. Whether it's handling or coming back from adversity or pit stops or having just a mechanically sound car, this team gets it done. We are sound on every one of those fronts. We may not be the best in each individual category, but I do believe we are one of the best over all the categories."

GUSTAFSON (ON THE RACE FOR THE CHASE.): "The main goal is just to secure the maximum amount of points possible. We have to look at every race as 'situational.' Every one of them will be evaluated on the fly. Sure, we're going to look at having good points days, but we can't become complacent either. We can't risk a win when the outcome could be a 32nd-place finish. But if the risk could have a fifth-place finish as the worst possible outcome, that's different. We aren't approaching races really any differently now than we were in February. There's always pressure. The main concern is the Chase right now."

GUSTAFSON (ON RICK HENDRICK BEING NOMINATED TO THE NASCAR HALL OF FAME.): "For me, he really deserves to be a first-ballot inductee. I don't think anyone would argue him being in the Hall of Fame. He's an obvious choice. Over the last 25 years, he has consistently fielded the best organization in NASCAR. Drivers have come and gone. Teams have changed. The cars have changed. But his organization has been solid through all of that. Of all the owners in the sport, he's the pinnacle. I think he really deserves it."

Mark Martin Post Race Notes and Quotes - Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola
Mark finishes 38th

MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 CARQUEST/KELLOGG'S IMPALA SS - Involved in crash with No. 17 Kenseth and No. 42 (Montoya)

"Matt (Kenseth) ran the top side there and got a run up off the corner, and I was trying to keep it down and leave us room and I just pinched him; front wheels were cut and it just didn't turn quite enough. It's really slick out there. It's my fault."

Mark Martin Media Visit – July 2, 2009
GM Racing

MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 CARQUEST/KELLOGG'S IMPALA SS met with media and discussed Jeremy Mayfield and the drug situation, his season to date, and more.

MARK, EVERY DRIVER SO FAR TODAY HAS BEEN ASKED ABOUT JEREMY MAYFIELD AND HIS SITUATION. IT SEEMS AS IF IT'S AN UNCOMFORTABLE QUESTION FOR A DRIVER TO ANSWER. DO YOU FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE?

"I'm comfortable with being on the racetrack with Jeremy Mayfield. One-hundred percent.

I feel that NASCAR needs to have the authority to say whether or not that you drive. I don't know anything about judges. I don't know anything about laws and I don't know anything about anything else, but I do believe that NASCAR needs to have the authority to make that call. And they need to be responsible with it and careful with it. I think that somebody is wrong. Either Jeremy or NASCAR is wrong, and I don't know which one, but whichever one is wrong is really hurting the other. I don't know. That is about all my thoughts on that matter."

IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU THINK JEREMY IS RIGHT IF YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE RACING WITH HIM. DO YOU HAVE A REASON TO FEEL THAT WAY?

"I'm just not concerned with being on the racetrack with Jeremy. None whatsoever. I'm not concerned with that. I feel one-hundred percent confident being on the racetrack side-by-side with Jeremy. That doesn't mean that he didn't fail. I don't know what happened. Okay? I'm just saying that if he races, I have no problem.

"I do however have a problem with NASCAR not being able to say you can't. That is a problem for our sport. They need to be the authority. They need to be able to say if you do or if you don't. They need to be responsible with it, and careful with it, but they need to have the say."

HOW HARD IS IT FOR A GUY THAT IS SITTING ON THE BUBBLE OF THE CHASE TO COME TO A PLACE LIKE DAYTONA AND WORRY ABOUT THE UNKNOWNS AND RACE SMART AND BASICALLY POINTS RACE?

"It's tough, but Daytona is not as tough as Talladega when it comes to that. You do what you do. You know, you go out here and you race and we take our lumps and we take our good days. Some days we get more than we deserve and some days we don't get what we deserve. We just go out here and do our thing and hope it turns out well."

THE FIRST HALF OF THIS SEASON HAS BEEN A DREAM RIDE SO FAR FOR YOU. YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN SO SOLID THAT YOU HAVE BUILT THIS TO WHERE YOU EXPECT TO BE A TOP-FIVE CAR OR RACE WINNING CAR EVERY WEEK. BUT YOU HAVE BEEN IN THIS SPORT SO LONG THAT YOU KNOW HOW QUICK SOMETHING LIKE THAT CAN UNRAVEL. WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL RIGHT NOW THAT YOU ARE IN THE BEST SITUATION THAT YOU HAVE EVER BEEN IN?

"Number one I think that Alan Gustafson is the one thing that makes me feel good. The car has been spectacular at all but a couple of races this year, but you know for me, I'm living a dream to be able to be a part of this team and to be a part of an elite group at Hendrick Motorsports and to be able to work with Alan and our sponsors Kellogg's and CARQUEST, Chevy and all the folks from Hendrick Motorsports. I'm just living a dream."

Mark Martin NASCAR Sprint Cup Race Preview - Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola
Daytona International Speedway
July 1, 2009

ROUND TWO: This Saturday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway marks the first return race of the season. The last time Mark Martin raced at the superspeedway, he was making his first Cup start with Hendrick Motorsports, crew chief Alan Gustafson and the No. 5 Chevrolet. Since then, the team has run 17 races together, earning three victories, three pole positions, four top-five finishes and eight top-10s.

LAST TIME AT DAYTONA: In February, Martin scored the outside pole position for the Daytona 500 and finished second in his Gatorade Duel qualifying race after leading 36 laps. In the Daytona 500, Martin led one lap, ran inside the top 15 for the majority of the race and finished 16th in the rain-shortened event.

LOOP STATISTICS: In his last nine races at Daytona, Martin has an average running position of 15.768, which ranks him 10th amongst all competitors. Martin also has the 10th-highest driver rating of 85.7.

MORE LOOP DATA: Martin has spent 62.6 percent of laps run in the past nine Daytona races inside the top 15, ranking him ninth. He has led 46 of those laps, which is the eighth-most of any competitor.

ONE OF SIX: Daytona International Speedway is one of just six remaining active tracks where Martin has yet to reach Victory Lane. In 48 starts, the NASCAR veteran has scored one pole position (July 1, 1989), nine top-five finishes and 17 top-10s at the historic track.

THE NO. 5 TEAM: Crew chief Alan Gustafson and the No. 5 team earned the runner-up finish in both the 2006 and 2007 July events. The team has led a total of 29 laps in eight races at the superspeedway.

HENDRICK AT DAYTONA: Hendrick Motorsports, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, has tallied 10 wins, 39 top-five finishes, 72 top-10s and led 1,315 laps in 50 Cup events (158 starts) at Daytona International Speedway.

HOMETOWN CREW CHIEF: Gustafson grew up in Ormond Beach, Fla., just seven miles north of Daytona International Speedway. After graduating from Seabreeze High School, he enrolled at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, which is located less than one mile east of the track. Gustafson has earned one victory at Daytona: the Nationwide Series event in July 2007.

NOTHING BUT A NUMBER: Four drivers have earned Sprint Cup victories over the age of 50, however, only two have earned multiples. Martin's three wins rank second only to Harry Gant, who earned eight victories after his 50th birthday.

IN THE TOP 12: Martin and the No. 5 team remain 11th in the Sprint Cup Series championship standings, trailing 10th place by just two points.

CHASSIS CHOICE: Gustafson has chosen Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-548 for Saturday's race at Daytona. It is a brand new chassis that never has been raced or tested.

AUTOGRAPHS: Mark Martin, driver of the No. 5 CARQUEST/Kellogg's Chevrolet, will sign autographs at the Port Orange, Fla., Wal-Mart Supercenter on Dunlawton Avenue on Wednesday at 5 p.m. local time.

SPRINT STAGE: On Friday, Martin will be a guest at the Sprint Experience outside of Turn 4 at Daytona International Speedway. Martin's question-and-answer session will begin at 3 p.m. local time.

QUOTES

MARK MARTIN, DRIVER, NO. 5 CARQUEST/KELLOGG'S CHEVROLET (ON HOW THE TEAM HAS CHANGED FROM THE SEASON OPENER AT DAYTONA UNTIL NOW.): "This race team is a lot more confident in itself than it was last time we were at Daytona. I feel like we all know each other a lot better now, having had half of a race season together. Those 17 races or so have really helped us to jell as a team. We are better prepared for situations now than we were in February. Alan (Gustafson) and I know what each other are thinking a lot better now. The way we respond to conditions and situations with the car and on track is better now having had races together. We're just an overall better prepared and more confident race team. We know what we are capable of now, and that's a good thing."

