NASCAR's Mark Martin
2006 Season Articles - March
Mark Martin Notes and Quotes - DIRECTV 500
Ford Racing: News
March 31, 2006Mark Martin, driver of the No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion, has posted four top-10 finishes in the first five races and finds himself fourth in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series point standings. Martin spoke about this weekend and other issues prior to Friday's practice session.
MARK MARTIN -- No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion (Qualified 30th)
WERE YOU SURPRISED WITH WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK BETWEEN JEFF AND MATT?
"Yes and no. That's slightly out of character for Jeff Gordon, but so is blackening Mike Bliss' eye at the airport too last year, so I guess you can believe that his character is changing a little bit over the years."
HOW MUCH DO YOU WORRY ABOUT GETTING CAUGHT UP IN SOMEBODY ELSE'S MESS?
"You don't have time to worry about all that. Whether it's retaliation or a lack of patience it's all the same -- it's still a wreck. One is not much worse than the other. They're both mistakes."
DO YOU HAVE ANY CONCERN ABOUT THE FRUSTRATION LEVEL AT THESE TRACKS?
"Because two are back-to-back that doesn't really concern me. Obviously you have a little more of it, but the race track itself -- it's not the short track that causes it -- it's Bristol and Martinsville. If we were doing these races at North Wilkesboro, for example, there would be much less because there's a lot less frustration on that particular race track. So it has a lot to do with the layout of the track and how frustrating it is and Martinsville and Bristol -- not so much the size of the race track, although that does play into it."
HAVE YOU SEEN A CHANGE IN JEFF GORDON OVER THE YEARS?
"Who hasn't changed over the years? I think everyone has. Everyone is the sum of all their experiences and everything that has happened to them in the past and the things that they've learned and experienced, so I don't see him that much different than anyone else."
ARE YOU SURPRISED HE WAS FINED?
"I didn't know what to think. NASCAR is a little bit harder to predict today than they were five years ago. I've seen a lot of firsts and a lot of things. I didn't know what to expect there. It might have been a high profile thing, but it wasn't a big thing. It really wasn't that big a deal, it was just sort of a high profile deal with two champions involved in it. That's my take on it."
HOW IMPORTANT IS A SPOTTER HERE?
"It was real important last week, but it's not as important here. Things don't happen as fast here and you can see a little bit further ahead. Spotters are very critical everywhere nowadays with the visibility that we have, but at a place like Bristol they're crucial. Here, it's more like a lot of other places."
DOES IT TAKE SOME TIME TO GET USED TO A SPOTTER?
"A spotter is a relationship. It's just like a crew chief is a relationship. You can have a great driver and a great spotter and not work well together, or have a great driver and great crew chief and not work well together just because the relationship doesn't work as well as another one."
DO YOU LIKE A LOT OF TALK ON THE RADIO?
"If they're talking too much I tell them not to talk so much and to be quiet. Last week I asked Pat not to give me lap times, which is the last time I can ever remember. There was so much going on that I didn't want a lap time every time by, so you just work that stuff out. There was a lot going on at Bristol. It was pretty intense."
2006 Mark Martin Track Notes - Sunday - April 2, 2006
DIRECTV 500 / Martinsville Speedway
#6 AAA Ford Fusion
March 29, 2006DRIVER: Mark Martin
TEAM: No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion
OWNER: Jack Roush
CREW CHIEF: Pat Tryson
2005 EVENT WINNER: Jeff Gordon
MARK MARTIN 2005 EVENT
Advance Auto Parts 500
Started 22nd, Finished 3rdMartin was in contention to win the race late, restarting third after the day’s 13 caution with 54 laps to go. Martin’s tires were 45 laps fresher than the two cars in front of him and he quickly moved to second place on lap 460. Martin spent the next four laps in a heated battle for second place with Jeff Gordon. Gordon would prove to have the fastest car in the race and eventually overcame Martin on lap 464, before going on to take first place and eventually the victory. Still the third-place finish was a solid performance for Martin and the No. 6 Team at one of the most difficult tracks on the circuit.
MARTIN ON A ROLL HEADING INTO MARTINSVILLE
Martin moves into Martinsville fresh off his fourth top-10 finish of 2006 and having finished inside the top 15 in all five races of 2006. Martin will look to return to the form that helped him finish third at Martinsville last spring.
THE CAR
Chassis Number: (No. RK-191) The team will run RK-191 at Martinsville. RK-191 is a new car that will debut this weekend.
MARTIN AT MARTINSVILLE
Starts: 40
Poins: 2 (2)
Top 5's: 11 (7)
Top 10's: 21 (13)
Poles: 3 (1)
Highest finish: 1st (twice)
First time: 9/27/81 (3rd)
Last time: 10/24/04 (12th)
10/24/04 (12th)WORTHY NOTE
Martin's 21 top-10 finishes at Martinsville leads all active drivers.
MARTIN AT MARTINSVILLE
Though not a favorite of his, Martin has experienced a great deal of success at Martinsville where he has won twice and boasts 21 top-10 finishes and three poles. Martin posted a strong showing at Martinsville in the spring of last season with a third-place finish, but struggled in the fall with brake issues that helped lead to a 34th place finish.
MARTIN CONSISTENT OVER TIME
Martin has now finished inside the top 15 in nine consecutive races, dating back to Altanta last fall. This season he has climbed from 11th to fourth in the points. Martin sas finished top 10 in four of the five races this season.
AAA AND MARK MARTIN
Martin is sporting a different look and sponsor this season. As North America's largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA boasts more than 48 million members.
ENCORE SALUTE IN '06
Martin had planned 2005 as his final in NASCAR's Nextel Cup Series, but when called into action by Jack Roush opted to return for one more go around. Martin's fourth-place finish in the points in '05 proved he is still one of the fastest stars in NASCAR and he plans on using 2006 as an encore performance of his highly popular "Salute To You" Tour, where he will continue to take the time to thank each and everyone that he feels played a role in his success, including the team members, the fans, NASCAR and the media.
QUOTING MARK MARTIN AND CREW CHIEF PAT TRYSON ON MARTINSVILLE
Mark Martin:
"I don't think that it any secret that Martinsville is not my favorite track. In fact, it's a track that I've always hated with a passion. The funny thing is that we've won there a couple of times and everyone always tells me that we run pretty good there, although it sure never feels that way. The track can be physically demanding and a lot of times you leave there feeling really worn down. Martinsville has always been a real challenge for me, because in the end, it just doesn't fit with my driving style. But all that really doesn't matter, as it's the next track on the schedule and the most important one that we go to this week, so it's up to us to be on our A game and go there and hopefully try to contend for a win.
"Pat (Tryson) and the team have been outstanding this season. We've been a top-10 car every week, and we've been able to run up front, lead laps and contend. We've won at Martinsville before and we had a strong run there in the spring last year, so if we can expand on that, hopefully we can be in good shape."
Pat Tryson:
"Last year we had a really good run in the spring at Martinsville and then we were off in the fall, so we'll have to go back and figure out what we need to do to make sure we give Mark the best car possible. We've run well there in the past, so hopefully we can be competitive this weekend."
MARK MARTIN FAST FACTS - MARTINSVILLE
- Martin has two victories at Martinsville (spring '92 and spring 2000)
- Martin has 20 top-10 and 11 top-five finishes in 39 starts at Martinsville
- Martin posted both of his wins and 10 of his 19 top-10 finishes at Martinsville in the spring.
- Martin has three poles at Martinsville.
- Martin finished third in his first ever attempt at Martinsville on 9/29/81. He started the race fifth.
- Martin has finished inside the top 15 in nine consecutive races dating back to last season.
- Martin has run every lap of the season on the lead lap, the best total of any driver.
2006 Mark Martin Track Notes - Saturday - April 1, 2006
Kroger 250 / Martinsville Speedway
No. 6 Ford F-150 Scotts
March 29, 2006DRIVER: Mark Martin
TEAM: No. 6 Scotts Scotts Miracle-Gro Ford F-150
OWNER: Jack Roush
CREW CHIEF: Mike Beam
THE TRUCK
Chassis: New
2005 EVENT WINNER: Bobby Labonte
QUOTING MARK MARTIN ON MARTINSVILLE
Mark Martin on racing the truck at the Martinsville Speedway:
"I'm looking forward to getting back in the Scotts Ford F-150. Mike Beam and the team have done a great job this season, and we've had some really good trucks. Hopefully we'll be able to go there and contend again for another victory. It's been a lot of fun driving the truck series this year, and there are some great competitors that we go against, so I know I'll have our work cut out for us, especially at Martinsville."
MARK MARTIN FAST FACTS
- This will be Mark Martin's seventh career Craftsman Truck Series Race.
- Martin has finished in the top 10 in each of his Truck starts, including a wins at North Wilkesboro, Daytona and California. He has won 60 percent of the truck races he has taken part in.
Mark Martin Post Race Notes and Quotes - Food City 500
Ford Racing: News
March 26, 2006MARK MARTIN -- No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion (Finished 6th)
"Our AAA crew was on the spot on pit road today. We got shuffled back on one run with a set of tires I didn't like, but they were strong on pit road and their last adjustment to the car made it the best it was all day. That's the right time to be good, so we came from about 13th to sixth. I'm thrilled. I didn't pass hardly any cars all day until that last run and I couldn't be happier."
YOU WEREN'T IN ANY WRECKS TODAY.
"I caved my hood in on that one deal, but, other than that, we were pretty clean. I needed to be. I wanted to get through this one and score some points. I want to make that chase this year."
Martin Adds Seven More Truck Races To 2006 CTS Schedule
March 29, 2006Mark Martin and Roush Racing have decided to add an additional seven races to Martin’s 2006 Craftsman Truck Series schedule. Martin, who boasts two victories in the first three races of the season, will now run a total of 14 races in the Scotts Miracle-Gro Ford F-150 this season.
“We are excited about it,” said Martin. “It’s been a blast driving the Scotts F-150. I’ve said for a long time that I believe that the Truck Series has the best racing in all of NASCAR and we’ve had a lot of fun doing it. We’ve kind of come out and set the bar high – winning the first two – but I’m telling you that the competition is really good in that series and it’s a big challenge to go out and take on those guys every week.
“I’m excited to run a few more and I’m excited to be able to drive for Scotts for over half of the season,” added Martin. “Hopefully we’ll be able to go out and get a few more wins and give everyone something to cheer about with the No. 6 truck.”
Martin was originally scheduled to run only seven events in the truck, but will now add races at both Martinsville events, Dover, Bristol, Loudon, Talladega and Phoenix, bringing his total to 14. Combined with his efforts in Nextel Cup, Busch and IROC, Martin is now scheduled to run a total of 63 races in this his encore ‘Salute to You Tour’ season.
Roush newcomer David Ragan will also increase his schedule, adding events in the No. 50 Ford F-150. Ragan will drive the No. 6 Scotts Ford in the other 11 races of 2006, when Martin is not competing. Roush will enter Ragan in additional events to allow him more seat time and experience. Ragan made his first start of 2006 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, and will compete in the No. 50 again at Martinsville Speedway on April 1. Sponsorship opportunities still exist for the No. 50 team.
Roush Racing is a subsidiary of Livonia, Mich., based Roush Entersprises which operates 14 motorsports teams; five in NASCAR Nextel Cup with drivers Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards, six in the Busch Series with Martin, Kenseth, Biffle, Edwards, Todd Kluever and Danny O‘Quinn, and three in the Craftsman Truck Series with Martin, Ragan and Erik Darnell. For sponsorship inquiries, contact Robin M. Johnson, Roush Racing, (704) 720-4645.
