M6M's Mark Martin Page
NASCAR's Mark Martin
2004 Season Articles - June

KAIT - Jonesboro, AR: Mark Martin Visits Batesville to Record Dealership Commercials
JUNE 24, 2004 -- Posted at: 10:00pm CDT
BATESVILLE, AR - For more than 30 years, Mark Martin has been behind the wheel of a race car. He started his career racing in Batesville. It's a place he continues to call home.
"It's just incredible to get back and, you know, see the people that I grew up with," said Martin, during a visit to Independence County on June 24th.
As his popularity and success have increased, trips home have decreased.
Martin explained, "I get three weekends off from the first of February 'til Thanksgiving, and race weekend usually takes in four days, not to mention the testing, personal appearances and the other things that we do, so it's a wild pace."
He's kept at that speed for more than 20 years. That entire time he's been with race car team owner Jack Rouch. Now he's one of the veterans on the Rouch Racing team, which includes Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch and Greg Biffle.
"The negative is that I'm not a young guy with many, many years in my future as a driver, but on the plus side of that, you know, I have a seniority there that no one can touch, and I have the respect of many of these young guys, and you know, that's something that's been real important to me," Martin added.
Martin continues to battle for his first NASCAR Nextel Cup Championship, but his focus is slowing turning in different directions. He recently added car dealership co-owner to his list of titles.
He confessed, "This is the only thing that I've had a real passion for other than racing cars, and I started that when I was 15 years old, so, you know, I know that this is right, and I look forward to the excitement that we're able to bring to Arkansas, and to the people that, you know, to my people, to my hometown, and to the whole state, and the whole area."
Besides giving more time to the dealership in the future, Mark Martin would like to see more of his 12 year old son, Matt, and his truck races. He's won three so far this year.
"If he chooses to race as a career, then I'll support him 100%, but if he chooses not to race, that will be a break for me as well," Mark said.
If the elder Martin doesn't get NASCAR's highest championship cup before he hangs up his racing suit and shoes for good, Mark Martin would still consider his racing a success.
"I will say that I don't think that that trophy defines the man, and I don't think it defines a career either," explained Martin. "I think that you know the accomplishments that I've had on the race track, the respect that I've been able to gain all through the years and the reputation that I have today is more important that any trophy that I could ever have."
He's one of the most decorated NASCAR drivers, got his experience racing on the back roads around Batesville and will always keep his roots in rural Arkansas.

Martin Notches Top 10 Finish at Infineon Raceway
Mark Martin and the #6 Viagra® Racing Team
Infineon Raceway/June 27, 2004
Roush Racing
Sonoma, Ca. – Mark Martin and the Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Race Team ran to a solid eighth-place finish at Infineon Raceway on Sunday in NASCAR’s first of two road-course races of the season. The team was strong all weekend, posting its second top five start in three weeks, while running times inside the top 10 in all three of the weekend’s practice sessions. The finish was the team’s sixth top 10 of the season.
"We just didn't have the setup to make it a rocket ship,” said Martin after the race. “We had the pit stops, the pit crew, the strategy, the gas mileage and the horsepower. We had the high-speed corners, but in the low-speed corners we were a little slow through those and I had to give up a little bit there. If we would have had the low-speed corners as good as the high-speed corners, we could have run with the top five."
Martin struggled with the car’s handling in the slow-speed corners all day, while experiencing a strong blend of speed in the high-speed corners. The team ran inside the top five for the majority of the first 35 laps, while staying out on fuel and eventually taking the lead on lap 35, thus earning five bonus points on the day. With handling tight in the slow corners, Martin came in the pits under green flag conditions for an adjustment on lap 35 to help the car’s handling. Several other cars were on different pitting cycles and Martin was running in 14th place when he returned to the field.
The adjustment made the car’s handling even tighter, but the veteran had worked his way up to eighth place when the day’s third caution was called on lap 45. When green flag racing resumed, the No. 6 Viagra® Ford was running in sixth place. Martin moved back inside the top five on lap 60, just six lap before the day’s fourth caution was issued. The team came into the pits for an air pressure adjustment to help cure the car’s continuing handling issues. The team reeled in a 14.92-second stop, taking on tires and fuel, and Martin returned to the field in eighth place, as again other cars were on different cycles and did not elect to pit. The stop put Martin within a few laps of being able to go the remainder of the race without stopping for more fuel.
After another caution on lap 70, Martin was running in seventh place as the field went green, but the car continued to push in the corners. With handling issues, Martin dropped back to ninth place by lap 76. Another caution on lap 79 added Martin effort to go the distance without taking additional fuel and he would work during the race’s final laps to conserve fuel, while gaining one spot on the last lap for the eighth-place finish.
“This team has been strong but we’ve had things happen every week that have hampered our results,” added Martin. “We had an off day and still ran eighth, so I think that speaks highly of this team."
The top 10 finish moved Martin back up one spot to 15th in the Nextel Cup point race, 185 points behind 10th place. After 16 races, Martin is 103 points behind 11th place.
The finish is Martin’s 13th top 10 in 16 races at Infineon Raceway. The team returns to action next Saturday night in Daytona for the Pepsi 400.

2004 Mark Martin Infineon Track Notes - June 27, 2004
Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Roush Racing #6 Ford Taurus
Dodge/Save Mart 350 / Infineon Raceway
Roush Racing
June 23, 2004
DRIVER: Mark Martin
TEAM: No. (6) Viagra® Ford Taurus
OWNER: Jack Roush
CREW CHIEF: Pat Tryson
2003 WINNER: Robby Gordon:
Robby Gordon earned his second series victory despite being criticized for racing back to the yellow under caution on his way to the win at the Dodge/Save Mart 350. Runner-up Jeff Gordon said Robby Gordon passed teammate Kevin Harvick under a yellow flag that NASCAR said was perfectly legal.
MARK MARTIN 2003 EVENT: Started: 17th Finished: 19th:
Martin was able to pick up five places in the last 19 laps of the race to post a 19th place finish and put an end to a day that just never quite came together. The car started the race handling tight and with the car 'pushing really badly' Martin struggled from the green flag and quickly fell back to 21st position on the first lap after getting tangled up with another car. The first lap would appear to set the tone for the day. Martin had worked his way back up to 19th place on lap 58 before getting hit by the No. 42 car and taking on slight damage, which cost the No. 6 car valuable positions. After the day's sixth caution, the team came into the pits to top-off the fuel, in hopes that the race would go green for the remaining laps, as Martin would have been one of only a few cars that could have finished the race without pitting, but a caution on lap 88 would put an end to that strategy. Martin came into the pits to take on four fresh tires and fuel. Martin returned to the field in 24th place when the field went green with 19 laps to go.
NO. 6 VIAGRA TEAM LOOKS FOR RIGHT TURN IN SONOMA
After a frustrating week in Michigan, the No. 6 team will look to a change of scenery and racing styles, as the NASCAR circuit turns right for the first time of the season with the road course race track of Infineon Raceway, where over the years Martin has been one of the top performers.
THE CAR
Chassis Number: (RK-204) - The team will run RK-204 this week Sonoma. It is the same car that the team ran last year at both Sonoma (finished 17th) and Watkins Glen (finished 10th).
ROAD COURSE MASTER MARTIN
Martin is one of the most accomplished road course racers on the Nextel Cup circuit. Martin's four wins at road courses are the ninth most all time and his four poles are the eighth most. Martin's 28 top-10 finishes on road courses tie with Ricky Rudd for the most of any active driver.
AT SONOMA
Martin won at Sonoma in 1997 from the pole, one of only five times that feat has been accomplished. His 12 top-10 finishes at Infineon Raceway are the most of any active driver. Martin has finished in the top 10 in nine of the last 10 at Sonoma, where he has been top 10 in 80 percent of his races.
MARK MARTIN FAST FACTS - SONOMA