MARTIN (ON HOW HE FEELS ABOUT TRACKS WHERE HE HASN'T WON.): "I don't get frustrated with any of the tracks that I haven't won at. I look at it more on the other hand. I'm grateful for the tracks I have managed to win at. Rather than expecting to win, like I'm owed that, I feel more fortunate to have the success I have had in my career."

MARTIN (ON IF DAYTONA IS AS UNPREDICTABLE AS TALLEDEGA (ALA.) SUPERSPEEDWAY.): "Not this race. The July race at Daytona is so much different than the 500. Unlike Talladega, and more so than the 500, this race is really dependent on the car's handling. A team's ability to get its car handling well for this race can really set it apart from the competition. In this race, you're not as reliant on drafting. You have the ability to put yourself in the right place at the right time if your car is handling well. The 400, in my opinion, is better than the 500, although the 500 is the one you want to win so badly. This race really comes down to the actual racing. There's not as much pressure, and you can actually have fun and enjoy it."

ALAN GUSTAFSON, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 CARQUEST/KELLOGG'S CHEVROLET (ON IF HIS APPROACH TO DAYTONA IS DIFFERENT IN JULY.): "In July, the speedway never has as much grip as it does when we first go there in February. It's hotter outside, which makes the track slicker. Handling will be at even more of a premium for this race. We're not as concerned with speed for the July race as we are for the 500. In February, we get concerned with how to maintain speed and not sacrifice that for a better-handling car. In July we're way more concerned with the handling itself."

GUSTAFSON (ON HOW HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH MARK MARTIN HAS CHANGED SINCE THE LAST DAYTONA RACE.): "There's no replacement for on-track time when you're trying to get to know your driver. Mark and I have had that now, and we've had the chance to add more depth to our relationship. This team has gone through both successes and failures since February and I think that makes you stronger. This team, as a whole, is much stronger than it was in February."

GUSTAFSON (ON WHY THE TEAM PERFORMS BETTER IN JULY.): "The car's handling and the driver's racing ability tends to shine a little more in the July race. We have used both of those to our advantage in the past few years. Kyle (Busch) did a great job racing for this team and scored runner-up finishes twice for us. Mark is an extremely talented driver, and I don't doubt that will show Saturday night."

GUSTAFSON (ON FINISHING SECOND TWICE AT DAYTONA.): "Of course it's frustrating. This is a racetrack that I really want to win on. In 2007, we won the Nationwide race Saturday morning. We had the opportunity to be the first team to win two NASCAR races on the same day. And on the white-flag lap, we were leading. We lost that race by about four inches, if that. It was so disappointing."

The Old Man And The Wheeee!
By Selena Roberts
Sports Illustrated
June 29, 2009

Read his face: Fussy Mark Martin is winning races, chasing the elusive Cup title, and—best of all—he's enjoying the ride

The cool old dude is having a senior moment as he whips his iPhone from a belt clip and squints at its menu of Chiclets-sized apps. Mark Martin slips on his reading glasses. He continues flipping through his music downloads of such very un--Baby Boomer artists as rappers Eminem and Gucci Mane. "The really, really good stuff," he says as his wife of 25 years, Arlene, shakes her head. In her understated style she says, "He does like all types of music; I'll say that for him. But rap, now when he listens to that, we kind of have a problem."

The 50-year-old Martin smiles and adds, "I like it loud," before noticing a mellower entry on his playlist: Al Green. "He's the only love-song guy in the world that I'll listen to," says Martin, as his corrugated, 5'6", 130-pound frame—about the size, weight and body fat of a boxful of lug nuts—sinks into the couch cushions. On a plateau above Batesville, Ark., where a billboard reads HOME OF NASCAR GREAT MARK MARTIN, the object of that Ozark pride was seated last week in his spotless office suite—not a stray paperclip on the desk or tattered magazine on the coffee table—inside an airplane hangar with a shimmering concrete floor that looks as if a cat has licked it clean.

"I'm obsessive compulsive—absolutely," he concedes. "It's a challenge." Martin packs for a two-day trip 48 hours in advance. He turns down his bed at night at least an hour early because, as he explains emphatically in a flustered Southern cadence with echoes of Barney Fife, "I don't want to have to turn the darn thing down to get in it. When I'm ready to go, I like to hit it." He doesn't employ a trainer for his oft-cited fitness regimen due to one simple fact: "If I have a trainer, I have a schedule," he says. "What if I wake up at 6 a.m. and want to work out but the session isn't until 7 a.m.?" He refuses to install trendy landscape lighting to illuminate the palms at his home in Daytona Beach, because he had it once—and once was enough. "I came home from a race at 2:30 a.m. and I saw a bulb burned out," he recalls. "So I went out there in the garage, got a bulb and changed it at 3 a.m. I don't like things not to work. I don't like things that break. It drives me crazy if it does."

But tires blow, engines fail and fenders bend all the time in a NASCAR race. What kind of control freak would choose a profession of high-speed unpredictability for 27 years? And yet Martin, the Mick Jagger of NASCAR—the oldest series driver still rockin' on the asphalt stage, he has three victories this season and was 11th in the points standings after Sunday's Toyota/Savemart 350 in Sonoma, Calif.—has not only managed the chaos with remarkable success, but for the first time in his career, he is enjoying it too.

He remains uncomfortable with unbridled jubilation—he is conditioned to steel himself against disappointment, hard-wired to reserve emotion—but there is a bubble to Mark Martin these days. And it's not gas. He is still the embraceable crank, telling you, "I'm not fun," even if he is, but the stress of expectations that had freighted Martin as the best driver never to win a Cup championship, the career ambivalence he experienced as he grieved his father's death in 1998 without missing a race, and the acute misery as racing became a grind from 2003 through '06 has vanished. "I'm done with the negativity," he promises. He found a fresh perspective while driving only part-time in 2007 and '08. "You just exhale at first," he says, "but by '08, the weekend would roll around and it was like, O.K., what do I love to do? Well, I kind of like racin'—if it's a fast car. If it's not, racin' stinks."

Rick Hendrick delivered sweet nectar in a Chevy. As the owner of NASCAR's dynastic Hendrick Motorsports, he offered Martin a chance to drive the number 5 car on a dream team with Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. There was one catch: Martin had to drive full-time. He had promised Arlene he wouldn't return to the angst that had made him sour company for the past decade. But after much discussion, she consented. A few weeks ago Martin came home from a day at the shop, and Arlene teased him, saying, "Look at you, you're always smiling." Martin had never before experienced driving as a joyride.

Mark was a three-year-old sitting on his father's lap when the charismatic but volatile Julian Martin ordered his son, "Take the wheel or we'll wreck," as they were speeding along a dirt road. That's how Mark learned to drive: white-knuckled. He developed into an expert at handling fear, becoming a teen sensation on the American Speed Association series in the late-1970s. By 1981, Martin had debuted as a NASCAR owner-driver. By '83, he was winless and broke, forced to face what he describes as failure and humiliation when he auctioned off his last hand tool to pay his debts. "Everything I'd driven, I'd won," he recalls. "I thought I was pretty hot. I didn't think I was so hot after I tumbled. And never have since. And still don't today."

Martin's self-protective reflex is to remain relentlessly self-critical about his work—a da Vinci in a fire suit wondering if he got Mona Lisa's smile just right—even when he drives a race universally lauded. He won at Michigan on June 14 after Johnson and Greg Biffle, racing just ahead of him, ran out of gas on the final laps. Martin was also running dry, but with a smart fuel-conserving approach, he had enough fumes to coast across the line to victory. A display of wits, by all accounts. "Think I knew I was going to run out 500 feet before the start-finish line?" he counters. "I could say that. I had no idea." No one else at Hendrick Motorsports would think of dismissing Martin's guile. "He absolutely won that race," says Gordon. "It's so typical of Mark. We all know he's not the most optimistic guy in the world. But it doesn't slow him down." Heat doesn't get under his weathered skin, either. Halfway through the race at Michigan, Martin shut off the cooling system for his suit because of battery trouble. "I've seen guys get out of the car after that and you'd have to wring them out," Hendrick says. "Mark could've run another race. Look around at all the sports. How many guys his age can compete with the best and youngest? He is a phenomenon."

