Martin's Hopes Stall Out in 600 Effort
Mark Martin and the #6 Viagra® Racing Team
Lowe's Motor Speedway/May 30, 2004
Roush RacingCONCORD, N.C. – Mark Martin and the Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Racing team were one of the favorites going into Sunday night’s Coca-Cola 600 and for the first 200 laps of the race they did everything they could to justify the hype. Martin was running in third and honing in on second place when his second ignition box malfunctioned on lap 200, forcing the team to bring the car down pit road and lose valuable time changing out the ignition box system. In the end, Martin lost several laps and was out of contention for the win.
"What can you say?” said Martin after the race. “I don't run my mouth much, but I feel like we backed up what I said and that feels good. I've waited a long time to have a car that good and I hope I don't have to wait that long again. I don't think I will with these guys. They're really, really good. I like these guys a lot. I believe we can have a really sweet summer, but we've had such horrendous luck I don't know what to expect.
"We killed one ignition box and switched to 'B' and then killed 'B'. They just went out. When I tried to restart it, it just smoked. The team did a good job working with the car to change the boxes, but by then it was too late.”
In what would prove to be a roller coaster ride of a race for the No. 6 team, Martin started the race 18th and wasted no time making his way through the field. Running some of the fastest times on the track, Martin broke into the top 10 on just the 23rd lap. By lap 40 Martin was running in sixth position and beading down on fifth place when he radioed to his crew that he had a tire going down.
Martin came in unexpectedly on lap 43 with his right front tire going down. The team rallied with a 15.07-second stop to take on four tires and fuel. Martin returned to the field one lap down and in 38th place. The veteran went to work and had moved up to 30th position when the field began to pit under green. Once the field had cycled through its stops, Martin had moved back up to fifth position.
Despite being off pit sequence and running on tires 20 laps older than the remainder of the field, Martin continued to run times as fast or faster than the leader, as he moved up to fourth place. The team came into pit on lap 106 for four times, fuel and an air pressure adjustment. A quick stop of 13.93-seconds by the Viagra® Team sent Martin back out in 23rd place.
The remainder of the field started to pit around lap 119, with Martin running in 18th place. On lap 122 while running in 14th place, Martin radioed his crew that the ignition box had failed and that he had switched to the backup. When the field cycled through its stops Martin was back inside the top-five. By lap 130 he was in fourth place. Three laps later Martin moved his Viagra? Ford into third place, where he ran for the next 56 laps, breaking away from fourth place, despite being on much older tires than the majority of the field.
The team was within five laps from its next stop when it caught a big break on lap 159 when the day’s first caution was called. The caution allowed the team to get back on the same cycle as the remainder of the field. A 15.57-second stop by the No. 6 team allowed Martin to return to the field in third place and in good shape as one of the fastest cars on the track.
Martin was getting set to pass the No. 38 car for second place when he again radioed the crew that he was having trouble with the ignition box. This time there was no backup and the team was forced to come into the pits and replace the ignition boxes, losing valuable time and several laps. The failure would put an end to Martin’s strong bid at his fifth win at Lowe’s Motor Speedway and his second Coca-Cola 600.
When Martin returned to the field the team was 17 laps down and in 39th place. He was able to make four of the laps up, while gaining three positions for the 36th-place finish.
“It was just a tough night,” added Martin. “We had the tire go down early, but we fought back and got ourselves in position to run for the win. We might not have been faster than the No. 48, but we were really fast and it’s pretty disappointing to go home with a 36th place finish.
“Still, you have to look at where the program is and the fact is that Pat (Tryson) and the guys have consistently given me good race cars to drive and if we keep doing that we’ll get this thing on the right track down the road. Today is not what we wanted, but all we can do is take the car back to the shop, get it ready for Dover and come out fighting again. We’ll do that and we’ll see what happens.”
The finish dropped Martin down to 15th place in the Nextel Cup point standings, 162 points outside of 10th place and 462 points behind first.
Martin and the team return to action next week in Dover where Martin has won three times on a track he considers one of his favorites.
Martin Looks to Repeat History in Famed Coca-Cola 600
No. 6 Viagra Racing Team hopes to finish NASCAR's longest race with return trip to Victory Lane
Roush RacingCONCORD, N.C. (May 26, 2004) - Mark Martin won his 33rd Cup race two years ago, holding off teammate Matt Kenseth en route to taking the checkered flag in the top position of the historic Coca-Cola 600. Many agree that Martin's timely maneuvering as he swerved in and out of lapped traffic late in the race - to keep Kenseth at bay may have indeed been some of the finest driving of his historic 20-year career in NASCAR. In the end an exuberant Martin stood in victory lane, hoisting yet another trophy over his head, while bringing home the No Bull Million dollar bounty to boot.
"I've been fortunate enough to win a lot of races in my career, but that one was really special," said Martin. "It was special because that team set out to win that race and they did it. They made it their goal. We tested Charlotte, which we hadn't been doing. They built new cars and they kept working toward that prize and in the end the best part about it was that they realized their goal through hard work and determination.
"They did everything a team can do, from giving me a great car, to sending me out late in the race from the pits in first place. I don't like to single any win out, but that one was special; no doubt about it."
Two years later, Martin and his No. 6 team will look to make history repeat itself when the Nextel Cup series lines up for what will be Martin's 21st running of the 600. Martin and his Viagra Team are hungry for a win and history would dictate that there's no better place than the 1.5-mile oval of Lowe's Motor Speedway for them to get it.
