Martin Closes Out Season with Solid 11th Place Run at Homestead
Mark Martin and the #6 Viagra® Racing Team
Homestead-Miami Speedway/November 21, 2004
Roush RacingHOMESTEAD, FLA. – Mark Martin and the Viagra® Race Team concluded the 2004 season with a solid 11th place finish in the season’s final race at Homestead. The finish was good enough to move Martin past Dale Earnhardt Jr. for fourth place in the final Nextel Cup point standings. Martin had driven his No. 6 Ford into the top-five before taking the lead on lap 192, and looked poised for a top-five finish before a cut tire late in the race moved Martin to the back of the lead lap. The veteran was able to battle back through the field, coming up just short of a top-10 finish when the final checkered flag fell.
The ‘battle to the end’ finish seemed fitting for a team that had fought back time and time again during the course of the season. After starting the season in last place after Daytona, Martin came back to claim his 11th career top-five points finish and his second top-four in the past three seasons.
"It was a great effort by the Viagra® team,” said Martin. “We had a pretty good car. We put ourselves in a position to be a contender there and then we had a flat tire under caution, so I'm not gonna say it was bad luck. If it was bad luck, we would have had it under green. With the way things turned out, the best we could have done was fourth and we did that. I'm real proud and honored to work with these guys and I'm also honored just to be racing with these great young drivers out here. I'm gonna be watching them for a long time.
“As for Pat Tryson and this team I just can’t say enough,” added Martin. “They could have quit so many times, but they just kept plugging away. I look forward to coming back with this team next year and going after the championship again.”
Martin started the race 11th and struggled early with the car’s handling. By lap 21 Martin had dropped back to 16th place, before the car began to come around. Martin had moved back to 13th position by lap 48 when the day’s third caution was issued for debris on the front stretch. The team came into the pits for four tires and fuel and to make wedge and air pressure adjustments to free the car’s handling. After a stop of 14.07-seconds, Martin returned to the field in 11th place when the field went green.
The veteran broke into the top 10 for the first time of the day on lap 58 and moved all the way to eighth place by lap 69 before the car’s handling again became tight. Martin was back in ninth when caution number four was called on lap 92. Once again the team used the opportunity to come into the pits for four tires fuel and additional wedge and air pressure adjustments to again free up the car. A quick 13.80-second stop sent Martin back out in eighth place. By lap 110 he had powered the car into sixth place, where he was running when caution was called on lap 113. With the car still ‘too tight’ Martin again came down pit road for four fresh tires and adjustments. Some teams opted for two tires or fuel only and Martin restarted the race in 10th place.
Martin was still running in sixth and battling a ‘loose in and tight off’ Taurus when the team entered the pits under caution on lap 148 to again take four tires and make wedge and air pressure adjustments. The team turned in a stop of 13.47 seconds but dropped to 15th place when the majority of the teams either stayed out or took two tires only. Martin had moved to 14th place by the time caution number nine was called on lap 173. This time crew chief Pat Tryson opted for a fuel only stop. A few cars stayed out and Martin found himself in 15th position when the field went green on lap 177.
The car settled in and Martin embarked on his most successful run of the day. Turning the fastest times on the racetrack, Martin moved into 12th place in just one lap. By lap 180 he had moved back inside the top 10, taking over ninth place from teammate Carl Edwards. Martin radioed the team the ‘car was really good,’ as he moved inside the top five for the first time of the day on lap 189. A caution one lap later gave Martin the opportunity to stay out on the track and the No. 6 took the lead under caution on lap 192. Martin held the lead for the next seven laps and found himself just nine points out of first place in the Chase for the Nextel Cup, when the day’s 11th caution was called on lap 199. The team came into the pits one lap later. The Viagra® crew reeled off a 13.73-second stop, but Martin was on a different cycle than the majority of the field and returned in 18th place when green-flag racing resumed on lap 206.
Martin had moved up to 15th by the time caution was called on lap 223 for the 12th time of the day. The team was set to stay out and Martin moved up to ninth place. However the team noticed that the left-rear tire was going down and Martin had to come down pit road late under caution to replace the damaged tire. The stop dropped Martin back to 26th when the field went green and pretty much ended his bid for the 2004 Nextel Cup. Still, as they did all year, the No. 6 Viagra® Team refused to give up. By lap 240 Martin had moved his No. 6 Ford back inside the top-20.
Martin was up to 17th when caution number 13 was called on lap 252 with only 15 laps to go. The team decided to pit for fresh tires and Martin returned in 20th place when the field went green with 10 scheduled laps remaining. Martin broke back into the top 15 just before the day’s 14th and final caution was called on lap 264 with just three scheduled laps remaining. Two of the cars that had opted for different pit cycles ran out of gas under caution and Martin restarted the race in 13th place for the green-white checkered finale to the 2004 season. In an all Roush day, teammate Greg Biffle won the race while Roush’s Kurt Busch took home the Nextel Cup.
As always Martin refused to give up, taking two more positions in the three lap shootout and coming up just short of 10th as the team brought home the 11th place finish.
The finish put Martin in fourth place, 32 points ahead of fifth place Dale Earnhardt Jr. and 107 points behind Busch. Busch and Martin joined fellow Roush teammate Matt Kenseth in the final Nextel Cup Top 10.
Martin finishes the year with one win, 10 top-five, 15 top-10, and 25 top-15 finishes in 36 races. In addition to the win, Martin finished second on five occasions, including three times during the final 10-race chase. The fourth-place finish marks Martin’s 14 top-10 points finish in the last 16 seasons.
"The team fought hard all year,” said Martin. “We came out 43rd in points leaving Daytona with our hearts broken and battled our way all the way back to fourth. I'm proud of them for that. The guys did a great job. I'm proud of them and I look forward to next year. I'm going try to keep all of these guys together and we're going to make a real effort to be in first place at the end of this deal next year."
Mark Martin leads the pack
NASCAR-CUP: November 21, 2004
Homestead-Miami Speedway
Image by AutostockMartin misses out again on elusive NASCAR title
By Tim Reynolds
AP Sports Writer
November 21, 2004HOMESTEAD, Fla. (AP) -- Mark Martin is down to his last chance for an elusive NASCAR championship.
Martin had the longest odds of the five contenders still in contention for this year's Nextel Cup title at Sunday's Ford 400, and still managed to close to within 23 points of eventual series champion Kurt Busch during the race.
A flat tire with about 50 laps left doomed his chance at getting closer, and he ended the yearlong points chase in fourth behind Busch, Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon. Martin -- who trailed Busch by 107 points at the end -- started the day in fifth place, and moved past Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the final standings.
``We put ourselves in a position to be a contender there and then we had a flat tire under caution, so I'm not going to say it was bad luck,'' said Martin, who isn't officially retiring but plans to make the 2005 season his last as a full-time NASCAR driver. ``If it was bad luck, we would have had it under green.''
Martin has 10 top-five finishes in the standings in 18 seasons, but no championships. He's been second four times, most recently in 2002.
He endured a disappointing 2003 run, placing only 17th in the season standings, failing to win a race and ending the year with a 15-race streak of finishing either 10th or lower. And 2004 got off to an abysmal start; Martin finished last at the season-opening Daytona 500.
Martin clawed his way back to the middle of the pack, then got hot at the perfect time. He had four top-five finishes in the six races that immediately preceded NASCAR's inaugural Chase to the Nextel Cup -- and qualified for the 10-race run that decided the series champion.
`The team fought hard all year. We came out 43rd in points leaving Daytona with our hearts broken and battled our way all the way back to fourth,'' said Martin, a 34-time NASCAR race winner. ``I'm proud of them for that.''
He'll turn 46 next January, but clearly, Martin isn't old enough not to learn new tricks.