Fitness is Martin's anti-aging method. In 21 years of training, he has never missed a workout day. Holidays? "No, that's ridiculous," he says. Aching days? "Tough stuff," he snaps. His 6% body fat is the product of daily 90-minute workouts, plus a diet only a touch more appetizing than Little Miss Muffet's curds and whey: strictly whole grain and low fat. He can count splurges on one hand. In the past year he has eaten fried food once (a few bites of crispy calamari as a treat); and the night after winning at Michigan, he ate a sliver of pound cake ("Couldn't resist, but I felt it the next day," he says). This health kick is not so much an obsession as it is an alternative to another addiction. "It's better than alcohol," Martin says. "I did that."

There is no one Martin has revered more than his father—"my superhero," he says—but he also understood Julian Martin's flaws. Mark witnessed how alcohol exaggerated his father's naturally hot temper. Julian would pull a phone out of the wall—or rip a watch off his wrist—and smash it with a hammer. Mark thirsted for self-control. He stopped drinking 20 years ago. "I said I would never be like my dad, and I was well on my way," he recalls. Discipline over mind and body is Martin's gift. But steer the conversation to the obvious—old man Martin is outworking all those young guns with soft buns—and Martin grabs the wheel. "I refuse to go where you're trying to take it—that I'm kicking everyone's ass because of my [fitness]," says Martin, who also obsesses over every pre- and postrace detail. "Here's my point: The fact that I am willing to commit to the workouts just might mean I'm willing to do other things that someone else might not too."

Any still photo of Martin is at risk of coming out blurred. He fidgets and jiggles his foot through a two-hour conversation in his Batesville office. He wears dark jeans, blue-suede Adidas sneakers, a polo shirt and his iPhone—a hip look—but he doesn't try to hide his age. He embraces 50. His face is marked by deep lines that seem like a road map of where he has been and where he is going. He has placed second in the championship series four times, including a 26-point loss to Dale Earnhardt Sr. in 1990, an excruciating ending. Martin had been penalized 46 points that season for a minor mechanical violation. He was screwed, racing fans say. "I'm not going there," he says. "It didn't bother me because I thought there would be more [points titles]." It's not over, yet. It may take him an extra split second to react in a race, but his solutions to the situation are keener. He may have difficulty seeing the gauges on his dash without glasses, but he has an answer for that too. "I got a marker where 210 [mph] is, and then I know," he says. "I just make it easy. I'm working with it, you see?"

He is happy. Can't you see that?

A Long, Hard Run:

From Sports Illustrated article above...

In 27 years of Cup racing, Mark Martin has won 38 races – and steered his way through plenty of highs and lows.

1981 – At 22, makes his Cup debut at North Wilkesboro, N.C. placing 27th; in five races, his best finish is third.

1989 – In his third full-time season, driving for owner Jack Roush, he wins his first Cup race - in his 113th start.

1990 – Ends up second in the Cup standings, 26 points behind Dale Earnhardt – the first of four such runner-up finishes.

2003 – At 44, endures his worst points finish (17th) in his 20 full seasons, winding up winless with seven DNF’s.

Mark Martin NASCAR Sprint Cup Race Preview – Lenox Industrial Tools 301
New Hampshire International Speedway
June 24, 2009

ONE OF SIX: Mark Martin has taken runner-up honors three times at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, but has yet to reach Victory Lane there. The 1.058-mile track is one of just six active venues where Martin has not posted a win in his 27-year NASCAR career.

GREAT DEBUT: In his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start at NHMS, Martin earned the pole position and led 29 laps before finishing second to long-time racing friend Rusty Wallace. In his 24 Cup starts at the Loudon, N.H., racetrack, Martin has two pole positions, eight top-five finishes and 13 top-10s. He has completed all but 19 laps he's attempted at NHMS in his career.

LOOP STATISTICS: Martin, who hasn't competed at NHMS since 2006, ranks inside the top 10 in two loop statistic categories. Martin has the ninth-highest average running position (12.628) and the 10th-highest driver rating (92.1).

THE NO. 5 TEAM: Crew chief Alan Gustafson led the No. 5 Chevy crew to Hendrick Motorsports' most recent win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 16, 2006. The team qualified fourth and led 107 laps en route to the win. In its eight NHMS starts under Gustafson, the No. 5 Chevrolet has posted 229 laps led, three top-five finishes and four top-10s, including a seventh-place result in this race last year.

NOTHING BUT A NUMBER: Four drivers have earned Sprint Cup victories over the age of 50, however, only two have earned multiples. Martin's three wins this season rank second only to Harry Gant, who earned eight victories after his 50th birthday.

IN THE TOP 12: Martin and the No. 5 team remain in the top 12 in the Sprint Cup standings. Martin is ranked 11th, 12 points ahead of 13th.

CHASSIS CHOICE: Gustafson has chosen Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-538 for Sunday's race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. This is the same car that Martin drove to Victory Lane at Phoenix International Raceway in April.

HENDRICK AT NEW HAMPSHIRE: In 28 Cup events (98 starts) at New Hampshire, Hendrick Motorsports has scored six wins, 26 top-five finishes and 42 top-10s. The organization has recorded at least one top-five finish in 18 of these events and posted a top-10 result in all but two.

MARK MARTIN, DRIVER, NO. 5 CARQUEST/KELLOGG'S CHEVROLET (ON WHY HE HASN'T COMPETED AT NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY IN TWO YEARS.): "It just wasn't one of the races at the top of my list to do. When I was looking at scaling back (in 2007 and 2008), that was one of the places that was not up there to keep on my schedule. I've had some good runs at New Hampshire. It's just a big short track. Definitely with the way our cars have been at Phoenix and Martinsville (Va.) and Richmond (Va.), we should be good. I wish I was already up there."

MARTIN (ON THE SIMILARITIES, IF ANY, BETWEEN NEW HAMPSHIRE AND PHOENIX.): "I think some of the stuff from Phoenix does transfer. Then, some of the team's knowledge from the last two years at short tracks will definitely transfer, too. We'll use a little of what we know from Martinsville as well. You kinda mix all of that stuff up and put it all together. Add in the past two years with this car at New Hampshire with our performances at Martinsville and Phoenix -- we should start really close off the truck on Friday. New Hampshire is one of the final tracks we go to that we haven't been at yet, but I think we'll be close based on our performances at other short tracks so far this year."

ALAN GUSTAFSON, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 CARQUEST/KELLOGG'S CHEVROLET (ON HIS 2006 VICTORY AT NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY.): "That was a really good day for this race team. We had a very strong Chevrolet. We qualified up front and stayed up front all day long. We led a lot of laps. We made our last stop with about 80 laps to go. We led the entire last run and at the end the caution came out creating a green-white-checkered finish. Instead of red-flagging or going green, NASCAR kept running caution laps. That made us really close on gas, but we had enough to make it."

Mark Martin NASAR Sprint Cup Race Preview - Toyota/Save Mart 350
June 17, 2009

ANOTHER WIN: Mark Martin earned his third victory of the 2009 season last Sunday at Michigan International Speedway. Martin conserved fuel throughout the last 43 laps of the race to make it to the finish. It was his 38th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory.

INFINEON VICTOR: Martin, who has competed in 18 Sprint Cup races at Infineon Raceway, earned his sole victory at the Sonoma, Calif., road course in 1997. Martin started from the pole position and led all but five laps before taking the checkered flag.

LAW OF AVERAGES: Martin averages a 9.3 starting and a 10.1 finishing position at Infineon Raceway. He has earned seven top-five finishes and 13 top-10s in 18 starts at the 1.99-mile road course. The only active track where he holds a better average finish is Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International, where he has a 6.9 average finish.

TOTAL ROAD COURSE EXPERIENCE: In his 27-year Sprint Cup career, Martin has competed in a total of 41 road course events -- 18 at Infineon, 19 at Watkins Glen and four at now-defunct Riverside (Calif.) International Raceway. In those 41 starts, he has earned four victories, scoring each one from the pole position. He also has recorded a combined 20 top-five finishes and 32 top-10s. He has led a total of 365 laps, which is nearly 10 percent of all laps he's completed at road courses in his career.

