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2004 Season Articles - September

2004 Mark Martin Track Notes - October 3, 2004
Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Roush Racing #6 Ford Taurus
EA Sports 500 / Talladega Superspeedway
Roush Racing
September 29, 2004
DRIVER: Mark Martin
TEAM: No. (6) Viagra® Ford Taurus
OWNER: Jack Roush
CREW CHIEF: Pat Tryson
2003 EVENT WINNER: Michael Waltrip
MARK MARTIN - 2003 EVENT
Mark Martin EA Sports 500 Race Recap
Mark Martin and the #6 Viagra® Racing Team
Talladega SuperSpeedway/September 28, 2003
Roush Racing
Talladega, Ala. (Sept. 28, 2003) – With 15 laps to go things were looking good for Mark Martin and the Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Racing team. Martin, who had one of the strongest cars in the field, was running in second place and fighting for the lead with teammate Kurt Busch as the final laps were winding down on the 2003 EA Sports 500. Martin was running in seventh place when the no. 38 car went airborne causing the day’s final caution with just six laps to go in the race. The field was red flagged and Martin restarted in seventh place when the race resumed with only four laps remaining.
Teaming up with the No. 12 and No. 2 car Martin moved up to fifth place with just under two laps to go. However, despite a previous agreement, the No. 2 car opted to go below Martin with just over two laps remaining. Martin was stranded in the middle of the track with no drafting partners. To make matters worse another car made contact with the front fender of the Viagra® Taurus and Martin dropped back to 23rd place as the field took the checkered flag. A tough finish for a car that ran all but four of the race’s 188 laps inside the top 20 and had been in fifth place with just two laps remaining.
Martin started the race 15th but fell out of the draft early and dropped back to 32nd place by lap three. However, the No. 6 Ford would be strong on this day and Martin moved back into the draft and back into 15th place by lap 10. The veteran driver would move in and out of the draft for the remainder of the day moving through the field.
Martin, running second, came in for his fifth pit stop of the day on lap 128 to take right side tires and fuel under a green flag. The team struggled getting around the No. 90 car on pit road and Martin returned to the field in 20th place, but the No. 6 had lost valuable ground to the leaders and was running several car lengths and two packs of cars behind the front.
Martin would hook up with teammate Matt Kenseth and three other cars to form a five-car drafting train that caught the next pack in only eight laps. The day’s third caution just two laps later allotted the team the opportunity to make a series of stops to take on right side and left side tires as well as a splash of fuel just before the race went green with Martin in 17th place.
Martin continued to shuffle in and out of the draft over the next several laps, moving to seventh place by lap 159. Two laps later Martin fell out of the draft, falling to 14th, before moving back inside the top 10 on lap 167. The day’s fourth caution was issued one lap later. Martin opted not to pit and was running in second place when the field went green on lap 174 with only 14 laps remaining. Martin continued to fight for position for the next several laps, before Elliot Sadler’s crash on lap 182 brought out the day’s final caution, setting up the four lap shootout that would see Martin come out on the wrong end. Adding insult to injury, Martin’s car suffered damage after the race, when he was caught up in a post race accident that included several cars.
MARTIN LOOKS TO STAY IN GAME AT TALLADEGA
Fresh off a strong second-place run at Dover, Mark Martin and the Viagra Racing Team will look to build on their success and continue their upward movement in the Chase with a strong run at Talladega this weekend.
THE CAR
Chassis Number: (RK-125) - The team will run RK-125 this weekend at Talladega. RK-125 is the same car Martin used to finish sixth with at Talladega in the spring. The car finished fourth in the Twin-125's at Daytona and looked to be strong in the Daytona 500, before early mechanical problems.
WORTHY NOTE
Martin's 33 top-10 finishes at restrictor plate races are the most ever.
THE RACE FOR THE NEXTEL CUP - MARTIN IN TIE FOR FOURTH WITH EIGHT TO GO
Martin's second-place run continued his upward movement in the Chase. Martin is currenlty in a tie for fourth place, 57 points outside of first. Martin is tied with Jimmie Johnson, but behind in the tie-breaker due to number of wins this season.
BREAKING DOWN THE CHASE
Martin has won on seven of the 10 tracks that will decide the winner of the Nextel Cup. In fact Martin has multiple wins at four of the eight tracks remaining, including two wins at Talladega. Martin has combined for 12 wins, 70 top-fives, 115 top-10's and 10 poles in 211 starts at the remaining eight tracks. Martin has finished in the top 10 in 55 percent of his starts at those tracks.
MARTIN AT TALLADEGA
Martin has earned two victories (4/30/95 and 4/10/97) at Talladega, where he has also posted 11 top-five and 21 top-10 finishes. In addition Martin has earned two poles at the track, both coming in 1989. In 2002, Martin was inducted into the Talladega Walk of Fame for his on-track accomplishments at the 'worlds fastest superspeedway.'
UN-RESTRICTED
This will be the final of four restrictor-plate races in 2004. Despite not being a fan of restrictor-plate racing, Martin has posted top 10's in 49 percent of the 67 restrictor plate races. His 33 top-10's are the most ever.
ON A ROLL
The Viagra Team has been strong as of late, having finished top five in six of the last nine and five of the last seven races. In fact, Martin has posted nine of his 13 top-10 and all but one of his eight top-five finishes after June 6. Furthermore, no driver has scored more points in the last six races than Martin, who's climed from 15th to fifth in the last seven races.
MARK MARTIN FAST FACTS - TALLADEGA

Martin's pace in the 1997 Winston 500 at Talladega set an all-time NASCAR Cup record for the fastest race ever run, as Martin won the caution-free event with an average speed of 188.354 mph. He covered the 500-mile distance in two hours, 38 minutes and 18 seconds.

Martin's two victories at Talladega ties him with several other drivers as the second most by an active driver.

Martin has scored top-10 finishes in six of his last 10 races at Talladega.

Martin's 33 top-10 finishes in restrictor-plate races are the second most ever. He's stared all 67 races.

Martin has six top-five finishes in the last nine races and four top-threes.

QUOTING MARK MARTIN AND PAT TRYSON
Mark Martin on Talladega:
"Talladega could be the wildcard in the Chase. You really can't control what goes on there, and our goal is to not wreck, avoid the 'big one' and try to get a high finish. We know that we don't have a good enough car to drive to the front and stay there, so we'll be in that pack moving around all day - front to back, back to front. We finished fifth and sixth in the two restrictor -plate races that we've finished and I hope we can do that good again. Hopefully we can just get through this week and move on to Kansas where we should be strong.
"Pat and the team continue to do a great job. We've continued to have very fast race cars, and the team enjoyed one of its best days in the pits last Sunday at Dover. We've come a long way since Daytona and we are just going to have to keep fighting and see what happens down the road. It's been a great ride the last couple of months and we aren't ready for that to end just yet."
Pat Tryson on Talladega:
"Talladega is a tough race in that so much can happen and there is very little that you can do to contol it. Mark is a great drafter and he always does a good job of getting to the front . Hopefully we can give him a good enough car to do that this Sunday and with a little luck maybe we can get out of there with a good finish. We are taking the same car that we finsihed sixth with in April, so hopefully we can bring another top 10."