Martin's four victories at Lowe's, ties with Jeff Gordon for the most of any active driver. In his 38 races at Lowe's Martin has led 1,116 laps, the most of any active driver, and his 15 top-five finishes are also a series high. Martin loves the track at Charlotte and it's been kind to him as well.
"It's just a great place to race and hands down one of my favorite tracks to race," said Martin. "I always love racing there, it's like the ultimate. It's a driver's track where handling is key and so much is in the hands of the drivers. In the end of the day, you have to make that car go fast through those corners, but it's just an awesome track for racing. A lot of others have tried to copy it, but none have succeeded in giving us the same quality of racing that we get at Charlotte."
The No. 6 team tested at Charlotte three weeks ago, and to no surprise were the fastest car at the test. In addition, Martin was strong in last Saturday night's All-Star race - also run at Lowe's - and was a contender until getting banged up late in the race and having to settle for a 10th-place finish amongst NASCAR's best.
"We had a strong car in the All-Star race," said Martin. "But this one should be better. We tested with it and were very happy with what we had. The guys on this Viagra Team - Pat (Tryson) and Wally (Brown) have just done a terrific job of getting the cars ready for us. We have been getting stronger each and every week and it's just a lot of fun to go racing with this team every week. I continue to just feel truly blessed to be surrounded by this great group of guys.
"We are going to dig down and see what we come up with. We really like the next set of tracks we are going to and starting this weekend, we are excited about what we know we can do. We'd love to go back to victory lane this weekend. We have a lot of new guys on this team who weren't around in 2002 when we won the 600 and we want to take them there. It's also Viagra's Sixth Anniversary and we would like nothing more than to help them celebrate that milestone in victory lane as well."
Even after two years, the image of Martin's No. 6 Ford dashing through lapped cars on its way to victory lane is still fresh on the minds of many NASCAR fans. This weekend, Martin and his team would like nothing more than to provide all 180,000 fans on hand as well as a TV audience of millions with a refresher course on the subject.
Roush Racing is a subsidiary of Livonia, Mich., based Roush Industries that operates nine motorsports teams; five in NASCAR Nextel Cup with drivers Mark Martin, Jeff Burton, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch and Greg Biffle, two in the Busch Series with Martin, Burton, Kenseth and Biffle and two in the Craftsman Truck Series with drivers Jon Wood and Carl Edwards.
2004 Mark Martin Coca-Cola 600 Track Notes - May 30, 2004
Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Roush Racing #6 Ford Taurus
Coca-Cola 600/Lowe's Motor Speedway
Roush Racing
May 26, 2004DRIVER: Mark Martin
TEAM: No. (6) Viagra® Ford Taurus
OWNER: Jack Roush
CREW CHIEF: Pat Tryson2003 WINNER: Jimmie Johnson
Jimmie Johnson was declared the winner of the Coca-Cola 600 after the race was stopped through 276 laps because of rain. Johnson completed the two-race sweep of the showcase events at Lowe's Motor Speedway after winning The Winston the previous week.
MARK MARTIN 2003 EVEN: Started: 21st Finished: 29th
The 600 presents a situation where the race begins during the warm May afternoon, but track conditions dramatically change as the North Carolina sun disappears into the horizon and night falls over the track. Martin and the No. 6 crew set the car up to handle the cooler conditions of the night and the plan was working to perfection. After struggling during the beginning of the race, Martin had become one of the fastest cars on the track and had worked his way inside the top 20 by lap 113. Martin radioed his crew that the car was working ‘very good.’ However, there would be a niche. The crew had noticed a small oil leak during an earlier pit stop and took the opportunity during a caution on lap 127 to check under the hood. Further examination of the problem revealed a broken oil line. The team came back into the pits to work on the line. They were able to bypass the line, but lost a lap in the process. When Martin returned to the field he was one lap down and in 38th position. Eventually the team would replace the line forcing them to lose two laps. By the time the damage was repaired, Martin was down three laps,but still running times as fast as the leaders. However, heavy rains would force an early end to the race and Martin and the No. 6 team had to settle for a 29th-place finish.
MARTIN, VIAGRA RACE TEAM LOOK TO REPEAT HISTORY IN 600
Mark Martin and the Viagra Racing Team head into the Coca-Cola 600 fresh off a strong performance in last weekend's Nextel All-Star Challenge. Martin ran up front and was a contender for most of the race, until taking on damage late after getting struck from behind by another car. The team will look to build on that run this weekend in the circuit's longest race, where Martin last won in 2002.
REVERSE TREND
Martin's car will again feature a reverse paint scheme at the 600, as it will for all six remaining night races in 2004. The white and the black will be switched on the car creating the inverse look. Martin has finished seventh and 10th running the reverse scheme.
THE CAR
Chassis Number: (RK-241) - The team will run RK-241 at this weekend's Coca-Cola 600. This will be the third run of the season for RK-241 (Atlanta - 14th, Texas - 17th, and California - 11th). The car posted the fastest times on the track during its testing session earlier this month.
MARTIN AT LOWE'S
Martin has four wins at Lowe's including one in the Coca-Cola 600 (2002). His 15 top-five finishes are the most of any active driver at the 1.5-mile track. The four wins tie Jeff Gordon for the most of any active driver and the for the third most ever. In addition Martin won the 1998 Winston All-Star race and six races in the Busch Series at Lowe's.