LOOP STATISTICS: Although Martin hasn't competed at Infineon Raceway since 2006, he still has the 10th-highest score of all Sprint Cup competitors in the past four years at the road course. Martin has the 10th-highest driver rating over the past four years, and he holds an average finish of 12.609 in his past two races, which ranks him sixth overall.

THE NO. 5 TEAM: Under the direction of crew chief Alan Gustafson, the No. 5 team has competed in four Sprint Cup races at Infineon Raceway, earning a best finish of fifth last year. Between Infineon and Watkins Glen, the team has competed in eight road course races with Gustafson at the helm, earning one top-five finish and three top-10s.

HIGH FIVE: From 1990-1992, Ricky Rudd scored three straight pole positions at Infineon Raceway while driving the No. 5 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. Rudd recorded a total of four poles at the 1.99-mile road course, and he is the only driver to post a pole three-peat at the track. Jeff Gordon, meanwhile, is the only driver to have won Sonoma three times from the pole position (1998, 1999 and 2004). Gordon also owns the track record for total pole positions with five.

IN THE TOP-12: With Sunday's win at Michigan, Martin and the No. 5 team moved from 13th to eighth in the Sprint Cup championship standings. Martin is currently 61 points ahead of 13th place.

CHASSIS CHOICE: Gustafson has chosen Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-512 for Sunday's race at Infineon Raceway. This chassis has not been raced, but was tested earlier this month at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Ga.

HENDRICK AT SONOMA: Gordon has accounted for all five of Hendrick Motorsports' wins at Sonoma. Hendrick Motorsports, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this season, has 22 top-five finishes and 31 top-10s in 20 Cup events (66 starts) at the California road course.

QUOTES

MARK MARTIN, DRIVER, NO. 5 CARQUEST/KELLOGG'S CHEVROLET (ON HIS OVERALL FEELINGS OF ROAD COURSE RACING.): "It's another race. I think that race course out there (Infineon Raceway) is difficult for all the traditional oval racers. It's a very demanding course, and it's a very demanding race. I haven't raced out there since 2006, but that's not really an issue. It's a fact, but at the end of the day, it all comes down to the car and talent, not so much practice."

MARTIN (ON HOW DOUBLE-FILE RESTARTS WILL WORK AT THE ROAD COURSE.): "Oh, man. If the fans like spins and unexpected twists and turns in these things, I think they're in for it. From a competitor's standpoint, I don't think it's going to work that well (LAUGHS). We generally only do double-file restarts during that race one time, and that's the start of the race when the intensity level is much lower and it's still a challenge to get up the hill side-by-side. Trying to do it with increased intensity as the race wears on is going to make for increased difficulty for all of us to get through there cleanly. I think there will be some winners in that, but I think there's going to be some losers in that, too."

MARTIN (ON WHETHER FUEL WILL PLAY A ROLE AT SONOMA.): "It's almost a given that fuel will be an issue to some degree at Infineon based on the nature of road course racing. You can save, but you also have other obstacles, and some cars just inherently get better gas mileage than others. If you have one that inherently gets better gas mileage and you save, you're going to go farther than the guy who does everything he can but doesn't have the same kind of fuel economy. It's racing. From time to time you have races that go that way. We've had two races in a row where it's been an issue, and then we go to Infineon where everybody expects it to play some kind of factor."

ALAN GUSTAFSON, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 CARQUEST/KELLOGG'S CHEVROLET (ON WHAT CHANGES THE MOST FROM SETTING A CAR UP FOR AN OVAL TRACK TO A ROAD COURSE TRACK.): "For an oval track race, we maximize our weights, suspensions and springs to turn one direction -- left. On a road course, you can't do that. You've got to turn right and left, so we have to compromise those corners. We adjust our suspension settings and our weight distribution to try to get the best compromise we can for left- and right-hand corners. Brakes are obviously a very big deal. We'll focus on those. Shifting is something that we only do on road courses now, so the transmission and gear ratios are very important. We'll maximize all of those things that we don't normally look into for an oval track race."

GUSTAFSON (ON WHAT THE KEY DIFFERENCES ARE IN AN OVAL CAR VERSUS A ROAD COURSE CAR.): "The biggest difference is in the front camber. The tops of both front tires are leaned in on a road course car. For an oval track, the left side is leaned out and the right side is leaned in because of only turning in one direction. That's about the only major difference than you can visibly see when looking at the car."

GUSTAFSON (ON TESTING AT ROAD ATLANTA WITH MARTIN.): "The test went really well. There's no place like Sonoma, so you can't be that track-specific. But for what we were trying to accomplish -- brakes, driver comfort and transmission feel -- that all went really well."

GUSTAFSON (ON THE MAIN DIFFERENCES BETWEEN INFINEON RACEWAY AND WATKINS GLEN.): "Watkins Glen (N.Y.) is kind of like the superspeedway of road courses. You carry a lot of speed there. There aren't a lot of slow corners. It's very fast. Infineon is not as fast. It has really tight corners. The surface is pretty slick, and it's hard to get a grip on."

GUSTAFSON (ON WINNING AT MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY LAST SUNDAY.): "We knew we had a really good car Saturday in practice, so we were in a good position to contend for a win. The race was really fast. Very few cautions. Everyone got spread out really quick. We had to drive up through there, which took longer than I would have liked it to. We really didn't get to the front of the pack until the last restart, which is when we had to conserve fuel. We never got to race the leaders like I wanted to. We had a great car, but we had to be conservative. It was a big win for us. The last few weeks we kind of hit a rough patch, so this was very important. We struggled with fuel mileage at Pocono, and we knew we wanted to focus on doing a better job in Michigan. We did that, and it turned out well. I'm really glad that Chevrolets, the fastest cars, got the best fuel mileage."

GUSTAFSON (ON THE TEAM'S POSITION IN THE STANDINGS.): "We're in a better position this week than last week. We still have a long way to go, though. We've got to get in a better position than we are. You have to be able to leave yourself some leeway to have a bad race. We need to continue to run strong and get into the top five before Richmond. I don't want to go into that race having to make the Chase. We've got time to do it; we've just got to be real consistent and solid."

Mark Martin Toyota/Save Mart 350 Teleconference
Infineon Raceway
June 16, 2009

Mark Martin (Driver of the No. 5 CARQUEST/Kellogg's Chevrolet)

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Mark Martin took part in a teleconference today with Northern California media members in advance of the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway, June 19-21 (Father's Day weekend).

You've had a great season thus far, including last weekend's win in Michigan. With your past success at Infineon Raceway, can you talk about coming out to the road course in Sonoma?

MM: Yeah, I've had great runs out there and really good road-course cars, and it's a place that I have a lot of memories. My first time out there (in 1989), we made a pit stop and I think it was for gas only, and when I left, I turned to go up the hill and the right rear tire flew off and I spun and turned over. I didn't know if I did that or what, but we weren't changing tires and it turns out the guy ran out and took off all the nuts off the right-rear tire like he was going to change it. We had some great battles with Dale Earnhardt and some others. Lots of good times out there.

I know you're into physical fitness. How does that play out coming to Infineon Raceway, being that it's such a tough, physical course?

MM: Well, I mean, I don't know. It can be hot out there, and it's a little bit of a physical race, but all of our races are incredibly demanding in one way or another. We're racing every week and I prepare every day, like tomorrow's the big day, and I look forward to it. I've had great race cars this year. I haven't been on a road course in three years, so this is going to be fun.

Can you talk about the double-file restarts and how that might work at Infineon Raceway? Is it going to be a challenge going into Turn 1?

MM: Oh man, yeah. If the fans like spins and unexpected twists and turns in these things, I think they're in for it. From a competitor's standpoint I don't think it's going to work that well. We only do that once a race and that's the start of the race when the intensity level is much lower, and it's still a challenge to get up the hill side-by-side, so trying to do it with increased intensity as the race wears on is going to make for increased difficulty for all of us to get through there cleanly. I think there will be some winners in that, but I think there will be some big losers in that, that's my expectation.

The end of last weekend's race was pretty exciting. Did you save fuel? How come you had enough fuel and others didn't?