Martin improved 13 places from his spot in last season's final standings; only Elliott Sadler -- who went from 23rd last year to 9th this year -- made a bigger move.
“I'm glad it's over,'' Martin said. ``The guys did a great job. I'm proud of them and I look forward to next year. I'm going to try to keep all of these guys together and we're going to make a real effort to be in first place at the end of this deal next year.''
Homestead: Roush drivers talk turkey
Roush Racing Quotes of The Week
Week of Nov. 15, 2004
Roush RacingTOPIC: With Thanksgiving just around the corner, we took the opportunity to ask the Roush Racing drivers what their favorite Thanksgiving dish is. Here is what they had to say:
Mark Martin/No. 6 Viagra Ford Taurus:
"I would have to say I enjoy the turkey, but we do have a recipe for a low-fat pumpkin pie that I really do enjoy a ton. I could eat the whole thing if I'm not careful."
Greg Biffle/No. 16 National Guard Ford Taurus:
"I love the deep fried turkey."
Matt Kenseth/No. 17 DeWalt Ford Taurus:
"I don't know. Turkey, I guess, that's what everyone else likes."
Kurt Busch/No. 97 Sharpie/Irwin Ford Taurus:
"Pumpkin pie... with as much whipped cream as possible."
Carl Edwards/No. 99 Roush Racing Ford Taurus:
"If I had to pick one thing, I guess it would be ham because I like ham and then I could make it into sandwiches the rest of the week."
Jon Wood/No. 50 Roush Racing Ford:
"My favorite dish for Thanksgiving is this casserole my Grandma makes every year. I have no idea what she puts in it, but I could eat that as a meal and skip the rest of the stuff."
Martin not ready for rocking chair
By David Newton
Senior Writer
The State.com
November 18, 2004CHARLOTTE — Kurt Busch was 3 years old when Mark Martin drove in his first NASCAR Nextel Cup race in 1981. Jimmie Johnson was 14 when Martin won his first race in 1989.
Jeff Gordon was 19 when Martin finished second in points for the first of a record four times in 1990.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. was 14 when Martin won his first pole in 1988.
Yes, 45-year-old Mark Martin is by far the senior citizen of the five drivers contending for the Nextel Cup Championship in Sunday’s season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
More years separate him and 26-year-old Roush Racing teammate Kurt Busch than separate Busch in points from Jimmie Johnson, who trails by 18.
Martin is the only one of the five who legitimately can claim Viagra as his primary sponsor.
“You know, I was afraid 2003 was going to set the tone for the twilight of my career,” said Martin, whose 17th-place finish in the points race last season was the second time in 15 seasons that he finished outside the top 10.
“I was really sick about that. It took a lot of hard work by (crew chief) Pat Tryson and everybody at Roush Racing to get me in a position where I could go out here and battle these guys.”
Martin, who has announced 2005 will be his last full season in a Cup car, knows the odds are against him on Sunday. To overcome the 82-point deficit between him and Busch, a lot of things would have to go wrong for the four drivers ahead of him and a lot would have to go right for Martin.
He finished second last week at Darlington and made up only 20 points.
“For us, this is all a bonus just to be a part of it and to be running so well,” Martin said. “I’m tickled to death to be in this thing and to be a contender.”
Martin said he has felt little pressure since qualifying for the chase, which is made up of the top 10 drivers in points. He said he felt a sense of obligation to the fans who have followed him during a career that has included 34 wins and 339 top-10 finishes in 601 races.
That he has been the sentimental favorite throughout the garage and grandstands has meant almost as much to him as anything he has accomplished, he said.
“Words can’t describe it. One of the emotions I feel is I don’t want to disappoint those people. It’s a similar emotion that I felt towards my father,” Martin said.
“I don’t know if you guys can really grasp that and get your hands around that. It is a really, really huge honor for me to have that kind of support and that kind of feeling, and I don’t want to disappoint.”
Martin thought he would be satisfied simply making the chase, especially after finishing last in the season opener at Daytona. But things changed.
“I have fought like a dog in 2004 just to be in this thing, and when we made it at Richmond, our 2004 season was made,” he said. “And then we woke up the next morning and that wasn’t going to be enough now.”
Martin seldom has had more fun than last week at Darlington. Twice in the last 10 laps he had to control his emotions over the possibility of winning “so that I didn’t get so excited that I wrecked the car.”
That he fought so hard to make up so little ground on Busch didn’t discourage him.
“Are you kidding, man?” he said. “That’s what I’ve lived my life 30 years to do. It’s about the races to me. It always has been.”
Only two other contenders — Gordon, 33, and Earnhardt, 30, — know what it is like to have lived 30 years.
“I’m really honored to be driving in the kind of equipment that will put me in a position to be able to race with them,” he said.
The last time Martin was in this position, in 2002, he lost to Tony Stewart by 30 points. In 1990, he lost the title by 26 points to the late Dale Earnhardt.
If Martin wins the championship, it would be icing on a career that began on the dirt tracks of Arkansas.
“I’m not owed a championship,” he said. “If I can go earn it, then I’ll get one. Over the years, some how or another, I’ve managed to earn a lot of respect. And, to me, that respect means a lot more than any trophy because that didn’t happen on luck or accident.
“I did go out and earn that.”
Getty Images
Martin enjoying being part of chase
By Mike Harris
AP Motorsports Writer
November 17, 2004Mark Martin insists he's never had as much fun in a race car.
Pressure is something for the four guys in front of him as they head into the final weekend of the closest championship in the history of NASCAR's premier stock car series. "For us, this is all a bonus," Martin said. "Just to be part of it and running so well is just a tremendous feeling."
He trails leader Kurt Busch by 82 points entering Sunday's Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. But, with Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. bunched between them, a lot of things - most of them bad for the other guys - would have to happen for Martin to emerge as the champion.
Martin, one of the sport's biggest stars for nearly two decades and a four-time series runner-up, knows his quest for the title is a longshot. But he says it's good just to be part of it - especially after what he went through just to get into NASCAR's new 10-man, 10-race playoff-style championship chase.
"It's been one of the biggest honours of my career to be part of this chase and to be competitive as well," Martin said. "There have been times when I wish we could have had a little bit more good fortune but, as far as the performance goes, I've been very pleased. It's been more than I could have expected for 2004."
The often pessimistic Martin came into the season drenched in gloom and doubt, the memories of a miserable 2003 season still fresh and painful.
After going all the way to the final race of 2002 before losing the title to Tony Stewart by just 38 points, Martin was expected to be a contender the following season. Instead, his No. 6 Roush Racing team struggled mightily just to be competitive.
He had only 10 top-10 finishes, failed to win a race for only the third time since 1990, failed to finish seven races and wound up an embarrassing 17th in the season standings.
"I was afraid 2003 was going to set the tone for the twilight of my career," Martin said. "I was just sick about that. It took a lot of hard work by this team to get back to this point."
Under NASCAR's new points system, the season was divided into two distinct parts, with the first 26 races determining the championship contenders for the 10-race shootout.
Martin finished eighth in the regular season, but it wasn't easy.
"I have fought like a dog in 2004 just to be in this," he said. "When we made it, our season was made. And then we woke up the next morning and that wasn't going to be enough now. We had to go for all of it.
"That's how every competitor is, I'm sure. But this part is fun, just racing as hard as you can against a lot of great drivers. This will be a year I'll remember as long as I live, whatever happens on Sunday."
If Martin doesn't win the title this year, he'll only have one more chance. The 45-year-old driver announced recently that 2005 will be his final season.
Team owner Jack Roush, who has fielded cars for Martin since 1988, says it would be a shame if his old friend finishes his career without a championship.