FOLLOW THE LEADER
Martin has led a total of 1,116 laps in his 38 races at Lowe's, the most of any active driver.
MARK MARTIN FAST FACTS
- Martin has four wins at Lowe's Motor Speedway, including one in the Coca-Cola 600.
- Martin's four wins at Lowe's tie for the most of any active driver.
- Martin's last Cup victory came in the 2002 Coca-Cola 600.
- Martin has 19 top 10 and 15 top-five finishes at Lowe's Motor Speedway.
- Martin has led 1,116 laps at Lowe's, the most of any active driver.
- Martin has won six Busch races at Lowe's and the Winston All-Star event in 1998.
QUOTING MARK MARTIN AND CREW CHIEF PAT TRYSON
Quoting Mark Martin on the Coca-Cola 600:
“We've been looking forward to this one. We had a good car last week in the All-Star race but knew all along that our car for the 600 would be even better. This race team is very excited about going back to Lowe's this weekend and making a run at the Coca-Cola 600. Pat Tyson, Wally Brown, Todd Zeigler and all of the guys on the team are doing a fantastic job with the cars. I feel like I'm blessed to work with this group of guys and we can't wait to get back out there.
"Obviously the 600 is special to me, because we got a really special win there a couple of years ago. That win was one of the best of my career and we would love to get back there again. It's Viagra's sixth anniversary and we want to take them to victory lane again to celebrate. There are also a lot of new guys on the team that weren't around in 2002 when we won the 600, so we'd like to go there with them as well. Lowe's is one of our favorite tracks. We ran well there last week and hopefully we can finish the job there this week."
Crew Chief Pat Tryson on the Coca-Cola 600:
"We're excited about the chance. We tested there a couple of weeks ago with this car and we were pretty fast. We were good there in the All-Star until we got damaged late, so we are very optimistic about going back there this weekend and making a run for the checkered flag."
Martin has been around
By Mark DeCotis
FLORIDA TODAY Columnists
May 22, 2004Mark Martin has raced enough in NASCAR -- he'll start his 578th points race in the May 30 Coca-Cola 600 -- to have seen and experienced just about everything.
And while he has 33 victories -- only two coming in the past four seasons -- he still maintains the fire and composure of a stone-cold racer.
Martin will be among the 24 drivers chasing a $1 million payola for winning the inaugural NASCAR-Nextel All-Star Challenge tonight at Charlotte. Martin won the all-star race, formerly known as The Winston, in 1998.
And he is experienced enough to not buy into the hype of the all-star race being everything from a bar-knuckles brawl to family feud. You see for Martin, a race is a race.
"To be real honest with you my mindset is not different for that race than any other race," he told reporters this week. "As soon as the green flag comes out it's only so many to go. If it's 599 miles to go or if it's 1 mile to go, you know what I mean?"
Martin knows Charlotte well. He has led 1,116 laps in 38 races, more than any other active driver, and scored his most recent victory there, capturing the 600 in 2002. He also won the fall race in 1992, 1995, and 1998.
So while he and his Roush Racing team continue to scuffle in the points -- he's 15th, 342 behind leader Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- he can't be counted out either in the all-star race or the 600.
Because Martin, for one, isn't counting out either himself or his team.
"We as a race team right now are underrated and have not been noticed for our accomplishments in the last two months and that's easy to see why," he said.
"We haven't finished quite as good as the performance we managed to give. (We had a) real unfortunate failure at Martinsville with a fuel line that just disintegrated. It cost us just when we just worked our way up, right within striking distance of the top 10. Since then, being 17th or 18th in the points, we've battled our way back. We're just coming to a stretch where I think we're going to show what we're made of and I just hope we have better than average luck and if we do then we can get into the middle of this championship battle.
"I believe this race team has the potential to get up in there and certainly our cars are faster than they were last year. They're feeling like we did in 2002, when we had such a great year. I'm real optimistic about this summer and I think we're going to have a good one."
Martin experienced elation and frustration in 2002 when he was a championship contender until the season's final laps, despite a controversial late-season 25-point penalty, and finished second in the points for the fourth time. His forthrightness in his post-race press conference at Homestead was heartbreaking. It was obvious the season took a toll on his soul and he plummeted to a 17th-place finish in 2003.
As the sun begins to set on his career, he would love nothing more than to have another shot at the elusive championship.
To do that he knows he has to be within the top 10 in points or within 400 points of the leader after 26 races and he, like many of his peers, is feeling the pressure, after only 11 races.
"It's incredible for me. It's high as it's ever been in my career to make the top 10 at the 26th race," he said. "That's all I can tell you. If I can make the top 10, I may only have five minutes of relief and then start agonizing over whether or not we can win the championship because we're not going to be a contender if we can't make that cut. So that's really where our focus is right now and every ounce of me is going to make that cut."
And when Mark Martin promises to put forth every ounce of his being into something, whether it's an old-fashioned Saturday night all-star shootout or the grind of a 36-race season, it's difficult both to not feel his pain and not take him seriously.
And not to hope that for at least one time, a nice guy can finish first.
Martin Finishes 10th in All-Star Challenge
Mark Martin and the #6 Viagra® Racing Team
Lowe's Motor Speedway/May 22, 2004
Roush Racing
May 24, 2004CONCORD, N.C. – Mark Martin and the Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Racing team boasted one of the top cars all weekend at the Nextel All-Star Challenge at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. The team qualified fourth on Friday and Martin ran in the field’s top five for most of night, before an incident on lap 61 with the No. 8 and No. 5 cars ended Martin’s bid for the win.