MARK MARTIN 2006 BUSCH, CRAFTSMAN AND IROC SCHEDULES
2006 Busch Series:
April 8, Texas Motor Speedway
April 21, Phoenix International Raceway
May 12, Darlington Raceway
May 27, Lowe’s Motor Speedway
July 8, Chicagoland Speedway
September 2, California Speedway
November 4, Texas Motor Speedway2006 Craftsman Truck Series:
February 17, Daytona International Speedway (won)
February 24, California Speedway (won)
March 17, Atlanta Motor Speedway
April 1, Martinsville Speedway - new
May 19, Lowe’s Motor Speedway
June 2, Dover International Speedway - new
June 17, Michigan International Speedway
August 23, Bristol Motor Speedway - new
September 16, New Hampshire International Speedway - new
October 7, Talladega Superspeedway - new
October 21, Martinsville Speedway - new
October 28, Atlanta Motor Speedway
November 10, Phoenix International Raceway - new
November 17, Homestead-Miami SpeedwayIROC Series:
February 17, Daytona International Speedway
April 7, Texas Motor Speedway
June 29, Daytona International Speedway
October 28, Atlanta Motor Speedway
Martin scores sixth-place finish at Bristol
Martin earns first top-ten at Bristol since 2000 to move with 32 points of Nextel Cup lead
Mark Martin and the #6 AAA Racing Team
Bristol Motor Speedway/March 26, 2005On a cold, snowy day at Bristol Motor Speedway, Mark Martin and the AAA Racing Team ran to a sixth-place finish in the Food City 500. Martin was able to avoid an array of accidents in a race that saw 18 cautions, to move to his first top-10 finish at the track since 2000. The finish was Martin’s fourth top-10 in five races of 2006 and moved the veteran driver to within 32 points of the Nextel Cup points lead.
“Our AAA crew was on the spot on pit road today,” said Martin. “We got shuffled back on one run with a set of tires I didn’t like, but they were strong on pit road and their last adjustment to the car made it the best it was all day. That’s the right time to be good, so we came from about 13 th to sixth. I’m thrilled. I didn’t pass hardly any cars all day until that last run and I couldn’t be happier.”
Martin and the team saved their best for the end, with Martin moving from 13 th to sixth in the race’s final 88 laps to take the sixth-place finish. Martin had to hold off teammate Greg Biffle for the race’s final seven laps, before avoiding the spinning No. 24 car of Jeff Gordon on the final lap to move into sixth place. Martin was in eighth place when the race went green after the day’s 18 th and final caution with 48 laps remaining. With the race running down, Martins’ AAA Ford Fusion was the fastest on the track. He passed Tony Stewart with 24 laps to go for seventh, before avoiding Gordon on the final lap for sixth.
In a weekend filled with rain and snow, Friday’s qualifying effort was cancelled due to persistent precipitation, and Martin started fourth-based on last year’s owner’s points. The car was ‘tight’ early on and Martin fell back to seventh by lap 40, as the car’s handling started to loosen up. He eventually rebounded and moved back to fifth where he was running when the day’s second caution was called on lap 72. After coming into the pits for four tires, fuel and wedge adjustment, Martin returned to the field in eighth when the field went green on lap 77.
Martin had moved his No. 6 car back to fifth place by the time caution number seven was issued on lap 186, after a multi-car accident forced the race to be red-flagged for 14 minutes. He would hold fifth position for the next 70 laps before dropping back to sixth on lap 269. The handling on Martin’s car would gradually start to go away over the next run with him dropping back to as low as 14th, where he was running when caution number 13 was called on lap 337. The team would come into the pits for four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment, and return in 14 th position when the field resumed green-flag racing on lap 339.
Martin had moved up to 12th when the day’s 15th caution was called on lap 407, with less than 100 laps remaining. The team came down pit road for the final and most important stop of the day, taking four tires, fuel and making critical adjustment to the air pressure and wedge of the car that would make Martin’s car become one of the fastest on the track for the final run of the day. After a 14 second stop, Martin returned in 10th where he started when the race went green on lap 420, with 80 laps to go.
Fourteen laps later he overtook Dale Earnhardt Jr. for ninth. On the next lap caution was again called, setting up a crucial decision for crew chief Pat Tryson and the AAA Team. Tryson opted for staying out for track position, rather than coming down pit road for fresh tires, while most of the cars behind Martin, opted to come in. The gamble paid off, with Martin not losing a single position over the final 57 laps of the race, while settling in as one of the fastest cars in the race and picking up three more positions to sixth.
“Pat Tryson and the AAA pit crew where just on their game today,” said Martin. “They made the car the best it was all day at the end of the race, and that is when you really need to be good. We were able to hold our position, while picking up more places and coming back to a good solid finish.”
For the most part, Martin was able to avoid all the accidents in Sunday and escape Bristol with a solid finish.
“I caved my hood in on that one deal, but other than that, we were pretty clean,” said Martin. “I needed to be. I wanted to get through this one and score some points. I want to make that chase this year.”
The run snapped a dry spell for Martin, dating back to August 25 of 2000, the last time he scored a top-10 finish at Bristol. With the finish, Martin moved to within 32 points of the Nextel Cup points lead. Sitting at fourth he is currently only 13 points behind third-place and 24 points out of second. The series heads to Martinsville next weekend, where Martin has two career victories and 20 top-10 finishes in 38 starts. Martin finished third at Martinsville at the spring race last season.
Mark Martin Q&A - Rain delay
Ford Racing: News
March 25, 2006MARK MARTIN – No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion
THE WEATHER SETS THINGS BACK DOESN’T IT?
“This is just part of racing, so I don’t feel really set back because it’s the same for everyone. There hasn’t been any testing up here, so it will be the same for everyone. Right now, the way I look at it the less practice the better. Our AAA Fusion has been incredible this year and the team is just really on the money. It wouldn’t bother me if we just lined them up and raced.”
THOUGHTS ON CHAD KNAUS COMING BACK THIS WEEK.
“I have some love deep down inside for Chad Knaus because I raced against his dad in Wisconsin and Illinois when Chad was a little boy. I’m so happy to see Chad do so well. On the other hand, the racing has changed to some degree and you can’t do some of the things we used to do in the competitive spirit. NASCAR is very strict today and teams work really hard to work the gray areas and when you step over what NASCAR considers the line they strike pretty hard today. Chad’s under a little bit of pressure, but Chad will be fine. He’s under a little bit of pressure because the team has done so well while he’s been at home watching on TV, but one of the reasons the team has done so well is that he has been so instrumental in putting that team together and people can’t forget that. A lot of the success that team has experienced has been on Chad’s back for the last several years.”
YOU SEEM TO BE HAVING A LOT OF FUN THIS YEAR IN TRUCKS AND CUP.
“It’s gone so great. The fans have been so good with us and so supportive of the new AAA colors. I picked up a lot of fans through AAA. There are about 48 million members and some of those members realize that that AAA car is their car, so I have some new fans through AAA. I’ve got a great race team and a great car with our Fusion. Our Ford F-150 truck is spectacular and I’m having a lot of fun with it and I’m enjoying being a contender in Cup. This is the way I want to finish off my Nextel Cup racing – near the top of my game. I don’t feel as much pressure this year as I felt last year because I tried so hard to finish it off at the top of my game and didn’t realize that something was gonna happen that would bring me back another year. I kind of went into this year with no pressure and thinking that it will either be good or it won’t. I can’t change the outcome of it, so I’m not stressing about it nearly as much as I did last year and I’m actually getting great results – maybe even better results which would really be a dream come true. This is probably the time of my life. I’m sure a few years down the road I’ll look back and say that 2006 was the time of my life and that these are the good old days. I just don’t realize it right now.”
DID THAT STRESS AFFECT YOUR DRIVING LAST YEAR?
“No, that’s the same stress I’ve always had. I’ve always stressed about the racing and the performance. I really worked hard, really stressed hard, really thought about it a lot. I’m very intense. Nothing else matters much when racing is on the table, but I’m busier than I’ve ever been in my life and I’ve turned loose with some of that this year because I just don’t have time for it all. I’ve had to move some of the stuff off the table and that was some of the stuff that I’ve tried to move off the table.”
DO YOU WISH YOU WOULD HAVE DONE THAT 10 YEARS AGO?
“No, I am who I am. I can’t help it, but you can get so busy that you can’t do and feel everything that’s going on, so I’ve managed to move it off the table for now, but we’ve only run four races so let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves here. I can’t guarantee that things will continue like they are, but I’ve been so busy that I haven’t had time to think. It’s incredible and the results have been spectacular. I really believe that this is the time of my life right here.”
HAS ANY TRACK CHANGED MORE PHYSICALLY THAN BRISTOL FROM WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED RACING CUP?
“It has. The track itself – maybe Dover has changed as much because of the surface from asphalt to concrete – but no facility has even come close to changing. This thing takes your breath away. We flew over it yesterday afternoon coming in and it’s breathtaking.”
IT’S SO LOUD HERE. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THAT?
“Certainly this is the loudest venue that we go to because of the bowl and the track being down in a crater, plus it’s so close and so tight. I think the best way to put it is that it wouldn’t be sold out and have a 50,000 wait list for tickets if it wasn’t more awesome than anything else on the circuit. It is different than going to Lowe’s Motor Speedway and Lowe’s Motor Speedway, in my opinion, is awesome but this is in a different category. This is a whole different thing. When you put all this action in this small of an area it’s different.”
IS THIS A GOOD SYMBOL OF NASCAR’S GROWTH OVER THE LAST 15-20 YEARS?
“I think this venue would be the shining symbol of their growth.”
Kingsport mayor to give Mark Martin key to the city
By J.H. Osborne
Kingsport Times-News
March 23, 2006KINGSPORT - Kingsport Mayor Dennis Phillips will present the key to the Model City to NASCAR driver Mark Martin today - officially proclaimed "Mark Martin Day" by the Kingsport Board of Mayor and Aldermen earlier this week.
The key to the city presentation will come during a larger ceremony this afternoon as Food City honors Martin, driver of Roush Racing's No. 6 Ford Fusion, sponsored by AAA.
It marks the first time Kingsport has given a key to the city to a NASCAR driver, said Kingsport Community Relations Officer Dave Light.
Key to the city presentations are not common in Kingsport, he said.
Allison David, marketing events coordinator for Food City, said the practice has been a yearly event for Family Race Night events in Bristol each August.
"Both Bristol, Tennessee, and Bristol, Virginia, have done it every year for whomever we honor," David said. "We're excited that Kingsport is participating and that Mayor Phillips himself is going to make the presentation."
Food City suggested Martin for the honor because he is retiring this year, David said.
"Last year was supposed to be his retirement year, but he came back for one more year, and this is it," David said.
Light said Kingsport officials are happy to honor Martin in appreciation for his many valuable contributions to the citizens of Kingsport and the Tri-Cities region.
Light said the keys given out by Kingsport are ordered special made by the city, and they are basically 6-inch metal skeleton keys with the city seal on them.
"It makes a nice keepsake and memento," Light said. "They're normally given to non-residents who through their activities and contributions - philanthropic or business or political or whatever - have benefited the city and its citizens.
"Mark Martin races very cleanly and represents very good principles of good sportsmanship and good citizenship. He is well-liked and can serve as a good role model for the young people of our region."
David said Martin's appearance in Kingsport for Food City Family Race Night is something special for NASCAR fans.
"AAA East Tennessee helped get him here," David said. "His appearances this year are going to be limited. This is an amazing opportunity for us and for the fans. We were floored when we got it."
"We're very excited about it," AAA East Tennessee spokesman Don Lindsey said of Martin's appearance in Kingsport - and of AAA's sponsorship of Martin this year. "It's certainly something different for us."
Sponsorship of Martin has put AAA "back on track - literally, after a 51-year hiatus," according to the organization's Web site.