MM: It all comes down to the last run. Everybody pitted at the same time and filled up there at the end for the last run, and it was pretty much outside of everyone's practical fuel window, so almost everyone had to try to save some fuel some way. Yes, I saved a lot of fuel because I wasn't in the position to take a chance on running out and I got really lucky. I balanced it just right. I ran out 500 feet before the start/finish line with a two-second lead, so the other guys had gone just a little faster and ran out shorter than that and it didn't work out for them. We had a great car that enabled us to be able to soft pedal it more than you're usually able if you only have an average-handling car.

How does fuel mileage play into a race at Infineon Raceway? Is it more challenging to save fuel on a road course?

MM: No, not really. I think it's almost a given that fuel will be an issue to some degree at Infineon Raceway based on the nature of road-course racing. So, you can save, but you also have other obstacles, which some cars just inherently get better gas mileage than others, so if you have one that inherently gets better gas mileage and you save, than you're going to go a lot farther than the guy who does everything he can but doesn't have the same fuel economy. It's racing, but sometimes you have races that require that. We've had two races in a row, and now we go to Infineon Raceway where everyone expects it to be some type of factor.

Are there any other memories you have from racing in Sonoma? Has the perception of road-course racing changed since 1989?

MM: NASCAR had raced at the Glen for several years by that time, and prior to that ran at Riverside. So, I think today it's just a given that you have to perform. Then, there were certain drivers and teams that didn't figure they were that great at a road course, so they just went out and did their deal, but now today all the drivers and teams have to take it very, very seriously because you can't afford to have an off day anywhere on the circuit. It's a lot more competitive and everyone's much more up on their game -- all the drivers, all the cars, all the teams. Maybe only half of them were back then.

Do you have any recollections of the race in 1995 when Dale Earnhardt passed you in the Carousel for his first road-course win?

MM: It's hard to lose a race in any way, but for some reason when I went into the Carousel turn there, I slipped where there was maybe a little fluid on the race track or if the car just slipped where it hadn't slipped all day, I'm not sure, but at the end of the day getting beat, when you thought you had things under control is a big pill to swallow.

Having been away from road course racing for three years, is it a difficult transition or just another race?

MM: It's another race, but I think that race out there is difficult for all of the traditional oval racers, it's a very demanding course and a demanding race, and my not being out there isn't really an issue. I bring it up because it's a fact, but at the end of the day it all comes down to the car and talent and not so much practice, so I've had a couple races out there and it won't have an impact on our racing on Sunday. It might have a small impact on qualifying on Friday.

Seems when you are out here, there's always talk of retiring. Have you raced longer than you expected to race?

MM: I don't know. The media talked more about the retirement stuff than necessary. I never announced I was going to retire. I did announce that I wasn't going to run the full schedule, and I didn't for two years, and I stepped out of the car when I planned to, leading the points, and I did all that. Where my mind got changed was after a couple years of a refreshing break and a change of pace. I had the opportunity to become a part of Hendrick Motorsports and drive the No. 5 car, and we had been close to winning in the 2001 Daytona 500 and Phoenix and Pocono in the No. 8 car, and I could still taste it and really wanted a chance to try and win. And, now we've won three, so this is just a great opportunity and I feel like I'm the luckiest man in the world to compete on this level on this stage, and have no thoughts other than I want to strap in that car every Sunday.

There's been a lot of talk about changes in NASCAR, decreasing TV ratings and such. Do you see that as a factor of the economy or something else at work? Is this a larger correction?

MM: Oh no, we're in a really difficult time for race fans and that of our population. The core race fan is really experiencing this economy where it is today and it's something we understand that times are going to get better.

Considering how close you came in 1995, how special was the win 1997?

MM: It was more than that. It was that it came in 1997 after a rough season in 1996, and I was afraid that I had experienced my last win in the Cup series. It was sweet because when you've won your final race and it seemed like it wouldn't happen for us there for quite some time, so it snapped that spell. It wasn't that any place owes me or doesn't owe me, but you have to go out and earn it.

Knowing the double-file restarts could be problematic, how do you plan to handle them?

MM: You're a whole lot better off if you stay on the blacktop, and we will deal with the restarts the best that we can, just like all the other drivers will, but it will be quite a fight. It's something we're not used to having to deal with, other than the start of the race. It's going to be interesting and we're going to go out there and do our best, and give our best. We'll hope for a great result and if we don't have one, we'll pick up and go to the next one.

You've been known for much of your career as someone who practices track etiquette more than other drivers. Is that a fair assessment? How would you describe your on-track philosophy?

MM: I think it's maybe a stretched assessment. I don't think I'm the, I think I'm one of what you said there. I just believe that you should treat people on the racetrack the way you want to be treated and if you do that long enough, then it works out in your favor. I feel like I get treated on the track based on my history for the way I've treated other drivers and I think that's a consideration when it comes down to it. I think that they consider it, and I know that I consider the way other drives have raced me when it comes right down to it. Whether I treat them more or less favorable based on how they treat me, and over the long haul I think that's the best way to do it.

BROOKLYN, MI - JUNE 14: Mark Martin, driver of the #5 CARQUEST/Kellogg's Chevrolet, crosses the finish line to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series LifeLock 400 at Michigan International Speedway on June 14, 2009 in Brooklyn, Michigan. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images)

Mark Martin Post Race Press Conference – LifeLock 400
LifeLock 400 Transcript
NASCAR
June 14, 2009

An interview with:

MARK MARTIN – Winner
ALAN GUSTAFSON - Crew chief
RICK HENDRICK – Owner

KERRY THARP

We're pleased to be joined by today's race winner, Mark Martin. He drives the No. 5 Carquest/Kellogg's Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. It is Mark's fifth win here at Michigan International Speedway, and his 38th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory. He moves up to I believe it is eighth in the points.

Congratulations. Eighth in points, Mark. We have crew chief Alan Gustafson, and of course car owner Rick Hendrick.

Mark, take us through today's series of events and your thoughts about winning here today at Michigan.

MARK MARTIN

First of all, this is the first time Rick has been with us doing this. This is really extra special. It's the first time Arlene has been at the race, too. This is extra special.

Winning with a surprise, for some reason it's always one of the most fun. The surprise win in the All Star Race in '98 was one that I always remember. This is really cool.

You know, everybody knows that we have had some horrendous luck this year, and it's put us pretty far back. We are on the outside looking in to the Chase. We had a great racecar, but for me, I always, always come up short on the gas mileage thing. I always have. If you look at the stats, you know, I've lost 25 and won two probably on it. You know, I just don't have the luck for it.

I saw the pace they were wanting to run, and I started saving from the third lap. After I got my track position, I started trying to save. And the car worked perfectly to save fuel today. I was in a position that I could. Last week we weren't. We restarted fifth, and if a lap or two we were in 11th. All the guys that had stopped and gotten topped off with gas were on me, and we couldn't save. We weren't in position. The car wasn't good enough.

But today it was. It was important to me to finish this race. If we were in the top five in points, I would have run out today because I would have went after it. But, you know, we just weren't. I just had to let 'em go do their thing. I couldn't save gas and run that pace that they were trying to run both.

When the 48 ran out, I knew the 16 was just right up there. I was just lollygagging. I got past the start/finish line. Came on the radio and said, I've got fuel pressure right now, I'm gonna go for it. I jumped on the gas, ran hard. I couldn't believe how much I was gaining on him through the corner. Then all of a sudden I got on the straightaway, I was really gaining on him. It was like, Whoa! Oh, he's out (laughter). A lot of stuff was happening then.

When we came off four, ours started running out. Our battery had been going dead since lap 75. Been nursing no fans all throughout the race, batteries back and forth, all this different stuff.

After the race was over, I shut it off at the start/finish line, coasted all the way around. I was gonna try to fire it up just to get it in Victory Lane. It wouldn't even spin over. So it ran exactly as far as it was gonna run. We had our hands full if we were going to try to go another lap or another mile. That was cool.

KERRY THARP

Crew chief Alan Gustafson. Alan, how nerve wracking were those last few laps for you up on the pit box?

ALAN GUSTAFSON

That caution was untimely again. Second week in a row. We knew four laps before our window we couldn't go. So we just saved as much gas as we could, tried to just back up to the guys behind us. Mark saved a lot, was fairly confident in that. It's not an exact science. We just do the best job we can. We know what mileage we need to make it, but you don't know. He's out there running and you don't know.