The No. 8 car appeared to bump Martin’s car from the rear, getting Martin’s car loose. Martin was able to save the car, but not until after he had made contact with the No. 5 car of Terry Labonte. The contact caused severe damage to the sheet metal and exhaust system of Martin’s car and the No. 6 Viagra® Ford was never the same again. Martin was able to run on to a 10th place finish, but he would not be a contender for the remaining 29 laps of the race.
"I think I got a little bit of a nudge from behind there and it knocked me up into Terry,” said Martin. “That messed our car up. We had a pretty competitive car up until that point. We finished third in the first segment and sixth or seventh in the second segment after the inversion. We were fixing to do something there and just got a little help. I was just out there racing giving it my best. After that accident it messed our car up and we just had to kind of hang on and do what we could."
The Nextel All-Star Challenge is divided into three different segments of 40, 30 and 20 laps. Martin’s car was strong early and the veteran was able to narrowly avoid an early accident that claimed seven cars and badly damaged three others. Martin went on to move into the field’s top three by lap 29. He held that position for the remainder of the session. After the first segment the top eight cars of the field were inverted, so Martin started the second segment in sixth position accordingly.
A 12.99-second pit stop under caution on lap 55 helped move Martin up to fourth place when the field went green on lap 60. With 30 laps to go, Martin was in striking distance with one of the fastest cars on the track. However, on the next lap the No. 8 car hit Martin, causing the damage to his Ford Taurus. Martin dropped all the way to eighth place, before getting back by the No. 2 car to finish the second segment in seventh.
Martin fought to move back up front, but the damage proved to be too severe as he eventually dropped back to 10th place where he finished the event. Matt Kenseth went on to win the event.
“I’m not even really sure what happened,” added Martin. “My guys told me I got a little nudge, but whatever. I wound up sideways and into Terry and that messed my car up. We had a real competitive car. We got off just a little bit in the second segment, but made our adjustments for the last segment and were anxious to go see what we could do. It was a good run. We have such a great race team right now. We ran fast on Friday and we ran fast tonight and we hope to run faster next week."
The team returns to points racing next weekend in the longest race of the Nextel Cup season, the Coca-Cola 600; an event Martin won in 2002.
Martin, No.6 Viagra® Racing Team Look to Conquer All-Star Challenge
Roush RacingCONCORD, N.C. (May 20, 2004) - Mark Martin and the Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Racing Team will look to conquer the challenge at hand this Saturday night when the superstars of NASCAR line up for the 20th running of the Nextel All-Star Challenge. This will mark the 15th consecutive running for Martin in the event formerly known as "The Winston."
Martin won the event in 1998 and rates the victory as one of the sweetest in his illustrious career that includes 33 Cup victories.
"It was a great race and a really cool win to get," said Martin. "We had a great season in 1998. We had a new team and we had gotten off to a pretty good start. We were excited about going to Charlotte, because I love racing there any time I get a chance to, because it's an awesome racetrack.
"We were running along there right at the end of the race and coming off of turn four to get the white flag," explained Martin. "I got under Bobby Labonte and passed him; just about the time I cleared him, Jeff Gordon, who was leading the race, pulled down to the inside and slowed down right about the start finish line, because he was out of gas. I passed him and there was one more lap to go and we won the race.
"It was a great win, because it came to us as a surprise. We didn't think we could win with two to go and there we were in Victory Lane. Those are honestly some of the greatest wins of my career. The wins that were surprises. The ones that you expect, you're just relieved when you win, you're not really excited and so that one was a really, really neat win."
Gordon's bad luck was Martin's gain on that night, but Martin explained that he knows both sides of the coin all to well.
"It was special in 1998 and it kind of made up for one that happened another year when we thought we had the race won and a caution flag came out coming to the white flag. We forgot we were running Saturday night rules and at the time and thought we had it won, but Earnhardt ended up beating us out for the thing."
Martin and the Viagra® Team hope to land back on the good side of that coin this Saturday night.
"As for this year we'd like nothing else more than to go out and win that thing again," added Martin. "This team has really been headed in the right direction and I'm very happy of the job that Pat (Tryson) and Wally (Brown) have done with the cars. The stops are great and we continue to move in the right direction.
"You have to remember that we started this thing at the bottom after Daytona and we've had to fight our way back up to the top. We also had a big setback at Martinsville that cost us a few more spots, so to be back up to 12th and in striking distance of the top-10 is a great accomplishment for this Viagra® Team.
"We have a really good stretch of races coming up for us and we are excited about that. We know where we need to be and we'll keep fighting to get there. This week we can relax a little from the point's racing, but we still plan on going out and giving it everything we have to get this Viagra® car in Victory Lane."
Roush Racing is a subsidiary of Livonia, Mich., based Roush Industries that operates nine motorsports teams; five in NASCAR Nextel Cup with drivers Mark Martin, Jeff Burton, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch and Greg Biffle, two in the Busch Series with Martin, Burton, Kenseth and Biffle and two in the Craftsman Truck Series with drivers Jon Wood and Carl Edwards.