AAA helped pioneer and officiate motor sports in the United States until 1955, according to the site. With AAA's sponsorship for the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup racing series, Martin will be extending his "Salute to You" Tour by eschewing retirement to pilot the car for one more year. Todd Kluever is set to take over the reins from Martin in 2007.
Martin will be honored on stage between 5:30 and 6 p.m. at Food City Family Race Night at MeadowView Conference Resort and Convention Center.
Food City will present Kyle Petty with a $1,000 check, in honor of Martin, to benefit the Victory Junction Gang.
Other Nextel Cup drivers scheduled to make appearances at Food City Family Race Night include: Kevin Lepage, Travis Kvapil, Morgan Shepherd, Kyle Busch, Ken Schrader, Scott Wimmer and Scott Riggs.
Busch Series drivers scheduled to appear include: Joel Kauffman, Burney Lamar, Todd Kluever, David Green, Kurtis Davis, A.J. Foyt IV, Matt McCall, Brian Sockwell, Stacy Compton, Jon Wood, Mark McFarland, Steve Wallace and Aaron Fike.
Proceeds from the event benefit Keep Kingsport Beautiful.
Tickets to the event are $5. Children 12 and under are admitted free of charge. Ticket sales begin at 9 a.m. The event begins at 3 p.m. and ends at 9 p.m.
Parking for the event is not available at MeadowView. Shuttle buses will take fans back and forth from satellite parking locations:
Food City located on Eastman Road. Shuttle service begins at 1 p.m. A handicapped-accessible bus will begin running from Food City at 1 p.m.
Eastman Chemical Co.'s Toy F. Reid Employee Center located on Wilcox Drive. Shuttle service begins at 5:15 p.m.
Kingsport Civic Auditorium located on Fort Henry Drive near Dobyns-Bennett High School. Shuttle service begins at 1 p.m.
For a complete listing of Food City Family Race Night attractions visit www.foodcity.com.
Martin signs winning No. 6 truck hood at DAYTONA USA
March 22, 2006Per tradition, following this year’s GM FlexFuel 250 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Daytona International Speedway, the hood from the winning truck is inducted into DAYTONA USA for the year.
Mark Martin’s winning No. 6 Scotts Ford hood, with signatures from the entire team, will remain inside “The Official Attraction of NASCAR” through Speedweeks 2007.
While his Roush Racing team was able to sign the hood, Martin never got an opportunity. On Wednesday, Martin, a resident of Daytona Beach, visited DAYTONA USA to complete the task.
“I meant to get back before now but you know how it is in the crazy season with all the things we’ve got going on,” said Martin, who drives the No. 6 AAA Ford in the NEXTEL Cup Series. “I had so many balls in the air the week after the 500 that I didn’t get it done. They asked me to come and do it that week and I never got to it. The time is now.”
Martin earned his eighth career victory at “The World Center of Racing” in the GM FlexFuel 250 and became the second driver in race history to win from pole.
During his brief visit, Martin, who is competing in select Craftsman Truck Series races in 2006 and will make the move fulltime in 2007, looked back on how strong his truck was that night.
“It was fast,” Martin said. “Obviously we got the pole so it was the fastest in qualifying and fastest in the race. It was a lot fun to drive. There are great drivers in that series and racing those trucks is like it was racing the cars 20 years ago in Cup. In my opinion, it’s the best racing in NASCAR.”
DAYTONA USA, celebrating it's 10th anniversary in 2006, is open daily 9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. For more information, visit http://www.daytonausa.com/
This Week In Ford Racing - Mark Martin
Ford Racing: News
March 22, 2006The NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series will hit the short tracks of Bristol Motor Speedway and Martinsville Speedway the next two weeks after the first four events of the season took place on superspeedways. Ford drivers looked ahead to the upcoming stretch and gave their thoughts.
MARK MARTIN – No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE NEXT THREE RACES ON THE SCHEDULE?
“I don’t like Martinsville, but we run okay there. It’s challenging and frustrating, but we’re gonna be great at all of our good places and the places we aren’t good at we’re gonna try to be great.”
TWO SHORT TRACKS BACK TO BACK. WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE THEM SEPARATED?
“I’ve got to be honest with you, there’s no more aggressive driving at those tracks than there are the big ones. As a matter of fact, on the bigger ones it’s more of a problem because there are larger consequences. As far as that goes, it’s not an issue. It’s something you deal with every weekend.”
WHEN WE GO TO A PLACE LIKE TEXAS DO YOU THINK THERE WILL BE MORE SIDE-BY-SIDE RACING?
“First of all, side-by-side racing is a sore spot with me because everybody tries so hard to make it, and NASCAR, everything they’re doing takes it away. If you make all the cars the same speed, how in the world are they gonna run side by side? There’s not gonna be any passing. You can work as hard as you want to on the race tracks or worry about this or that, but at the end of the day there’s gonna be less passing than there used to be because there’s not fast cars and slow cars.”
WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE?
“Nothing. You all need to quit talking about side-by-side racing and just enjoy it. It’s a great sport. I love it. I love to watch it. Don’t worry about it so much.”
WHAT’S THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE AT A PLACE LIKE TEXAS?
“Everything but Daytona and Talladega is all about handling, so it’s all the same. Whether you go from Martinsville to Michigan or Sears Point, it’s all about going through the corners.”
HOW DOES THE SENSATION OF SPEED FEEL WHEN YOU COMPARE ATLANTA AND TEXAS?
“It’s almost crazy fast, but as long as you’re under control it’s not bad. Texas is a great speedway. The track is in good condition. I hope they don’t repave it in the next 10 years. It’s a great place to race.”
YOU’VE BEEN INVOLVED IN SO MANY RACES ALREADY THIS SEASON. ARE YOU HAVING FUN?
“I’m not miserable. I’ve had some fun with the truck. I’ve had some fun with the Cup car. It’s hard to sustain that for 500 miles. I had a blast at California in the Cup car. It was some of the most fun I’ve ever had like in 10 years of Cup racing until the end when they threw caution after caution after caution. Then I was the maddest I’ve been in a long time, so I’m having a good time. I’d have more fun if I had a little bit more time on my hands, but we don’t. This is probably the best time in my life and I probably just don’t realize it. This is probably the best time in my whole life. I’ll probably look back on this and say, ‘That was the best time in my life.’ We have the best sponsors, the best team, the members. I’ve worked 47 years to be where I am here today and it’s probably all downhill from here, so I’d better be enjoying it.”
DO YOU HAVE FUN ON RACE DAY FOR MATT?
“Sometimes, but usually I’m a little bit too nervous. I have an awful good time with him no matter what we do. It’s the highest point in my life, spending time with Matt, and that’s followed right along by Arlene.”
HE’S MOVING UP FAST.
“Yeah, he started late model now and that’s more fun than ever for me because that’s what I was doing before I started this. I’ve been working in the shop a lot. I’m having a ball with those things.”
DO YOU LIKE THE WAY HE APPROACHES THINGS?
“I like him a lot. He’s gonna be really successful at whatever he does. I could care less if he races or not. Well, I really could. I’m not sure that I want him to, but on the other hand, I want him to be good at whatever he does so if he’s gonna race, I’m gonna help him.”
HE SEEMS COMMITTED TO IT AT THIS POINT.
“He’s fairly committed. He’s 14 and we don’t have to make a life decision today on what it is, but he’s pretty good at it. He’s sure gonna be a lot better with the fans and the media than I am. He’s got a lot more personality.”
2006 Mark Martin Track Notes - Sunday - March 26, 2006
Food City 500 / Bristol Motor Speedway
#6 AAA Ford Fusion
March 22, 2006DRIVER: Mark Martin
TEAM: No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion
OWNER: Jack Roush
CREW CHIEF: Pat Tryson
2005 EVENT WINNER: Kevin Harvick
MARK MARTIN - 2005 EVENT
Started 34th, Finished 31st
Mark Martin and the No. 6 Viagra Team went into Bristol knowing they had their work cut out for them, but they were ready for the challenge. Despite struggling with the car for most of the day on Friday and turning a disappointing qualifying lap, Martin and crew chief Pat Tryson worked with the car for much of the race before finding the handle and mounting a solid march for the top 10, before being taken out of contention by a multi-car accident on lap 330. Martin started back in 34th and patiently fought his way up the field. The team stayed out after the day’s ninth caution on lap 324 and looked to be in its best position of the day after restarting in 11th position. Just seconds later optimism turned to disappointment as Martin had nowhere to go when the No. 32 car of Bobby Hamilton Jr. got into the back of the No. 49 car. The contact caused a chain reaction that would see 14 cars caught up in its wrath.
MARTIN, AAA TEAM BRACE FOR BRISTOL
After their strong second-place run at Atlanta, Martin and the AAA Team head to Bristol for the circuits' first short-track race of the season. Martin and the AAA team have been hot in 2005, contending in each of the season's first four races.
THE CAR
Chassis Number: (No. 274) The team will run RK-274 at Bristol this weekend. RK-274 is the car Martin used to run to a 16th-place finish at Bristol last fall. He also ran the car at both Martinsville races, including a third-place finish in the spring.
MARTIN AT BRISTOL
Starts: 38 (19)
Wins: 2 (-)
Top 5's: 15 (6)
Top 10's: 20 (10)
Poles: 7 (4)
Highest finish: 1st (twice)
First time: 3/14/82 (14th)
Last time: 8/27/05 (16th)
4/05/31 (31st)MARK MARTIN FAST FACTS – BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY
- Martin has two victories at Bristol (8/98 and 9/93), both coming in the fall race.
- Martin's seven poles at Bristol tie for the most ever.
- Martin won four consecutive poles at Bristol in 1995-96.
- Martin has posted 20 top-10 and 15 top-five finishes in 38 races at Bristol.
- From '95-2000 Martin scored 10 straight top 10's at Bristol. He has not finished top 10 there since.
- Crew chief Pat Tryson scored his first ccareer Cup win at Bristol in 2001. His pit strategy was vital in the victory by the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford.
WORTHY NOTE
Martin has finished inside the top 15 in his last eight races.
QUOTING MARK MARTIN AND CREW CHEIF PAT TRYSON ON BRISTOL
Mark Martin:
"Bristol can be crazy. I've always said it is like flying a jet fighter around the inside of a basketball arena, and try that with 42 other jets doing it at the same time. It can get really intense and it takes a great deal of patience by everyone. You just have to hope that you run well and that you can stay out of all the trouble, which isn't always easy to do. Over the years Bristol has been the source of some real highs and lows for me.
"I've had some of the most memorable races I can remember there and some pretty tough times there as well. We've had a lot of trouble staying out of the wrecks lately there. In fact our luck has been so bad there as of late that we are definitely due and hopefully we'll see that there this weekend."
Pat Tryson:
"Bristol has been a pretty tough place for us the last few years. We've had some good runs, but some really bad luck and we've seemed to get caught up in a lot of wrecks. We know that Mark can get the job done and I think that we'll have a good car, so if we can just stay out of all the wrecks and keep our nose clean then I think that we should be able to get a good finish and maybe even be there at the end again."
Mark Martin Continues Fan Salute With New Museum
By Rebecca Gladden
Insider Racing News
March 22, 2006A year ago, NASCAR driver Mark Martin embarked on what was to be a year-long "Salute to You" tour, heralding his pending retirement after 24 years of Nextel Cup racing.
What a difference a year makes.
After an unprecedented set of contract negotiations last season involving drivers from the Roush, Penske and Ganassi racing teams, Martin was prevailed upon by team owner Jack Roush to stay in the No. 6 car for another year. Martin reluctantly agreed and, like the retirement tours of aging rock musicians, his Salute to You tour became - unofficially - the Salute to You tour, Part One.