Martin won at Infineon from the pole in 1997, a feat that has only been accomplished four other times.
Martin leads all drivers with 12-top 10 finishes at Sonoma.
Martin has finished in the top 10 in nine of last 10 at Sonoma.
Martin has competed in 33 career road-course races scoring four victories and 28 top-10 finishes.
Martin has finished either first or second in 31 percent of every Nextel Cup race at Sonoma.
Martin has finished inside the top-10 in 80 percent of the NC races at Sonoma and inside the top five in 47 percent of the races.
Martin's four wins at road courses tie for the ninth most in NASCAR history and his four poles tie for the eighth most.
Martin has competed in all 15 races at Sonoma, scoring four second-place finishes, in addition to one victory.

QUOTING MARK MARTIN AND CREW CHIEF PAT TRYSON
Mark Martin on Sonoma:
"I've always liked road course racing. It's a lot like growing up racing around on the dirt roads of Arkansas, except the roads are paved and the cars sure are faster. We've been pretty good over the years on the road courses and I always enjoy racing on them. We've had a lot of success at Sonoma over the years and hopefully we will continue that trend this weekend. With all that has happened to this team in the past few weeks, we sure could use a good finish. I have no doubt that we can go there and be a contender, so hopefully our luck will turn around a little this week."
Pat Tryson on Sonoma:
"We tested a couple of weeks ago at Road Atlanta, but we didn't get a lot of track time in because of rain. Still, we did like what we saw in the short time that we ran. We are taking the same car that Mark ran at both road courses last year, and it's a really good road racing car. This team is just ready to get back out on the race track and get it done. We are looking to win some races right now and we aren't going to worry about the other stuff for the next few weeks. These guys have demonstrated that they are good enough to win any week and we are just going to go out and go for it."

Martin, Viagra Racing Team ready to make right turn at Sonoma
Kevin Woods, Roush Racing
CONCORD, N.C. -- Mark Martin and the Viagra Racing Team travel to Sonoma this weekend as the NASCAR circuit takes a right turn for the first time of the season with road course racing at Infineon Raceway. Martin and the team are hoping to get their season turned back on the right course with a strong run at a track where Martin's stats have been impressive to say the least.
"I love road racing," said Martin. "I grew up learning how to drive and race on the winding, curvy dirt roads of Arkansas and road racing is a lot like that. The only difference is the roads are paved, the cars are a lot faster and the competition is a whole lot steeper.
"Still, it kind of takes you back to your roots in racing and it's a good test of a driver," added Martin. "Hopefully we can go out and have a solid qualifying effort and bring home the strong finish that this team really deserves. Pat (Tryson) and Wall (Brown) and all of the team have done such a great job this year and I really hate that they are not where they deserve to be for all of that effort."
Martin's 12 top-10 finishes at Infineon are the most of any driver. In addition, Martin has seven top five finishes and he won there - from the pole - in 1997. Martin has finished in the top 10 in nine of his last 10 races at Sonoma and he has finished in the top 10 in 80 percent of his 15 races there. Martin's lone pole at Sonoma came in the 1997 victory, but he has started inside the top 10 in 10 of the 15 races.
Martin has always enjoyed racing on the road courses and his statistics show it. In addition to the win at Sonoma, he has three wins at Watkins Glen - all from the pole - giving Martin four wins (all from the pole) on road courses. Martin's 28 top-ten finishes on road courses tie with Ricky Rudd for the most of any active driver.
Martin's four wins at road courses tie for the ninth most in NASCAR history and his four poles tie for the eighth most.
"I just enjoy the road courses," said Martin. "We've had a lot of success on those type of tracks. They are fun to race on and a lot is in the hand of the driver, so it's always a challenge."
Roush Racing is a subsidiary of Livonia, Mich., based Roush Industries that operates nine motorsports teams; five in NASCAR Nextel Cup with drivers Mark Martin, Jeff Burton, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch and Greg Biffle, two in the Busch Series with Martin, Burton, Kenseth and Biffle and two in the Craftsman Truck Series with drivers Jon Wood and Carl Edwards.