2004 Mark Martin NEXTEL All-Star Challenge Track Notes - May 22, 2004
Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Roush Racing #6 Ford Taurus
NEXTEL All-Star Challenge/Lowe's Motor Speedway
Roush Racing
May 19, 2004DRIVER: Mark Martin
TEAM: No. (6) Viagra® Ford Taurus
OWNER: Jack Roush
CREW CHIEF: Pat Tryson2003 WINNER: Jimmie Johnson:
Jimmie Johnson won The Winston and a record $1 million prize. Johnson took the lead away from teammate Jeff Gordon three laps into the final 20-lap segment, then pulled away to an easy victory over Kurt Busch in NASCAR's annual all-star race.
MARK MARTIN 2003 EVENT: Started: 14th Finished: 15th:
Martin and the No. 6 Team were running in ninth place with only one lap remaining in the second segment of the 2003 Winston all-star race, when a multi-car accident put an early end to their race night. In just one more lap Martin would have secured a spot in the third and final round of the event, but the veteran driver got caught up in the wreck that claimed four other cars, all of which would have advanced to the final round. The car was ‘tight’ during the first segment, but he managed to stay in place and finish the segment in 14th place, advancing to segment two. With the car ‘pushing’ in the corners, Martin brushed the wall in traffic on lap 44, but managed to hold position. The team took advantage of a caution three laps later to repair the slight damage and take on four tires and make wedge and air pressure adjustments to work on the car’s handling. Martin restarted in 19th place when the field went green on lap 50 with 20 laps remaining in the segment. Martin worked his way up to 15th place by lap 56. By lap 60 Martin was running in 11th place with only 10 laps remaining in the segment. He moved into the top 10 to ninth place on lap 63 and looked poised to advance to the final segment. Caution was called on lap 66 for a wreck involving the no. 12 car, but instead of finishing the segment under caution the cars were stopped on the backstretch, before moving to green and restarting on lap 69. Martin was involved in the accident moments later.
CHALLENGE OF THE NO. 6 TEAM
After a strong seventh-place run last Saturday at Richmond, Martin and the No. 6 Viagra Racing Team take a week off from point-racing for the Nextel All-Star Challenge at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Martin and the team will return to Lowe's a week later for NASCAR's longest race, the Coca-Cola 600.
IN REVERSE
Martin's car will feature a reverse paint scheme at the All-Star, as it will for all seven remaining night races in 2004. The white and the black will be switched on the car creating the inverse look. The car first ran last week at Richmond.
THE CAR
Chassis Number: (RK-215) - The team will run RK-215 this week in the All-Star. RK-215 ran earlier this year at Bristol, where if finished 23rd. The car finished 10th last year at Richmond as well. The team will run RK-241 next week at the 600. This will be the third run of the season for RK-241 (Texas, Atlanta and California).
IN THE POINTS
Martin's seventh-place run at Richmond moved Martin up one more spot to 12th in the Nextel Cup point standings. Martin has moved from 18th to 12th in the last four races and is currently 96 points outside of 10th place and just seven points out of 11th.
A TRUE ALL-STAR
This will be Martin's 15th straight All-Star Challenge. Martin won the event formerly known as The Winston in 1998 and is eligible for this year's event via that victory. Martin has posted five top-10 and four top-four finishes in "The All-Star."
MARK MARTIN FAST FACTS
- Martin will compete in his 15th straight All-star event.
- Martin won the event in 1998.
- Martin has posted four top-five and five top 10’s at the all-star event.
- Martin finished third during his first Winston, back in 1990.
QUOTING MARK MARTIN AND CREW CHIEF PAT TRYSON
Mark Martin on the All-Star:
“We always enjoy the All-Star race. It's not a points race, so it takes a little bit of the pressure off, while at the same time you can really go out there and go for it. I love racing at Lowe's Motor Speedway so that's always something we look forward to. Pat and Wally and the guys on the No. 6 Viagra Team have done a great job this year and we are on a bit of a roll. We won the All-star back in 1998 and it was a great win. It would be nice to win that thing again. Hopefully we can have another strong run this weekend in the All-Star race and them come the next week and go after that 600 again.
"We keep chipping away at this thing and as I've said before, I really like where this team is going. We've had good cars for several races in a row now and it just keeps getting better. I love this team and it's just a great bunch of guys to go racing with each week."
Crew Chief Pat Tryson on the All-Star:
"We tested at Lowe's a couple of weeks ago and were really happy with what we had there. We are looking forward to going back there this weekend for the All-Star race and then next week for the 600. The All-Star race is always a great event for the team. We get to go out and have a little fun and do some great racing. Hopefully we can cap it all off with a trip to victory lane."
Martin Martin has Solid Showing in Richmond
Mark Martin and the #6 Viagra® Racing Team
Richmond International Raceway/May 15, 2004
Roush RacingRichmond, VA (May 15, 2004) – The No. 6 Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) team had a solid showing at Richmond International Raceway in the first Saturday night race of the 2004 NEXTEL Cup season. With Mark Martin behind the wheel, the team rolled to a top-10 finish while moving up one position in the overall point standings, another step in the right direction for the veteran team.
During Friday's qualifying session, Martin drove the No. 6 Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Ford to the 12th place starting position with a lap time of 20.929 seconds. Rookie Brian Vickers took the pole with a lap time of 20.772 seconds. Following qualifying, the NEXTEL Cup cars took to the track for happy hour and Martin again had a solid showing. Upon completion of the session Martin was pleased with the car after running lap times in the top five. The team looked ahead to Saturday's race and felt confident that they had a car to win.