"Mark has given so much to this team and this sport, he deserves to be remembered as a champion, whether he wins the big trophy or not," said Roush, who got his first title last year with Matt Kenseth.
"But you can't take away anything from what Mark has done in his career," Roush added. "He's been one of the best for a long time, and he's still racing as good as he ever did."
As much as he would love to be champion, Martin says he isn't worried about how he will feel if it doesn't happen.
"I don't think I have one coming to me," he said. "If I can earn it, then I'll get one."
Martin said these days he often reflects back on being a kid from Arkansas who wanted to race in the big time and got to live his dream.
"Over the years, somehow, I've managed to earn a lot of respect and, to me, that means more than any trophy because that didn't happen by luck or accident," Martin said. "I did go out and earn that. I'm not going to shed a tear for something I didn't earn."
So, Martin will go into Sunday's race feeling no pressure, hoping for the best and not fearing the worst.
"We'll go to Homestead and race for a win, which is exactly what we did last week and the week before and what we do every race," Martin said. "After it's over, they'll count the points and tell us where we are.
"Whatever happens, this will be a year to remember."
Frantic Late Race Run Garners Martin Second-Place Finish in Southern 500
Mark Martin and the #6 Viagra® Racing Team
Darlington Raceway/November 14, 2004DARLINGTON, S.C. – Mark Martin’s No. 6 Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Ford was the fastest car on the racetrack as the final laps winded down on Sunday’s Southern 500. The veteran picked up five spots in the final 14 laps to run to an impressive second-place finish in Darlington Raceway’s final fall Nextel Cup event.
After running the majority of the race in the top two, Martin found himself in sixth place when the field went green on lap 349 after the ninth and final caution of the afternoon. Martin spent the next three laps battling past persistent lapped traffic, before he began to mount his move back to the front with only 14 laps remaining. Martin broke back inside the top five, passing teammate Carl Edwards on lap 355.
Four laps later he moved by points leader and Roush teammate Kurt Busch for fourth. Martin used the next three laps working his way around the No. 9 car and he found himself in third place with just five laps to go on lap 362. Martin would move back into second place – moving by the No. 42 car – with only one lap remaining, as he closed in on the leader and eventual winner Jimmie Johnson as the checkered flag fell. The race was Martin’s second top-two finish in the past three races.
“Pat Tryson is a great cheerleader besides some other things, too,” said Martin after the race. “He's pretty incredible. This Viagra® team gave me a great car tonight. We just hit it on that last set of tires. The car was incredibly quick and I'm just proud of this Viagra® team. This Taurus was fast. We hit it right at the end. I wish we would have had five more laps."
Martin started the race fifth based on the Nextel Cup point standings after persistent rains forced the cancellation of Friday’s qualifying session. The No. 6 team had one of the top cars all weekend and with the exception of pitting sequences, Martin never ran outside of the field’s top six all day.
Martin passed the No. 16 car of Greg Biffle for second place on lap 64 and eventually took the lead for the first time of the day on lap 66. Martin gave the lead up on lap 79 and was running in second place when the day’s first caution was issued on lap 81. Two laps later the team came into the pits for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment. The first of several excellent stops of the day, a 13.61-second stop, sent Martin back out in first place when the field went green on lap 87.
Martin eventually gave the lead up nine laps later and fell back to third place, before regrouping to take the lead back from the No. 48 car on lap 113. The veteran had dropped back to second when the day’s second caution was called on lap 120. A 13.56-second stop to take on four tires and fuel helped the team hold second place as the field went green on lap 124. The team pitted again under caution 22 laps later again taking on four tires and fuel in yet another 13.50-second stop that sent Martin out in third place on lap 150.
Martin was still running in second when the day’s fourth caution came out on lap 195. The team again came into the pits for four tires, fuel, and wedge and air pressure adjustments. Another stellar stop of 13.86 seconds again helped Martin hang on to second place as the field resumed green-flag racing with just over 200 laps down. Fearing his right front tire was going down, Martin dropped back to fourth where he was running when caution was called on lap 248. The team used a 13.25-second stop to gain four positions and return Martin’s Viagra® Ford back out in the lead when the field went green on lap 253.
Martin dropped back to second where he was running when the team came into pit under caution on lap 304. The team used another quick stop of 13.68 seconds to hold on to second, but Martin dropped back to third where he was running when caution number seven was called on lap 330. A problem with the left rear tire in the pits forced the team’s only slow stop of the day and Martin lost two positions back to fifth when the field resumed green-flag racing on lap 340, with 27 laps remaining in the event.
A quick caution just six laps later brought the team into the pits for the ninth and final time. This time the No. 6 team bounced back with its fastest stop of the day, a 12.83-second stop that sent the No. 6 Ford back out in sixth place despite the fact that two cars had stayed out and opted not to pit. The field went green on lap 349 and 18 laps later, after his frantic run to the front, Martin maneuvered his Ford to the second-place finish.
"What a tremendous team I have here with this Viagra® team,” said Martin. “They hit it right that last run there. I just wish we would have had just a few more laps, but it was a great run for us, a great team effort. They were incredible all day on pit road and the car was just a pleasure to drive. It was a great race. I'm really pleased with the way it turned out, but man it was fast that last 10 laps. I would have liked to have a had a few more."
Martin remains in fifth-place in the Nextel Cup standings, but he trimmed 20 points off the lead. After starting the season in 43rd place leaving Daytona, Martin moves into the last race of the season as one of four cars with a chance of winning the Nextel Cup Championship trailing first place by only 82 points. Martin trails fourth place by only 10 points.
The run was Martin’s 10th top-five finish and 15th top 10 finish of the season. It also marked the fifth second- place finish for Martin this season.
The team returns to action next weekend for the 36th and final race of the 2004 season. Martin and the No. 6 Team spent last week testing Homestead and Martin likes his chances at the 1.5-mile track where he has three top-five finishes in five career races.
"It feels good to run like this, it’s why I love racing,” added Martin. “I knew that we could come and contend to win this one and we did. I also know that we can go down to Homestead and contend to win as well. We tested real fast down there last week, so we hope that we will be strong there and finish this thing on a strong note. Still, there is no doubt that no matter what happens, I’ll remember 2004 for the great effort of this team. They just don’t give up.”
Mark Martin Post-Race Notes, Quotes and Press Conference
fordracing.com
November 14, 2004MARK MARTIN - No. 6 Viagra Taurus (Finished 2nd)
MARK MARTIN POST RACE NOTES AND QUOTES:
"Pat Tryson is a great cheerleader besides some other things, too. He's pretty incredible. This Viagra team gave me a great car tonight. We just hit it on that last set of tires. The car was incredibly quick and I'm just proud of this Viagra team. This Taurus was fast. We hit it right at the end. I wish we would have had five more laps."
ANOTHER FOUR OR FIVE LAPS
"What a tremendous team I have here with this Viagra team. They hit it right that last run there. Man, I wish we would have had just a few more laps, but it was a great run for us, a great team effort. They were incredible all day on pit road and the car was just a pleasure to drive. It was a great race. I'm really pleased with the way it turned out, but, man it was fast that last 10 laps. I would have liked to have a had a few more."
HOW DOES THIS FEEL GOING TO HOMESTEAD?
"It feels good. I knew that we could come and contend to win this one and I know we can go there and contend to win."
DOES THIS GIVE YOU MORE CONFIDENCE?
"We tested real fast down there anyway, so we knew that we were gonna be good there and after Atlanta we knew we would be good here."