Early Transmission Failure Puts Martin, No.6 Team Down Early
Mark Martin and the #6 Viagra® Racing Team
Michigan International Speedway/June 20, 2004
Roush Racing
June 21, 2004
Brooklyn, Mich. – Mark Martin and the Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Race team were fast all weekend. Martin was amongst the field’s fastest cars in both of Saturday’s practice sessions and the team’s hopes were high going into Sunday’s Michigan 400. In the end, Martin’s No. 6 Viagra® Ford would prove to be one of the fastest cars in race, but a failed transmission at the start of the race would prove to end any chances the team had at a top finish.
“It was a great effort by this Viagra® Race Team,” said Martin. “This type of thing really breaks your heart and we’ve had so much of it this year that it’s unbelievable. But to do what these guys went out and did, still keeping their heads in the game and having a day like they did in the pits, that really says something about this team.
“I really hate the things that have happened to them this year, but this is a great race team and no matter of bad luck is going to change that. I don’t even know what this does to us in the point’s thing, but we aren’t going to worry about the points right now. We are going to keep going out and trying to win races and I believe we have some wins left in us this year. That’s all we can do and everything else will take care of itself. We’ve been good enough at a lot of tracks this year to win the race. We just have to go out and do it.”
Seconds after the green-flag dropped on Sunday, Martin was off the pace and radioed his team that his transmission had failed. After making it around the track for one lap, the team came into the garage and used quick work to replace the transmission, but Martin would be 18 laps down, in 43rd place and out of contention when he returned to the race on lap 43.
The team remained solid, fighting to the end as Martin posted lap times as fast or faster than the leader for most of the race. Often times Martin started beside the lead lap cars and was able to run amongst the leaders, despite being multiple laps down.
In addition, the pit crew had perhaps its finest day in recent No. 6 car history on pit road, posting four pit stops in 13.80 seconds or less, including a 13.31-second stop on lap 117 to take on four tires, fuel and make a wedge adjustment.
Martin was able to gain several positions on the day through attrition, as he moved his way in and out of traffic. In the end he would bring home a 34th place finish. The finish dropped Martin to 16th in the Nextel Cup point standings, 205 points outside of the top 10 and 578 points out of first.
Martin and the team return to action next week at Sonoma, for the season’s first road course race of 2004.

Martin Looks for Five at Michigan
No. 6 team remains in striking distance of points race, will look to go out and ‘win races.’
Roush Racing
CONCORD, N.C. (June 18, 2004) - Mark Martin will look for his fifth win at Michigan Speedway this weekend and his first there since 1998 at the 2-mile speedway. Martin won his 34th career Cup race two weeks ago at Dover, but fell victim to engine problems midway through the race a Pocono last week, and the veteran knows his team is in need of a strong run at Michigan.
“We just need to get on a roll,” said Martin. “We’ve had really strong runs over the past two months, but unfortunately for one reason or another our finishes haven’t always shown that. I really hate that for this team more than anything. I’m glad we got the win at Dover, because these guys have really been on top of their game and I hope that in time that shows a little more.”
After 13 races, Martin sits 93 points outside of the Nextel Cup top 10. The team has been particularly strong in its last seven races, but have only three top-10 finishes to show for it. More damaging are three finishes of 34th or worse – all due to some type of failure and all coming in races where Martin had cars strong enough to contend for a victory (Martinsville – running top five, Lowes’ – running top five, Pocono – running top 10 and moving forward).
However Martin and the team contend for now that they need not worry about points or things they can’t control.
“We just need to go out and run up front and win races,” added Martin. “That’s all we can do and if we do that things have a way of taking care of themselves. We’ve run up front for the past few weeks and we’ve won. We just have to keep doing that. We need to get on a roll and see what happens.
“This is a truly great race team and I feel blessed to work with Pat (Tryson) and Wally (Brown) and these guys. They have done a tremendous job and I really appreciate the work they’ve put in. We are not going to give up on this thing by no means. This team still has a lot of wins left in it and I can’t wait to get back out there and do it again.”
Michigan could be just what the team is in need of. In 36 starts Martin has 24 top-10 finishes and 13 top fives in addition to his four wins and two poles.
Roush Racing is a subsidiary of Livonia, Mich., based Roush Industries that operates nine motorsports teams; five in NASCAR Nextel Cup with drivers Mark Martin, Jeff Burton, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch and Greg Biffle, two in the Busch Series with Martin, Burton, Kenseth and Biffle and two in the Craftsman Truck Series with drivers Jon Wood and Carl Edwards.

2004 Mark Martin Michigan Track Notes - June 20, 2004
Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Roush Racing #6 Ford Taurus
DHL 400 / Michigan International Speedway
Roush Racing
June 16, 2004
DRIVER: Mark Martin
TEAM: No. (6) Viagra® Ford Taurus
OWNER: Jack Roush
CREW CHIEF: Pat Tryson
2003 WINNER: Kurt Busch
Kurt Busch passed Jeff Gordon with 24 laps left and held on to win the Sirius Satellite 400 at Michigan International Speedway, becoming the circuit's first three-time winner of 2003. Busch finished last in his first two races at the track.
MARK MARTIN 2003 EVENT: Started: 15th Finished: 9th:
Martin and the team struggled with a tight-handling car for the majority of the race; constantly in search of the proper adjustment that they never quite found. However, the team was able to use a solid effort in the pits and Martin’s expertise behind the wheel, to earn its seventh top-10 finish of 2003. Martin was running in 10th position when the day’s ninth and final caution was called with just 10 laps remaining. The team opted to stay out and take its chances on old tires, and the No. 6 Ford was running in sixth place when the field went green with five to go in the race. The majority of the cars behind him pitted for fresh tires, and Martin quickly dropped to ninth place when the field went green. However, the gamble to stay out paid off, as Martin was able to maintain ninth position and cross the finish line for his second top-10 finish in as many weeks.
NO. 6 TEAM LOOKING TO REBOUND AT MICHIGAN
After a strong performance, but disappointing finish last week at Pocono, Martin and the No. 6 Viagra Racing Team will look to rebound and start climbing there way back up this weekend at Michigan Speedway, where Martin has won four times and has 36 races under his belt.
GETTING A GOOD START
Martin's fourth place qualifying effort at Pocono, was the teams fourth top 10 start of the year and Martin's best qualifying effort of the season. The team will look to build on that this week at Michigan as Martin will be looking for his 42nd Nextel Cup Pole.
THE CAR
Chassis Number: (RK-241) - The team will run RK-241 this week Michigan. RK-241 is the same car Martin won in at Dover two weeks ago. This will be the fifth run for RK-241 (600 - 36th, Atlanta - 14th, Texas - 17th, California - 11th.
MARK MARTIN AT MICHIGAN
Martin's 24 top-10 finishes at Michigan are the most of any active driver. In addition, Martin has 13 top five finishes in 36 starts and four wins at the 2-mile track. This will mark Martin's 37th race at Michigan Speedway, where he posted 10-straight top 10 finishes from 1990-95.
WINNING WAYS
Martin will run RK-241 this weekend at Michigan. RK-241 is the same car he won in two weeks ago at Dover.
MARK MARTIN FAST FACTS - MICHIGAN

Martin's 24 top-10 finishes at Michigan are the most of any active driver.
Martin has four wins at Michigan ranks third amongst active drivers.
Martin has led 20 races at Michigan for a total of 795 laps.
Martin has posted 13 top-five finishes in 35 races at Michigan.
Martin has finished inside the top 10 in four of his last five races at Michigan.