Vickers brought the field down for the green flag and immediately moved into the lead while Martin maintained his 12th place position. After a quick caution on lap three, the field resumed under green on lap 12 and Martin began his ascent to the front of the field. By lap 79 he broke into the top 10 and the team began planning their adjustments to help the tight problem Martin was reporting. On lap 103 the No. 6 Ford arrived on pit road for service. Under caution, the team changed four tires, took on fuel and made an air pressure adjustment in just 14.4 seconds returning Martin to the track in seventh for the re-start on lap 107.
By lap 121 Martin had moved to fifth and when the fifth caution flew on lap 151 Martin came over the radio to report, "We have a great car!" The No. 6 Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) team was one of the few leaders to pit under caution. This moved Martin to 15th for the re-start on lap 157 but when the sixth caution came on lap 169, the remaining leaders pitted placing Martin in fourth. Martin continued to run in the top-10 but as the night wore on the car began to loosen up. The No. 10 lost a motor on lap 343 bringing out the ninth and final caution along with a round of pit stops. On lap 345 the No. 6 team pitted for the fifth and final time taking on four tires, fuel and making a wedge adjustment to help the loose in just 14.34 seconds. This put Martin back on the track in ninth and away he went to chase down the leaders.
The field ran under green flag conditions for the last 45 laps and Martin drove hard trying to catch the leaders battling his way through lapped cars. When the checkered flag flew on lap 400 Martin crossed the line in seventh while Dale Earnhardt Jr. went on to win.
"We were really awesome early and then we were off in the middle of the race and got an adjustment behind," said Martin. "At the end we got it back to where it was hooked up. The No. 6 Viagra Taurus was blazing at the end there and it was too bad the race ended when it did because I was passing cars left and right and was coming on strong. I'm so proud of this team. It feels so good to drive a race car that'll run. We had great power tonight, we had it all. We had a great car."
Martin moves to 12th in the overall NEXTEL Cup point standings, up one position from the previous week. He sits just seven points out of 11th and 96 points out of 10th. The No. 6 Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) team prepares for the NEXTEL All-Star race this coming Saturday at Lowe's Motor Speedway with the hopes of bringing home the $1 million prize.
2004 Mark Martin Richmond Track Notes - May 15, 2004
Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Roush Racing #6 Ford Taurus
Chevy American Revolution 400 / Richmond International Raceway
Roush Racing
May 12, 2004DRIVER: Mark Martin
TEAM: No. (6) Viagra® Ford Taurus
OWNER: Jack Roush
CREW CHIEF: Pat Tryson2003 WINNER: Joe Nemechek
Joe Nemechek overcame a pit-road blunder that cost him 24 spots by gambling on tires and getting help from late-race cautions and rain to win the Pontiac Excitement 400. Nemechek missed the turn for pit road and was shuffled from first to 25th place but rebounded and was in the lead when rain ended the race with 6 1/2 laps to go.
MARK MARTIN 2003 EVENT: Started: 30th Finished: 5th:
Martin and the No. 6 race team battled numerous setbacks during the first night race of the season. In a race plagued by a record 15 cautions and the constant threat of rain, Martin started 30th after the team struggled with the car’s speed for the great majority of the weekend. Martin worked his way all the way up to 14th position by lap 108 when he began to experience severe problems with the car’s power steering. Martin was forced to run several laps without power steering, before he had a chance to come into the pits several times under caution. By the time the problem had been corrected, Martin was back in 28th position. Martin again worked his way up the field, eventually taking the lead on lap 260. However, Martin was forced to pit under caution on lap 270, after discovering that his left rear tire was going flat, Martin returned to the field in 23rd place and would again have to work his way through the field. Martin went to work and again started moving through the field. The team only took two tires on a late pit stop and Martin returned to the field in seventh place. Battling cars and cautions, Martin had moved into fifth place by lap 362 and was moving in to pass the 31 car for fourth position when caution was called again with just 38 laps remaining in the race. The remainder of the race would be plagued by cautions, thus limiting any ability to gain position.
UNDER THE LIGHTS
After a week off for Mother's Day, Mark Martin and the Viagra Racing Team return to action in Richmond for the year's first points race under the lights. Martin has finished in the top six in three of his last four at Richmond, including a fifth-place finish last spring.
IN REVERSE
Martin's car will feature a reverse paint scheme at Richmond, as it will for all eight remaining night races in 2004. The white and the black will be switched on the car creating the inverse look.
THE CAR
Chassis Number: (RK-191) - The team will run RK-191 this week at Richmond. RK-191 proved to be a strong car in its debut earlier this year at Martinsville where it ran in the top-five for much of the day before falling victim to a faulty fuel line. RK - 129 will serve as the backup.
IN THE POINTS
Martin's 11th-place run at California moved Martin up two spots to 13th in the Nextel Cup point standings. Martin has moved from 18th to 12th in the last three races and is currently 115 points outside of 10th place and 318 behind first.
ON THE MARK AT RICHMOND
Martin is no stranger to the .75-mile track at Richmond. He was strong there from the word go, winning the pole and finishing seventh in his first race there in 1981. He's won once in the Cup car, while taking home five victories in the Busch series. He has finished in the top six in three of the last four there, including a fifth-place finish last spring.
MARK MARTIN FAST FACTS
- Mark Martin has finished ninth or better in 15 of his past 23 races at Richmond.
- Martin has won once at Richmond in the Cup car (2/25/90) and four times in the Busch Series.