MARK MARTIN POST-RACE PRESS CONFERENCE:
"I'm thrilled with the outcome of the race. I would have liked to have had five more laps. Pat and the guys made an adjustment on the last stop and the car was really, really fast. We just had a ball. My car was fast on new tires, it was fast on old tires. We stayed up at the front of the pack all throughout the race. That's why we do this stuff is for days like today. It would be nice to win, but Jimmy ran really good and so did Jeff Gordon and a bunch of other guys. We wound up in front of a bunch of them, so I'm just really proud of my team. The guys were lightning on pit road all throughout the race. The next-to-last stop we had a little hiccup and we had the race car to fight our way back, so I was happy with it."
IS IT HARD TO ENJOY RUNNING WELL WHEN YOU SEE YOU'RE NOT GAINING IN THE POINTS?
"No. Are you kidding, man? That's what I've lived my life 30 year to do today. It's about the races to me. It always has been. The races are the glue that keeps a championship contending team together. I am not one bit concerned about those points. When we made the chase, our year was made. Yeah, we went to Atlanta and thought we could win and we came here and thought we could win. We put on a show today. It was a great effort. I'm so proud and honored to be a part of this team and to have the opportunity to run at Darlington like I did 15 years ago. That's a big deal to me, a bigger deal than you'll ever understand."
DOES IT AMAZED YOU TODAY IS THE LAST SOUTHERN 500?
"I'm so stupid, you know I don't even realize it's the last one. You know how I am. My brain is totally blank to that. I didn't even know it until I got here and you all started asking those questions. You know what else I didn't know? I didn't know until three years ago that I had won a Southern 500 because nobody ever mentions it. I am a traditionalist. You guys know that. I fight change really hard and all that, but it is what it is. At least they're gonna continue to race at Darlington. At least they're not losing their last race here. It's a tremendous place to race. When I came here in 1981 for the first time it took my breath away and I had more respect for it tonight than I did that day in 1981."
HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE THE SENTIMENTAL FAVORITE GOING TO THE FINALE?
"Words can't describe it. It means a lot to me. I have a lot of different emotions. One of the emotions that I feel is that I don't want to disappoint those people. It's a similar emotion that I felt towards my father, so I don't know if you guys can really grasp that and get your hands around that. It is a really, really huge honor for me to have that kind of support and that kind of feeling and I don't want to disappoint. I have fought like a dog in 2004 just to be in this thing and when we made it at Richmond, our 2004 season was made. And then we woke up the next morning and that wasn't gonna be enough now - now that we had made it. Being in the chase wasn't enough, we had to go for all of it and that's how every competitor is I'm sure. This year will be a year that I'll remember as long as I live. This year in racing and this race tonight will be one of the races that I remember as long as I live because I know that there aren't that many left for me that will be this spectacular. Pat Tryson was a real big cheerleader. Twice in the last 10 laps I had to catch myself so that I didn't get so excited that I wrecked the car because he was so excited and cheering me on so hard. Two different times I thought, 'Don't get too caught up in that,' because I was pretty deep over my head there those last few laps. We were really having fun and that's what it's all about - men who love and respect one another and put everything that they have out on the line to compete against other groups that feel the same way. That's what it's all about."
CAN YOU ELABORATE ON THAT FIRST TIME AT DARLINGTON?
"Growing up in Arkansas I didn't really get the chance to follow and cover NASCAR that well, but the information seemed to filter to Arkansas that Darlington was a bad place. So I was aware of that. What little bit I knew about NASCAR racing, I knew that Darlington was treacherous. When I came NASCAR racing I didn't really know and understand the tradition and the real heritage of NASCAR because in Arkansas you didn't get very good coverage in the seventies. So I had a lot of things to learn, but when I came to this race track I was very young. This was one of the first superspeedways I had been on and it got my attention, it really did. I had a great run. I qualified second and finished fourth, I think it was with the Busch car. But in practice I did spin out on that end of the race track because this was the tough one. That one suckered me in and I spun, but I didn't hit anything. That was my initiation in practice before the race."
Darlington II: Martin - Saturday press conference
Motorsport.com: News channel
Racing series NASCAR-CUP
Date 2004-11-13Mark Martin, driver of the No. 6 Viagra Taurus, goes into tomorrow's Mountain Dew Southern 500 in fifth place in the Chase for the Nextel Cup. Martin, who trails points leader and teammate Kurt Busch by 102 points, held a press conference inside the Darlington Raceway infield media center before Saturday's practice.
MARK MARTIN - No. 6 Viagra Taurus
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR CHANCES FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP?
"We're 102 behind, but there are two races left and anything can happen. I'm incredibly proud of our team and of our performance this year. It's been one of the biggest honors of my career to be a part of this chase and to be competitive in it as well. I'm really grateful for the way things have turned out - for Jack Roush hooking me up with Pat Tryson and for the effort that's been put forth. There have been times when I wish we could have had a little bit more of good fortune, but, as far as the performance goes, I've been very pleased. It's been more than I could have expected for 2004."
ON A SCALE OF 1-10, WHERE WOULD YOU RATE YOUR CHANCES?
"Five to one. We're in fifth. I don't know if that's accurate or not."
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE NEW FORMAT?
"Actually, I wasn't that big a fan in the beginning, but, in my opinion, it is probably the single best thing that has happened for the race fans in my era. I'm a big supporter of it, I really am."
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS RACE SUNDAY?
"This race is 500 miles and it doesn't much matter where you start, although I am happy to be starting in fifth. I'm sure not worried about those guys starting in front of me. We're gonna have a really incredible car this weekend. It's my kind of race. It's 500 miles and it's a tough race track. That's all good things in my book, so I'm looking forward to getting out there this morning because I know my car is gonna be real special.
"We're gonna have a fast car on Sunday and then we're gonna go to Homestead and have a really fast car down there as well. That's how I'd like to end up the season and we'll see how the points tally up, but it's been a really great year for me. It's been more than I could have expected, especially after 2003."
WHAT IS YOUR THOUGHT ABOUT POSSIBLY HAVING 35 GUARANTEED SPOTS NEXT YEAR?
"I like it. I'm a big supporter of that. I think that the guys that are spending all the money to support the series need to be in the race. As an example, Atlanta. I don't think that the fans and the media really recognize what an incredible commitment it takes to field a car for 36 points races. It's unbelievable and when they do that, to be left out is a tragedy."
DO YOU HAVE ANY CONCERNS ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS TO THE SPORT IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS WHEN ANOTHER GENERATION OF DRIVERS TAKE OVER THINGS IN FRONT AND BEHIND THE SCENES?
"It was a little bit of a touchy time back when Pearson and Petty and Yarborough and Parsons and all of those guys sort of phased out at a very close time. It was a fairly tight window when they phased out and the same kind of concerns - Rusty Wallace and myself and the other new faces - would we be able to carry their helmet bags. And to be real honest with you, I don't know if we could or not, but over a period of time it just sort of works out.
"I think the same thing can be said about what we're faced with coming up. This is a very exciting sport and when Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch and Casey Mears and you name 'em get up there week after week, smoke flying and sparks flying, it won't take but just a little while and the same enthusiasm will still be there. Not to say that the fans won't still have the veterans in their heart and still support 'em in whatever they do around motorsports the way they support 'em as drivers, but I think they'll find the thrill and excitement just as thrilling and just as exciting because of the show and they'll develop their new favorites."
HAVE YOU TALKED TO KURT DURING THIS STRETCH TO GIVE HIM SOME INSIGHT OR HAS JACK?
"I think that might be overrated. Definitely the saying that you have to lose one to win one is ridiculous. Somebody said that because they were looking for something to say and it caught on. That is not true. You take a guy like Kurt Busch, he didn't get the car number 97 because he couldn't do the job. He got the car number 97 because he could do the job and demonstrated it. That doesn't mean that he doesn't make mistakes and didn't make mistakes, but the reason he got that opportunity at such an early age is because he was a very fast learner and he was incredibly talented.