QUOTING MARK MARK AND CREW CHIEF PAT TRYSON
Mark Martin on Michigan:
“One good thing about Michigan is that it's easier to pass there than it is a lot of the tracks that we go to, so if you have a better car, you can get around some people. We've been really good a Michigan in the past, but we've tailed off there the last few years. I think this might be the year that we get back up front there. We've had such good cars in the last several races that it gives you confidence going into each track. We just have to make sure that we finish races and we'll be fine.
"I have a really good fan base up in the Michigan area and there are so many people up there who have been watching me race for over 25 years, and well before I ever drove a cup car. Hopefully we can get back on the right track with our finishes and give them something to cheer about this weekend. The team has done a great job this year and they really haven't had near the results they deserve. We can't worry about that stuff, we just have to keep moving forward and we'll do that this week at Michigan."
Pat Tryson on Michigan:
"We are taking the Dover car, which we know from that race what it is capable of. Still, Dover and Michigan are different tracks and it will be our job to make sure that we get the car in its best possible shape for Mark to drive on Sunday. There are still a lot of races left in 2004 and not one single person on this team is about to even think about giving up. We are going to just continue to go out there and try to win races. Everything else will take care of itself."

Martin's Bid for Back to Back Victories Comes to an End at Pocono
Mark Martin and the #6 Viagra® Racing Team
Pocono Raceway/June 13, 2004
Roush Racing
June 14, 2004
LONG POND, P.A. – Mark Martin and the Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Race team went into the weekend looking to add a strong follow up to last week’s dramatic victory at Dover. After posting its top qualifying run of the season on Friday (fourth), and laying down the fastest times during Saturday’s first practice session Martin and the team were justifiably optimistic going into Sunday’s race. For the first half of the race there was nothing that indicated anything other than Martin and the team would post their second strong run in two weeks.
Unusually cool temperatures on Sunday made the car’s setup a little off when the race started. With the car exhibiting too much grip in the corners, Martin quickly fell to 12th place by lap 10. However, the car started to ‘come back’ and Martin had moved back into eighth place when the team came in for a green-flag pit stop on lap 33. The team posted what would be its fastest stop of the day, a 13.62 second stop, that helped gain a spot on the track once the remainder of the field had cycled through its stops.
Running in seventh position, Martin reported that the car was still ‘a little tight’ off the corners, and the team used a caution on lap 49 to come into the pits and make track-bar and air pressure adjustments in order to offset the car’s handling. Some of the cars ahead of Martin took only two tires, or just fuel and the team was in 11th place when green-flag racing resumed on lap 54.
With the car continuing to get better, Martin had raced back to eighth place by lap 60 when the day’s third caution was issued. In need of further adjustments, the team came into the pits again for an additional track bar adjustment and two right side tires. As some of the cars did not pit, the team returned to the field in 13th place when racing resumed on lap 66.
Martin broke back into the top 10 on lap 84, and was running in sixth place when green flag pitting started on lap 90. The team stayed out, taking the lead on lap 94 earning five bonus points, before coming into the pits on lap 96. After taking on four tires and fuel, Martin returned to the field in 19th place on lap 97. As the remainder of the field began to cycle through its stops, Martin had moved up to eighth place by lap 101.
By lap 103 Martin had moved into seventh place and was running the fastest times on the racetrack, as he continued to move forward. However the movement would be short lived and Martin radioed that he had lost the engine on lap 111. The failure ended what looked to be a strong run for the Viagra Racing Team, who had to settle for a 36th place finish after taking the car to the garage early.
"We had a real good car,” said Martin. “We were still adjusting on it and stuff, but the Viagra team has done a great job the last couple of months. They're getting me in really good stuff and we were going to have us a good points day, but you've got to finish these things.”
Several other cars that were in the fight for the top 10 in points experienced difficult days as well and Martin dropped just one place to 14th in the Nextel Cup standings. After 14 races – and only 93 points outside the top 10 - Martin is well within striking distance of a coveted top 10.
The team returns to action next week at Roush’s home track of Michigan, where Martin has won four times.

Martin looks for momentum at Pocono
fordracing.com
June 12, 2004
Long Pond, Pa. — Mark Martin, driver of the No. 6 Viagra Taurus, will be trying to make it two straight wins after qualifying fourth for tomorrow’s Pocono 500. Martin, who is currently 13th in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series points standings, is only 75 points behind 10th-place Ryan Newman.
MARK MARTIN - No. 6 Viagra Taurus - CAN YOU TALK ABOUT SHIFTING AT THIS TRACK? SOME PEOPLE SAY YOU HAVE TO MANDHANDLE IT AND NOT EASE INTO IT.
“Oh, you’ve got to do it however it works for you. Whatever you do with your feet and whatever you do with the shifter doesn’t really matter as long as that works for you. I’ve been doing it for almost 15 years here and, of course, we’ve got the road courses. I grew up driving trucks with my dad when I was little and it’s not that big of a deal. For me, shifting gears makes it fun.”
DO YOU SHIFT THE SAME WAY NOW AS YOU DID WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED HERE?
“No, we do it different now. The first time we came up here in ’89, we were the only one in the field shifting and that paid off big. People heard about it and started doing it more, so over a period of time we certainly have 100-150 more horsepower now than we did back then and the aerodynamics have changed with the car, so it’s changed a lot of the gear ratios and stuff.”
ARE YOU AND PAT HAVING FUN?
“Yeah, we had fun (Friday) and I had fun last Sunday. We’re planning on doing it again this Sunday. We’ve got a good car. We’ve already tested this car up here last Thursday and knew we had a good car, so we’re pretty good.”
YOU ALWAYS SEEM TO RUN WELL HERE.
“Things are just going our way right now. We’re pretty optimistic about Sunday and I think we’re gonna have a great run. We’ve got a good chance and it (winning at Pocono) could happen any time with the way we run up here. Right now this team is performing so well. They’re giving me really good stuff to drive and they’re doing a great job on everything. If we can keep the breaks going our way, instead of going against us like they had just about every race until we got to Dover, maybe we can keep that windfall of good things coming.”
DO VETERANS HAVE AN ADVANTAGE ON RACEDAY AT THIS TRACK?
“There are pluses and minuses to being young. You don’t know what can happen to you when you’re young and that helps you go fast, but sometimes it gets you in trouble, too. There are two sides to it. Being a veteran, I know what you can do here and what you shouldn’t do and how to preserve your equipment for the end. Right now we’ve got a great race team and we’re looking good. I don’t think it matters what your age is, it matters what happens on Sunday.”
WHAT DID THAT WIN MEAN FOR YOUR TEAM?
“It was important for all the guys who work overtime and it’s also important for the morale of the team because they work so hard and make so many sacrifices.”