Jimmie ran out here. I could see that happened. Jimmie has about the exact same car we had. We knew if Biffle ran that fast, he would be in the same position. Mark came on the radio, The 16 ran out on the back. Obviously then getting pretty excited. We're trying to go. Mark came on the radio and said, I'm out all four. Next thing I'm looking for the 24. It was two seconds back. We coasted across. It was a great win. Really proud of the guys. We had a really good car. We struggled in qualifying. We didn't get Mark the car he needed to qualify. A lot of green flag runs. It wasn't an easy race. We fought that battery issue all day. But we drove up there, you know. We were in position to win it.

I think if we had gas, we could have raced them. I don't know that we could have beat them. But we definitely could have ran with them. We didn't win it on gas. But the team did a great job getting us a wonderful Carquest/Kellogg's Chevy, with the motor, bodies, chassis. Of course, we got the best driver driving it. We got what we wanted.

KERRY THARP

Rick, as Mark alluded to, he's got three wins this season. This is the first one you've been able to be here in person and actually enjoy. Congratulations. Your thoughts about this victory today?

RICK HENDRICK

Well, I want everyone to take a good look at him. I mean, he had no cooling, fans were off, the batteries were switching. The car had to be terribly hot inside. He gets out like he hasn't run five laps. I mean, that's just a real inspiration to me (laughter).

It was a great win. Alan and Mark just do a phenomenal job. They've had really rough luck this year, and have been able to pull off three wins. Just real proud of 'em.

This race was more important to get in the Chase than it was to win the race. We could not afford to gamble and fall out and not finish up front to get the points to be in the Chase. It would be a shame to have two or three wins and not make that thing.

They did a heck of a job. Really proud of Mark. Alan has been one of the smartest, most loyal guys that ever worked for our organization. Mark has brought an inspiration and motivation to all of us, drivers, crew chiefs, every employee over there. This is a great win for us here in Michigan, with all the manufacturers here. So it's been a great day.

KERRY THARP

We'll start with questions, please.

Q: Mark, as you mentioned, of all these fuel mileage races you've been in, if you could somehow set yourself apart from being the winner of this and think of it as a participant, can you think of any that had this many twists, turns, drama, euphoria, that sort of thing? Can you think of a more complex and interesting finish to a fuel mileage race?

MARK MARTIN

No. Usually, as you know, they're not very exciting, you know, don't wind up making a good show. I think the fans really got a great show here. You got two guys wrestling for the win, which is what everybody wants to see, and then you got a surprise winner coming out of it. A lot of drama.

You know, it's really cool to be a part of it, you know. It's really cool to come out on the good end of it. I asked Alan how many guys behind us stopped for fuel. He said almost nobody. So, you know, it was one of those situations that everybody needed to make it work, the distance that we had. Lucky for us we had the perfect balance between the speed and the savings.

Q: You've been here so many times before. How much did experience play out in what you needed to do over those closing laps?

MARK MARTIN

Well, it started at lap 75. It didn't really start there. You know, like I said, we're on the outside looking in on the points. Like Rick said, it was gonna be a shame to not to be able to use those bonus points, miss the Chase, have those bonus points racked up, not be able to use them.

When our battery problem started, I got sick at my stomach. Here we go, another day. They have a very nice system, and that helped make it last. But the biggest thing was, as bad as I wanted to not have the fans for the brakes and for the front tires and all the different things that are really important, the back blower, my helmet blower and everything else, I tried to leave the helmet blower on with no AC, just a fan, and I ran that till about 75 to go, then it started losing. It wouldn't keep up. I started losing power. For a long time it seemed like it charged enough to maintain a low volts, but still okay. It finally got where it was falling. It was starting to fall at the end with both batteries.

So we started a strategy to make it I started a strategy from the things that I could do before halfway. I got a good start on that last start. Immediately when I got in position, you know, my history is not good on these things, so I started, by lap two or three.

RICK HENDRICK

You got to quit that (laughter).

MARK MARTIN

If I hadn't done it, I wouldn't have made it. I started on the third lap, for sure, if not the second lap already, for sure on the third lap after that restart, I started.

You know, I asked him what we were going to do about it. He said, Run hard for 10, we'll save a bunch at the end. Not me, I'll run out. We could have run out, too.

The car did a lot of the work. I only did some of the work. You can't save when the car doesn't work. And when you don't have track position, you don't have everything else. Last week we got bit by it. We didn't have the car at the end of the race. We had a good car all race long. The last run it was not. We got passed by everybody. I couldn't save gas.

So this all played in my hands today.

Q: Rick, last night Kyle Busch credited how much Joey Logano had learned from Mark in saving his car till the end. Is Mark as much a plus to your organization in addition to his driving ability?

RICK HENDRICK

Absolutely. There's a word in the sport: respect. Alan will tell you this. I've worked with a lot of drivers and been around a lot of drivers. He's probably as good as I've ever seen on a chassis, reading the chassis, knowing what he wants, and then knowing how to run the race. He's very, very focused. He's like a computer. When he sits down with those other drivers, he starts explaining his car, they listen. I mean, that was what Jeff Gordon told me before we ever got him to come over. He said, He'll help us all. You know, Jimmie said that. After about two or three races, Junior said, You need to get him to run a couple more years (laughter).

So it's everything from the way you read the car, from the physical conditioning, the shape he's in and the regimen he has. I mean, he adds so much to the entire organization. You know, it's so many different areas, and you see it. There was not a car in Darlington that didn't have a Darlington stripe on it. His car didn't have a mark on it, not a mark. To be able to run that race and run that hard. The first race Alan and I had him with him was in the Busch car. I had him when he didn't have a crew chief, crew chief got suspended, he called the race from the car in the Busch Series. I've been in awe of him ever since the first race.

I mean, if you list all the different categories that you want to list for a driver, he's at the top on every one of them. It radiates through the organization.

Q: Mark, at this point in the season with three wins under your belt, are you glad you didn't retire, and aren't you glad you hooked up with Hendrick Motorsports?

MARK MARTIN

I'm really glad that Rick was so persistent, yeah (laughter).

RICK HENDRICK

I'm not sure I was that persistent. I think he was dragging the bait a little bit.

MARK MARTIN

That's not true. I know it looks like that.

RICK HENDRICK

There's the boss over there.

MARK MARTIN

She's the one we had to get softened up (laughter).

Yeah, this is incredible. And I didn't have any idea. She and I were both apprehensive about coming back full time because I'd been so happy in '07 and '08 doing what I was doing. I didn't have any idea it could be like this. I'm really, really, really having fun. Alan and I keep getting more comfortable with one another. And I believe that we've still got a ways to go. I think when we have a bad day, we will handle it better later. We're already better, a lot better than we were in California. That was pretty tough on both of us. I think we've come a long way. I think we'll continue to get better in that sense.

Of course, you know, probably communication will get better. I think we'll both get more comfortable. I continue to get more comfortable with Alan. It's great to go to work every day, except for Friday was kind of a tough day.

RICK HENDRICK

Tell them what you called and told me Friday.

MARK MARTIN

You know, he thinks I'm full of it. I didn't think I was going to get fired right now, but if I keep qualifying 32nd every week, he needs to fire me. Everybody can act like that's stupid, but it isn't really stupid. I'm serious. If I can't do better than that in the stuff that they're giving me, they're going to need to get somebody else.

We came back on Saturday, and we won practice. That's the best that I could do. I couldn't make up for Friday, but I was flogging it pretty hard out there on Saturday to make sure that we looked good.

It's great. I love the sport. I don't know what in the world I'll do when I can't do this anymore, but that's a long way out there. I'm not worried about it right now. I'm enjoying it.

Q: As you said about your history, you've been on the other end of some of these. Back in '93 at Michigan, you led 141 laps, were dominant like Jimmie, ran out of gas coming in for your final stop. Were you thinking of anything like that when you started conserving gas early in that final run?