Perhaps it's just as well.
One of the most respected racers in the Nextel Cup garage, Martin has qualified for the Chase for the Championship and finished in the top 5 in driver standings for two seasons running. In fact, rather than slowing down, Mark has added more races to his busy schedule this year, including several Busch, Craftsman Truck series, and IROC races. Martin is currently 4th in Nextel Cup points and is leading the truck series, having won two of the first three truck races.
When Martin announced the Salute to You tour in October, 2004, he dedicated it to everyone who had contributed to his racing career over the years, but especially to his loyal fans: "Without the fan support we have, we wouldn't be doing what we do," Martin stated at the time. "We'd all probably still be racing around some dirt track somewhere. The fans have been great over the years and we are going to do our best to thank them and everyone else over the course of my 'Salute to You.' We really do salute the fans."
In just a few weeks, Martin will unveil his latest offering to the fans, the Mark Martin Museum, located in his hometown of Batesville, Arkansas.
The museum is scheduled for a Grand Opening on April 14-15, 2006. Martin will be on hand both days to meet with fans, sign autographs and answer questions.
Among the items in the state-of-the-art museum are many pieces of memorabilia that will appeal to Martin devotees, including:
The Stroh's car from Mark's 1989 first Cup victory
His 2005 IROC Championship car
The million-dollar winning car from Lowe's Motor Speedway
Mark's 1955 Chevy and personal Roush Mustang
Thousands of pictures, news clippings, and personal photo books..along with racing suits, helmets, trophies, and more.
Also on display during the Grand Opening will be Martin's 2006 AAA show car, his 2006 Daytona-winning truck, a race simulator and the Nextel Cup Experience. The museum and gift shop are adjacent to Martin's new auto dealership, Mark Martin Ford-Mercury.
"It's just an awesome thing to be able to bring back all of these cars and trophies to the place where it all started and the place that I consider home," said Martin on the museum's website, www.MarkMartinMuseum.com. "We have a lot of stuff on display at the museum and I hope that all of the fans will get a chance to come out and share in all of the memories with us.
"We really wanted to do something that we could share with the fans and the people of Batesville," Martin added, in keeping with the Salute to You sentiment. "It's been a long road and it's been a lot of fun and we really wanted to put all of that on display. We could have put the dealership anywhere, but I wanted to bring all of it home. It means a lot to me and I'm excited to share what I've been lucky enough to experience with everyone."
The museum is handicapped accessible.
Martin just might win this thing
By Matt Crossman
SportingNews
March 21, 2006You'll never read anything bad about Mark Martin, and for two reasons. One is that writers are in awe of him. The other is there's nothing bad to say. The worst thing I can think of is he's short and leathery, but that's still better than most drivers, who are short and velvety.
Fans pick Dale Earnhardt Jr. as the most popular driver in NASCAR, but if drivers voted, Martin would win, and it wouldn't be close. It's not because he's funny or a cutup or the life of the party (and truth be told he's none of those things), it's because he races the "right" way. I think that whole concept is overblown, but drivers don't, and they all laud Martin.
Nextel Cup is a get-out-of-my-way-now series, but Martin never uses his bumper unnecessarily. (Maybe his chrome horn has been disconnected.) He won't race for position early in a race. But when it's time to go, few are better. And probably none are smarter. In Monday's race at Atlanta, Martin got to leader Kasey Kahne's bumper, and thoughts of victory lane entered his head. But Martin realized he caught Kahne because Kahne wasn't pushing his stuff, and that once Kahne got up on the wheel, Martin couldn't hang with him. Martin settled for second in one piece. Many drivers would have forced the issue and wound up with a worse finish.
It was the latest of many examples of why Martin has such a long and successful career and why so many of his peers hold him in such high esteem. Larry McReynolds, a former crew chief and Fox analyst, is teaching his son to race. He points to Martin as the driver to emulate. In racing, there's no higher compliment. "Mark has had very little, if any, controversy with any other driver," McReynolds says. "Every driver respects him."
Martin's resume is familiar to NASCAR fans: A four-time Cup runner-up. Never a champion. Hosed out of the 1990 title by a dubious points penalty greater than the margin by which he lost. The 2006 season will be his last chance to win that elusive Nextel Cup trophy. Martin insists he's happy with his career without it, and if that's true, good for him. But just because he's happy doesn't mean he can't be happier.
One notable achievement not on his resume: He's a crank turned optimist. The change started in 2004, when Martin realized the end of his career was in sight. Last year, at Daytona, he was so full of sunshine he looked like a different man, an outlook he attributed to finally entering his last season, which 2005 was supposed to be. Even coming back for a second final season didn't cloud over his happiness. When he vowed he would win the 2006 championship after the final race last season and at the banquet in New York City, Bizarro Superman scoffed at the unbelievable turn of events. Martin made the prediction in response to Kenny Wallace calling him a pessimist; apparently Martin was the only person who follows NASCAR who was unaware of that fact.
An enduring Martin quote says he always relishes trips to victory lane because he never knows which will be his last. He'll get here at least once this season. And if he keeps racing like he did on Monday -- combining brute speed with wisdom and glowing remarks about his good car -- not only will he shed the pessimist label, but he'll add another: Nextel Cup champion.
Martin Posts Strong Second-Place Run At Atlanta
Martin contends for win late; moves up to fourth in Nextel Cup points standings
Mark Martin and the #6 AAA Racing Team
Atlanta Motor Speedway
March 20, 2006HAMPTON, GA. – Mark Martin and the AAA race team battled all day at Atlanta Motor Speedway, finding the right blend of handling, speed and track position, when it mattered the most – at the end. Martin, who was strong all day, used the next to the last run of the day to pick off seven cars and move from eighth to second place by lap 261, just seconds before the day’s eighth and final caution was issued on lap 262. After a lightning fast stop of 12.62 in the team’s final pit stop of the day, Martin restarted in second-place with 58 laps to go in the race. Martin was able to pull his No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion up beside race-leader Kasey Kahne with only 11 laps remaining, but he would be unable to take the lead away from Kahne, thus settling for the second-place finish.
“I really had the best case scenario at the end,” said Martin in the media center after the race. We had enough gas to make it and a green flag fuel stop run. My car was great on the long run and we ran him down. He got a handful of steering wheel and found some more speed. I really thought we could get him there with 15 to go. We caught him in traffic and got up beside of him, but he got up on the wheel and got it done. Still, it was a great effort by our AAA team today.
“I really had the best case scenario for my car and I really thought we would have enough, but it was just a whisker short of getting it done,” added Martin.
Persistent rains on Sunday forced the race’s start to Monday morning. With cool morning temperatures, Martin started the race 11 th based on Friday night’s qualifying effort. The cool conditions made the car’s handling tight early and Martin fell back to as low as 15 th early on. The track started to come around and Martin had moved back into 13 th position, when the day’s first caution was issued on lap 15. The team came in for the first of eight stops on the day to take four tires, fuel and to make an adjustment to the car’s handling.
The adjustment worked and on lap 33, Martin broke into the field’s top-10 for the first time of the day. The veteran driver had powered his Fusion all the way to seventh position, when caution number three was issued on lap 66. The team came into the pits for the third time of the afternoon, taking four tires, fuel and making an adjustment to the track bar to help tighten up the car’s handling. Again the adjustment paid off, as Martin was able to use the pursuing run to move up the field and into the top five by lap 75. Martin passed former teammate Jeff Burton on lap 86 for fourth position, where he settled in for the next several laps in an effort to save the wear on the tires.
Martin was still in fourth when the day’s fourth caution was issued on lap 117. The team came down for tires, fuel and another track bar adjustment, but there was a problem on the stop with the rear tires and Martin lost several spots and valuable track position. He was forced to restart in 13 th position when racing resumed on lap 125. Martin refused to give up, once again fighting his way back through the field and inside the top 10. He was running in eighth place when caution number five was called on lap 164. The team came down pit road for four tires, fuel and to put the track bar back up, and rebounded with a 13.03-second stop that put Martin back out in seventh position when the field went back to racing on lap 169.
Martin again lost position in the pits, after being trapped in the box by the No. 14 car after caution on lap 187. Having to back up to get out of the pits, Martin fell from eighth to 12th on the stop, and would be forced to again work his way back through lapped traffic, as well as the race leaders. Once again he was up for the challenge, moving back inside the top 10 on lap 218, just before caution number seven on lap 220. The team again came down pit road and the AAA pit crew again responded, posting a stop of 12.7-seconds that put the AAA Ford back out in eighth place when the field returned to green-flag racing.
On lap 248 Martin blew by the No. 48 car of Jimmie Johnson to once again move back inside the top five. Ten laps later he passed Jeff Gordon for third, before moving into second place on lap 261. The caution on lap 264 would set up the final stop and the 58 lap-race for the checkered. Martin quickly fell to fourth place, but rebounded and moved back to second on lap 300. He would be able to close in on Kahne, but unable to get past the No. 9 car, coming up just short of the victory.
“I didn’t save anything,” said Martin. “My car was just slow on the start. I flogged it to death and I had enough eventually to get to him. If I could have got in front of him I might have been able to take his line away and got it done, but it was so strong. When we got there my tires were gone and his were too, but he was in front. I certainly didn’t save anything. I’m proud as I can be of the effort that we made. We probably had the fans standing on their feet there for a little bit and that’s what it’s all about.”
The team returns to action next Sunday for the season’s first short track race of the year at Bristol Motor Speedway, where Martin has two wins, 15 top-fives and 20 top-10’s in 38 career Nextel Cup starts.
Martin Comes Up Just Short Of Three-in-a-Row
Martin demonstrated the strongest truck in the race, leading 97 laps en route to the second-place finish
Mark Martin and the #6 Scotts Racing Team
Atlanta Motor Speedway
March 17, 2006HAMPTON, GA – Mark Martin came up just short of going three-for-three in Craftsman Truck Series action on Friday night at Atlanta Motor Speedway, but it did not stop him from dominating his third consecutive race of the season. Martin led 97of 130 laps and clearly demonstrated he had the truck to beat, despite getting passed late in the race while battling four-wide traffic, including lapped traffic and second-place Todd Bodine, with only four laps to go.
Leading the race late, Martin came up on lapped traffic allowing Bodine to close in. As Martin attempted to maneuver around the traffic, he got caught up in a log jam of two lapped trucks. Bodine went high making it four wide as each truck started to bang off of each other. Martin made a brilliant save to avoid wrecking, but Bodine was able to squeeze by as the malay caused another truck to spin out, bringing out the night’s fourth caution and setting up a green-white-checkered finish.
"These things are awesome,” said an upbeat Martin after the race. “I love this racing; this is the best racing. Congratulations to Todd, he did an awesome job, and he and his team made his stuff better. He was in the front when it ended. He's been knocking every week, and I hope everybody is OK after that wreck.”
Bodine got off to a slow start on the three-lap shootout for the race and Martin dove low with his No. 6 Scotts Ford F-150. He cleared Bodine for a moment, but Bodine was able to bring his No. 30 truck back around and get ahead of Martin and hold on to the top spot, with Martin close behind as the checkered flag fell.
Martin started the race 10 th, but wasted little to no time powering through the field, taking the lead on lap 15. He would never run worse than second again in the race, as he and Bodine would be the only two trucks to lead the race.
“We had a good truck,” added Martin. I just want to thank Scotts, Ford and Roush Racing, and Mike Beam and all of these guys for putting me in great stuff.”
Mark Martin Post Race Notes and Quotes - Golden Corral 500
Ford Racing: News
March 20, 2006MARK MARTIN – No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion (Finished 2nd)
YOU ALMOST HAD HIM WITH 12 LAPS TO GO.