Martin Runs to Second-Place Finish at Dover
Mark Martin and the #6 Viagra® Racing Team
Dover International Speedway/September 26, 2004
DOVER, DEL. – Mark Martin and the Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Racing team went to Dover looking to follow up their June win there with yet another strong performance at the 1-mile track that Martin often calls his favorite. In the end they found just what they were looking for, another top-five finish and continued movement up in the Nextel Cup point standings. Martin took over second place on lap 284 and held the position for the remaining 116 laps of the race. The strong performance moved Martin up to fifth in the Chase for the Nextel Cup – tied in points for fourth place with Jimmie Johnson. Martin has moved from eighth to fifth during the first two races of Nextel’s 10-race playoff to decide the champion.
"We just had a great race and such a good team effort today,” said Martin. “We had great pit stops and I'm just blessed with such a great group of guys like Pat Tryson and Wally Brown and Todd Zeigler and Jack Roush that provide me the tools that I need at the right time. I'm feeling pretty good right now. That's what we needed to do after Loudon. We knew what we probably were going to do at Loudon and we also knew what we could do here and we came and did what we needed to do.”
Sunday’s performance featured a combination of solid work in the pits and a fast car. Martin started the race in 12th place and would battle a loose car early. By the fifth lap he had dropped to 15th place. He was running in 14th when the day’s first caution was issued on lap 13. The team opted to come into the pits for two tires and fuel and Martin returned in 15th place when green-flag racing resumed. With Martin continuing to struggle with the car’s handling, the No. 6 Viagra® Ford fell back to as far as 17th place by lap 33.
Martin had moved back up to 15th place when caution number two was called on lap 47. The team came into the pits for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment. After a 14.20-second stop, Martin came out in 13th place. With the car ‘pushing’ really bad, Martin moved to 12th, where he was running when the day’s third caution was called on lap 119. The caution gave the Viagra® team an opportunity to pit for four scuffed tires, fuel and additional chassis adjustments. A quick 13.742-second stop put Martin into the field’s top 10 for the first time of the day – he would never run outside the top 10 again.
Martin was still running in ninth place when caution number four was issued on lap 169. The team came into the pits two laps later and posted its best stop of the afternoon, a 13.08-second stop to take on four tires, fuel and make another chassis adjustment. The solid work in the pits put Martin back out in the top-five for the first time of the day, with Martin running fifth when the field went green on lap 177.
The car again started the run loose and Martin quickly fell back to sixth place on lap 182. Martin regrouped and moved back into fifth place on lap 207. The veteran would run inside the field’s top-five for the remainder of the day. On lap 211 Martin moved his Ford into fourth place, before taking over third on lap 234. Three laps later Martin moved into second place. Martin took the lead on lap 261 and earned five bonus points in the Chase, as the field started to pit under green. Crew Chief Pat Tryson brought Martin down pit road for a green-flag stop on lap 263. Once again the Viagra® Team came through, posting a 13.63-second stop to preserve Martin’s position among the race leaders.
Martin was running in third once the field had cycled through its pits. On lap 284, Martin passed Rusty Wallace for second place and he would not relinquish the position for the remainder of the race. Race leader Ryan Newman, who had the dominate car in Sunday’s race, had pulled away from the field, but a caution on lap 226 would make it interesting. The team pitted for the final time of the day under caution on lap 228, taking four tires and fuel, while making no adjustments in another quick time of 13.34 seconds.
“I would have liked to have given Ryan a run for his money on that last restart,” said Martin. “I thought that we could, but boy, was I wrong. He just had a little too much for us today.”
Martin and Newman would pull away from third place as the field returned to green with 70 laps to go. Newman was able to pull away from Martin, but Martin would move on to the solid second-place finish. The finish is Martin’s eighth top-five of the season and his sixth top-five in the last nine races. The finish moved Martin up to fifth in the point standings and in a tie for fourth, his highest place in the standings since 2002.
The team will return to action next week at Talladega Super speedway for the season’s fourth and final restrictor plate race of the season. Martin has finished sixth or better in two of the three restrictor plate races this season, including a sixth-place finish at Talladega earlier this year.

Martin Drives No.9 Cottman Car to Eighth-Place Finish at Dover
Mark Martin and the #9 Cottman Racing Team
Dover International Speedway/September 25, 2004
DOVER, DEL. – Mark Martin’s No. 9 Cottman Transmission Ford was a rocket during the final 90 laps of Saturday’s Stacker 200 Busch series race at Dover International Speedway, moving all the way from 16th to third place. Martin was running in 16th, when the field went green after the No. 9 Team’s second and final pit stop of the day. By lap 150 Martin had moved inside the top-10 and Martin’s car was turning the fastest times on the racetrack. In fact no other car on the track was in the same league as Martin’s Ford as the final laps winded down. By lap 180 Martin had climbed to sixth place. He broke inside the top five on lap 185 and took over fourth place five laps later with only 10 to go. Martin had moved into third place as the field took the white flag for the race’s final lap, when the lapped No. 12 car of Tim Fedewa made contact with Martin’s car going into turn one. The contact cut down the right front tire of the No. 9 Ford, causing Martin to spin out. Despite the cut tire and spin, Martin was able to recover and bring home the top-10 finish.
Martin started the race in 17th place based on Friday’s qualifying effort, but by lap 38 the Busch Series all-time win leader had powered his way inside the top 10. Martin was running in ninth place when the day’s first caution was called on lap 74 for debris in turns one and two. The team used the caution to come into the pits to take four tires, fuel and make air pressure and chassis adjustments. A problem with the rear tire forced a slow stop and Martin lost one place in the pits on the stop and returned to the field in tenth place when the field went green on lap 79.
The next 24 laps would see a series of three cautions and the team used the day’s fourth caution to come into the pits for the second and final time of the day. The No. 9 Cottman Team rebounded with a solid effort in the pits and Martin returned to the field in 16th place when the field went green on lap 109, as some teams had opted for a different strategy and were on a different sequence.
Martin’s car came around and the veteran would use the next 90 laps to mount his strong march to the front. Martin had secured third place when the contact with the No. 12 car maimed his tire causing the spin on the races final lap.
Martin’s next Busch Series start is scheduled for Atlanta, where he will again take to the field in the No. 9 Cottman Transmission Ford. Martin will be looking for his record-extending 46th win in the series when he takes to the track in Atlanta. Martin is set to make his final Busch start of 2004 at Phoenix later this year.

2004 Mark Martin MBNA America 400 Track Notes - September 26, 2004
Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Roush Racing #6 Ford Taurus
MBNA America 400/Dover International Speedway
Roush Racing
September 21, 2004
DRIVER: Mark Martin
TEAM: No. (6) Viagra® Ford Taurus
OWNER: Jack Roush
CREW CHIEF: Pat Tryson
LAST YEAR'S EVENT WINNER: Ryan Newman
MARK MARTIN LAST YEAR'S EVENT:
Mark Martin Dover Race Recap
Mark Martin and the #6 Viagra® Racing Team
MBNA America 400/September 21, 2003
Roush Racing
DOVER, Del. (Sept. 21, 2003) – Mark Martin and the Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Racing team had a fast car for Sunday’s MBNA American 400 at Dover International Raceway, but once again the No. 6 team would fall victim to bad luck. The bad news in Sunday’s race was that Martin would finish 22nd and two laps down. The encouraging factor to be taken from the race was that Martin had one of - if not the – fastest cars on the track for much of the day.
Martin was loose early, cutting a tire and dropping all the way to 35th place before having to come into the pits to change tires. By the time the No. 6 car returned to the track Martin was running in last place at 43rd. Martin and the team would have their work cut out for them at that point, but in the end they would answer the challenge.
“We had a good car today,” said crew chief Ben Leslie. “We just had a bad break that went against us early. I believe that the right front tire was going down early and that hurt the car’s performance. By the time we realized it and came into the pits, we were in last place and three laps down. Still, in the end we had one of the fastest cars on the track for a lot of the day.”
“This was a solid effort by the Viagra® Team,” said Martin. “We got down early, but we didn’t give up. The car was fast and the guys had a great effort in the pits and we were able to make something out of nothing. At one point we were last, but we didn’t give up.”
Martin started the race 16th on points, after Friday’s qualifying was cancelled due to the threat of Hurricane Isabel. Several teams had complained about debris on the track for several laps early, and Martin was one of a hand full of drivers to cut a tire early, despite the fact that caution was never issued. After coming in to change the tire on lap 42, the No. 6 Viagra® Ford was running in the back of the field.
In addition, NASCAR’s most recent rule of no racing back to the caution, would make it that much more difficult for Martin to work his way up the field. The team used a caution on lap 79 to come into the pits, take four tires and add a spring rubber to tighten the car’s handling. When the field went green Martin was running in 37th place.
The team made additional wedge adjustments under caution on lap 167 and returned to the field in 35th place. By lap 227 Martin had moved all the way up to 28th place and was the fastest car on the track. After a caution on lap 235, the team came into the pits for four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment. A quick stop of 14.80 helped Martin return to the field in 26th place, the first car on his lap, when the race went green.
Martin continued to run the fastest times on the track for much of the race. A 14.40-second pit stop under caution on lap 290 helped move the No. 6 Ford Taurus into 24th place. Martin would continue to run fast lap times, while passing several car on the lead lap and moving up two more positions before the race’s end. Another quick stop of 14.830 seconds helped advance Martin to 23rd on the team’s final stop on lap 367.
“We were really fast there in the end,” said Martin. “The car would get loose on old tires, but it was pretty good once I got a handle on it. The guys did a wonderful job today. They gave me a fast car and they did a great job in the pits.“
MARTIN LOOKS FOR DOVER SWEEP
Martin heads back to Dover where the Viagra Team will look to make it a clean sweep at the Monster Mile, a track Martin considers one of his favorites. Martin won there in June for his 34th Cup victory.
THE RACE FOR THE CHASE - NINE TO GO
Martin's 13th place run at Loudon was good enough to move him into seventh place in the Nextel Cup standings as the teams head into Dover - one of Martin's strongest tracks. Martin is currently 71 points outside of first place in the Chase.
THE CAR
Chassis Number: (RK-231) -The team will run RK-231 this weekend at Dover. RK-231 is considered the fastest car in Mark's stable and has boasted top-five finishes at California, Michigan and Las Vegas, as well as strong runs at Chicago, Indy and Pocono.
BREAKING DOWN THE CHASE
Martin has won on seven of the 10 tracks that will decide the winner of the Nextel Cup. In fact Martin has multiple wins at five of the nine tracks remaining, including four wins at Dover where he won earlier this season. Martin has combined for 16 wins, 87 top-fives, 136 top-10's and 14 poles in 247 starts at the remaining nine tracks. Martin has finished in the top 10 in 55 percent of his starts at those tracks.
FAST FROM START TO FINISH
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 him at the track. In fact, Martin has four poles at Dover and started in the top 10 in 22 of his first 29 races there. Coincidentally Martin started seventh in his last race at Dover as well back in June, where he ran to his 34th Nextel Cup victory.
MARK MARTIN AT DOVER
This will be Martin's 37th start at Dover, where he has won four times, with all but this year's June win coming in the fall. The four wins tie for the most at the track. Considered one his favorite tracks on the circuit, Martin has 21 top-10 and 16 top-five finishes at the Monster Mile. The 16 top fives are the most of any active driver.
MARK MARTIN FAST FACTS - DOVER