MARK MARTIN

Really what I was thinking about was the hole that we are in in the points standings. Before we started that final run, Alan and I knew what we were going to do. Alan has actually taught me some things about how to do this deal when it comes down to the fuel thing. We had the racecar to do it today. I had to make a choice fairly early in that run that I couldn't race those guys to win and save enough fuel to have the margin that I needed to score the points. I could get an easy, easy, easy top five here, easy, you know, or I could try to win this thing and run out and be 25th. We couldn't afford the 25th at this point in time. I made the conscious choice not to run that kind of pace because I knew that we needed to save quite a bit to get there and couldn't afford to run out.

Q: Mark, in every area other than average finish, the best season of your career was 11 years ago when you won seven races. You are on pace to win seven this year. A lot of people were talking, I bet Martin will make the Chase. A lot of people said you might well have a fine year. Did you have any idea you might be looking at maybe your best year?

MARK MARTIN

Absolutely not. And you know how I look at it? If we don't win another race this year, we still did good. You know, I'm not gonna deal with expectations that cut my legs out from under me again ever in my career. I'm gonna go out and drive the racecar as hard as I can drive every time I get in it. I'm not gonna expect anything other than, you know, a tremendous effort by my team and from myself. I'm really pleased that we are having such a great year.

But the thing that pleases me more than the trophies is just that we've been fast. That's really important. When you're not fast, you know, there's not a whole lot you can do. But when you are fast, you know, if you keep doing that every week, sooner or later you get great results.

So, you know, I just don't feel any pressure. I'd like to see us make the Chase because this race team deserves it and because you never know. It would be awesome. It would be an honor to be a part of that elite group again. We have got the equipment to do it, and we've just encountered so many setbacks.

If we can keep on a roll here going, the car’s plenty fast, we just got to avoid, you know, more disasters.

Q: Mark and Rick, while you've been announced of the driver of the 5, you haven't set up the sponsorship yet. Three wins positions you well for the Chase, but how much does this help in terms of shoring up the financial situation for that car and where are you with finding sponsors for the car?

RICK HENDRICK: We have got a lot of things in the works, and our sponsors are coming back. We don't know to what extent. That's the question. As you go along with this economy, companies are taking longer to get their budgets in line. They're not a year out, or not even eight months like they have been in the past. We're in good shape. We have a lot of sponsors inside our company that we're talking to about, you know, splitting up the car. So I look for the guys that are on it to be back, but there will probably be someone new along there with them.

Q: Alan, not getting you to criticize the other guys, but do you think it was inevitable that with three guys all nursing their fuel that somebody was going to decide to go?

ALAN GUSTAFSON

Yes. You know, there's one winner and somebody's gonna want everybody wants to be that guy, and somebody's gonna fool themselves into thinking they can be him and go fast.

I think the reason that happened, though, is the position the 48 is in points. They're in really good shape in points. They're looking at wins. That's what's gonna put them in a better position to win the championship. If we were in that position in points, we'd have been whipping it, too.

So that was the smart thing for them to do in their position. So if they finish 10th or 2nd, it's not going to matter, it's going to matter how many races they won. That's what they were doing. If they wouldn't have done that, Greg could have probably saved and just paced himself to us, then it would have been up to us how much we want to push him.

Yeah, it's gonna happen. Jimmie and Chad going hard is what allowed us to win the race, like Mark and Mr. Hendrick have said. We're not in a position to go hard. We couldn't push those guys for the win on sheer speed because we have to finish, we have to pad our points. Fortunately for us it was our day so we got both.

Q: Mark, you mentioned your struggles on Friday here. Seems like when you haven't been fast off the truck, that it's taken you a while to get the car sorted out, and you haven't been as strong on Sunday. What was different about it this week that you were able to turn it around so much?

MARK MARTIN

You know, we've been fast on race day about everywhere. Dover was a good example where we didn't qualify well, and we weren't really the heat in practice either, but the car drove good. That's all the speed we had. The car really drove good, drove good like I needed. It was doing the things it had to do for Dover. It was a top five car in the race. It actually was concerning. But, you know, we've had a lot of speed at most places. We were missing a good bit there at Dover, and that concerned us, but it raced really well.

It was funny, the 48 bunch said after practice yesterday, you know, car drives good, but we are 3/10ths or 4/10ths off. I didn't bother to tell them they would probably be all right. If it drives good, it would probably be all right. But it was okay today.

You know, sometimes you just really can't have everything, and so the main thing you've got to have is the car handling, when the racetrack deteriorates because of all the heat, the oil, the sun, everybody running on it, it starts to pay dividends, so…

Q: Mark, the other day you said one of the biggest contributions you can make to the team is preparing yourself physically and mentally. How nerve wracking was that today with the steering shaft problem you had early on as well as the batteries going dead, trying to work through that and be able to run hard, then at the end having to conserve, go after the carrot at the end of the stick? Alan, you said in the past that Mark was one of your childhood heroes. How gratifying has this been for you this year? Even though Mark is not quite ready to start looking too far ahead this year, how gratifying would that be for you if you could close it out this year?

MARK MARTIN

You know, it's funny the things we talked about on Friday really showed today. Mental toughness, you know, is important. I have a lot more of that, obviously, and put that to use today. This weekend, through the disappointment Friday, to the high Saturday, all that.

I think that, like I said, those are the things that I can really, really do. My dedication to physical fitness and nutrition. I don't have a lot of other interests, business or anything else, so I'm able to give them about everything I've got.

ALAN GUSTAFSON

For me, you know, it just doesn't get any better for me to work for Rick Hendrick and Hendrick Motorsports and have Mark Martin as a driver, you know, a place I've been for 10 years and I love dearly. It's great. It doesn't get any better.

I'm really fortunate and blessed to have those opportunities to do that. If we were fortunate enough, God willing, to win a championship with Mark, I said it at Darlington, I'll say it again, to me there's nothing more professionally I could accomplish than that. That's probably the biggest thing that I could do. So to have a chance, there's not a lot of people in the world that have a chance to do something like that, and we don't take that for granted. So we'll just do the best we can.

If it happens, it happens. That's one of the things you say, Hey, man, that was incredible. That was what I worked so hard for my whole life. So it's just really special.

Q: Mark, you talk about how this car has been fast all season, which is a sign of a championship contender. The three wins give you good bonus points leading into the Chase. You talked in the past about not wanting to chase the personal glory, the championship, really focus on that. But as you've matured or as you've gotten this extra chance, can you possibly embrace a championship run and the willingness to the questions that will come with this situation because obviously there are signs pointing towards something like that?

MARK MARTIN

Well, it will be an incredible honor to me to be in that Chase. That's a big deal. Everybody should know that, for every reason, but for me personally. At a stage when I might have written myself off, or the competition might have written me off, to be able to do that is pretty cool.

I feel like that we have some time between now and when the Chase starts, and I certainly think that we need to get stronger if we want to be a contender. But, you know, we have time for that. And all you have to do is have 10 great races. You know, you don't have to be the strongest team or the fastest or anything else. You just have to have the 10 best races to pull it off.

So first you got to be in it. That's what I'm going for. I want this team to be in it because they deserve it and because it would be a real privilege for me to be a part of it. Then we'll go out there and we'll race and we'll fight for everything that we can get.

I'll answer the questions and everything else, but I'm not going to lay in bed at night and think about what it will be like to lift that trophy. It just doesn't exist, you know, in my brain. I'll just go out there and race every time. I raced today. I raced to win. I didn't tell anybody I was going to win before the race. I didn't expect to win before the race. I knew we had a great car. I went out and drove it.

We've won some races this year. I don't expect 'em; I just hope that they come. Same thing with the Chase. I just want to make the Chase. We'll worry about how we do in it after we find out we're in it. But we've really been on the outside looking in a lot this year.

Q: Last couple years has been a part time deal so you haven't had that opportunity. You go into every race wanting to win. To not have been a part of that the last two years by choice, how has that felt?

MARK MARTIN

A lot more fun because I could go race for the race. This whole sport has forgot that it's about the race, you know. I could do every race, and I went to every race for the race, not about a bunch of things you couldn't control, flat tire, this and that, just the race. It's about the race. And it's a lot of fun.

I'm using that mental toughness that I was talking about to prevent worrying about scoring points, take away from the fun that I'm having. I'm not going to let that happen. We'll score every point I could score. I was thinking points today, you know, but I'm not gonna mess it up either. If we'd had a devastating outcome today with battery or fuel or anything else, you know, I wasn't going to let the points part of it be the disappointment. It was going to be a disappointment because we didn't reach our full potential today.