“Yeah, I really had the best case scenario at the end – enough gas to make it and a green flag fuel stop run. My car was great on the long run and we ran him down. He got a handful of steering wheel and found some more speed. I really thought we could get him there with 15 to go. We caught him in traffic and got up beside of him, but he got up on the wheel and go it done. It was a great effort by our AAA team. Our car was fantastic on the long runs and I’ve got to work on it on the short runs to get it a little bit better. If I hadn’t lost so much ground to start with we would have been alright, but we just lost a lot of ground on the start.”
WERE YOU SURPRISED WHEN YOU GOT ALONGSIDE THAT HE WAS ABLE TO PULL AHEAD AND WIN BY 2 SECONDS?
“Once he got back out in front I made a couple of other dives at it, but once he got back out in front he stepped it up a notch. It got to the point where I wasn’t gonna be able to beat him. That two seconds isn’t any indication. That two seconds means I tried to keep the air in the tires and the gas in the carburetor, but we gave it everything we had. I really had the best case scenario for my car and I really thought we would have enough, but it was just a whisker short of getting it done.”
DID YOU RUN DIFFERENT ON THE LAST RUN AS FAR AS TAKING CARE OF TIRES?
“I didn’t save anything. My car was just slow on the start. I flogged it to death and I had enough eventually to get to him. If I could have got in front of him I might have been able to take his line away and got it done, but it was so strong. When we got there my tires were gone and his were too, but he was in front. I certainly didn’t save anything. I’m proud as I can be of the effort that we made. We probably had the fans standing on their feet there for a little bit and that’s what it’s all about.”
DO YOU CONSCIOUSLY MAKE A DECISION THAT YOU’RE NOT GOING TO PASS KASEY AND JUST TRY TO SAVE YOUR CAR?
“I definitely thought I was gonna get it done when I got beside him. I thought I was gonna get by him and be able to motor out a little ways and pull the thing off. When I didn’t make that pass, I thought, ‘Well, that’s OK I’ll get it again.’ But then we certainly had some tough traffic breaks and when we caught them that didn’t favor me after that. He got enough distance on me and then I thought, ‘I can catch him with six to go or five to go,’ and then he got enough distance on me that that wasn’t very realistic. With five to go, based on some traffic and everything, had gotten far enough out that I didn’t have enough tire left to reel him back in again. We really used everything I had getting there the first time.”
TIRE WEAR WAS LIKE DARLINGTON OR ROCKINGHAM AND SLOWER CARS COULD PIT AND THEN ROCKET BY THE LEADERS. IS THAT A GOOD THING?
“That’s the greatest thing in racing right there.”
WOULD YOUNGER DRIVERS HAVE TRIED TO PUSH THE LIMIT ONCE THEY REALIZED THEY WOULDN’T BE ABLE TO PASS FOR THE LEAD?
“Let me tell you something, if anybody would have pushed my car a hair harder they would have wrecked. It’s just that when you get caught in lap traffic and you lose 20 car lengths and there are five laps to go, it’s not realistic after you’ve already reeled him back in once. I caught some bad breaks in traffic and I got too far back with five to go and unless he got caught again it wasn’t gonna happen. He had some clear race track, so that was the race. My bid for the win was with 15 to go. I made my bid for the win and I fought for it as hard as I could fight for it and I got beat.”
THOUGHTS ON BILL LESTER’S PERFORMANCE TODAY?
“He got 500 miles in or right near that and that was his goal. He ran hard. He drove his car hard and he learned a lot about the race track and about the tires – probably three truck races worth in one day. He did a fabulous job. He was giving her everything he had and I’m happy for him. I’m happy that he’s gotten an opportunity to drive a Cup car and made the most of it today.”
Mark Martin Post Race Notes and Quotes - John Deere 200
Ford Racing: News
March 18, 2006"These things are awesome. I love this racing. This is the best racing. Congratulations to Todd. He did an awesome job, and he and his team made his stuff better. He was in the front when it ended. He's been knocking every week, and I hope everybody is OK after that wreck. We were all right. We had a good truck, and I just want to thank Scotts, Ford and Roush Racing, and Mike Beam and all of these guys."
Bodine overtakes Martin to win John Deere 200
March 18, 2006HAMPTON, Georgia (Ticker) Todd Bodine ended Mark Martin's dominance of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, scoring a green-white-checkered flag victory in Friday night's John Deere 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Martin appeared on his way to his third straight series win in the closing laps. However, Bodine passed Martin with five laps to go when he literally drove his Toyota Tundra sideways in a four-wide battle.
Timothy Peters blew a left rear tire on the rear of his Dodge Ram to set up the third green-white-checkered flag finish in as many races this season.
When the green flag waved, Martin went to the inside and nudged ahead of Bodine's bumper. But Bodine would not give up, kept his outside line and raced side-by-side until he was able to get the advantage with a half-lap to go.
Bodine finished ahead of Martin's Ford F-150 under a yellow flag because of a massive crash behind the leaders. Martin was credited with second, just ahead of Johnny Benson Jr.'s Toyota.
"I knew on that restart there was no way I could let Mark outside of me because my truck was so loose," said Bodine, who won the pole. "When he took that inside line, I said, 'Have at it.' Martin never drove me dirty. He beat us there but we got the best of him tonight."
It was Bodine's eighth career win and first this season after finishing second to Martin in the first two races.
"Congratulations to Todd and those guys, they earned it," said Martin, a long-time Nextel Cup standout. "This is the best racing I've done in years. I love this stuff. I didn't know our truck was as good as it was. It was spectacular tonight."
Mike Skinner was involved in a fiery crash when his Toyota slammed hard into the fourth-turn wall to bring out the second yellow flag on lap 59. Despite the flames, Skinner was uninjured. Martin retained his lead green flag waved on lap 68.
Robert Richards lost it coming out of the second turn on lap 94 for the third yellow of the race, allowing the leaders to pit for the final time.
Prior to the race, Bobby Hamilton revealed that he has cancer in his neck and will be miss the rest of the season after this event. Hamilton finished 21st, one spot behind his son.
"It's called head-and-neck cancer," Hamilton said. "I don't have anything wrong with my head, but (Ken) Schrader said a lot of people would doubt that."
Hamilton, 48, who had a tumor removed from his neck February 8, begins chemotherapy Monday in his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee. His son, Bobby Hamilton Jr., will drive the No. 18 Dodge for the rest of the season, beginning April 1 at Martinsville, Virginia.
Bodine finally beats Martin
By Mike Harris
AP Motorsports Writer
March 18, 2006HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) -- A spectacular four-wide pass gave Todd Bodine the lead and the momentum to pick up his first victory of the season Friday night in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Bodine, who finished second behind Nextel Cup star and part-time truck racer Mark Martin in the first two events this season, losing both in overtime duels, was trailing Martin again with five laps to go in regulation in the John Deere 200.
But Martin caught the lapped trucks of Timothy Peters and Boston Reid on lap 126. The leader chose to pass on the low side of the 1.5-mile oval and Bodine made it four-wide, slicing between Peters and Reid.
Bodine nearly lost control, sliding sideways and banging off Peters at the top of the banking, while Martin and Reid also bumped on the low side. All of them were able to keep going, though, with Bodine coming out ahead.
Moments later, Peters, with a tire going down, crashed, bringing out the fourth caution flag of the race and forcing yet another green-white-checker overtime finish.
The race, scheduled for 130 laps, restarted on lap 134 and Martin shot to the inside, moving alongside Bodine and then nosing inches ahead. But, this time, Bodine, who finished last season as the hottest driver in the truck series, winning the final three races, was up to the challenge.
He led at the finish line, then shot ahead as Martin suddenly found himself having to fend off Johnny Benson in a battle for second. Martin won that duel but was not able to mount another charge at Bodine as several trucks crashed in the pack behind them, causing the race to end under yellow. It was Bodine's eighth truck victory.
``There was no way I could let Mark Martin get outside of me on that restart,'' Bodine said. ``My truck was so loose when somebody was out there. When he went inside, I said, `Have at it.' That was what we needed.
``That's the Craftsman Truck Series at its best. Germain Racing, baby, we're here.''
Martin, who plans to drive only three or four more truck races this season, said he wasn't surprised by the four-wide move.
``We were doing some racing,'' he said. ``The chips were on the table and we were both going for it. It got kind of tense there just for a minute.
``This is the best racing I've done in years. I love this stuff.''
Jon Wood finished fourth, followed by Ted Musgrave, who finished third in each of the first two events this season.
Bobby Hamilton, who announced earlier in the day that he will turn over his truck to son Bobby Hamilton Jr. for all or most of the rest of the season while being treated for a cancerous growth on his neck, finished 12th. Hamilton Jr. was 19th.
Truck series regular Bill Lester earlier in the day became the first black driver to qualify for a race in NASCAR's top series, earning a starting spot in Sunday's Golden Corral 500. But he had a mechanical problem early in the truck race and wound up 29th, two laps off the pace.
Post Qualifying Notes and Quotes - Atlanta - Nextel Cup
Ford Racing: News
March 17, 2006MARK MARTIN – No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion (Qualified 11th)
“I’m real happy with that. It wasn’t really that great of a lap. We had really got the car hooked up in the heat, but we were a little too tight for qualifying. To be as good as where I think we’re gonna wind up is good.”
Mark Martin Interview - Atlanta
Ford Racing: News
March 17, 2006Mark Martin, driver of the No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion, has two NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series wins at Atlanta Motor Speedway and comes into this weekend fifth in the point standings. He held a Q&A session behind his hauler shortly before Friday’s practice.
MARK MARTIN – No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion
CAN YOU BREAK DOWN WHY YOU LIKE THIS TRACK SO MUCH?
“I like the mile-and-a-half race tracks and this is very much a handling race track. I hate tracks that aren’t handling race tracks, but this is huge for handling and that’s the big reason.”
DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE GROOVE HERE OR DOES IT DEPEND ON HOW YOUR CAR IS WORKING?
“It’s multiple grooves for those guys, but it’s only one groove for me – the bottom. Win, lose or indifferent that’s where I’ll be.”
HOW HAS THE TRUCK BEEN SO FAR THIS YEAR?
“We got off to a good start. We’ve had a great effort by Mike Beam and the Scotts team. We’ve got a really nice Ford truck there and we’re having fun, but we could have been not as fortunate and not won either race, so you can’t be a total hog. You have to be realistic about it. We’ve been blessed with great performance and good opportunities and things worked out for us.”
WILL IT BE HARD TO HAND THE STEERING WHEEL TO DAVID RAGAN?
“No. I’m pretty busy. It’s not gonna be too hard for me. I just don’t really have a hard time with watching these races because I’ve got so much going on. I think I’ll be fine.”
DO THINGS CHANGE MUCH GOING FROM TRUCK TO CAR AS FAR AS YOUR LINE ON THE TRACK?
“The Busch car to the Cup car is not a big change. It’s never a problem. The truck is. It is big. It’s a big difference.”
WHAT ABOUT THE IROC CAR?
“The IROC car is a car is a car is a car, but the truck is different. I don’t drop that in the same category as Busch. Cup and IROC, that’s all different but it’s not a big deal. The truck is really a bit different.”
CARL WAS THE KING HERE LAST YEAR. DOES IT MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO COME TO A PLACE WHERE YOU’VE RUN WELL, ESPECIALLY IF YOU’RE STRUGGLING?
“It depends on Carl’s confidence. He might come in here worried that he wouldn’t live up to his expectations, or he might come in here with great confidence knowing that he was gonna live up to his expectation. So it depends on the individual. Certainly the result is more important than how you feel about things.”
DO YOU THINK IT’S GOING TO BE HARD FOR CARL TO COME BACK AND HAVE A SEASON LIKE LAST YEAR?