"So over these three years he has continued to be a very fast learner and although he might make one mistake more than a veteran, he might make up for that in incredible talent and, let me tell you something, there is a little bit of luck that goes along with winning these championships. No matter what the difference is in experience levels, that luck factor is definitely gonna take up the slack. I will say right now that they've put an incredible run together in this chase - the whole 97 team - and they won't get outrun for this championship.
"So what decides it? It'll be things that they can't control that will decide that championship. They won't get outrun for it. They won't get outrun forty-some points in these next two races. C'mon. I don't see that happening. The deciding factor will be things beyond their control and you don't have to call that luck. It's a lot softer and more gentle if you just say it's things that are beyond your control. They managed to rebound from their misfortunes last week very well, but you can't do that every single time. Sometimes you're not able to rebound from misfortunes, so you just have to wait and see what happens to all the contenders."
WHAT SPECIFICALLY HAPPENED WITH THE CHASE FORMAT TO MAKE YOU CHANGE YOUR MIND?
"My problem is my age and experience in this sport. I am very much a traditionalist. I don't like change. I don't like change in anything. I don't like moving things in the race car. I'd be just as happy if the fire button in my race car was in the same place it was in 1974. I just don't like moving things. They be supposed to be better, but I just don't like change. I felt like, as a competitor, I have a different view than as a fan. When I don't drive anymore, I will have more of a view that Benny Parsons has. Benny Parsons has a view as a fan today, not as a driver.
"But as a driver, every man's gain is another man's loss. So Jeremy Mayfield, for example, his gain in the chase came at Jeff Gordon's expense. So if Jeff Gordon had earned that cushion, that was bad that he had to give it up. It was a good thing that Jeremy got to close it up, though. See what I mean? From a competitor’s side, if you earn it, you earn it. That's how I looked at it. If he had a cushion, he deserved a cushion. But it's obvious that's not what it's about. It's about the fans. It's about the TV ratings.
"That's what it's really about. That's what drives this sport and the new system will consistently give you a closer run, although I'm not sure - if I was in charge - I would look really hard at you've already separated the top 10 from the rest of the field, I would look seriously at making one more point change. When you finish last, you get 10th-place points and maybe just go 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1. Hey, we're gonna make a show out of it, let's make a show out of it. Let's really make a show out of it.”
"It's unfortunate that if you crash or break something, you lose more points to the leader because of the others that are involved in it. So, hey, if we're gonna let this thing be driven by thrills and excitement for the fans, I would consider that. I know one thing for sure, this sport is driven by that. It's driven by fans and by growth and all those things, and if we're really gonna play to that, then let's fix it to where it really is a hot battle right down to the end - where no one can get so far away if you have a bad day.
"That's the biggest problem all the top 10 have had is their bad days that they weren't able to recover from. It doesn't ever come down to who runs the fastest on the race track, it comes down to how many times did you break an engine or get in a wreck or something like that - not that you can't overcome that with tremendous performance like the 48 has - Jimmy Johnson for example - but, still, you see what I'm saying. Losing 100 points in one race is pretty devastating. If you lost nine in a race, you might have a better chance of making that up."
IF YOU NEVER WIN A TITLE WILL THAT BOTHER YOU?
"Do you have any idea how many times I've been asked that? (laughter) "I'm not owed a championship. I'm just not owed one. I don't think I have one coming to me. If I can go earn it, then I'll get one. We know what the likelihood is - there's a chance of it - but when I reflect back on being a kid from Arkansas that wanted to race the big time and put things in perspective, I really realize what kind of career I've really had.
"Over the years, I've said this and you guys have heard me say it, over the years - somehow or another - I've managed to earn a lot of respect and, to me, that respect means a lot more than any trophy because that didn't happen on luck or accident. I did go out and earn that.
"To win a Daytona 500 and to win a championship would be nice titles to put beside so when you started your article you could say, 'Champion Mark Martin' or 'Daytona 500 Champion Mark Martin.' It's really nice for when you're writing things or when I'm reading things, but I still don't look at Dale Jarrett or Bobby Labonte or Terry Labonte or Bill Elliott, I don't look at those guys differently because they've got that trophy.
"They are what they are in my eyes because of what they did on the race track, not because of the trophy that they got. That's the best way I can put it. I'm not gonna shed a tear because I didn't win something that I didn't earn."
TWO THINGS - WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED IN THIS CHASE FOR NEXT YEAR AND AT THIS TIME A YEAR FROM NOW WE'LL BE IN TEXAS AND NOT DARLINGTON. HOW WILL THAT CHANGE THINGS?
"It's still a race and it still has it's own rate of difficulty. It is definitely different than Darlington, but it's not easy because you have to beat the competition, or you have to hold your own, or whatever you have to do there. So switching this race track for Texas, that gets back into the traditionalist. I'll give you the same answer I gave you about the chase. The competitor in me hates it, but the commercialism side of it says that I guess it needs to go that way. I wish it didn't.
"I'm not saying that I'm a huge fan of it, but I understand why it's going in that direction. I think we all do. It's unfortunate. It's not as cut and dried as you might think on the surface about when you make this chase, not because of the performance of the 6 car, but because of the misfortunes that we had, we almost didn't make the chase. We had to pull out all the stops - big time.
"We really used all of tests, but absolutely, physically could not do 'em all because you have to race every week. It's just unbelievable, so we only had two tests left when we went into this 10-race stretch. The 17 had five tests left, not really because of better performance, but because we broke engines and we had some problems that they didn't have. They turned around and had 'em in the chase, which has hurt them. So things tend to balance out in a way and in a way not. Kurt had four tests.
"I think the 24 and 48 had about four tests, and I will say that hurt us, but if we would have saved our tests, we probably might not have made it. So you've got to do what you've got to do and we did what we had to do. We came into this thing knowing that we weren't gonna be at our best at New Hampshire, knowing that we sure could have used a little track time at Phoenix. I believe we had a test set for Kansas, and we really needed that test, but we flipped it and used that test at Richmond before Richmond.
"Richmond was a place that could have not ran well at real easily, but we did run fifth there, so, yeah, I think it was worthwhile. At the same time, we would have been pretty awesome at Kansas if we would have had a day to work with our stuff. We were a little off our game, so that's the way it plays out. If we could have been a little bit more fortunate with DNFs earlier in the season, then we would have had more tests coming into this thing. We did test at Atlanta. I don't know if it made the difference or not, but we sure did run good there. And we did test at Homestead last week and I'll guarantee you that we will run good there."
WILL IT BE MORE IMPORTANT TO GET OFF TO A GOOD START NEXT YEAR?
"You could say that, but, at the same time, you have to remember that you can't control flat tires and you can't control wrecks, and, to some degree, you can't control transmissions or rear ends. So there are a lot of parts on that race car that you may or may not be able to control that will determine how positioned you are. You have to do it all. You have to have fast race cars. You need to have tests. You need to have everything. You just can't have two-thirds of the package or three-fourths of the package, you have to have it all.
"This year, we had nine-tenths of the package. At one time, we had almost 100 percent of the package right there before the chase started - we were really hitting on things. The problem since the chase is that only in one race out of eight have we finished as good as we ran and that's Dover. In seven of those races, we have finished worse than our car ran on the race track. Sometimes it just works that way.
"These last two races, we need to finish better than we run. If we do that, then we'll finish decent in the points, but there are a lot of things you can't control and some things you can, and you need to do the best you can with all the things you can control, and the things you can't control you just have to accept. And those things do determine, to some degree, how successful you are.
"Now, that gets back to the question about how I view drivers who have or have not won championships. I view them based on what they've done on the race track over a period of time, not whether or not they have that trophy. Gosh, that's all I can do. I don't have one of those things, so I can't tell you what it would be like to win a championship. I couldn't tell you what it would mean. You're asking a guy that doesn't know."