Martin has four wins at Dover, three of which came in the fall race. The other came this spring.
Martin holds the track race-record at Dover winning on 9/21/97 in 3:00:50 (132.717 mph avg).
Martin's 16 top-five finishes are the most of any active driver at Dover.
Martin has 21 top-10 finishes at Dover.
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:
"This is one that we've been looking forward to. Dover is a great race track - and it may even be my favorite - so I always look forward to racing there. There are six tracks of the nine left that we really feel like we should run strong and Dover is the first of those. We won there in the spring and we've been really good on those types of tracks in the past few weeks. Hopefully we can build on that and put the car back in victory lane and gain some ground in the Race for the Championship.
"The team has done an outstanding job so far this season. We needed to get through Loudon last week and we were able to do that. Now it's time for us to go do some racing up at Dover, which should be one of our strong tracks. We know what our goal is and now it's just a matter of doing what it takes to get there."
Pat Tryson on Dover:
"I know the team is really excited about going back to Dover. The win there in June will always be special to me and this team, and we are excited about the chance to do it again there. Dover is Mark's kind of track and he'll be racing his favorite car this weekend, so it should be a good run for us. It'll just be our job to make sure that Mark has what he needs to go out and do what we all know he can do and that's win this race."

2004 Mark Martin Dover Busch Track Notes - September 25, 2004
Pennzoil Roush Racing #9 Ford Taurus
Stacker 200/Dover International Speedway
Roush Racing
2003 EVENT WINNER: Brian Vickers
MARTIN TO PULL THE DOUBLE DUTY
Mark Martin start his third Busch race of 2004 this weekend at Dover International Speedway, where he has one win and five top-five finishes in 10 starts in the Busch Series. Martin finished second last month at Michigan in his return to the Busch Series. He finished 11th at Richmond in his only other Busch race of the season. Martin will also make Busch Series starts later this year in Atlanta and Phoenix.
IN THE BUSCH SERIES
Martin made a name for himself in the Busch Series, taking a series record 45 checkered-flags from 1987 until he 'retired' from the series in 2000. All in all Martin has run 202 Busch races, collecting 127 top-10 and 94 top-five finishes. Martin has won 23 percent of all the Busch races he's entered and finished inside the top 10 64 percent of the time. Martin has led 7,736 laps in the series.
MARTIN AT DOVER IN THE BUSCH CAR
This will be Martin's 11th race at Dover in the Busch series and the first since he finished second there in June of 2000. Martin won at Dover in his first career Busch race on May 30, 1987. Ironically Martin has finished either top five or outside the top 30 in nine of his 10 races at Dover.
RECORD 45 CAREER VICTORIES
Martin will be going for his record-extending 46th win in the Busch series. Martin's first win in the Busch series came on May 30, 1987 at Dover. His last win in a Busch car was on Sept. 2, 2000 at Darlington. Despite running a limited schedule of 15 races or less, Martin won at least two Busch races each year from 1993-2000, including six win seasons in '92, '96, '97 and '99.
MARK MARTIN FAST FACTS - DOVER

Martin has five top-five finishes in 10 races at Dover.
Martin has won once in the Busch Series at Dover, in his first attempt there in May of 1987.
Martin's win at Dover in '87 was his first win in the Busch Series.
Martin will be going for his Busch Series record extending 46th win in the series this weekend at Dover.

QUOTING MARK MARTIN ON DOVER
"We are looking forward to running the No. 9 Cottman car this weekend in Dover. Dover is one of my favorite tracks and it's always fun to get out on that race track and compete. We won the Cup race there in the spring and hopefully we can put the Cottman No. 9 car into victory lane on Saturday and the Viagra car there on Sunday."

Martin/Viagra Race Team Notch 13th Place Finish at Loudon
Mark Martin and the #6 Viagra® Racing Team
New Hampshire International Speedway/September 19, 2004
LOUDON, N.H. – Mark Martin and the Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Race Team ran to a 13th-place finish on Sunday in the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Int’l Speedway. With both of Saturday’s practice sessions cancelled due to persistent rains, Martin and the team were never able to get a firm grasp on the correct setup for the car. However, Martin was able to bring home the solid finish and advance one spot in the Nextel Cup Race for the Championship. With nine races remaining to decide the NEXTEL Cup Champion, the team will shift its focus to next week’s race at Dover, where Martin collected his 34th career victory in the spring.
“We did what we needed to do today,” said Martin. “We got a solid finish out of it. We knew it wasn’t one of our strong tracks going into the race and we really just needed to get a solid finish here. The team worked really hard all day and we were able to fight our way to a decent finish and gain one place in the points. We’ll take that and move on to Dover.”
"We didn't run very good, but that's a good way to start if off,” added Martin. “I'm really satisfied with a 13th-place finish. It could have been a lot worse. We got a lot of green-flag racing today and that's kind of what we needed for our car. It could have been worse under other conditions. We dodged that bullet and now we can do some serious racing for a while."
Heavy rains set in Friday and forced the cancellation of qualifying and Martin started the race eighth based on his position in the points going into the race. By lap three Martin had dropped to 11th position, where he was running when the day’s first caution was called on lap 19. The team came into the pits for a two-tire only stop, taking on right sides and fuel and returned to the field in 14th (as part of the field opted not to pit) when the race returned to green.
Martin began to struggle with the car’s handling, becoming loose into the turn and out of the turn, while having trouble turning the car in the middle. The No. 6 Viagra® Ford was running in 17th position when the day’s second caution was issued on lap 36. The remainder of the field pitted and Martin moved up to fifth place when the field went back to green on lap 40. However the car continued to worsen and by lap 63 Martin had dropped to 12th place when the day’s third caution was issued. The team came into the pits for a chassis adjustment and four tires and fuel. Trouble with the left front tire hampered the stop and Martin returned to the field in 22nd place.
Martin then embarked on his best run of the day, powering his Viagra® Ford back through the field. By lap 86 the veteran had moved back inside the top 15, where he was running when the day’s fourth caution was called on lap 103. The team used a 14.62-second stop to make another chassis adjustment and take four tires and fuel and returned to the race in 17th place when green-flag racing resumed.
After another quick caution in which the team stayed out, Martin was running back in 15th place by lap 121. By lap 153 he had moved his Ford into 13th position, where he would run for the next 20 laps. The team posted their best stop of the day after a caution on lap 175. A 13.87-second stop for four tires and fuel put Martin back out in 12th.
Martin continued to struggle with the car’s ‘loose’ handling nature and dropped back to 14th place by lap 244 when the field started green-flag pit stops. Crew chief Pat Tryson brought Martin down pit road on lap 257 for the day’s only stop under green, to take on four tires and fuel. Once the field cycled through its stops, Martin was running in 15th position on lap 258. He had moved up to 13th when the day’s seventh and final caution was called on lap 275 for debris on the track. With only three cars behind them on the lead lap the team decided to come into the pits for the final time of the day to take on four fresh tires. Martin returned to the field in 13th position and was able to hold position for the final 20 laps of the race.
The team will return to action next week at Dover where they will look to make it a clean sweep in 2004. Martin has four wins at the Monster Mile, with the last coming in June. In addition, Martin has 17 top-five and 21 top-10 finishes at Dover.