“Carl ran real good in California and he ran good or fine at Daytona. He had one bad race and I don’t think that means anything just because he had one bad race. I think you’re just getting ahead of yourself on that. Just because he’s not stacked up in the points doesn’t mean he’s not gonna get there and have the great success that we all know he will have.”
HOW DO YOU STAY FRESH ON A DAY LIKE TODAY WITH THREE PRACTICES, TWO QUALIFYING SESSIONS AND THEN A RACE TONIGHT?
“I laid down for about 45 minutes a while ago and I took half of a Goody’s powder, so I’m ready to go now.”
ARE YOU A CAT NAPPER?
“Yeah, I don’t always go to sleep but I do rest. I don’t really go to sleep, but I definitely do like to lay down if I can for a half-hour or so and re-charge my battery.”
Martin Looks for Fourth Straight Top Five in Atlanta
Martin and the No. 6 AAA Team on a roll at Atlanta
March 15, 2006Mark Martin has been red hot as of late at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The veteran driver, who will be making his 41st career Cup start at Atlanta this Sunday, comes into the race with a string of three-consecutive top-five finishes at the 1.54-mile fast track, dating back to the fall of 2004 when he led 227 laps in a second-place run.
“Atlanta is definitely one of my favorite tracks,” said Martin who comes into the race fifth in the Nextel Cup point standings. “From top to bottom it’s one of my favorite places that we race. It’s a fast track and over time the pavement has settled and you have a lot of grooves for racing, which really makes for good racing and a good show for the fans.”
Statistically Atlanta has been one of Martin’s strongest tracks. In 40 starts he has accumulated two victories, one pole, 12 top-fives and 20 top-10 finishes. Furthermore, Martin has led 924 laps at AMS, including 43 last fall and 272 in the last three races there. In addition to strong finishes, Martin boasts a strong starting history at Atlanta, where he has an average start of 10.4 and has started inside the top 10 in 24 of 40 starts and inside the top five on 17 occasions.
Martin’s history at Atlanta runs deep. He made his career start at the track just two days shy of 24 years to the day of Sunday’s 41st start, starting 12th and finishing 19th in the Coca-Cola 500. He returned there in the spring and ran to the first of his 20 top-10 finishes with a 10th-place finish. He earned his first top five there in the spring race of 1990. The following year in the fall he earned the first of his two AMS wins, taking the checkered flag in the Hardee’s 500. He returned to Atlanta the next spring and earned his only pole there. His other Atlanta victory came in the 1994 season finale.
Adding to Martin’s Atlanta legacy is three wins, two poles and 500 laps led in only 10 starts in the Busch Series. Martin also clinched his record fifth IROC Championship last fall in Atlanta in a second-place finish in his first and only IROC start there. He will have another chance to add to his AMS accolades when he starts his first Craftsman Truck Series race there this Friday night as well.
“We’ve had a blast in the truck this season and it’s going to be a lot of fun to get out there in the No. 6 Scotts Ford F-150 at Atlanta,” added Martin. “We’ve really set the bar there and you have to realize that we can’t win every race. There is really some great competition in that series, but we are sure going to try and make it three in a row.”
Roush Racing is a subsidiary of Livonia, Mich., based Roush Entersprises which operates 13 motorsports teams; five in NASCAR Nextel Cup with drivers Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards, six in the Busch Series with Martin, Kenseth, Biffle, Edwards, Todd Kluever and Danny O'Quinn Jr., and two in the Craftsman Truck Series with Martin, David Ragan and Erik Darnell.
Martin making noise after returning for 2006
By Bill Whitehead
Scripps Howard News Service
March 15, 2006Mark Martin's attitude and approach to his final Nextel Cup season can be summed up in an incident following the Daytona 500. As Martin strolled by during a post-race interview with teammate Matt Kenseth, a pit road reporter asked Martin if he wanted to comment on the skirmish between Kenseth and Tony Stewart. Martin quickly replied: "No."
And why should he?
At 47 years old, Martin is orchestrating one of the finest swan songs in recent NASCAR history, so to get in a fray with Stewart, whom he greatly respects, would be pointless. The Daytona Beach resident wants to go out gracefully and without much fanfare, and that's exactly the way he has carried himself during his distinguished career.
But he's not leaving without turning a few heads — which he's been doing at a fast clip.
Martin raves about the way his Ford F-150 handles, and he's adapted well for a driver who had only made three truck starts before the season-opener at Daytona, winning at North Wilkesboro in 1996.
Now, though, Martin is 2-for-2 out of the gate, holding off the Toyota Tundra brigade headed by Todd Bodine and Ted Musgrave.
Under normal circumstances, he would be competing for a Craftsman Truck Series championship this season - and off to an unbelievable start. Last year should have been his final one in the Cup series, with no more complaints about restrictor-plate racing, and he would be focused on a full-time ride in the CTS, but that won't happen. And it's because of one person - Kurt Busch.
If Busch and team owner Jack Roush had decided to remain together and work things out, then Jamie McMurray's contract issue with Chip Ganassi Racing had been resolved like it was, Roush and company would have been busy trying to get Busch back into championship form in the No. 97 and strapping McMurray into a potential title-winning ride, Martin's No. 6.
Martin would have then slipped into relative obscurity, racing mainly on Fridays on a channel — SPEED — that remains unviewed by many racing fans.
After becoming the first CTS driver ever to open the season with two wins, Martin could lobby for a full-time truck ride — the CTS and Cup series only race on the same day once, on July 1 at Kansas and Daytona — but it's not Martin's way. Instead of working out a new arrangement or trying to jet from track to track and to fight for a truck title, he will turn the reins of his Ford over to 20-year-old David Ragan, the winner of a Roush "Gong Show" type tryout in 2005.
"Getting to co-drive a truck with Mark Martin, that's a deal I think anyone would love to have," said Ragan, who will drive the No. 6 truck at Martinsville next month. "Mark's an incredible guy. He's so willing to help. He'll answer any question ... and make sure that he gives me any pointers or advice he can to help me prepare for my shot."
That's just Mark Martin being Mark Martin: a classy driver and the ultimate team player.
Bill Whitehead covers NASCAR for Scripps Treasure Coast newspapers.
2006 Mark Martin Track Notes - Sunday - March 19, 2006
Golden Corral 500 / Atlanta Motor Speedway
#6 AAA Ford Fusion
March 14, 2006DRIVER: Mark Martin
TEAM: No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion
OWNER: Jack Roush
CREW CHIEF: Pat Tryson
2005 EVENT WINNER: Carl Edwards
MARK MARTIN LOOKS TO BUILD ON ATLANTA LEGACY
Fresh off a strong run and sixth-place finish at Las Vegas, Martin and the No. 6 AAA Team head back south to Atlanta, where Martin will look to expand on his rich tradition at the 1.54-mile speedway, where he boasts two wins and top-five finishes in his last three races.
THE CAR
Chassis Number: (No. 314) - The team will run RK-314 at Atlanta this weekend. It will be the first run of the season for RK-314. The car finished second at Texas in the fall of last year and fifth at Charlotte in its last two outings.
MARTIN AT ATLANTA
Starts: 40 (20)
Wins: 2 (-)
Top 5's: 12 (5)
Top 10's: 20 (9)
Poles: 1 (1)
Highest finish: 1st (twice)
First time: 3/21/82 (19th)
Last time: 10/30/05 (3rd)
3/20/05 (4th)This will be Martin's 41st-career Cup start at Atlanta, where the veteran has posted 20 top-10 finishes, 12 top fives and two wins. Martin ran his first career Cup race at Atlanta 23 years ago on March 21, 1982, finishing 19th. He returned there that fall and drove to a top 10. He has posted three straight top five finishes at AMS, finishing third there last fall, fourth in the spring and second in the fall of 2004.
MARK MARTIN FAST FACTS – ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY
Martin has tallied 20 top 10's and 12 top fives at Atlanta, with top-five runs in the last three there.
Martin has won twice at Atlanta. Both wins came in the fall in ('91 & '94).
Martin has started in the top 10 in 24 of his 40 races at Atlanta. He has started inside the top five 17 times. He has earned one pole (3/92) and has started on the front row six times.
Martin scored his first top 10 at Atlanta in only this second start there, on November 7, 1982.
Martin has led 924 laps at Atlanta, with 272 of them coming in the last three races.
Martin has three wins and two poles in the Busch car at Atlanta.WORTHY NOTE
Martin has finished inside the top five in his last three races at Atlanta.
IN THE LEAD
Martin has led a lap in each of the first three races of 2006, marking the first time he has done so since 2001, when he led at least one lap in each of the first 13 races. Currently Martin has led 77 laps in 2006, including 57 last week at Las Vegas.
AAA AND MARK MARTIN
Martin is sporting a different look and sponsor this season. As North America's largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA boasts more than 48 million members.
ENCORE SALUTE IN '06
Martin had planned 2005 as his final in NASCAR's Nextel Cup Series, but when called into action by Jack Roush opted to return for one more go around. Martin's fourth-place finish in the points in '05 proved he is still one of the fastest stars in NASCAR and he plans on using 2006 as an encore performance of his highly popular "Salute To You" Tour, where he will continue to take the time to thank each and everyone that he feels played a role in his success, including the team members, the fans, NASCAR and the media.
QUOTING MARK MARTIN AND CREW CHIEF PAT TRYSON ON ATLANTA
Mark Martin:
"Atlanta is a really cool race track. It’s a big, fast race track. The pavement has gotten a little older and it has finally given up and made it a really fun place to race. From top-to-bottom, it’s one of the best places that we go to race. It usually makes for a great show and a great race. We've been really strong there over the years and we've had some good runs the last few times that we've went there. Maybe this week we'll finally break through and get ourselves back into victory lane there.
"Our car at Las Vegas was really awesome and it was probably the best car that I've had in a long time. I'm very pleased with the way that we have run in all of the races this year and if we can keep up that level of performance we are going to be in really good shape this season. I think that we've had top-five cars in all three of the races this year, it's just our job now to make sure that we do what we need to get the finishes that we are capable of."
Pat Tryson:
"As always, we are excited about Atlanta. Mark always runs well there and there is no reason that we shouldn't be in the hunt for the win. We've had really good cars this year and Mark's done a great job, now we just have to start finishing strong and hopefully we'll put that AAA Fusion in victory lane soon."
2006 Mark Martin CTS Track Notes - Friday - March 17, 2006
John Deere 200 / Atlanta Motor Speedway
No. 6 Ford F-150 Scotts
March 16, 2006DRIVER: Mark Martin
TEAM: No. 6 Scotts Ford F-150
OWNER: Jack Roush
CREW CHIEF: Mike Beam
THE TRUCK
The team will run chassis No. 43 at Atlanta. The No. 43 is the same truck Martin used to win his second race of the year at California.
CALIFORNIA WIN SETS RECORD
Martin's win at California in the last truck race made him the first driver to win a Cup, Busch, Truck and IROC race at the same track. Martin will look to accomplish a similar feat again at Atlanta where he boasts wins in the Cup and Busch races. He has never won an IROC race at Atlanta, but he did finish second there last fall to clinch his record fifth IROC championship.
LOOKING TO ATLANTA
This will be Martin's debut in the Truck at California Speedway, where he has wins in both the Nextel Cup and Busch Series. In fact, Martin boast five wins, two poles, 15 top-fives and 27 top 10 finishes in combined Cup and Busch action at Atlanta.
QUOTING MARK ON THE TRUCK RACE AT ATLANTA
"I can't wait to get back in the Scott F-150. It has been a lot of fun of fun this year to drive the truck. Mike Beam and the guys on the team have just done an incredible job with the trucks and we've been able to go out and win two races against some really good competition. Atlanta is one of my favorite tracks and it should be a lot of fun to go out and go against those guys again and see if we can't make it three in a row. However, I know that won't be an easy task at all."