IF YOU'RE A YOUNG DRIVER AND DON'T HAVE A FATHER WHO RACES OR SOMEONE AFFILIATED WITH A TEAM, WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO BREAK INTO THIS SPORT?
"I'm just a little hillbilly from Arkansas and, to me, in my simple little world it's the same as it was for me then, except people are looking now. They didn't need me in NASCAR in 1982 - absolutely had no interest in a young guy who could mash the gas.
"Why would you? I mean, you had Cale Yarborough and Bobby Allison - you had all the greats, and there were seven or eight good teams, not 43 or 45. The real formula to get noticed is to win. And if you don't win, to run incredibly good in anything that you do. You get noticed a lot more now. You see these teenagers getting signed up left and right, so times are better now than they were in the early eighties to get an opportunity, but the pressure is more on them now than it was on us.
"Back then, there was no pressure because we weren't gonna get a chance anyway. Now, they may only get one chance. I feel really, really sorry for some of these guys. For example, the so-called Gong Show. They take 400 resumes and boil them down to 20, go track test and then boil them down to 10. Well, 11 through 20, that may have been one of their only shots and they could have possibly been better than any of the others. Or, if you get down to the last 10 and you don't make the cut. Rejection is really harsh and it would be really difficult for me, so I'm certainly not jealous of these guys.
"I'm a fan at heart and I'm glad that they're getting an opportunity that was much more difficult for Rusty Wallace and myself for example. But, at the same time, they're gonna be in the pressure cooker as well."
IS THAT COMMERCIALISM YOU SPOKE OF THE MAJOR DIFFERENCES IN WHAT IT IS TO BE A RACE CAR DRIVER BETWEEN THE EARLY EIGHTIES AND NOW?
"I see that, yes, as being probably the main difference. Everything changes. Racing changes. When I go to the dirt track nowadays, I see tractor-trailer rigs. I don't know what to say when I see those. There are a lot of tractor-trailers there and we weren't cheap. We had reasonable stuff.
"My first trailer was house trailer axels - two of them underneath boards - and some framing around. Heck, we thought we had us a pretty nice trailer. We painted it. It looked pretty good, so things have changed a lot since 1974 and there is a lot more money in this sport. There is a lot more money spent and when you have those things there are pros and cons. There's much more opportunity as workers - people who want to be involved in motorsports in a grand way have much more opportunity. Maybe a team has 50-100 employees rather than five to seven.
"Heck, these teams didn't have 10 people on a whole team in 1982, so there are a lot of opportunities that have opened up, but, sure, there are a lot of cons to the thing, too. That's why I say that in 2006 I don't know for sure what I'm gonna do, but I want to race for fun. That's what I want to do. I'm not prepared to say what that is yet because I've got some things on my mind real heavy. We're really involved in this chase and we're really involved in trying to make 2005 even better than '04, but I don't want it to be driven by commercialism.
"I want my racing to be about having fun, like it was for the first 10 years I raced. It brings a lot of pressure that wasn't there because if you skip one beat on the financing, you're in trouble. Just to tell you this, if Jack Roush offered to give me a race team, I would say, 'Thanks, but no thank you.' I wouldn't own one of these things for anything. It is very, very expensive and incredibly difficult.
"I have enormous respect for each and every individual that fields cars in that garage because that's a tremendous job to find the financing and find a way to balance the costs of our sport today. It's scary."
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT JIMMY FENNIG AND WHETHER OR NOT YOU WIN A TITLE YOURSELF, WILL YOU FEEL A PART OF ANY TITLE ROUSH RACING WINS?
"First of all on Jimmy Fennig, I hope that Kurt and Jimmy pull this one off. Jimmy and I go way, way back and it would be so cool for Jimmy to have that trophy on his mantle. It will really mean a lot to me. As far as feeling a part of championships that are won at Roush Racing, I don't know how to answer that. You know that my brain is blank in areas and it's fairly blank in those areas. I don't think about that. Some day I might.
"Jack Roush definitely makes me feel like an important part of Roush Racing and I'm sure he always will because he's so loyal. He will always try to make me feel like I was an important part of that. Some day that part of my brain may open up and I may see, but today that's not interesting or important to me. What's important to me is the performance of the 6 car. It's also important to me, the performance of the 6 car in 2006.
"Jack gave me a look yesterday when I told him that it was my intention that the driver that went in the 6 car for 2006 would be better than me and he gave me one of those looks like I had just stabbed him in the heart. That's Jack Roush. He's quite a guy. He didn't much believe that, but I do and that's my goal - to see the thing carry forward and continue to be the flagship of Roush Racing. I want to be a part of that and I want to be a part of Roush Racing for a long, long time. I'm not gonna turn my back and walk away from racing or Roush Racing.
"All I've said is I can't sign up for another one of these after 2005. I'm gonna reach deep for 2005, deeper than I ever have, but I can't do that again."
MARK MARTIN - NO. 6 VIAGRA TAURUS (FINISHED 15TH)
"This whole Chase, we've finished worse than we've run in every race but one. And we need to finish better than we run. We haven't had any disasters, and that's a good thing, but we run better than that every week. Everything goes against us. We just didn't recover from that spin. It looked like we might, and then we had a bad pit stop. Every time I turned around I was at the end, almost, at the back. We'd work our way up into position and something else would happen. That's the way it goes, I guess."
Martin Fights to 15th-Place Finish at Phoenix
Mark Martin and the #6 Viagra® Racing Team
Phoenix International Raceway/November 7, 2004PHOENIX, ARIZ. – “It was just one of those days where not a lot went right,” said Mark Martin moments after running to a 15th-place finish in Sunday’s Checker Auto Parts 500k at Phoenix International Raceway. The race marked the 600th Nextel Cup race of Martin’s storied career.
“It just seemed like we couldn’t get a break,” added Martin. “We had a lot better car than that (15th), but we just couldn’t get over the hump. It seems like that has happened a lot to us during these final 10 races. We are running pretty good, but we just don’t come away with the finish that we should.”
Martin started the race 22nd and wasted little time breaking into the field’s top 20 on the first lap. My lap 38 Martin had powered the Viagra? Ford inside the field’s top 15 and he had moved the car all the way to 11th position when the day’s first caution was issued on lap 75. The team came into the pits for four tires and fuel and returned in 12th place after a 15.45-second stop.
Martin was still running in 12th when light rain started to fall on lap 100. Four laps later caution was issued for the weather. The team pitted for four tires and fuel just moments before the field was red-flagged on lap 110 due to persistent rain. Green flag racing resumed 25 minutes later with the field going green on lap 114.
Martin was running in 13th position when the No. 6 Ford became caught up in a spin on lap 128. Martin’s car slid around a complete 360 degrees, but the veteran was able to avoid contact with several cars around him. Still Martin lost valuable track position. The team came into the pits for four fresh tires and restarted in 24th position when the field went green on lap 132.
Once again Martin began a steady march through the field, moving back inside the top 20 on lap 135. Martin had advanced to 17th position when the day’s fifth caution was issued on lap 142. This time the team opted for right-side tires only and Martin returned the field in 15th place when green-flag racing resumed. Caught up in lapped traffic, Martin fell back to 18th place by lap 151. The team stayed out under caution on lap 157 and Martin moved up to 15th place when the field went green.
Martin struggled with the car on the restart, dropping back to 17th by lap 162. The No. 6 Ford had dropped back to 21st place when the field began green-flag pitting on lap 189. Martin stayed on the track and steadily moved up as the leaders began to pit. Martin was running in 10th place and set to pit in two laps when the day’s seventh caution was called on lap 225. The team pitted and came out in 16th place, but quickly fell back to 19th on the new tires. Still running in 19th position, Martin opted for four fresh tires under caution on lap 239 and he returned to the field in 22nd place when the field went green on lap 243.