No.6 Viagra® Racing Team Looks to go Back-to-Back
Martin looks for consecutive wins and first Pocono victory
Roush Racing
CONCORD, N.C. (June 10, 2004) - A week ago Mark Martin and the No. 6 Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Racing Team were looking for their first win of the season. This week they are looking to make it two in a row as they prepare for the Pocono 500 at the Pocono Raceway. Martin last won back-to-back victories in May of 1997, with consecutive wins at Sonoma and Talladega. No stranger to repeats - Martin won a NASCAR record-tying four consecutive in 1993.
“I can’t tell you how great it felt to win last week at Dover,” said Martin. “This team has worked so hard to get back to the top and it really felt good to go see those guys in victory lane after the race. However, celebrations are short lived in this business and you have to get back to work pretty fast.
“The task at hand now is Pocono and we have to be ready. We tested there a couple of weeks ago and really liked what we saw. The guys are excited and we can’t wait to get back on the track and see what we can do. We have to keep fighting and get back inside the top 10, so we can make a run at this thing. We can’t afford letdowns at this points, so it’s great to get a win, but we need to follow that up with another strong run and maybe even a win this week a Pocono.”
If the No. 6 Team is to post two in a row, they’ll have to win at a place where Martin has never taken the checkered flag in first place. That’s not to say Martin hasn’t enjoyed his share of success at the 2.5-mile triangular track. To the contrary, Martin has came as close as you can get, finishing second on five occasions, including the last two Pocono 500’s. Furthermore, Martin’s 17 top-five finishes are the most by any driver at Pocono, as are his 24 top-10s.
Martin’s win at Dover last weekend was his first since taking the Coca-Cola 600 in May of 2002. Ironically, Martin made a strong bid the following week to post back-to-back wins. He was well on his way to winning the next week in Dover before getting caught up in an accident involving lapped traffic after pulling out to a large lead in the race.
All of this comes in the midst of a strong bid to fight their way back inside the Nextel Cup top-10 in points. Martin and the No. 6 team started behind the eight ball after finishing 43rd in the first race of the season at Daytona. Since then they have fought their way back to 13th, despite unlucky mechanical problems that halted strong runs at both Martinsville and Charlotte.
Still, Martin sits at 13th, only 11 points behind 11th place and just 75 points outside of the top 10. Martin is currently 442 points behind the leader. In NASCAR’s new points system a team will have to be either in the top 10 or within 400 points of first place to be eligible for the points championship after 26 races.
Looking to mount a strong summer run, Martin and the team spent Tuesday testing at Road Atlanta in preparations for the season’s first road course race later this month in Sonoma.
Roush Racing is a subsidiary of Livonia, Mich., based Roush Industries that operates nine motorsports teams; five in NASCAR Nextel Cup with drivers Mark Martin, Jeff Burton, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch and Greg Biffle, two in the Busch Series with Martin, Burton, Kenseth and Biffle and two in the Craftsman Truck Series with drivers Jon Wood and Carl Edwards.

NASCAR's Mark Martin returns to roots
By Caryn Rousseau
Copyright 2004 The Canadian Press
Wednesday, June 09, 2004
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Mark Martin's love of racing and cars took him away from his Arkansas hometown.
Now it's brought him back. He opened a car dealership in Batesville, about 160 kilometres northeast of Little Rock, that eventually will include a racing museum and plans to build a home on the banks of the White River.
"Cars have been part of my life since I was just a kid, I mean an important part, not just a part," Martin said. "I have an enthusiasm and a passion for that that I haven't had for anything other than racing."
With 34 career wins, Martin is tied for 17th on NASCAR's all-time victories list. He ended his 72-race losing streak last weekend by winning the MBNA 400 at Dover International Speedway, and he was 13th in the points standings heading into Sunday's race at Pocono.
Martin had wanted to open a dealership in his hometown for seven years but couldn't find time until now. So he and business partner Lance Landers bought an existing Ford dealership and spruced it up, even putting one of his race cars in the showroom.
"I had influences that were interested in me being a part of a dealership in big cities where it would stand to be more successful, a bigger draw, and I wasn't interested," Martin said. "I was only interested in the one in Batesville."
When it opened in April, some 3,000 fans waited for hours in the rain to get the racing star's autograph and snap photos of him. Winston Cup Champion Matt Kenseth and NASCAR owner Jack Roush also came to support Martin.
"The community is really excited by what's going on," said Landers, who runs the dealership in Martin's absence. "They've been really involved in helping us, anything we need."
During the next three years, Martin plans to add memorabilia from his three-decade long racing career.
"In the showroom we'll make a display of all my race car collection, all my trophies, all the great history of my career," said Martin, who drives for Rousch Racing. "Because I have that stuff collected now in a private place where no one is able to see and enjoy it."
He said the dealership is a first step toward returning to the Arkansas community and supporting the people who helped him through his years in NASCAR.
Martin has a home with his family in Daytona Beach, Fla., but he is building another house on five acres they recently bought along the White River. He anticipates spending more time in Arkansas because of the dealership.
"I'm there every couple weeks and I talk to them on the phone every single day," Martin said. "I really have a passion for it."
That passion stems, of course, from racing, which he has done for 30 of his 45 years. Martin said the increased popularity and sponsorship dollars that have attracted more fans to NASCAR in the past few years have had negative and positive affects on the sport.
"The growth has made so many opportunities for people who want to work in racing," Martin said. "There's so many more employees with these teams. It's made it wonderful. Nowadays you can go to school and get an engineering education at NASCAR technical schools and get out of school and get a job, whereas there weren't that many jobs 10 years ago. There are probably 10 times as many jobs."
The downside, he said, is the increasing amount of time needed to keep up.
"Demands on your time are much more great," Martin said. "It's an increasingly demanding job now and that takes away from any kind of personal life."
Even so, Martin, who has been racing since he was 15, isn't looking toward retirement.
"I've devoted every ounce of my life to racing and I definitely do look forward to the day when I get to slow down the pace," he said, "but that's not any time soon."