MARK MARTIN FAST FACTS
This will be Martin's sixth career Craftsman Truck Seres Race.
Martin has finished in the top 10 in each of his Truck starts, including a wi ns at North Wilkesboro, Daytona and Calfornia. He has won 50 percent of the truck races he has taken part in.
Martin Battles Back for Sixth-Place Finish at Las Vegas
Martin led 57 laps in strong showing at LVMS; moves up to fifth in Nextel Cup point standings
Mark Martin and the #6 AAA Racing Team
Las Vegas Motor Speedway/March 12, 2005Mark Martin battled back to a sixth-place finish Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Martin was strong early, taking the lead and leading 57 laps early on, before a setback in the pits dropped him back to 12th late in the race. Still, Martin and the AAA pit crew never gave up, fighting back for the sixth place finish and advancing one place to fifth in the Nextel Cup point standings.
"We had a really good car today," said Martin after the race. This is the best car that I've had in a long time. We had a couple of problems in the pits that set us back there late in the race, but the team gave me such a good car that we were able to battle back and get a good finish there at the end".
"We were able to get up front early and lead laps and compete and that's what you have to do every week to win races. We'll keep working at it and if we continue to get runs like today, we'll be in good shape".
Martin showed early that he would have one of the cars to beat in the race, starting 18th and advancing all the way into the top 10 after only 11 laps. By lap 26 he had powered his AAA Ford Fusion into the top-five, before moving to second on lap 38. Two laps later the day's first caution was issued and nifty work in the pits with a 13.6-second stop put Martin back out in the lead when the race went green on lap 46. Martin would lead the next 51 laps of the race.
Martin eventually gave up the lead on a restart on lap 97 after the day's second caution. He would gain the lead back on lap 106, when crew chief Pat Tryson opted for a two-tire stop under caution on lap 106. Eventually Martin would again surrender the lead to cars on four tires. By lap 117 Martin had dropped back to third, before swapping positions a couple of times with teammate Greg Biffle.
Martin was still running in third when caution number four was called on lap 157. The team came down pit road for four tires and fuel, but lost three positions with a 14.23-second stop. Martin had advanced back to fourth position by the time caution was called for the fifth time on lap 187. This time a problem in the pits with the left front tire cost the team valuable time on pit road, resulting in Martin returning to the field in 11th position when the race went green on lap 191.
Running in the dirty air, Martin quickly fell back to 12th. Martin would struggle with the car's handling over the ensuing 43 lap run, with the car starting out extremely 'tight', before transitioning to very loose. Martin was unable to advance positions, and was still running in 12th when caution number six was issued on lap 234. This time the team responded with a 13.7-second stop to take on four tires and make a wedge adjustment. The fast stop put Martin back in the top 10 at ninth when the field returned to green flag racing on lap 234 with only 33 laps remaining.
Martin battled back to eighth on lap 256, before taking over seventh position on lap 262, just two laps before the seventh and final caution was called on lap 268, setting up yet another green-white-checkered finish. Martin was able to pick up one more position, passing the No. 31 car of Jeff Burton on the final lap to move on to the sixth-place finish.
The finish moved Martin into the top-five in the Nextel Cup standings. Mark is currently fifth, 110 points out of first and only 25 points behind third. The team returns to action next weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway where Martin has two wins, 20 top-10 finishes and 12 top-fives. Martin will be making his 41 st career Cup start at the 1.54-mile speedway.
Ford NASCAR Nextel Cup Drivers Ready to Race in the Desert
MARK MARTIN – No. 6 AAA Fusion
YOU MENTIONED A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO THAT YOU FELT A LITTLE SAD GOING THROUGH THE TUNNEL TO TEST AT LAS VEGAS BECAUSE YOU’RE GOING TO MISS RACING THERE.
“I had kind of a sad sinking feeling there. I love that place. It would be really hard for me to think that I was not ever gonna race there again. Thank goodness the trucks race there, which is part of my therapeutic way of phasing out of this business, sort of. I really love that place. We won the inaugural Cup race there and that was a very big deal to me. That’s one of the biggest and most meaningful wins for me because it was three races in with a new team and that was a pretty big deal for me.”
WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER MOST ABOUT THAT DAY?
“I remember Jeff Burton running behind me and I knew I couldn’t make any mistakes or he would win. And I remember after the race was over lifting out of there in a helicopter and looking down and finally realizing how big of an accomplishment it was because you can’t see it from behind a steering wheel and you can’t see it just standing there. But when I saw it from that vantage point from above looking down, I realized what a cool win that was.”
HOW DID YOUR VEGAS TEST GO?
“I feel good about it. We had a good test. We have a very good car. The car that we ran at California is the one we’re gonna take there. It looks and feels to me like we’ve kind of picked up where we left off and that’s certainly good news. It doesn’t look like we’ve fallen behind anywhere. The team is on it. I’m excited about going to work every day to work with the AAA team.”
YOU’VE WON THE FIRST TWO TRUCK RACES OF THE SEASON. WHAT IS THE BIG DIFFERENCE FROM CUP?
“The only difference is that Cup has actually got an awful lot of young, aggressive drivers who still are making some mistakes. The truck guys seem to be driving within their means and it’s full of Cup level drivers. I didn’t realize how irritating it was to run in the Cup Series with some of these guys until I ran a truck race. These guys are really pros – Todd (Bodine), Ted (Musgrave) and Mike (Bliss) and so many of the other guys that run up front. They’re just terrific drivers who use their heads and put on the best show in NASCAR in my opinion.”
IS IT FAIR TO SAY IT’S A RESPECT ISSUE ON THE CUP LEVEL WHERE THERE IS MORE IN TRUCK?
“You have young guys in the truck series, too. The ones I’ve been around have been driving within their means. I think a good example is Kasey Kahne. I think he has set the best example of anyone I can think of for coming in and racing with great respect and great talent and gotten the job done. You don’t have to drive wild to show people you’re a good driver, but there’s a lot at stake in Cup and these guys are feeling the pressure. They’ve never hit that hard and racing is changing. It will never, ever be the same. It’ll never be the way it was. That’s a fact of life.”
AAA paves the way as new sponsor of Truck Race at Dover International Speedway
By Catherine L. Rossi - WhoWon.com
March 9, 2006DOVER, Del. -- AAA Mid-Atlantic is proud to announce its title sponsorship of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Dover International Speedway on Friday, June 2, 2006. The race will be called the AAA Insurance 200. The multi-year deal was signed late last week.
"Auto racing is the fastest growing spectator sport in the country and so many AAA members are avid fans, so this sponsorship is a natural fit for us. This is a great opportunity to show many non-AAA members that AAA membership means more than just roadside assistance and travel support. The sponsorship serves as a strong reminder that we offer value-added, competitively priced auto, home, and life insurance products and services designed exclusively for AAA members," said Spencer M. Roman, COO and Executive Vice President of the AAA Mid-Atlantic Insurance Group.
AAA Insurance decided to seize the opportunity to capitalize on AAA's recent re-entry into NASCAR sponsorship by adding the insurance group to a title sponsorship race.
AAA became the official auto club and insurance provider for the International Speedway Corporation (ISC) tracks in 2005, re-entering the racing world for the first time since the 1950's. After a successful partial sponsorship of Carl Edwards' Ford in 2005, AAA signed a three-year deal to become the primary sponsor of Roush Racing's #6 Ford, driven in 2006 by racing veteran Mark Martin. In 2007, Todd Kleuver will take over the #6 AAA Ford. Martin will retire to the action of the Craftsman Truck Series. In addition, AAA Mid-Atlantic also co-sponsors the #20 Busch car driven by Denny Hamlin, whose mother is a long-time AAA employee. Little Denny, as AAA employees have always known him, is in control of the #20 Rockwell Automation Busch Series and the Federal Express Chevrolets, both owned by Joe Gibbs Racing.
AAA intends to use its motorsports sponsorships as one way to reach young drivers with safety information. No one is more aware of the need to drive with care and skill than a professional race car driver. AAA believes motorsports can be an excellent venue for delivering important safety information to the driving public.
Mark Martin Transcript - NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Teleconference
March 8, 2006As part of the monthly series of NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series conference calls, West Region media members took part in a question and answer session with NASCAR NEXTEL Cup driver Mark Martin on Tuesday, March 7. The call was moderated by Diana Rose of Infineon Raceway.
Q: Mark, Roush racing has historically done very well at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. What are your thoughts entering this weekend’s event and how things are shaping up for you guys?
MM: Well, I think that things are going to be shaping up real well for us. We had a great test out there. And they had a really good run in California. I would like to have had opportunity to finish even better. The car ran better than we finished. So, maybe Vegas will be our weekend to finish better than we run.
Q: A year ago at this time you weren’t imaging yourself in this seat, were you?
MM: Not in the Cup car.
Q: Have you had any regrets about having another season in the Cup?
MM: That’s a tough one right there. I owe a lot of the success I’ve had in NASCAR to Jack Roush and to my team, and they needed me. And AAA needed me. And when I’m in need, and I ask for help, I need to get it. So I’m there for the people that I love. And AAA has given me an opportunity to work with teen driving safety and a lot of important issues. So, there’s a bright side. The other side to that is, yeah, I had some other plans. But, we’re doing this for right now.
Q: Roush had such a phenomenal year last year getting all five drivers in the Chase and everything. Do you think Roush can be just as good this year? And does it seem to be on track for that?
MM: It’s on track for that, but we can’t predict things like luck. And there are a lot of things that you can’t predict in this business. So, we’re on track for it.
Q comment: Hey, Mark. Just thought I’d give you the weather report in Las Vegas. A high Friday is supposed to be 50. The high Saturday 48. And the high Sunday, 45.
MM: Good grief. Well it’ll sure be nice in the racecar, but everybody else is not going to be that comfortable.
Q: How will that affect the racing? Will it make the cars faster, better grip or --
MM: It makes better grip and better lap times, but for the fans, they can’t tell the difference. They can’t see the difference. So, from a fan’s point of view, there won’t be much difference. But yeah. The speeds will be up.
Q: Can you remember racing that many times when the high was 45?
MM: I can remember racing a lot of times when the high was less than that. We used to go to Rockingham in February and Richmond in February. And that was colder than that. I’ve raced in Richmond when it was snowing.
Q: Now, you’re retirement sort of postponed. But you’re doing 56 races this year?
MM: Just jumped to 63.
Q: What did you add?
MM: Looks like we’re adding seven more truck races because of the great enthusiasm and interest from Ford and from Scott’s because we won the first two races out of the box. They would really like for me to do even more than that, and I told them that if they’d put somebody in the 6 car, I would.
Q comment: Well, hey, I appreciate your time again and look forward to seeing you out here in Las Vegas one more time in the stock car.
MM: Hey, I love Vegas. We’ve got a great race team. Wonderful sponsor with AAA. And I’m going to make the very best out of this last year that I have to race for the Cup.
Q: Other than the fact that you won these first two NASCAR Craftsman Truck races, can you just talk about what the appeal is of truck racing for you? And why it’s something that you’d want to continue once you are done with cup racing?
MM: Well, the first thing is it’s obvious – I am not retiring. Everybody seems to want to use that word. But, I’m not retiring. I don’t want to retire. I’m a young man still by some means. I’m 47. And I’m not done racing. I am done with the kind of schedule that we have in Cup racing. And so, for me as a spectator, truck racing is the best racing in NASCAR. And from behind the wheel of the trucks, it’s more like Cup racing was 20 or 25 years ago. And because I’m an old-timer, I love that. And it is definitely what I want to do.