Again the No. 6 would struggle on the restart, falling back to 24th by lap 250, before Martin was able to regroup and once again mount a move up the field. By lap 254 he was back inside the top 20 in 19th place. Martin moved into 16th position 20 laps later lap 274. Martin was still in 16th place when the day’s ninth caution was issued on lap 282. Despite light rainfall and looming darkness the No. 6 team opted to come in for four fresh tires and fuel. The gamble paid off when the field resumed racing on lap 293 with Martin running in 18th place. Martin had moved to 17th when the day’s 10th caution was called on lap 298. The team opted to stay out and Martin remained in 17th when green-flag racing resumed with only 10 laps to go on lap 302.
The day’s 11th and final caution was issued on lap 306 forcing a green-white-checkered finish. Martin restarted the three-lap shootout in 15th place and was able to hold position and bring home the top-15 finish, his 24th top-15 finish in 33 races this season.
Martin Drives Pennzoil No. 9 Taurus to Sixth-Place Finish at Phoenix
Mark Martin and the #9 Pennzoil Racing Team
Phoenix International Raceway/November 6, 2004PHOENIX, ARIZ. – Mark Martin drove the Pennzoil No. 9 Taurus to a sixth-place finish in Saturday’s Bashas’ 200 Busch Series race at Phoenix International Raceway. Martin started the race 19th, but wasted little time moving through the field. By lap 61 Martin had broken into the top 10, where he would run for the remainder of the race.
“The Pennzoil Team did a great job today,” said Martin after the race. “The No. 9 Taurus was really good on the day and we had a solid effort in the pits as well. Everyone did a good job and we were able to get a solid finish on the day.”
Martin swapped eighth place with teammate Matt Kenseth for several laps and was running in eighth when the day’s fifth caution was issued on lap 98. A solid effort in the pits sent Martin back out in ninth, as some teams opted not to pit. Martin wasted no time as the field went green on lap 103. By lap 106 he had moved the No. 9 car into seventh place. By lap 144 Martin had powered the car to sixth.
Martin pitted on lap 148 under the day’s sixth caution and the team came into the pits for its third and final stop of the day. Some teams opted for a different pitting strategy and Martin was running in 10th place when green-flag racing resumed on lap 152. By lap 162 the veteran had advanced to eight place where he ran for the next 30 laps, before moving into seventh on lap 193.
Caution was called for the ninth and final time on lap 196, forcing the race to a green-white-checkered finish. Martin as able to get around fellow veteran Rusty Wallace for sixth position on lap 204, and he moved on to the sixth-place finish just one lap later.
The finish was Martin’s 130th career top-10 Busch Series finish in 205 starts.
Roush looks for drivers
By Keith Parsons
AP Sports Writer
November 4, 2004NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. -- Jack Roush looked out at North Wilkesboro Speedway and saw the ghosts of races past. He remembered the victories, the losses and the fights -- even if they didn't involve him or his drivers.
So when he decided to hold an audition for some of the best short track drivers around the world, he wanted to come here.
"I can't think of any place better to identify talent," the NASCAR team owner said.
About 25 drivers came for two days of testing last week -- a third day was rained out -- and Roush and his advisers trimmed the list to 10 for another test at Darlington on Nov. 15. If all goes well, at least one will get a chance for a full-time ride with one of Roush's teams in the truck series next season.
Current driver Carl Edwards already has moved up to the Nextel Cup series, and teammate Jon Wood plans to go to the Busch series.
"There is an opportunity here for somebody," Roush said.
The team didn't release the names of the final 10, but they might include Mike Pickens, a 21-year-old New Zealander who competed in sprint cars this season. He had never been on a paved track until his practice laps in one of the Roush trucks, and he quickly overcame that lack of experience.
He was discovered by a pair of team employees through a racing trade paper that printed stories and the results from his races Down Under. One of the people who kept noticing Pickens' name was Robbie Reiser, the crew chief for defending Cup champ Matt Kenseth.
The other was Wood's crew chief, Tony Price, who helped run the tests for Roush.
"I think we've all been very, very surprised at the level of talent," Price said. "The learning curve has been so steep. I don't think anyone seemed out of place here or seemed like he didn't belong."
Getting all the drivers together was a challenge, as was simply getting the track ready. NASCAR last ran at North Wilkesboro in 1996, and it has sat decaying over the past eight years. Grass and weeds grew up through portions of the pavement, and the concrete walls lost a good portion of their paint.
A few weeks of work by some members of Roush's team got it ready, although nothing could be done for the worn-out track surface. Even when races were held there regularly, tire wear was a problem, and it's only gotten worse.
Edwards' crew chief, Kevin Starland, made that clear when he talked to a group of the drivers before their laps.
"It has no grip, so throttle control is everything," Starland said. "You've got to remember, guys, it's going to be rough out there. You've just go to go out there and work on your line."
The drivers were given two sets of new tires, and after an initial run of about 15-20 laps to get comfortable, they had the option to make small adjustments to their trucks. A final run of 25 laps finished off their opportunities.
Each session featured only one driver at a time.
"It's not only about who runs the fastest times," Roush said. "We're watching how each of the drivers handles himself with the crew chiefs, handles themselves with the other team members, the media, if needed."
Roush has been one of the top developers of talent in NASCAR over the years, with drivers such as Kurt and Kyle Busch, Greg Biffle and Edwards getting their big breaks in one of his Fords.
All have won races, some have won championships, and finding another winner is what drives him.
"You guys are part of something special," Roush told the drivers. "At the end of the day, you will be part of history here at Roush Racing. That's something you can be proud of."
Pickens is more than ready to make the move halfway around the world to get his shot. An electrician back home, he stayed in the United States for about a week during his test, and he enjoyed driving the truck, which weighs about twice as much as the cars he's used to.
"You still drive by the seat of your pants," Pickens said. "The only difference, really, is your butt is a lot closer to the engine in the midgets and sprints I normally drive."
Martin Set To Make 600th Career Nextel Cup Start at Phoenix
Veteran will become only the 13th driver of the modern era to reach milestone
Roush RacingCONCORD, N.C. (Nov. 3, 2004) -- Roush Racing's Mark Martin will make his 600th career Nextel Cup start when the green flag drops this Sunday in Phoenix. Martin will become just the 13th driver to reach the margin in NASCAR's modern era, which started in 1972.
"It's hard to believe that we've been around that long," said Martin. "I've had the chance to live out my dreams over the past 20 years and the credit for that really goes to a lot of other people. I really have to thank the Robin Pemberton and Steve Hmeils' of the world, as well as people like Jimmy Fennig and Ben Leslie and Pat Tryson. It's really a testimate to all of the guys who gave a lot up over the years.
"It also says a lot about Jack Roush," added Martin. "He got this thing started and stuck with it and he took a chance on me back in 1988 and here we are today. I also have to thank all of the fans who have stuck with us throughout the years. Without there support we surely would not have been able to accomplish the things that we have."
Martin made his first start in the series on April 3, 1981 at North Wilkesboro Speedway, where he started fifth before eventually finishing 27th with a broken rear end. A few months later in only this third Cup start, Martin captured the pole at Nashville. A few weeks later Martin captured his second career pole at Richmond. He would go on to run his self-owned car five times, claiming two poles, two top-10 finishes and one top-five.
In 1988 Martin teamed up with car owner Jack Roush. Seventeen years, 542 races, 41 poles and 34 wins later Martin is still running the No. 6 Roush Racing Ford Taurus at the front of the pack. Martin has currently started 542 consecutive Nextel Cup races, the third longest current streak and the sixth longest ever. Martin is currently fourth in the Nextel Cup standings, and assured of his 14th top-10 points finish in the last 16 years. Martin has 339 finishes in 599 starts (57 percent) and 214 top-fives (36 percent).