2004 Mark Martin Pocono Track Notes - June 13, 2004
Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Roush Racing #6 Ford Taurus
Pocono 500 / Pocono Raceway
Roush Racing
June 8, 2004
DRIVER: Mark Martin
TEAM: No. (6) Viagra® Ford Taurus
OWNER: Jack Roush
CREW CHIEF: Pat Tryson
2003 WINNER: Tony Stewart
Tony Stewart rebounded from some bad luck the previous two weeks and won the Pocono 500. Stewart had an engine problem two weeks earlier at Lowe's Motor Speedway, then lost at Dover International Speedway after NASCAR imposed a one-lap penalty for stopping slightly out of his stall on pit road.
MARK MARTIN 2003 EVENT - Started 6th, Finished 2nd:
A 13.90 second pit stop by the crew helped move Mark Martin's No. 6 Ford Taurus into third place with just over 40 laps remaining in Sunday's Pocono 500, helping Martin attain a second place finish - his sixth top-five of 2003. Martin, who earned his 17th top-five finish in 34 races at Pocono, boasted one of the fastest cars all day, leading on three separate occasions. In the end, Martin would run to his fifth second-place finish at Pocono Raceway. The Viagra Racing team was fast all weekend, running some of the quickest times in Friday's practice session, en route to a sixth-place qualifying effort. Position in much of Sunday's race relied heavily on pit sequence. Excellent pit strategy, combined with a fast car and fast pit stops, helped Martin stay in the front of the pack for much of the day. In the end, Martin found himself in a 10-lap race to the finish with leader Tony Stewart. The shootout was short-lived however, as caution came out on lap 192. The race returned to green on lap 197, but the day's fifth and final caution on that same lap, put an end to Martin's strong bid at his first ever win at Pocono.
MARTIN LOOKS TO MAINTAIN WINNING WAYS AT POCONO
Fresh off an impressive win at Dover, Mark Martin and the Viagra Racing Team will look to repeat the feat at a track where Martin has never won, despite having a great deal of success. Martin has finished second at Pocono on five occasions, including a strong run last spring. The last time Martin won back-to-back races was in May of 1997 (Sonoma and Talladega).
THE CAR
Chassis Number: (RK-231) - The team will run RK-231 this week at Pocono. RK-231 finished fifth at Las Vegas in its only other run. The team tested the car a Pocono last week.
WORTHY NOTE
Martin has never won at Pocono, despite having finished second on five occasions, including the last two Pocono 500s.
IN THE POINTS
The victory moved Martin up two places to 13th in the Nextel Cup point standings, only 75 points outside of 10th and just 11 points behind 11th place. Martin is 442 points out of first.
SWEETEST VICTORY
Martin's victory last weekend at Dover was the 34th of his distinguished Cup career and his first in the past 73 races. The victory total is the fourth most among active drivers. The last time Martin scored back-to-back wins was in May of 1997 when he won at Sear's Point and then Talladega.
MARTIN AT POCONO
This will be Martin's 35th race at Pocono, where he has finsihed inside the top 10 on 23 occasions. Martin boasts 16 top five finsihes at Pocono. He has finished inside the top five in the last four Pocono 500's and inside the top five in seven of the last eight spring races at Pocono. Eleven of Martin's 16 top fives at Pocono have come in the spring race.
LOOKING FOR NUMBER ONE
Martin has never won a Pocono, but he has finished second there on five occasions. In fact, Martin has finished second in the two previous Pocono 500's, while starting sixth in both races.
MARK MARTIN FAST FACTS - POCONO

Martin's 17 top-five finishes at Pocono is the most of any driver.
Martin's 24 top-10 finishes at Pocono leads all drivers.
Martin has finished second a Pocono on five occasions.
Martin has qualified sixth and finished second in each of the last two Pocono 500's.
The last time Martin scored back to back wins was in 1997 when he won at Sears Point and Talladega.

QUOTING MARK MARTIN AND CREW CHIEF PAT TRYSON
Mark Martin on Pocono:
"I like racing at Pocono. It's always one of our strong tracks and we've been really good there over the years. It's a differnt race track, because it has really long straight-aways and you have to really be able to drive the car in the corners, so it makes for my kind of racing. It's strange because I really like the place and we've never won there. We've been second a bunch of times, but never first. Maybe we can change that this year and go out and win us two in a row.
"Last week's win at Dover was awesome. It's something that this race team deserved. They've done such a great job and they deserved to be rewarded like that. But that's last week and it won't really matter much what happened in Dover, once we get to Pocono. We have to keep fighting our way back up. We have to keep going all out and fight our way back into that top 10.
Pat Tryson on Pocono:
"Last week was gerat. Mark really got up on the wheel and the team just did an outstanding job. This week the challenge is Pocono and it's a track that Mark loves. We'd love nothing more than to help give him his first win there. We tested there last week and were really happy with the results. We are taking the car we used in Vegas and it finished fifth there, so we are really excited about this weekend.

Off Topic: Five Things You May Not Know Mark Martin
Roush Racing
CONCORD, N.C. (June 3, 2004) - This week Mark and the No. 6 Viagra® Racing Team are busy preparing for the upcoming race at Dover International Speedway, a track Martin considers one of his favorites. The team spent the first part of this week getting the car ready for Dover, after running the same car in last week's Coca-Cola 600. The team spent all day Thursday testing in Pocono and will make their way to Dover later in the evening.
Amidst all the action, we decided to take a week to show a different side of NASCAR veteran Mark Martin, with a top five list of things you might not have known about the man who has totaled 33 Nextel Cup victories and will start his 600th race later this year.
5. Martin listens to a variety of music, ranging from rap to rock. " I listen to all of it," said Martin. "If you asked me today I'd say Shania Twain is my favorite musical artist, but ask me tomorrow and you'll get another answer. You will find everything from her to Dr. Dre in my CD player. So I guess it just depends what type of mood I'm in."
4. Martin lists "A Beautiful Mind" starring Russell Crowe as his favorite movie.
3. Martin lists Halle Berry, who will star in the upcoming film "Catwoman" as his favorite actress.
2. Martin lists Robert Duval as his favorite actor. Ironically Duval played crew chief Harry Hyde along side Tom Cruise in the racing movie "Days of Thunder." Martin worked with the real life Hyde, of which the character was loosely based, early in his Winston Cup career. However, Martin says he really does not have a favorite racing movie, although he did supply one of his race cars to be used to film the 1983's "Stroker Ace," starring Burt Reynolds.
1. Martin says that the comedy "Yes Dear" may currently be his favorite television show, although he is particularly fond of Fox's the "O.C." Martin will be spending more time near the real life O.C. (Orange County) this year, with the Nextel Cup circuit traveling an additional time out west to race in Fontana.
Roush Racing is a subsidiary of Livonia, Mich., based Roush Industries that operates nine motorsports teams; five in NASCAR Nextel Cup with drivers Mark Martin, Jeff Burton, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch and Greg Biffle, two in the Busch Series with Martin, Burton, Kenseth and Biffle and two in the Craftsman Truck Series with drivers Jon Wood and Carl Edwards.