Q: Rick and Mark, given the news that came out on Friday about GM, was there special significance with the victory here in Michigan for Chevrolet? Rick, how does this change your next couple of days?

RICK HENDRICK

It's always good to win in Michigan because all the manufacturers are here. It's one I've always wanted to win and run well here.

I think what it's gonna do for us, you know, next week, next month, I don't think it's gonna change our relationship with Chevrolet much.

I can say this. Chevrolet gave me my first chance. I was the youngest Chevrolet dealer, I might still be, was the youngest one to get a franchise in a little town of Bennettsville, South Carolina, and they've supported me ever since. Everybody in the world, in the economy, has had to tighten their belt, everybody. I don't care what kind of business you're in. NASCAR, the teams. We cut out testing. We've done everything we can to cut expenses.

I'm a team player and a supporter of Chevrolet. I know what it does for selling cars 'cause I'm also a big GM dealer. They got the best products they've ever built right now. It's gonna be a leaner, meaner company. I think down the road they're gonna come out of this better than they've ever been, shedding a lot of baggage that they've needed to shed for a lot of years.

I think they're going to be in racing. It might not be what we've had. It won't be what we've had. Everybody's going to have to take an adjustment. But that's no different than everything else I've been involved in.

So, you know, I'm excited about the future for them as a dealer and as a racer. They've been great partners. Until they tell me they're not gonna race anymore, which I don't expect to hear at all, then you'll see a bowtie on the front of our cars.

KERRY THARP

We appreciate it very much. Congratulations to this No. 5 team. Good luck next week at Infineon.

BROOKLYN, MI - JUNE 14: Mark Martin, driver of the #5 CARQUEST/Kellogg's Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series LifeLock 400 at Michigan International Speedway on June 14, 2009 in Brooklyn, Michigan. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Mark Martin Post Race Notes and Quotes – LifeLock 400
GM Racing
June 14, 2009

MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 KELLOGG'S/CARQUEST IMPALA SS – Winner

A DRAMATIC RACE FOR THE FANS, WHAT WAS IT LIKE FOR YOU INSIDE THE COCKPIT TRYING TO FIND A BALANCE OF SAVING FUEL, YET HAVING ENOUGH SPEED?

"Well, you know, this team deserves to be in the Chase and we were on the outside looking in with all the trouble we've had. I went for the points, man. I thought those guys were running too hard for us to save gas. I couldn't do both, save gas and run with them. And when Jimmie (Johnson) ran out (of gas), we got over here and I don't know if you were listening or not, but I said, 'Hey, we're this close, I'm going to run hard', and I thought we could make it. We ran out, coming off of (Turn) 4. But this is great for Kellogg's and CARQUEST. Great gas mileage by this Chevrolet, with GM right down the road and the Kellogg's folks are just right down the road. I just want to thank the fans. I told Rick (Hendrick) just please, don't fire me. I qualified 32nd Friday night and I was like laying in bed just worrying about it, you know. Heck, I love this stuff. I want to drive this car forever."

UNOFFICIALLY, YOU'VE GOT THE BOSS'S NUMBER 5 MACHINE UP TO 8TH IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

"Hey, that's awesome man, I love it. And I want to thank Sprint too and all the fans, thank you guys."

TALK ABOUT THE FINAL STRETCH DRIVER TO THE CHECKERS.

"We were just on the outside looking in on this Chase thing and this Kellogg's/CARQUEST team deserves to be in the Chase. It's a great race team. My car was good and I thought I could run with them but I couldn't run their pace and save gas and we really needed to finish. When Jimmie (Johnson) ran out over here and we got down there I just said I'm gonna run hard, it's three quarters of a lap what can happen, I can surely make it and then ran off come off of (turn) four. We are just really so blessed and I want to thank the fans for their support."

DID YOU GUYS HAVE TO CHASE THE HANDLING A LOT?

"We didn't make a lot of changes. My car wasn't perfect. It was really good yesterday but it was good enough that we didn't want to mess it up so we made some very minor changes. For the last run I thought about tightening it up because it was too loose but heck we were running good so let's just go with it."

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT ALL THIS WITH HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS?

"This is a dream come true. You know we qualified 32nd on Friday and I went to the coach and I thought I hope I don't get fired. I love driving this car. We went out on Saturday and just flew. You're gonna have your ups and downs. This race team we're all in it together no matter what happens. I can't believe we won this thing."

BROOKLYN, MI - JUNE 14: Mark Martin, driver of the #5 CARQUEST/Kellogg's Chevrolet, climbs out of his car before celebrating in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series LifeLock 400 at Michigan International Speedway on June 14, 2009 in Brooklyn, Michigan. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Mark Martin wins NASCAR race in Michigan
June 14, 2009

BROOKLYN, Mich. (AP)—Mark Martin saved just enough gas to hang on for victory Sunday in the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Michigan International Speedway.

Jimmie Johnson dominated most of the LifeLock 400 and took the lead from Greg Biffle six laps from the end as Martin watched the duel from third place.

Johnson, the three-time reigning Cup champion, ran out of gas two laps from the finish, giving the lead to Biffle. But he also ran out of gas as the final trip around the 2-mile oval began, clearing the way for the 50-year-old Martin to drive to the front.

His No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet also was left with an empty tank on the last lap, but he was able to coast to the finish line almost three seconds ahead of runner-up Jeff Gordon.

“My car was good, but I couldn’t run their pace and save gas,” Martin said. “When Jimmie ran out, I said, ‘Heck, we’re this close. I’m going to run hard. With three quarters of a lap (left), what can happen?”’

Denny Hamlin finished third, followed by Carl Edwards, Biffle, Juan Pablo Montoya and series points leader Tony Stewart. Last year’s race winner – Dale Earnhardt Jr., finished 14th.

Brian Vickers started from the pole, but Kyle Busch passed him at the start and led the first eight laps with Johnson moving into second.

Johnson swept past to take the lead on the ninth lap and looked unbeatable, leading 141 of the next 142 laps. He was never challenged, building big leads after each caution flag bunched up the field.

But Biffle and Hamlin both came out ahead of Johnson when the leaders pitted under caution on lap 154.

At that point, all the leaders were being told to conserve fuel.

Johnson got past Hamlin to take the runner-up spot on lap 179, trailing Biffle by 1.7 seconds. He steadily ate into that lead and finally was right behind the leader on lap 193.

The two were briefly side-by-side—using more gas—on lap 194 and Johnson managed to get past the next time around. Biffle immediately sped up and tried to repass Johnson—again causing both to use more gas—with Johnson remaining ahead.

Biffle said he and Johnson made a mistake in trying to race each other while trying to conserve fuel.

“The 48 (Johnson) came up there and ran like we weren’t on a fuel-economy run,” Biffle said. “I messed with him a little bit. It made me use too much throttle and burned up the gas.

“Unfortunately, he came up there and we cat and moused and used up too much gas.”

Johnson led 145 of the 200 laps. He managed to get his car to the finish but wound up 22nd, the last car on the lead lap.

Martin, who has 38 career victories, drove only partial schedules the past few seasons. He joined Rick Hendrick’s elite team this year for the full season and is making the most of it. The four-time series runner-up is eighth in the season points with three victories after the first 15 races of the year.

“This is a dream come true,” Martin said. “We qualified 32nd on Friday and I went to the coach and I thought, ‘Oh man, I hope I don’t get fired.’ I love driving this car. we went on Saturday (in practice) and just flew. So we knew we had a fast car.

“This team deserves to be in the Chase,” he added. “We’ve been on the outside looking in with all trouble we’ve had. I went for the points.”

Gordon’s team had to change his engine on Friday and that forced the four-time Cup champion to start from the rear of the 43-car field. He didn’t stay there long, moving quickly toward the top 10.

“We just fought hard,” Gordon said. “We had to work our way up through traffic and the car was there to do it.

“Once we got up there in the top 15 or so, we had to make some adjustments. We never really could get as good as the first two or three guys, but we were a top-five car. So I’m really proud of that.”

Gordon, a teammate of Martin, Johnson and Earnhardt, went to Victory Lane to congratulate Martin.

“I said, “Old man, you snookered us again. … He’s like a 21-year-old with a lot of experience under his belt, and that’s tough to beat.”