Mark Martin Sylvania 300 Race Recap
Mark Martin and the #6 Viagra® Racing Team
Sylvania 300/September 14, 2003
Roush Racing
LOUDON, N.H. (Sept. 14, 2003) – Mark Martin and the Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Racing team ran to a 28th-place finish in Sunday’s Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway. Martin made his landmark 500th consecutive Winston Cup start at the race, a streak that dates back to Feb. 18, 1988 and is the third longest current streak in NASCAR. The team ran a special gold paint scheme commemorating the event.
However, despite the occasion, Martin struggled for the majority of the race as the team was never able to find the right combination of handling and speed. Midway through the race Martin radioed the car was handling better, but that he was struggling to run off the corners as fast as the car’s around him. In the end, the team was never able to find the proper adjustment to make the car faster.
With the car loose, Martin battled for several laps to remain on the lead lap. The team came into the pits on lap 81 to take four fresh tires, take on fuel and attempt to tighten the car by taking wedge out. The move worked for the short term, but Martin eventually succumbed to lead traffic and fell off the lead lap on lap 103. Martin was never able to gain his lap back.
The team continued to work on the car, making several adjustments, including additional wedge adjustments and adding a spring rubber, during a series of pit stops under various cautions. The team took four tires and made a track bar adjustment on lap 128. On lap 162 Martin entered the pits again for four tires, to take three rounds of wedge out and add a spring rubber to the right rear. He returned to the field in 31st place and the sixth car one lap down.
Eventually the car’s times became more competitive, and by lap 198 Martin had moved the field to 27th place – the second car one lap down. However during a long green-flag run, Martin’s lap times slowed and eventually he lost another lap. The team would go on to finish 28th, two laps down to the leader.
The Viagra® Racing Team returns to action next week at Dover Raceway.
RACE FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP IS ON!
Martin and the Viagra Racing Team secured their spot in the Race for the Chase with a solid fifth-place run at Richmond. The finish moved Martin up to eighth place in the point standings. This week Martin will begin his quest for the Nextel Cup Championship in Loudon, New Hampshire.
THE RACE FOR THE CHASE - 10 TO GO
Martin advanced all the way from 15th to eighth place in just five races and will start the Chase for the championship just 35 points behind leader Jeff Gordon.
THE CAR
Chassis Number: (RK-264) -The team will run RK-264 this weekend at Loudon. RK-264 is the same car that Martin ran to a fifth-place finish last week at Richmond in the car's first ever run.
BREAKING DOWN THE CHASE
Martin has won on seven of the 10 tracks that will decide the winner of the Nextel Cup. In fact Martin has multiple wins at five of the 10 tracks, including four wins at Dover where he won earlier this season. Martin has a combined for 16 wins, 77 top-fives, 147 top-10's and 16 poles in 266 starts at the remaining 10 tracks. Martin has finished in the top-10 in 55 percent of his starts at those tracks.
MARTIN AT NEW HAMPSHIRE
New Hampshire is one of only seven tracks currently on the Nextel Cup Schedule where Martin has never won, and one of only three where he has made more than 10 starts and not won. Martin has finished second at Loudon on three occasions, including his first race there on July 11, 1993. In addition, Martin has two poles, 11 top-10 and seven top-five finishes in 19 starts at Loudon. Martin finished 14th there this year in July.
ON A ROLL
Martin and the No. 6 Viagra Team move into the 'playoffs' on a roll, having finished top five in four of the last five and five of the last seven races. In fact, Martin has posted eight of his 12 top-10 and all but one of his seven top-five finishes after June 6.
MARK MARTIN FAST FACTS - NEW HAMPSHIRE

Martin won the first NASCAR Nextel Cup pole at New Hampshire in July of 1993.
Martin started his 500th consecutive Cup race at Loudon last year in the fall race.
Martin has never won at Loudon, but he has finished second on three occasions.
Martin finished in the top 10 in his first 12 starts at Loudon.
Martin has finished in the top five in four of his last five and five of his last seven starts this season.

QUOTING MARK MARTIN AND CREW CHIEF PAT TRYSON
Mark Martin on New Hampshire:
"Obviously we are excited about the opportunity to get in the hunt for the championship. Considering what we had to go through to get here it's unlikely that anyone on this team will overlook the challenge or the opportunity. We've come so far, but it's back to square one now. We have 10 races to get it done and we'll have to beat the best of the best if we are going to have a shot at it. From here on, we are just going to go out and try to win races. If we can do that the rest will fall into place.
"Loudon is one of the most challenging tracks that we go to. It can be very hard to pass people, and you have to be able to handle there or you'll be in for a tough day to say the least. We weren't very good there in July, so we'll have our work cut out for us this weekend. But, I have a lot of confidence in Pat and the guys and hopefully we'll be able to get us another good finish this weekend and get this thing started right."
Crew Chief Pat Tryson on New Hampshire:
"We've put so much into getting in the Chase and now it's time to concentrate on winning the thing. We weren't great at Loudon in the spring, so we'll have our work cut out for us this weekend. We are taking the same car that we ran last week at Richmond, so the guys have worked hard to get it turned back around. Hopefully we can get the same kind of finish this weekend."

Martin Takes a Quick Pause to Thank Everyone for Support
Veteran touched by outpouring of support from fans, friends and colleagues
"I've been truly touched by all the support that everyone has given us over the past couple of months - the fans, the media and even the drivers around me have all expressed a great deal of support for us and that means the world to me."
CONCORD, N.C. (Sept. 14, 2004) - Saturday night's fifth-place finish at Richmond only put an exclamation point on what was one of the greatest runs in Mark Martin's long and storied career in Racing. The finish culminated what had been a mad and frantic dash for Martin and the Viagra® Race Team to make their way into the Nextel Cup top-10 before the all-important cutoff date. In the end the team managed to reel off four top-five finishes in its last five races, making the cut with two places to spare, despite having to battle through several failures, the last of which coming on a cut tire on the last lap at Indianapolis just a month ago that dropped Martin back to 15th place - 123 points outside of 10th.
Martin took a few moments on Sunday after the race to reflect on the past couple of months and the run that put him in position to race for the Nextel Cup Championship.
"It was probably the hardest thing that I've ever done," said Martin. "We spotted really good teams a lot of points and it took about everything we had to get ourselves back in position to be in this thing. I know that we still have our work cut out for us and it's by no means over, but there is no way the next 10 races will be any more difficult than the last 10 were.
"The first thing that I'd like to do is to thank Pat Tryson, Wally Brown and the entire Viagra® Racing Team. These guys really stepped up to the plate when it counted. I mean it has been so up and down and there were so many times when these guys could have given up. They could have given up after Daytona and they didn't. They could have given up at Martinsville, Charlotte, Pocono, Michigan you name it. It would have been really easy to give up when we lost the engine with two to go at Chicago, but they didn't. We came back and ran strong at Pocono and then Indy. And it is amazing that they didn't lose faith after what happened at Indianapolis on the last lap.
"But again they came back strong and gave me cars that were able to finish in the top-five four or five races down the stretch. I just can't say enough about these guys and that effort. They are loyal to me and this race team, and they never give up. We may forget where we finished this season or what all happened, but I promise to never forget the effort that these guys gave down the stretch.
"We've been under intense pressure," added Martin. "We tested like crazy and haven't been home hardly at all. We've performed at the top of our game with near zero margin for error and I know that it has taken a lot from them. However, now we can go out and just run our race and hopefully win this championship."
Martin also said that the outpouring of support from the garage during the past couple of weeks has touched him.
"It really means a lot to you when the guys in the garage give you that kind of respect," said Martin. "We had to bust our tails to get to where we are and it makes it that much more special when those around you take notice of that.
"There were a lot of drivers that came up to me on Saturday night to offer their congratulations on what we've done," said Martin. "Now these are guys that we compete hard against every week and people that we are going to do everything we can to beat over the next 10 races, and they still show that kind of respect for you and it just means a lot to get that from your peers.
"I've even had several members of the media who have came up and told me that 'although they have to be objective' that they sure were hoping that we made the chase as well.
"I've always tried to do things the right way," added Martin. "We've always tried to race everyone as clean as possible and treat people the way that we like being treated, so it's just rewarding when people get behind you and respect you for that."
As always Martin also took a moment to thank the fans out there that have continued to support him through both the good and the bad times.
"I also have to thank all of the fans out there. The Six Pfamily has supported me no matter what," said Martin. "And I just can't say enough about those guys and what that support means to us. I know it wasn't easy last year when we were running 25th every week to keep watching and cheering - heck it wasn't easy in the car either.
"And I know it wasn't easy when we said we thought we could win the Daytona 500 and we only lasted eight laps, but you guys always stick with us. The fans have been there through all of the heartache over the years and even this year, and I sure do hope they have had a good time over the past month or so. I sure hope that they enjoyed Saturday night as much as we did. I also know that no matter if we finish 10th in this run for the championship or if we win it, it won't matter, because those guys will be 100 percent behind us the entire way and that kind of support really makes it all worth while to me."
Martin says that he and his team will now shift their focus to Loudon, the first race of 10 that stands between him and the inaugural Nextel Cup Championship.
"We're getting ready to go to Loudon," said Martin. "That's the next race and that's the biggest race this week, so we are going to go and try to win the thing. We know that we've come a long way, but it's a whole new season now. We can't rest on anything and we sure can't let up. We're in the thing, but we are up against the best of the best. You can rest assured that we'll give it our best shot, and no matter what happens we'll know that we never gave up on this thing."
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, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards; two in the Busch Series with Martin, Kenseth and Biffle, and two in the Craftsman Truck Series with drivers Jon Wood and Edwards.