Martin, No.6 Viagra Race Team Tame the Monster with Wild Win at Dover
Mark Martin and the #6 Viagra® Racing Team
Dover International Speedway/June 6, 2004
Roush Racing
June 7, 2004
DOVER, DEL. – “It was either get it done or lose, and I didn’t want to lose,” said Mark Martin moments after ‘getting it done’ at Dover International Speedway, running to his 34th career Nextel Cup victory. With 10 laps to go, Martin turned some of his fastest laps of the race to pull away from second place Tony Stewart and move on to his fourth career win at Dover.
“All I could do was stand up in the seat and do it,” added Martin. “I can’t say enough about this race team, starting with crew chief Pat Tryson. This win means a lot to me. I’ve dedicated my whole life to racing and winning is why I race. We’ve also had our share of heartbreak this year and this feels really good.
“We had a car last week (the same car) that was just as good and we had our hearts broken with both ignition boxes going out. The guys just said, ‘hey, we’ll just have to go win Dover’, and they did it and I can’t tell you how grateful I am to all of them, Pat, Wally (Brown, team engineer), Todd (Zeigler, car chief) and the whole Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) team. That’s like a fairly tail and it just doesn’t usually happen that way.
“This is a real team effort and a real team win,” added Martin. “Everybody at Roush Racing has put an awful lot into all these race teams and it feels good to see the No. 6 car get back to where we can run up front. It's the team. It's these guys. They're doing the work.”
The No. 6 Viagra Team put the heartbreak of last week behind them and turned its focus to Dover, where Martin was strong all weekend. The No. 6 Ford posted some of the fastest times both practice sessions and qualified seventh on Friday.
The race would turn out to be one of the wildest in recent memory, featuring seven cautions, including the ‘big one’ late that claimed 19 cars in its carnage. In the end, the day would see nearly three hours of yellow and red flag action, but one of the only constants of the day was Martin and the No. 6 Viagra Ford. Martin ran consistently inside the top 10, and the crew made no major changes to the car the entire day. Martin and Tryson masterfully worked to place themselves in position for the late run at the victory.
The car was slightly tight early on and Martin fell back to as far as 17th (lap 55) at one point in the race, before rallying to work his way back up the field. By lap 121 Martin had broken back inside the top 10, where he would run for the remaining 279 laps of the race. Martin had moved up to ninth place by lap 192, with the Viagra? Taurus running the fastest times on the track. By lap 278, Martin was running in sixth position.
The team came into the pits for a green flag stop on lap 314 to take on four fresh tires and fuel. Soon after that, things would get really interesting. First, race leader Tony Stewart missed pit road, making the No. 12 of Ryan Newman – the only car who hadn’t pitted – the race leader. Two laps later as Newman attempted to enter the pits, he lost control of the car, turning sideways while taking out the commitment cones that show the entrance to pit road. The spin caused a caution that would catch Martin and all but two other cars a lap down.
The chain of events caused confusion in scoring, and the field ran 26 laps under caution as Nascar sorted out the cars. In the end Martin was awarded the ‘lucky dog’ free pass, as he was the first car one lap down when the caution was issued. The team came into the pits to take on four tires and Martin was in fourth place when the field went green. Since was the lucky dog, Martin was forced to restart at the tail end of the longest line, which in the end would be a saving grace for Martin and the team.
The minutes leading up to the restarts would prove to be a critical time in the race, as Martin and Tryson sorted out what to do on the restart. Due to the way the caution had come out, several lapped cars were in between Martin and the next car for position.
“We are going to have to be careful here, as there is a good chance for a wreck,” warned Martin to Tryson over the radio.
Martin’s intuition proved true and his experience paid off, as the field had yet to go a full lap when the No. 15 and No. 23 cars connected, started a continuation of events that would see no less than 17 cars caught up in the mayhem before all was said and done. Because he had started at the end of the line, Martin was able to come to a complete stop, before making his way around the wrecked cars and into second position.
“When you had a restart with all those cars a lap down, some of which were in front of the leader, anybody who's been in racing very long knows that they're probably going to wreck,” said Martin.
“Our communication was good, and we strategized throughout the race. One of the key times was right before the big wreck,” added Martin. “We had to start at the tail end of the longest line and the other three guys on the lead lap were up front, so I said ‘we'll never get to them, so there's no use in getting in a hurry here. Let's just miss the wreck, because if there's a caution we can get up there and race them for it. And if there's not, we'll probably never reach them because we got all these lapped cars in between us, so it's important to miss the wreck’, and sure enough, there it was. We almost got in it anyway, and we were watching for it. The track was completely blocked and we had to come to a complete stop to miss it.
“I don't even know what happened,” said Martin. “I was so far behind it, I couldn't tell you. But I know they were sure wadded up down there when I got there. There was nowhere to go. I mean the track was totally blocked, and I stopped completely, dead still, and waited until some of the track cleared. And that was the only way I would've been able to get through it.”
The field was red-flagged on lap 347 to make time to clean up all the damage caused in the accident. When action resumed, Martin was running in second place, behind the No. 9 car of rookie Kasey Kahne. The team opted to come into the pits for four tires, while the No. 9 stayed out on old tires. The Viagra Race Team won the battle off pit road and Martin held his second-place position once the field went green on lap 353.
Caution was issued again 20 laps later when the No. 2 car brushed the wall. After debating the pro and cons of stopping, Tryson and Martin decided to stay out and not pit and Martin was still running in second place when the field went green with 20 laps remaining in the race on lap 380.
Two laps later Kahne lost control of his No. 9 car, spinning and hitting the wall after getting loose in what some speculated was oil dropped on the track by the No. 41 car. Martin was able to steer by Kahne’s out of control car, taking the lead for the first time of the day, while becoming the ninth and final leader of the race.
Again Martin and Tryson would have an important decision to make as caution was called for the seventh and final time as Kahne’s spinout triggered yet another multi-car accident just behind Martin.
“Pat just made a gutsy call to try and go for it,” said Martin. “If we pitted and put tires on, I'll bet you I'd have hit the oil, too. Our car was right, and I told Pat that I liked those tires. He knew the next set I might not like as good. I told him that was the best the car's been all day, when I was running second the Kasey there, and he made the call. It was a gutsy call and it paid off for us.”
The cars behind Martin opted to pit, including the No 20 car of Stewart that had clearly been the fastest car all day. As the race went green, Martin’s task would be to fend off Stewart – who was on fresh tires – for the nine remaining laps of the event.
Martin would be more than ready for the task, as his No. 6 Viagra Ford would pull away from Stewart. Martin turned some of the fastest lap times of the race, while cruising on to the 34th victory of his storied Cup career, and his first in just over two years.
"It was classic Mark Martin at Dover,” said owner Jack Roush. “He loves this place. He can't wait to get to Dover from one time we're here to the next.”
“It feels really good to go to victory lane,” said Tryson. “It’s really been a long day. We were a little bit off in the beginning, but the Viagra Ford was awesome all day. The team did a great job for us today and Mark really got up on the wheel when he needed to. It’s just an awesome feeling.”
“This team has done it,” said Martin. “I can't tell you exactly what it feels like to race for 25th each week like we did last year, but I can tell you it’s not any fun. These guys have us running in the top-10 again each week, and we're going to keep fighting. We've had a lot of problems this year, but we still want to make that top-10 at the cut. I know we've got a lot of work cut out for us, but these guys are going to do it."
“Our point standings don't reflect anything like what our team has performed like this year, but we still can make the top-10 at the cut if we can keep the bad luck behind us now. We have had the worst luck of any racer that I know of this year. So, today it was our day for it all to go our way instead of it going against us.
“This team has really rallied and come together and I wouldn’t be too surprised if we were to win another one within the next three or four races,” added Martin. “We've had some good cars this year that we didn't get to finish the job off with because of malfunctions. Maybe there's a silver lining to this points thing. If we can continue to run like we're running now and we can have good fortune from now until Richmond, hopefully we’ll be able to make that top-10 cut. And if we do that then we'll be tied for first."
The victory moved Martin up two places to 13th in the Nextel Cup point standings, 442 points behind the leader, but only 75 points outside of the top 10. Martin is currently only 11 points behind 11th place.
The team returns to action next week in Pocono where Martin has scored 14 top-10 finishes in his last 17 races. Martin finished second there last spring.