Q: Shifting gears a little bit, a couple of your teammates last year, Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth, before the Sonoma race, they went and raced at the Altamont short track, which is pretty close to Sonoma. And a lot of guys on the Cup series tend to race in those short track races on the side leading up to a big race. Have you done that much over your career?
MM: I have when I was younger. But I certainly don’t have any interest in that at this time. Although when I get past the Cup thing, that will come back. But I’m saturated at this point. I’ve got way more than I can handle without having to add something else.
Q: When it comes to racing those races, do you factor in the possible risk of getting hurt in those races? And is that something that you think guys take into consideration or should take into consideration?
MM: They might should. They don’t. Most racers don’t consider that very much.
Q: That Ford Fusion seems to have been a great car right out of the box. How do you compare it to the car it replaced?
MM: Well, it’s just a slight improvement in the aerodynamic and handling department. And that’s really all you can do in NASCAR -- you can’t make big jumps. You can make small improvements. And certainly the car is better than what we had.
Q: I think one of the things that appealed to you with the Truck Series is there are less dates and that’ll give you a little easier schedule. More time to spend with your family. I think you also indicated that you’re interested in doing some other racing. Maybe getting into some sports car racing maybe like the 24 Hours of Daytona as some of the other NASCAR drivers have done. Is it something like that in your future as well?
MM: I don’t know about the 24 hours. Maybe. I’ve done that thing, I think, three times. It’s not something that I haven’t taken part of in the past with Roush Racing in the early ‘90s. So, yeah. You might see me turn up at the local short track back home. I’m interested in doing some other things and moving on. Opening a new chapter in my life. I’m ready to do some different things.
Q: Jack Roush’s cars seemed to have a lot of success at California Speedway. Do you think that success might transfer over to Las Vegas?
MM: I just think that we’re at the top of our game right now. So, I think wherever we go, you’re going to run like where you are, where you stack up to the competition no matter where you go. So, right now we’re -- we’re near the top of our game.
Q: Talking about the retirement and all 63 races now that you’re going to have to do, do you think later on it’s going to be somewhat of a grind on you?
MM: Yes. First of all, please don’t use the word retirement. I never said anything about retiring. Okay? That’s just because my fans freak out and think I’m never going to race again. I don’t want them to do that because I want them to be there to pull for me in the truck series next year. But, yeah, absolutely. I’ve lost my mind. And so have the people that are asking me to do all this stuff. I don’t like to disappoint Jack Roush and Geoff Smith and everyone. So have I bit off more than I should chew? Yeah. It’s possible I may choke on it. But I’m going to give it everything I’ve got.
Q: On one hand, Mark, you want to go onto something else. But the one thing that sort of has eluded you in a great career is that NEXTEL Cup Championship. Being with Roush, does that give you one more great chance to grab that big title at the end of the season?
MM: Well, it does. I’m with the same team that gave me a good shot at it last year. We only missed it by 105 points last year. So, it was the best year of my career. I’m with the same group this year, so I have another crack at it.
Q comment: But the flip side of that is that there’s more than you on that team. There’s four other drivers that could also win the championship.
MM: Yes. And they’re also quite younger than me too. I have to beat those guys with the same equipment and with the age difference going in their favor. This business is not easy.
Q: The fact that you aren’t retiring, seems to indicate that at 47, you can still be at the top of your game. Do you think you may have something at the end for them, whether they’re on your team or another team?
MM: I don’t know if you saw the movie 8 Degrees, but the guy in there that handled the dogs told someone, “These are working dogs. And they’ll run themselves to death if I let them.” And that’s a little bit like me. I’m willing to work myself to death to go out at the top of my game. Certainly I could say that at the end of 2005. That was my goal for the year was to go out at the top of my game. And I did that. And now we’ve got to find a way to muster the same kind of ferocity again for ’06. It doesn’t come easy. I mean, when you’re 27 it does. But it becomes more of a challenge as you get older and your priorities start to change on you.
Q: There was a lot of criticism about California Speedway and about the lack of good racing at the track, which probably has a lot to do with aero. What do you feel that that track needs to do to get the good racing back that there was when it first opened?
MM: Nothing. Nothing. I don’t know what all the flap was about, but I think it’s silly and ridiculous. First of all, let me tell you, when you put 43 cars out there that are all the same speed, why aren’t you going to have any passing? They’re all the same speed. Why would you expect to have passing? And NASCAR’s goal is to have all the cars the same speed. So with every year, you’re going to have more and more problems with that because the cars get closer and closer to the same speed. So you’ll have less passing when you have less speed difference between the cars.
Q: So you’re probably not in favor of changing the banking at the track to resemble Homestead, for example.
MM: I personally think that’s ridiculous. But you asked my opinion, didn’t you? That’s my opinion. I think that’s ridiculous. Nothing wrong with that track.
Q: Now, what about the situation in Vegas? They are going to redo the track. I know you’ve had success there before, but what would you think about Bruton Smith’s plan to reshape that track?
MM: Well, if I was Bruton, I’d keep my money in my pocket. I wouldn’t do it there either. No matter what you do, when two cars are the same speed, they’re not going to pass one another. And no matter what you do to the race track, you’re going to have less passing than you used to because the teams can’t do anything to make their cars better than everyone else’s. Again, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the track at Las Vegas. And I think that Bruton has a history of spending a lot of money on his racetracks, and he’s just going to get a chance to spend some more there. I wouldn’t do it if it was my track. I would, however, build a fan area. I just wouldn’t work on the surface of the racetrack.
Q: Have you opened your museum back -- back in Arkansas?
MM: Oh, yeah. I am so proud of it. We’re having a huge Ford fan event there Easter weekend on Friday and Saturday. I’m going to be there all day signing autographs and doing question and answer and hanging out with the fans for two days. And we’re expecting to have a big crowd. We had a big crowd last year at our old facility. And now we’ve got all this new stuff to show our fans. I’m real excited about it.
2006 Mark Martin Track Notes - Sunday - March 12, 2006
UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 / Las Vegas Motor Speedway
#6 AAA Ford Fusion
March 7, 2006DRIVER: Mark Martin
TEAM: No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion
OWNER: Jack Roush
CREW CHIEF: Pat Tryson
MARK MARTIN - 2005 EVENT - Started 19th, Finished 30th
Mark Martin and the No. 6 Team saw their Vegas luck run out midway through the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400. Martin came down pit road under caution on lap 87 to take on four tires, fuel and make a track-bar adjustment, but his No. 6 Ford dropped a cylinder while on pit road, forcing the team to take the car behind the wall to work on the problem. The result would see Martin return to the race 24 laps down, in 35th position and running on only seven cylinders.
MARTIN LOOKS TO HIT JACKPOT IN FINAL VEGAS CUP START
After a solid run and finish at California, Martin will return to Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend, where he will look to hit the jack pot in his final Nextel Cup start there, just as he did in his first start at Vegas in 1998 when he took the checkered flag.
THE CAR
Chassis Number: (No. 315) - The team will run RK-315 this weekend at Las Vegas. RK-315 finished ninth at California. It is the car Martin used in last year's win at Kansas. The car narrowly missed victory lane again in a second-place run in the finale at Homestead. It also finished third at Atlanta in the fall and fourth at Dover. RK-221 will be the backup.
MARTIN AT LAS VEGAS
Starts: 8
Wins: 1
Top 5's: 4
Top 10's: 6
Poles: -
Highest finish: 1st (3/1/98)
First time: 3/1/98 (1st)
Last time: 3/13/05 (30th)
Laps Led: 186Martin's has enjoyed great success in his career at Las Vegas. In eight starts he has five top-five finishes and a victory. With the exception of mechanical problems in 2003 and '05, Martin hasn't finished worse than 10th and he has finished every lap at the track. Martin also has a pair of poles and two victories in the Busch Series at Vegas, including a win in last year's Busch race.
WORTHY NOTES
Martin won the inaugural Cup event at Vegas in 1998.
IN THE LEAD
Martin had led a lap in each of the two opening races in 2006, marking the first time he has done so since 2001, when he led at least one lap in each of the first 13 races.
AAA TO SPONSOR MARTIN IN 2006
Martin will sport a different look and sponsor this season, with the No. 6 Ford Fusion decked out in the red and blue colors of AAA. As North America's largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA boasts more than 48 million members.
ENCORE SALUTE IN '06
Martin had planned 2005 as his final in NASCAR's Nextel Cup Series, but when called into action by Jack Roush opted to return for one more go-around. Martin's fourth-place finish in the points in '05 proved he is still one of the fastest stars in NASCAR and he plans on using 2006 as an encore performance of his highly popular "Salute To You" Tour, where he will continue to take the time to thank each and everyone that he feels played a role in his success, including the team members, the fans, NASCAR and the media.
QUOTING MARK MARTIN AND CREW CHIEF PAT TRYSON ON LAS VEGAS
Mark Martin:
"We won the first race there in 1998 and that win really stands out in my memory, so that has made Las Vegas a special track for me. It's not really often over the years that I ever took a moment to let something soak in, but for some reason that win in 1998 really stood out. I realized that it wasn't just a win on some dirt track in Arkansas, but that we had just done something special and unlike a lot of the wins I put off thinking about the next race for a couple of minutes and just let it all soak in. Also the fans out west are incredible and it's always fun to go out there and put on a good race for those guys.
"Las Vegas is also the style of track where we run the best, and we are really looking forward to getting out there. We had a strong car at California, although we kind of faded late with all the restarts. Hopefully things will fall back into place a little better for us this week and I'd love to put that AAA Fusion into victory lane in our last Cup race at Las Vegas."
Pat Tryson:
"We are taking the same car that we ran at California, where we were actually a lot better than our finish showed. Las Vegas has been one of Mark's best tracks on the circuit, so we know the pressure will be on us to make the car run fast. If we can do that, I'm confident that we will be able to compete for a top-five finish and hopefully the win."
Rookie Ragan learning from veteran Mark Martin's example
TruckSeries.com Report
March 2, 2006Mark Martin has long been someone fellow drivers look up to. On the track and off, Martin has been there and done that. He has been a mentor to young teammates, and an idol to those striving to become racecar drivers. No exception to that is co-driver of the No. 6 Scotts F-150, David Ragan.
Ragan will get his chance to drive the No. 6 beginning with the April 1 event at Martinsville Speedway. Just because he hasn't been behind the wheel does not mean that Ragan has been on vacation. He's been at the track working with his new team, and soaking up what he can from Martin's experiences on the track.
"Getting to co-drive a truck with Mark Martin, that's a deal I think anyone would love to have," said Ragan. "Mark's an incredible guy. He's so willing to help. He'll answer any question, he'll make sure that he gives me any pointers or advice he can to help me prepare for my shot in the Scotts truck."
Martin has been on a tear in the Craftsman Truck Series, winning both events of the 2006 season. Understandably, Ragan will feel some pressure when he begins his driving stint. "Mark's set a high bar, that's for sure," he said. "I'm constantly reminded that there are no expectations on me to continue the way Mark has run. I'm a young guy who is learning and getting more experience. [Crew Chief] Mike Beam has told me time and time again that all he wants is for me to run all the laps and bring the truck back in one piece."
While Ragan has competed in 10 Craftsman Truck Series races, he is approaching 2006 as if it was his rookie season. "This year is like a whole new deal for me. I know I've got the best equipment out there and the strength of a great crew. I didn't have that when I first came to this series, so it's going to be a very different situation this time around," said Ragan.
Ragan will make his debut in the No. 6 Scotts F-150 at the Kroger 250 at Martinsville Speedway on April 1. It will be his first start at the half-mile track, although he does have some experience there, when he competed in Roush Racing: Driver X.