Mark Caps Ultimate Comback with Top-5 Finish at Richmond
Mark Martin and the #6 Viagra® Racing Team
Richmond International Raceway/August 11, 2004
RICHMOND, VA. – “I think it might have been the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do,” said an exasperated Mark Martin as he climbed out of his Viagra® Ford Taurus just moments after securing a place in the 10-race playoff that will decide this season’s 2004 Nextel Cup Champion. Eight cars went into the weekend’s race with a shot at the final three spots in the playoff. The race was the final piece in a puzzle that saw Martin and the team battle back after being in 15th place and trailing by as many as 123 points only five races ago.
“There has been so much pressure over the past couple of months,” added Martin. “But I can’t tell you how good it feels to be where we are. We’ve had to come back from so many different things and it says so much about this race team that we were able to do that. We’ve battled back time and time again and there were times when it looked like we wouldn’t have a chance and here we are.”
“I just don't recall having to fight as hard as Pat (Tyrson) and I have had to fight, just to get in to something. We just didn't want to be excluded. Now, we're in. I really love these guys on this team. Pat, Wally (Brown), Todd Zeigler, and everyone on this Viagra® Team are really special and I just can’t keep thanking them enough.”
Much like the team’s year, Saturday night’s race was a battle as well. Martin overcame an array of obstacles, including a multi-car accident midway through the race that actually saw Martin’s Viagra® Ford spin a complete 360 degrees around as several other cars crashed around him. In the end the car sustained minimal damage and like so many times before this season, Martin battled back.
“The race got going and it was like, 'Oh, it's not all that great,’” said Martin. “And there wasn't anything wrong with the car. I don't know why it didn't run it like it ran in Happy Hour and in the test, but we raced our guts out. We got a top-five with that car, that's fantastic. Pat Tryson is the man.
“Everybody was racing really hard,” added Martin. “And we sure were lucky not to get a lot of damage in the wreck there on the front stretch. We got turned completely around and fortunately we weren’t hurt very bad. We had to come in and get tires and then we were able to battle back through the field.”
Posting premium performance when it counted, Martin hit his best qualifying lap of the year on Friday, notching a second place start in what would be one of the most important races of the year. Martin went on to post some of the fastest times in happy hour, but a couple of different issues with the car on Friday, including a jumbled A-frame, had the team guessing as to how the car would handle going into the race on Saturday. The team would have to work with the car, as Martin battled for every position. It was never easy during the race, but in the end the Viagra® Team would deliver the finish it needed to not only seal its place in the top-10, but to advance two places to eighth – Martin’s highest position in the points since 2003.
The car started the race handling loose and Martin fell back to fifth place by lap 27. The Viagra Team used the night’s third caution to make a chassis adjustment, while taking four tires and fuel on lap 53. A stop of 13.74 sent Martin back out in sixth place, as a few of the cars either didn’t pit or took fuel only.
Martin spent the next several laps battling feverishly with the No. 48 car of Jimmie Johnson and the No. 8 car of Dale Earnhardt Jr. for position on the track. By lap 90 Martin had dropped to eighth place, as the car’s handling became tight, despite the fact he was running lap times as fast as anyone on the track. Caution on lap 142 gave the team an opportunity to come down pit road for another chassis adjustment and four more tires and fuel. Martin returned to the track in seventh place.
A series of quick cautions followed that forced Martin and the rest of the race leaders to battle lapped traffic in order to get around the track. Martin had settled into eighth place when disaster nearly struck on lap 178. Two lapped cars running just ahead of Martin got into each other causing a chain reaction of events that would see points leader Jimmie Johnson sustain major damage.
Contact on the front stretch sent Martin’s Ford for a complete spin and cars went in and out all around him. Martin avoided what could have been race-ending damage by only inches as he quickly collected his spinning Taurus. The team came into the pits to replace the flat-spotted tires and to survey the damage. Once the smoke had cleared Martin had dropped back to 16th place – his lowest position of the evening - when the field went green on lap 191.
Martin had moved up to 15th place by the race’s halfway point on lap 200. By lap 216 Martin had moved up to third. On lap 223 he lapped the No. 9 car of Kasey Kahne, who had entered the race nine points ahead of Martin in ninth place. By lap 215 Martin had fought his way past the No. 15 and No. 8 cars for 11th position, before breaking back into the top 10 on lap 266.
Pitting after the accident had put Martin and a couple of other cars on a different pitting sequence than the majority of the field that started to pit shortly after lap 270. As the leaders all came into pit, Martin moved up to as high as second place. The team caught another huge break on lap 292, when the day’s 10th caution was issued just moments before Martin was set to come into the pits. The caution put several of the cars that had already pitted either a lap down or on the tail end of the lead lap, and after pitting for four tires and fuel, Martin returned to the field in fifth place when green-flag racing resumed with just under 100 laps remaining.
Martin dropped back to sixth shortly after the restart, where he settled in and ran the next 90 laps. In the smooth and steady fashion of which he is known for, Martin continued to guide his Viagra® Ford through lapped traffic, while maintaining his position. Martin would break back into the top-five with just over five laps remaining to post his fourth top-five finish in the last five races and his fifth in the last seven.
“Later in the race, I was driving my brains out, I thought I was fine,” said Martin. “They never really gave me a points update until I asked for one. I thought if I finished sixth or so, you know, that nothing could go wrong, but they never told me until I asked, and then all they'd say was that I was okay, we were fine."
"I want to thank the fans,” said Martin. “The Six Pfamily has been incredible, and I appreciate them pulling for us no matter what, when it's good or bad."
With the finish, the No. 6 Viagra® Team moves into the field a team on fire. After starting the season dead last at Daytona, Martin and the No. 6 crew have battled back from seven more major failures to solidly place themselves in the hunt for the championship. Under NASCAR’s format for the ‘Chase for the NEXTEL Cup’, Martin is currently in eighth place, only 35 points behind leader Jeff Gordon.
"We have a lot of good race tracks coming up where we can contend to win,” said Martin. “And regardless, we're going to go out and win us some more races. That's what is really special - making the Chase, number one, and, number two, winning races. We did one of those, and let's go win some races and worry about the points where they stack up."
The team will return to action next week at Loudon for the first of the 10 final races that will decide the 2004 Nextel Cup Champion.

Martin Finishes 12th at Richmond in Busch Race
Mark Martin and the #9 Pennzoil Racing Team
Richmond International Raceway/September 10, 2004
RICHMOND, VA. – Mark Martin drove the No. 9 Pennzoil Ford Taurus to a 12th-place finish in Friday night’s Emerson Radio 250 Busch Series race at Richmond International Raceway. The team gambled with a fuel only stop on lap 152 in an attempt to gain track position. Martin and the crew had hoped to go the remaining 98 laps on old tires that had been placed on the car on lap 109.
The gamble worked initially with Martin getting up to eighth place, while turning the fastest lap times on the track. However Martin would be unable to go the distance on the tires and the team came into the pits under caution on lap 209 – while running in 11th place – for four fresh tires. Martin returned to the field in 21st place with only 36 laps remaining when the field went green on lap 214. The all-time Busch Series win leader was able to pick off nine cars to move to 12th, before running out of time at the checkered flag.
“It was a tough night for the Pennzoil Team,” said Martin after the race. “We just weren’t able to get it going. The car was pretty good at times and we were really able to make up ground on older tires, but we gave a lot up on cold tires as well. We were able to get up in the top 10, but we gambled on taking fuel only and in the end it just didn’t work out for us and we had to go back and give up that position for tires.
“After that we were able to get some positions back, but we just ran out of laps there at the end.”
Martin started the race 13th based on Thursday’s qualifying effort. The car struggled on cold tires and Martin fell back to as low as 19th by lap 32. The veteran rebounded and moved back up to 17th where he was running when the day’s second caution was called on lap 38 when an incident in front of Martin forced him to get into the No. 99 car. Martin’s car sustained slight damage to the hood while getting into the back of the No. 99, but the damage proved to be minimal.
Once the race returned to green, Martin began on move in as the majority of the field fell off on old tires. By lap 64 Martin had moved back up to 13th place. By lap 86 he had moved the Pennzoil Ford to 11th, before breaking into the top 10 for the first time of the night on lap 102. Martin had moved into ninth when the night’s fourth caution was called on lap 107. The team used the caution to come into the pits for the first time of the evening to take on four tires, fuel and make a wedge adjustment.
Martin again struggled on cold tires and fell from eight to 10th, before rebounding and moving back up the field as the tires warmed up. Some of the cars in the field opted to pit under caution on lap 131, but the No. 9 team opted to stay out and Martin was running in seventh place when the field went green on lap 143. When the day’s sixth caution was called on lap 152 crew chief Tony Liberati opted for a fuel only stop in an attempt to secure track position and based on the fact that Martin’s lap times had been better on old tires.
The logic worked initially with Martin getting up to eighth place. The team had a near miss after a caution on lap 182. Martin stayed out and was running in eighth when the field went green. The No. 11 car dove down low, forcing Martin’s No. 9 up the track and into another car. Martin was able to save the car, but a chain reaction of events behind him caused the day’s eight caution. Once the field returned to green-flag racing, Martin’s tires began to wear off and he had fallen to 11th by lap 207, when caution was called for the ninth time and the team was forced to give up track position in favor of four fresh tires. Martin would be unable to power his Pennzoil Ford back inside the top-10.
The race was the second for Martin in the Busch series this season. The team finished second at Michigan last month and Martin is scheduled to run three more races in the series this season at Dover, Atlanta and Phoenix, where he will be looking for his record extending 46th win in the series.