2004 Mark Martin Dover Track Notes - June 6, 2004
Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Roush Racing #6 Ford Taurus
MBNA America 400/Dover International Speedway
Roush Racing
June 2, 2004
DRIVER: Mark Martin
TEAM: No. (6) Viagra® Ford Taurus
OWNER: Jack Roush
CREW CHIEF: Pat Tryson
2003 WINNER: Ryan Newman:
Despite losing the power steering in his Dodge, Ryan Newman held off Jeff Gordon to win the MBNA 400.
MARK MARTIN 2003 EVENT: Started: 32nd Finished: 18th:
Martin and the team fought to an 18th-place finish in the MBNA Armed Forces Family 400 at Dover International Speedway. Martin and the No. 6 crew battled all day to make the car better, but were never able to find the exact elements to make the car as fast as they had hoped. In the end, Martin, who was caught up in an accident on lap 210, would be forced to settle for the 18th-place finish. The highlight of the day for the No. 6 crew, was the team’s nifty work in the pits, that included several quick stops that helped Martin gain valuable track position.
MARK MARTIN, NO. 6 TEAM LOOK TO SLAY MONSTER MILE
Mark Martin and the Viagra Racing Team were fast during last week's Coca-Cola 600, but saw their hopes of winning the famed event shattered when both ignition boxes failed by lap 200. The team will look to rebound this week at Dover, a track that Martin lists as one of his clear favorites and the stats show it. In 35 races Martin has posted 30 top-10 and 15 top-five finishes (the most of any active driver).
FAST FROM THE START
Martin was comfortable at Dover from the start, running to a fifth-place finish in the Mason-Dixon 500 in his first ever start at the 1.0-mile track on 5/16/82. Martin started the event seventh, the first of 22 top-10 starts for Martin at the track. In fact, Martin has four poles from at Dover and started in the top 10 in 22 of his first 29 races there.
THE CAR
Chassis Number: (RK-241) - The team will run RK-241 again this week at Dover. RK-241 is the same car that ran last weekend in the Coca-Cola 600 and was among the race leaders before mechanical problems. This will be the fourth run this season for the car (600 - 36th Atlanta - 14th, Texas - 17th, and California - 11th).
IN THE POINTS
Martin is 15th in the Nextel Cup point standings after the 36th-place finish in the 600. Martin is currently 162 points outside of 10th place and 462 behind the leader.
MARK MARTIN AT DOVER
This will be Martin's 36th start at Dover, where he has won three times, but never in the spring race. Considered one his favorite tracks on the circuit, Martin has 20 top-10 and 15 top-five finishes at the Monster Mile. The 15 top fives are the most of any active driver.
TRACK RACE RECORD
Martin holds the track race record at Dover, winning on 9/21/97 in just 50 seconds over three hours, while averaging a speed of 132.719 mph on the day.
MARK MARTIN FAST FACTS

Martin has three wins at Dover, with all three coming in the fall race.
Martin holds the track race-record at Dover winning on 9/21/97 in 3:00:50 (132.717 mph avg).
Martin's 15 top-five finishes are the most of any active driver at Dover.
Martin has 20 top-10 finishes at Dover, including 11 in the spring race.
Martin finished fifth in his first Cup race at Dover on 5/16/82.
Martin has finished in the top 10 in almost 60 percent of his races at Dover.

QUOTING MARK MARTIN AND CREW CHIEF PAT TRYSON
Mark Martin on Dover:
“Dover’s probably my favorite racetrack. We have tremendous history there and I feel really good about our racecars that the guys are building for us. We had a great car on Sunday and we are taking it back to Dover. The guys are working really hard to turn the car around, so we can take it to Dover and finish what we started at the 600. We had a great car there and were running up front and got hit once again by stuff that is out of our control.
"All we can do is go back at it and make sure that we give 100 percent to what we are in control of. That means going to Dover this weekend being just as fast. We have to keep fighting and we will. This is a great race team that is made up of a great group of guys with a super work ethic. Some of the things that have happened are disappointing, but these guys are not about to give up. We'll come back at Dover and go for it again."
Crew Chief Pat Tryson on Dover:
"After what happened at the 600, we just can't wait to get back out there and show everyone just how good this team can be. Mark has done an excellent job driving the cars and we have gotten stronger each week. We are going to take the same car back to Dover and it was really fast last week. Hopefully we'll be able to see the results this week and that's what we are working towards."