- Martin has posted top 11 top-five and 20 top-10's in 38 Cup races at Richmond.
- Martin finished seventh in his first career race at Richmond (9/14/81).
- Martin finished fifth last spring at Richmond. He has finished in the top six in three of his last four.
QUOTING MARK MARTIN AND CREW CHIEF PAT TRYSON
Mark Martin on racing at Richmond International Raceway:
"Well, the track is going to be really fast with the new surface, but it’s going to be a challenge to pass on. I look forward to watching the Busch race on Friday night I think it’s going to be an interesting race and it will continue to get better the more we run on it. It’s a beautiful job they’ve done there and I’m excited about going there. We always run pretty good at Richmond and we have a great race car. It's the same car that we used at Martinsville and it performed better there than any car I've had in years. So I’m excited about this weekend.
"We've had pretty competitive cars the last two races and were able to run up front in both of those, so that is really encouraging. Pat (Tryson) and Wally Brown and the guys on the team are doing an outstanding job and I believe that we are getting ready to make a run
Crew Chief Pat Tryson on racing at Richmond International Raceway:
"We are taking the same car that we used at Martinsville and it was really strong there, so we are happy to get back out on the track with that car. Mark’s usually really good at Richmond and hopefully we can carry that on. They have re-paved the surface there so it will be faster, but probably harder to pass. Hopefully we can give Mark another strong car and bring home another solid finish."
Martin to run special Viagra Value Card paint scheme at Richmond
By Kevin Woods, Roush Racing
May 11, 2004CONCORD, N.C. -- Mark Martin will run the Viagra Value Card Ford Taurus this weekend at Richmond when the NASCAR circuit gears up for its first night point race of the season.
Martin's car will feature the 'reverse' paint scheme that features more of a white color at all eight remaining night races this season, but the Richmond car will also highlight Viagra's Value Card program that offers men a convenient way to get a free Viagra® prescription every time they fill six eligible prescriptions.
The Value Card for Viagra program was launched in April by Pfizer in celebration of the sixth anniversary of the launch of Viagra.
"We are excited about running the Viagra Value Card Ford this weekend," said driver Mark Martin. "This is a special year for Viagra because it's their sixth anniversary and we are really glad to be a part of that. Viagra has been able to help over 23 million men over the last six years and the Value Card program is a great way to celebrate that.
"The white car is really sharp and will look great under the lights," added Martin. "Running the Value Card on it will make it all that much more exciting for the team and the fans this weekend. We've been pretty good at Richmond in our last three or four races, so hopefully we can take the Viagra Value Card Ford to victory lane and add even more to the celebration."
Roush Racing is a subsidiary of Livonia, Mich., based Roush Industries that operates nine motorsports teams; five in NASCAR Nextel Cup with drivers Mark Martin, Jeff Burton, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch and Greg Biffle, two in the Busch Series with Martin, Burton, Kenseth and Biffle and two in the Craftsman Truck Series with drivers Jon Wood and Carl Edwards.
Martin Finishes 11th at Fontana
Mark Martin and the #6 Viagra® Racing Team
California Speedway/May 2, 2004
Roush Racing
May 3, 2004FONTANA, CA. – In a wild finish that saw several cars run short of fuel late in the race, Mark Martin and the Viagra? (sildenafil citrate) Racing Team brought home an 11th-place finish in the Auto Club 500 at the California Speedway. The finish moved Martin up two spots to 13th in the Nextel Cup point standings.
“We had a really awesome car until lap 150,” said Martin. “I mean early on it looked like we had a car that could win this race, and then something either went wrong or the track went away from us. Up until that point we had a top-five car for sure and we aren’t really sure what happened.
“But it was a great effort by this Viagra® Team,” added Martin. “We ran out of gas on the last lap or we would have been top-10, but so did a bunch of other guys. All in all, it was a good run for us and a great team effort. The last two runs just weren’t as good and that hurt us.”
Martin car was indeed strong early, but wavered during the last two runs of the day. The No 6 Viagra® Ford was running in 13th place when a wild and wooly end saw several cars either run out of gas late or pit for fuel in front of Martin. That activity moved Martin all the way into ninth place, before his car came up just short on fuel itself coming out of turn two. Martin lost two of the positions gained and coasted across the line for the 11th place finish.
Martin started the race 26th, but wasted no time moving through the field. He broke into the top 20 on the eighth lap of the race and was running 17th when the day’s first caution was issued on lap 23. The team came in for four tires and fuel, and a quick 14.096-second stop sent Martin back out in 14th place when the field went green.
Martin moved into the field’s top 10 on lap 50, just seconds before the day’s second caution. The team again came in for four tires and fuel, posting another stellar stop of 13.92-second stop that moved Martin up into eighth place. Caution was again called a few laps later and Martin was running second when the field went green on lap 62.
The car started to struggle on restarts and Martin quickly dropped back to 14th position by lap 69. However, the veteran rebounded and quickly started to move his way back through the field, breaking back into the top 10 by lap 77. Martin was running in eighth place when the day’s fourth caution was issued on lap 90. With the car’s handling starting to become loose Martin came down pit road for a wedge adjustment, fuel and four tires. The team posted its best stop of the day, a 13.91-second stop that moved Martin into seventh place.
Martin and the No. 12 car of Ryan Newman battled for seventh place for the next 32 laps, before caution was issued again on lap 139. The car was starting to become really loose and the team came into the pits to re-adjust the track bar, make an air pressure adjustment and take four tires and fuel.