Playing favorites
By Jerry Bonkowski, Yahoo! Sports
September 10, 2004
RICHMOND, Va. – I'm going to do something I rarely do: I'm going to cheer for a driver.
That's right, I'm going to pull for, root for, cheer on and support one of the 43 guys who will compete in Saturday night's Chevrolet Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway.
In 32 years in this business, I can count on one hand the number of times I've cast my journalistic objectivity aside. I've taken pride in having over three decades of virtually untarnished impartiality.
But today is different; this time it's personal. And while it may not exactly be journalistically or politically correct, I don't care. I'm going to say what's on my mind – at least that part isn't different – and assume the role of cheerleader.
Go Mark Martin!
That's right, I'm pulling for the driver of the No. 6 Ford to go out and whoop some butt on the 3/4 mile RIR oval.
But I'm not going to fawn all over him, ask for his autograph or wear a Mark Martin t-shirt. No, I'm going to cheer on Martin for one simple reason: perhaps more than any other driver who is eligible to make the final field for the inaugural Chase for the Nextel Cup, Martin deserves it.
No other driver or team over the last two months has collectively worked harder to race their way into the top 10 than Martin, who has climbed from 16th after the June race at Michigan to his current spot of 10th. Along the way, especially in the last six weeks, Martin has been on fire. He's recorded two runner-up and two third-place finishes, including this past Sunday at California.
Now it all comes down to Saturday night. With Martin on the Chase bubble, just 25 points ahead of 11th-ranked Jamie McMurray – and with just 76 points separating No. 8 (Ryan Newman) through No. 15 (Kevin Harvick) – the Arkansas native is arguably in the performance fight of his life. Never has he, or any other Cup driver, had to fight so hard simply to qualify for a chance at the championship, let alone compete for it.
While the other 14 Chase-eligible drivers are all championship worthy, no one has had to endure the kind of close but no cigar runner-up tag – in four different seasons (1990, 1994, 1998 and 2002), no less – that Martin has had to drag around him year after year.
Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart, Bobby Labonte and Dale Jarrett have each won at least one championship already. Martin has none.
And while Jimmie Johnson, Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Elliott Sadler, Kurt Busch, Newman, Kasey Kahne, Jeremy Mayfield and McMurray also have yet to win their first Cup titles, they too have something Martin no longer has: youth and the promise of 10 or more years of good racing still ahead of them.
That's why I feel Martin is good for the Chase, and it's obvious how good the Chase is for Martin.
At 45, Martin, if he's lucky, has maybe two or three more seasons left – and given how Bill Elliott and Rusty Wallace have struggled in the twilight of their respective careers, the 2004 season may very well be Martin's last good chance at capturing that Cup championship that has eluded him throughout his 22-year career in stock car racing's major league.
Admittedly, Martin is not easy to figure out, let alone get along with at times. In interview situations he can be feisty and even semi-combative. You just know that he'd much rather be out running his race car rather than answering the same, often inane questions over and over.
He absolutely detests "what if" questions that speculate on what is, what might have been or what may be for him. We saw that once again Sunday night at Fontana. When asked about what his team's momentum gain over the last six weeks might mean going into Richmond, Martin simply deadpanned, "I don't know."
A colorful quote, he's obviously not.
But at the same time, no one his age works harder to keep his body, mind, reflexes and ability at the top of their game. In fact, Martin regularly outworks drivers 10 or more years younger. He knows what it's like to come up the hard way, to fight for everything he's ever earned – unlike some of today's young guns that came to Nextel Cup not only with talent, but mega-bucks in their pockets.
He's shaken off last year's dismal 17th-place finish – after almost stealing away the title from Tony Stewart the year before – to be right in the thick of things at the thickest time of this season. Starting with his last-place finish in the season-opening Daytona 500 (blown engine after just seven laps), Martin has had to battle back more times from behind the 8-ball this season than Minnesota Fats.
Even if he doesn't go on to win the championship, Martin is worthy of a spot in the top 10 for no other reason than the fact that this may very well be his last good opportunity to snag that elusive Cup title. Remember how long it took Dale Earnhardt to win the Daytona 500 after years of frustration in NASCAR's premier event? Martin can relate to that big time.
That's why, for all the misfortune and close calls he's endured in his career, Martin so deservedly merits a spot for the Chase ... and he'll take it from there.

On the Comeback/Martin, Viagra® Race Team Battle from Last Top 10
Martin moves into Richmond in 10th place for final race before playoff cutoff
Roush Racing
“We might forget one day where we finished in the points this year, but I promise you - I’ll never forget the effort of this race team this year – never.”
CONCORD, N.C. (Sept. 10, 2004) – Mark Martin will tell you that this weekend’s race at Richmond is indeed a big one, although maybe not for the same reasons that most would think. Yes, it’s the final race before NASCAR makes its inaugural cutoff that will determine which drivers will be eligible for the 10-race playoff that will decide the Nextel Cup Champion. And yes, Martin currently sits in 10th place, after battling back form a last place finish in the season’s first race and overcoming several obstacles that have included eight major failures in the season’s first 21 races. It’s also true that there will be at least eight drivers battling for what could be only three remaining spots as the green flag drops on Saturday night’s race.
Martin is currently only nine points out of ninth place and 20 points outside of eighth, but he leads 11th place by only 25 points, in a race that sees just 56 points separating seventh and 15th places. Indeed, a lot will be on the line for all involved on Saturday night, any most would concede that any of those drivers from seventh –15th will be strong contenders for the championship, should they make it in.
However for Martin, this week’s race is the biggest for one reason.
“It’s big for me, because it’s the next one on the schedule,” said Martin. “Richmond is where we are racing this week and it’s where we’ll concentrate all of our efforts. No matter what happens, after that we’ll focus on Loudon and it will be the biggest race out there and we’ll go on from there. I mean this is the last one, but it doesn’t count for anymore. If we had of finished say Daytona, then we probably would be in this position now and there is so much we could talk about with ‘ifs’.
“We’ll go into Richmond looking to win the thing,” added Martin. “Pat (Tryson) and the guys on this Viagra? (sildenafil citrate) Team have been awesome this year and we’ve ran really strong for the past six or seven weeks and hopefully we’ll do that again. If we do, everything else will just fall into place.”
Martin and his team are on a roll, posting top three finishes in three of the past four races and top-threes in four of the last six. Only a flat tire on the final lap at Indy prevented Martin from scoring fourth or better in five of the past six leading up to Richmond.
“Of course we want to make the top-10,” added Martin. “But no matter what it really won’t matter, because I know we are top-five team. If we make it then these guys on the Viagra? Team will get a chance to really show how good they are and that would mean a lot to me, but it won’t change the fact that I know how good they have been. If it weren’t for all the failures we’ve had this year, then we wouldn’t be talking about this.
“It’s taken a long time to get up to this point,” explained Martin. “We started out 43rd after the first race, and then every time that we got back up in the points, something would happen - a disintegrated fuel line, four engine failures, two ignition boxes a flat tire – you name it and we’ve had it. But what really means the most is the way these guys on this team have hung in there and fought.
“I just can’t say enough about Pat and Wally (Brown) and Todd Zeiger and all of the guys on this team. Hopefully we can put together another strong run this weekend and seal the deal and then these guys can show what they can do, but I’m really not going to talk about all of that until after Saturday night.”
“Last year was really tough,” said Martin. “We raced for 25th for much of the year and you start to wonder what’s going on. This year we’ve been able to come back and prove that we can run with anyone and that’s a great feeling. We’ve been competitive and we’ve been in position to win races and that is the reason I win.
“We might forget one day where we finished in the points,” added Martin. “But I promise you, I’ll never forget the effort of this race team this year – never.
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, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards; two in the Busch Series with Martin, Kenseth and Biffle, and two in the Craftsman Truck Series with drivers Jon Wood and Edwards.

2004 Mark Martin Richmond Track Notes - September 11, 2004
Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Roush Racing #6 Ford Taurus
Richmond Shootout Up Next For Martin
Chevy Rock and Roll 400 / Richmond International Raceway
Roush Racing
September 8, 2004
Martin used yet another impressive third-place finish at California - his third top-three in the last four races - to jump inside the top-10 for the first time in 2004. On a roll, the team has posted four top-three finishes in the past six races, as they head into Richmond for the final showdown before the cutoff point. Martin needs a finish of third or better to guarantee his spot in the 10-race playoff for the championship.
DRIVER: Mark Martin
TEAM: No. (6) Viagra® Ford Taurus
OWNER: Jack Roush
CREW CHIEF: Pat Tryson
LAST YEAR'S EVENT WINNER: Ryan Newman
MARK MARTIN - LAST YEAR'S EVENT:
Martin, Viagra® Racing Team Finish 13th at Richmond
Mark Martin and the #6 Viagra® Racing Team
Chevy Rock and Roll 400/September 6, 2003
Roush Racing
RICHMOND, VA. (Sept. 7, 2003) – Mark Martin and the Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Racing team ran to a 13th-place finish in Saturday night’s Chevy Rock n’ Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway. Martin struggled with a temperamental car for much of the night, before picking up five positions in the last 58 laps of the race for the finish.
"We just didn't run as good as we should,” said Martin. “But we did a great job with the car, the team and everything, to bring it home in 13th. It was a reasonable finish, for what we had tonight, but know that we need to run better than we did out there tonight.”
Martin qualified third on Friday, but started from the inside of the front row after pole-sitter Mike Skinner was forced to start in the back after wrecking his car in happy hour. Martin led the first lap of the race and earned five bonus points. However, the car would struggle at the beginning of runs – a problem that would plague the team all night – and Martin quickly dropped back to fifth place by lap three. A caution filled race did not play well to the car’s needs and Martin would struggle heavily on restarts throughout the race.
The day’s first caution occurred on lap 23 of the race. Martin stayed out, but again the car was sluggish on the restart. By lap 43 the veteran was running in 10th place. However, true to character, the car would hold its own and Martin was still in 10th place when caution was called again on lap 63. The team came into the pits for four tires and returned to the field in 12th place, as a few cars stayed out.
The same dilemma would plague the No. 6 car as the race went green on lap 68, and by lap 78 Martin was in 17th position. The car began to push in the middle and Martin began to experience extreme difficulty in the handling of the Taurus. At one point the car was handling so poorly that Martin thought he might have a flat tire. Things would quickly get worse as Martin radioed to the crew on lap 91 that another car had sprayed oil all over his windshield, severely impairing his vision. With limited vision, Martin quickly fell back to 21st position, but caught a break when caution was issued on lap 94. The team came into the pits, took four tires and pulled the windshield strip.
Several cars did not pit and Martin returned to the field in 24th place when the field went green on lap 112. Martin was having problems getting the car to turn and was running in 22nd place when caution number 6 was called on lap 128. Attempting to improve the car, the team came into the pits to take four tires and lower the track bar. The adjustments were not enough and Martin used caution number seven to come into the pits for four tires and an additional wedge adjustment. A 14.10-second pit stop helped Martin hold position and he returned running in 24th place when the field went green on lap 150.
The car was good on long runs and by lap 176 Martin had worked his way back inside the top 20. The team used a pair of quick stops to further advance up the field. Another 14.10-second stop under caution on lap 196 moved Martin to 18th and a 14.7-second stop on lap 269 advanced the No. 6 into 16th position. The team continued to struggle with the car and Martin fell back to 20th place by lap 320.
Martin used the race’s final 80 laps to advance seven more positions and take home the 13th-place finish.
The team returns to action next week in Loudon, where Martin will be making his 500th consecutive Winston Cup start.
THE CAR
Chassis Number (RK-264) - The team will run RK-264 this weekend at Richmond. This will be the first run for RK-264, which tested to pleasing results last week at Richmond.
WORTHY NOTE
Martin won the pole and finished seventh in his first ever Cup run at Richmond in the Wrangler 400 on 9/13/81.
IN THE POINTS - BACK IN THE TOP 10 WITH ONE MORE TO GO TO PLAYOFF
With only one race remaining before the cutoff, Martin has clawed his way into the top-10. He is currently nine points out of ninth place and 20 points outside of eighth. Martin, who trailed 10th by 123 points and was in 15th place just four races ago, is currently 25 points ahead of 11th and 56 points ahead of 15th. In addition, Martin is only 424 points outside of first place, just 24 points outside the 400 point cutoff point.
ON THE MARK AT RICHMOND
Martin is no stranger to the .75-mile track at Richmond. He was strong there from the word go, winning the pole and finishing seventh in his first race there in 1981. He's won once in the Cup car, while taking home five victories in the Busch series. He has finished in the top seven in four of the last five there, including a seventh-place finish last Spring. The team tested last week at Richmond and were please with the results of the test session.
WHITE LIGHTNING UP FRONT
Martin will again run the reverse paint scheme this week at Richmond. Martin has run the night race scheme in seven races this year (counting the All-Star), recording top-10 finishes on five of the seven occasions, including a victory at Dover.
RETURN TO RICHMOND BUSCH RACE
Martin will run the No. 9 Pennzoil Ford in Friday night's Busch race at Richmond. It will be Martin's 22nd Busch start at Richmond, where he has five wins, 13 top-five and 17 top-10 finishes.
MARK MARTIN FAST FACTS - RICHMOND

Martin has finished ninth or better in 16 of his past 24 races at Richmond.
Martin has won once at Richmond in the Cup car (2/25/90) and four times in the Busch Series.
Martin has posted 11 top-five and 21 top-10's in 39 Cup races at Richmond.
Martin finished seventh in his first career race at Richmond (9/14/81) and seventh in the last race there earlier this year.
Martin has finished third or better in three of the last four and four of the last six races.
Martin moved inside the top-10 for the first time of the season with his third place finish at Fontana.

QUOTING MARK AND CREW CHIEF PAT TRYSON ON RICHMOND
Mark Martin:
"Richmond is a great race track and I've always enjoyed racing there. They put in a new surface before the spring race this year and they did a great job with that and it allowed for some really good racing in the spring. We tested there last week in both the Cup and Busch cars and I really like where we are going into this race.
"The agenda is the same as always - we are going to go out and try to win the race. It's hard to say what will happen with the top-10 but I know that if we do that, we'll be in good shape. No matter what happens it can't take away from what this race team has been able to do this year. If we get in, then we'll go after it. If not, we are going to try to win some more races just the same, but we'll know more about all that about midnight Saturday night."
Pat Tryson:
"We are taking a new car with us to Richmond this weekend. We tested it at Richmond last week and were pretty quick, so we are excited about going back there. Richmond is a good track for Mark. We've had to really fight hard to get to this point, so we are planning on putting together another strong run to secure our place in that top 10. I know Mark's up for the challenge, so it's our job know make sure we give him a good enough car on Saturday to finish the deal."

2004 Mark Martin Richmond Busch Track Notes - September 10, 2004
Pennzoil Roush Racing #9 Ford Taurus
Emerson Radio 250 / Richmond International Raceway
September 8, 2004
MARTIN TO PULL DOUBLE DUTY AT RICHMOND
Mark Martin will look to start his second Busch series race of the season this weekend at Richmond. Martin made his much awaited return to the series three weeks ago at Michigan, running to a second-place finish despite starting 43rd. The team tested the car at Richmond last week, and had pleasing results.
Martin will also make Busch series starts later this year in Dover, Atlanta and Phoenix.
THE CAR
The team will run RK-17 this weekend at Richmond. RK-17 is a brand new car that will be making its first start. The team tested the car last week at Richmond.
IN THE BUSCH SERIES
Martin made a name for himself in the Busch Series, taking a series record 45 checkered-flags from 1987 until he 'retired' from the series in 2000. All in all Martin has run 201 Busch races, collecting 127 top 10 and 94 top-five finishes. Martin has won 23 percent of all the Busch races he's entered and finished inside the top 10 sixty-four percent of the time. Martin has led 7,736 laps in the series.
RECORD 45 CAREER VICTORIES
Martin will be going for his record-extending 46th win in the Busch series. Martin's first win in the Busch series came on May 30, 1987 at Dover. His last win in a Busch car was on Sept. 2, 2000 at Darlington. Despite running a limited schedule of 15 races or less, Martin won at least two Busch races each year from 1993-2000, including six win seasons in '92, '96, '97 and '99.
QUOTING MARK ON RUNNING THE BUSCH RACE AT RICHMOND
"I'm looking forward to getting back out there in the Busch race. We had a blast at Michigan a couple of weeks ago. Tony (Liberati) and the guys on the Pennzoil Team have done a good job getting the cars ready and I'm looking to go out there and have some more fun, lead some laps and hopefully put this Pennzoil No. 9 car in victory lane."
PENNZOIL AND ROUSH
Pennzoil first sponsored Jack Roush in the 1960's, when the former Ford Motor Company engineer was a driver himself. This season Pennzoil is proud to once again team up with Jack Roush as sponsor of all five 2004 Roush Racing Nextel Cup teams as well as a NASCAR Busch Series "Pennzoil Super Team."
MARK MARTIN FAST FACTS - RICHMOND
Martin has five wins, 13 top-five and 17 top-10's in 21 races at Richmond.
Martin has won 24 percent of the Busch races he's entered at Richmond and finished inside the top-10 81 percent of the time.
Martin will be going for his Busch Series record extending 46th win in the series this weekend at Richmond.