Martin pitted under green on lap 199 to take on four tires, fuel and make another adjustment to the track bar. Once the field had cycled through its green-flag stops, Martin was running in 13th place, and having extreme trouble controlling the loose-handling nature of the car. Still, Martin was able to conserve fuel, securing the solid finish, while assuring the team finished the race running and on the lead lap.
"Actually, this was a stellar effort by this team,” said Martin. “These guys are coming, man. I think we have a solid shot at getting in that top 10 at the 26, if we can keep this up and build a little momentum, we can get there soon, too.”
"It's really three solid efforts in a row for this team,” said crew chief Pat Tryson. “We didn't get to finish at Martinsville, but we had a really good car. We had a really good car today, especially early and we had a really good car last week at Talladega.
“We thought we might have a shot to win today,” added Tryson. “For sure a top-five car, and then it seemed like the last two runs just went away a little bit, whether the track changed or something happened to the car, I'm not sure. But it was a real good car. The Viagra® Ford was good all day and just came a little bit short on the gas, otherwise we would've been eighth or ninth, but we'll take 11th and move on to the next race.
“We just have to keep working at it each week. If we can get our qualifying straightened out we’ll be in really good shape. We just have to keep getting better.”
The circuit takes Mother’s Day weekend off, before returning to action a week later in Richmond for the first Saturday night race of the season.
2004 Mark Martin California Track Notes - May 2, 2004
Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Roush Racing #6 Ford Taurus
Auto Club 500/California Speedway
Roush Racing
April 27, 2004DRIVER: Mark Martin
TEAM: No. (6) Viagra® Ford Taurus
OWNER: Jack Roush
CREW CHIEF: Pat Tryson2003 WINNER: Kurt Busch
2003 EVENT - MARK MARTIN: Started: 22nd Finished: 17th:
After battling all day, Mark Martin and the No. 6 Viagra Race team were fighting for their fourth top-five finish of the season, when Martin got tangled up with Jimmie Johnson on the final lap. Martin was running in sixth position and closing fast on fifth, when Johnson got into the wall and came down on Martin with just one lap remaining in the race. The accident sent Martin and his No. 6 Viagra Ford Taurus spinning into the infield grass just in front of the front stretch and relegated the No. 6 team to a 17th place finish, after running inside the field’s top 10 for the last 120 laps of the race. The team had struggled with the car’s handling for much of the first half of the race, but were able to make numerous adjustments that improved the car’s handling and eventually Martin was one of the fastest cars on the track.
CALIFORNIA NEXT CHALLENGE FOR NO. 6 TEAM
Fresh off a strong weekend at Talladega, Martin and the Viagra Racing Team head across the country to California for the circuit's second west-coast race of the season.
WORTHY NOTE
Mark Martin is the only driver who has led in five of the seven races at California.
GOING BACK TO CALI
Martin has posted three top-10 and two top-five finishes in seven starts at California. In additon, Martin has started inside the top 10 in four of the seven races.
THE CAR
Chassis Number: (RK-241) - The team will run RK-241 this week at California. This will be the third run of the season for the car that finished 17th earlier this year at Texas and 14th at Atlanta. RK-179 (new car) will serve as the backup.
IN THE POINTS
Martin's sixth-place finish at Talladega moved him up three spots to 15th in the Nextel Cup point standings, just over 100 points outside of 10th place.
ALL OR NOTHING
Going into last year Martin had posted three top 10s and three DNF's in his six races at California. Last year Martin was set to record another top-five finish at the track, before being taken out by another car on the last lap and falling to a 17th-place finish. Martin actually finished 10th in the inaugural race at Fontana, despite running out of gas on the race's final lap, while in the lead.
IN THE LEAD
Martin won the second ever Cup race at Fontana in 1998. Martin is the only driver to have led in five of the seven races at California.
MARK MARTIN FAST FACTS
- Martin has posted three top-10 and two top-five finishes in seven races at California Speedway.
- Martin is the only driver to have led in five of the seven races at California.
- Martin has led a total of 194 laps at California Speedway.
- Martin finished 10th in the inaugural California race, despite running out of gas late and posting a DNF. Martin rebounded the following year to win the race.
QUOTING MARK MARTIN AND CREW CHIEF PAT TRYSON
Mark Martin on California:
"I like the track in Fontana. It's very wide and there is plenty of room to pass, so that's always fun for a driver. It's a pretty big contrast from where we've raced the past couple of weeks and it's been a pretty good race track for us. The fans out west are great as well. They don't have as many chances to see us race and they really make us feel welcome when we go out west. Hopefully the Viagra Racing Team will be able to give them something the cheer about this week.
"We've had pretty competitive cars the last two races and were able to run up front in both of those, so that is really encouraging. Pat (Tryson) and Wally Brown and the guys on the team are doing an outstanding job and I believe that we are getting ready to make a run here in the next several races."
Crew Chief Pat Tryson on California:
"We are looking forward to going to Fontana. Mark's pretty strong there and it's his kind of track so that's always exciting. We are taking the same car we ran at Texas where we had a good run, before getting caught in a bad pitting sequence. It's a really fast car and we are looking forward to getting it back out on the track. The team's had a couple of really strong runs in the last two races and Mark has really been up on the wheel, so we are excited about going out and doing it again this weekend. Hopefully we can come up with another solid run and maybe even take this thing to victory lane."