Race for Top-10 Heats Up with Just Two to Go
Martin just 40 points outside of eighth place with races remaining at Fontana and Richmond

CONCORD, N.C. (Sept. 1, 2004) - With just two races remaining in the race to make the Nextel Cup top 10, Mark Martin and the Viagra Racing Team find themselves firmly entrenched in a multi-car battle for positions eight, nine and 10. Realistically seven cars have a shot at those three spots as the series heads into the final two races before the cut-off period. California Speedway, which will be hosting its inaugural Labor Day event, will be the first of the final two stops, with the cut-off being made after next Saturday night's race at Richmond.
"We are just going to go out and try our best to do what we've been doing," said Martin. "We've been trying to win races for as long as I've been here and we are going to keep trying to win races. We'll try our hardest at California to win we'll try just as hard at Richmond.
"But you know what, even if we don't make this top-10 thing," added Martin. "We are going to try just as hard to win the next week at Loudon and the next week at wherever we go after that. That is what we do - we try to win. Don't get me wrong, I want to be in that top-10 and I want to be able to race for the championship - who doesn't?
"But I'll tell you the truth, no matter what happens it won't take away from what this race team has done. We've been a top-five team and we've run up front in a lot of races and I can't tell you how grateful I am for that. Pat (Tryson) and Wally Brown and all of the guys on this Viagra Team have just done an excellent job and that effort means everything to me."
With the race for 10th place at a fever pitch, Martin is currently in 12th place tied with Jeremy Mayfield with 2883 points. Martin holds the tiebreaker over Mayfield with wins accumulated in 2004. Martin is currently 35 points behind 10th place Ryan Newman, 36 points behind ninth place Bobby Labonte and 40 points behind eighth place Kevin Harvick. Martin is nine points behind 11th place Kasey Kahne. Martin is currently 10 points ahead of 15th place in a race where only 50 points separates eighth and 15th places.
Martin and the team will pull out all the stops, taking their favorite car in the stable RK-231. RK-231 is the same car that finished second two weeks ago at Michigan. The car also posted a top-five finish earlier this year at Las Vegas and had really fast runs at both Chicago and Indianapolis, where Martin was set for top-four finishes until troubles in the final laps of the races.
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, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards; two in the Busch Series with Martin, Kenseth and Biffle, and two in the Craftsman Truck Series with drivers Jon Wood and Edwards. For sponsorship inquiries please contact John Miller at Roush Racing at 704.720.4600.

Third-Place Run Vaults Martin into 10th Place with One to Go Before Playoff
Mark Martin and the #6 Viagra® Racing Team
Pop Secret 500/California Speedway
September 7, 2004
FONTANA, CA. – The pressure was on for Mark Martin and the Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Racing Team going into Sunday night’s Pop Secret 500 at the California Speedway. Sitting just 35 points outside of 10th place with only two races remaining in the race to make the top-10 cutoff, Martin and his team would once again have to muster up a top-notch performance in order to keep their Nextel Cup Championship hopes alive. And once again the team was ready for the challenge.
Martin and the No. 6 team responded with a commanding performance. Exhibiting a dominate car that led 65 laps, the most of the race, they contended for the win all evening and ran to their third top-three performance in the past four races and their fourth top-three in the last six. In the end the strong performance moved Martin into the Nextel Cup top-10 for the first time of the season. With only one race remaining at Richmond, Martin currently sits in 10th-place, just nine points out of ninth, 20 points outside of eighth and 25 points ahead of 11th. Martin moved up two places from 12th with the finish.
"This is a great race team and I'm just so proud to drive the Viagra® Taurus and I mean it,” said Martin after the race. “It's a pleasure and it's an honor. These guys are awesome and it’s just an honor to work with them.”
It took a late caution to put and end to Martin’s bid to win a race that saw him climb into the lead on three separate occasions, en route to leading 65 laps and earning 10 additional bonus points for leading a lap and the most laps during the race. Martin’s car was the class of the field on long runs, posting times that were consistently four tenths faster a lap than the rest of the field. However, the No. 6 Viagra® Ford tended to take a few laps to get warmed up before it got going. Martin had passed Kasey Kahne for the third time of the evening to secure second place and was quickly moving in on race leader Elliot Sadler, when caution was called with only 17 laps remaining in the race. In a controversial call NASCAR placed Martin behind Kahne’s No. 9 car when the race went green. With only 10 laps remaining Martin would run out of time, and the team would have to settle for third on and evening that saw Martin clearly display the dominate car.
“We had a killer race car on the long greens, but we can't help it the cautions came out,” added Martin. “If that thing would have gone all the way we were sitting pretty, but I'm tickled to death to run third and be a contender - to get up there and lead the race on the long run.

Martin tired of coming up short
By Timothy Haddock, Staff Writer
dailynews.com
September 5, 2004
FONTANA -- There's been a lot of talk around California Speedway about lost tradition. This is the first time since 1950 that Labor Day weekend didn't play host to NASCAR's Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina.
Instead, the Southern California 500, otherwise known as the Pop Secret 500, made its debut at California Speedway on Sunday. Of course, the number of Confederate flags flying in the 909 made it feel like Fort Sumter. But that and the 43 stock cars were about the only similarities California Speedway had to Darlington Raceway this weekend.
Since NASCAR is ditching tradition with reckless abandon, Mark Martin would be happy if one more disappeared.
Martin is the bridesmaid of NASCAR, a four-time runner-up in the Cup championship. But with the new NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Chase for the Championship, Martin, who moved into 10th-place in the chase, might have his best chance to divorce himself from the bridesmaid label for the first time in his career.
Then again, the way Martin looked after his third-place finish in Sunday's Pop Secret 500, it's going to take a lot more than a spot in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series top 10 to make him happy.
"I really don't have any comments," said Martin, the driver of the No. 6 Ford Taurus for Roush Racing. "Check with me on Saturday night around midnight and I'll give you a statement about the points."
The Saturday night race at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway is the last race before the Chase for the Championship begins. The top-10 drivers in the Nextel Cup standings will be eligible for the championship. Martin is among those drivers for the moment.
But he will need a strong finish at Richmond, one of the tightest and toughest tracks on the NASCAR schedule, to secure a spot in the top 10.
"It offers a lot of two-wide racing, but it's such a tight track," said Robert Yates Racing driver Elliott Sadler, winner of the California Speedway race. "So I do feel sorry for the guys that have to race to get in, but that's part of the game. I think that's why they put Richmond at the end like that."
There was one year when Martin was actually the leader in points with 10 races to go only to fall short. That has been the story of Martin's career: from contender to pretender as the seasons come to a close.
Through all the disappointing runs at a NASCAR championship, Martin still has an optimistic outlook.
"We're just doing everything we can," Martin said. "We've broken a lot of parts and spent a lot of Sundays in the garage, but we've got a championship team here. Whether or not we get a chance to run for it is yet to be seen, but I'm just privileged to be in the seat."
After the California Speedway race, Martin is 424 points out of first. But if he can maintain his current position in the standings, he will only be 50 points out when the chase begins in two weeks.
"The real focus is on making the top 10," Martin said. "It's a dogfight to get in."
Martin's high point of the season came at Dover (Del.) International Speedway in June, when he won his first race of the season. He drove to a seventh-place finish at Richmond International Raceway in May and will need at least another top-10 finish when the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series visits Richmond next weekend to stay in the top 10 in points and have a chance to win his first championship.
"It's been a big focus to make the top 10 since Daytona," Martin said. "Unfortunately we only made eight laps and left there 43rd in points. It's been an incredible uphill battle. We have had such a great race team. We've just had to battle our way back."