Listed below are the numerical milestones of Martin's Cup career:
- First Cup Race: April 5, 1981, North Wilkesboro Speedway -- Started 5, Finished 27
- First Pole: Sept. 13, 1981, Wrangler 400, Richmond -- Started 1, Finished 7
- 100th Cup Start: June, 25, 1989, Miller High Life 400, Michigan -- Started 4, Finished 12
- First Win: Oct. 22, 1989, AC-Delco 500, Rockingham, Started 7, Finished 1
- 200th Cup Start: Oct, 25, 1992 - AC Delco 500, Rockingham -- Started 2, Finished 30
- 300th Cup Start: March 31, 1996 - Food City 500, Bristol -- Started 1, Finished 3
- 400th Cup Start: May 2, 1999 - California 500 -- Started 3, Finished 38
- 500th Cup Start: March 24, 2002 -- Food City 500, Bristol -- Started 37, Finished 11 500th Consecutive Cup Start -- Sylvania 300, New Hampshire -- Started 33, Finished 28
- 600th Cup Start is set for Phoenix on Nov. 7, 2004.
A Final Shot: Martin still has chance for first Cup title
By Mike Mulhern - Journal Reporter
Winston-Salem Journal
November 3, 2004After dominating Sunday's Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 for some three hours, only to lose in the final moments after a questioned caution, Mark Martin wasn't thinking championship, he was just thinking loss.
But when he realizes that he's back in contention, he may take a different tack.
"I'm not that excited," Martin was saying about the title race Sunday evening. "I had a pretty exciting day and really wasn't counting the points.
"I need a little bit of time to wind down, and as I wind down I'll pick up a piece of paper and see what those numbers say. They tell me that it's closer than it was. There are three races to go, and we should run well at all of them. Today we did everything that we could do."
CLOSER?
Martin is back in the championship chase, only 81 points down, just two weeks after his hopes had been dashed at Charlotte.
Now he has 20 days to make it happen. And with 2005 his last full-time season on the stock-car tour, to end a NASCAR career that began in 1981, Martin now has what could be his last chance to win what has been an elusive championship.
Sunday evening, though, Martin was still consoling his crew chief, Pat Tryson, for a no-win situation late. And Martin was making it clear that he had a bone to pick with a couple of his teammates.
"Pat was a sitting duck." Martin said about the dilemma presented by a late yellow flag. "He lost either way when they threw that caution.
"If I find out that that caution was for the show, I'll choke.
"I saw Kevin Harvick coasting slow, and if I'd have been NASCAR, I would have told somebody to push him off of pit road. It wasn't a problem, and I hate that.
"But we were a sitting duck. If we pitted, they stay out and win. If we stay out, they pit. So it was nobody's fault, but those caution flags."
That was not the only thing playing against Martin down the stretch. With Martin going for the win and for a few more points in the suddenly tight championship battle, teammates Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle did him no favors. And Martin was not pleased.
Edwards, however, did have a shot at the win, amazing for a rookie with only a few Cup races under his belt.
"I told you all those weren't my teammates," Martin said with a laugh. "If they were my teammates, they'd only be on the racetrack to make sure I won. They were trying to win themselves. They're competitors, and I was having to race them just as I was having to race the rest."
Second-guessing, if Martin had pitted for tires when winner Jimmie Johnson did, with 25 laps left, Martin probably would have won.
"I thought we'd be OK," Martin said, referring to the tires he had on his car. "If we pitted, they'd stay out, and it would be incredibly difficult for us to win."
However, when the last caution came out a few miles later, Martin did pit, and in the final 10 laps he moved from eighth to second, and probably could have won with a few more laps anyway.
When teammate Kurt Busch blew an engine early, Martin said, he wasn't worried.
"I felt it was how luck goes," Martin said. "I felt he was having some of the 'even-up luck' that I had early in the year after I broke several engines.
"I didn't feel like we had a problem with our engines. I felt like he had a problem with luck. I never felt ours was going to let us down.
"We've had incredible horsepower and terrific reliability since I showed them I could break their engines. They've gone back and fixed them. I demonstrated what they had wasn't strong enough for me. It was strong enough for the rest of the guys, but it wasn't strong enough for me. Now it's just incredible horsepower and reliability."
Edwards said he was deferring to his veteran teammate: "I decided before the green flag that if he took off and was really fast, I'd do my best, but if I wasn't faster than him, I wasn't going to race him really hard.
"I was going to let him go because he had the fastest car all day. But we had better tires.
"When we took off I thought 'Man, if my tires stick really well, if we're really fast, I'll go as hard as I can.' This team, every week we're racing for our jobs next year. And we need a full-time sponsor, and winning a race at this time would be good for us.
"I never thought in my whole career I'd be that close to a victory in this level of sports, so that's a pretty neat feeling."
Martin's music: Sparxxx could fly at banquet
By Dustin Long Staff Writer
News & Record
November 2, 2004EDITOR'S NOTE: This is another in a series of stories about the 10 drivers and teams competing for NASCAR's Nextel Cup Series championship.
When they visited MTV's "Total Request Live'' in September, 45-year-old Mark Martin told Elliott Sadler and Jeremy Mayfield about the singers pictured on the wall. Mayfield, 10 years younger than Martin, and Sadler, 16 years younger, had never heard of many of the names.
Yet, Martin knew them.
"Don't let Mark fool you,'' Sadler says. "He knows more about MTV probably than the rest of us put together. He was cool.''
Hidden behind an all-too-serious facade is a musical fan, who admits to playing air guitar on rare occasions. Martin draws the line, though, at Karaoke.
"I would never do that,'' he says.
Singing along in his personal car, he might just do that.
Of course few would hear him. His personal car, a Ford Mustang Roush, is loaded with amps and sub-woofers.
"Every time that car rolls, windows shake,'' Martin says, laughing. "It's actually the best with hip-hop music. That will put the hurt on you.''
More could experience such "hurt."
The champion of NASCAR's Cup series traditionally selects the musical performer at the season-ending banquet.
His second-place finish at Atlanta on Sunday moved Martin to fourth in the season standings, 81 points behind teammate and series leader Kurt Busch. Three races remain with the series heading to Phoenix this weekend.
Should Martin win the title, his music choice could be interesting. His musical taste range from Rush to Southern rapper Bubba Sparxxx and impresario Dr. Dre.
"He listens to everything,'' Jeff Burton says. "I'm constantly amazed that he knows people that I wouldn't think he would know. Somebody will come to the drivers' meeting, and I'll go to Mark to see who it is before they introduce them.''
Martin is back into classic rock of the late 1960s and early 1970s that featured AC/DC, Rush and Led Zeppelin among others. Martin's 12-year-old son Matt has become interested in that type of music, reigniting Martin's interest.
Before that, Martin listened to various artists.
During his county stage he listened to Tanya Tucker and the Dixie Chicks. Then it was on to hip-hop and rap where he favored Eminem, Nelly, 50 Cent and Dr. Dre.
"He's incredible,'' Martin says of Dr. Dre. "Dr. Dre is old school."
Sparxxx, a rapper from Georgia, also gained Martin's notice.
"Bubba Sparxxx is pretty cool,'' Martin says. "What turned me on to him was the music video he did. I thought he was almost making fun of the rest of the rappers because his was in a barnyard with farm animals and stuff. It's cool. He raps with a Southern twang, which is very interesting.''
So is the image of Martin playing guitar. He can't, but he says if he could, he'd like to play guitar like Ted Nugent or "one of those crazy guys.''
"(Eric) Clapton is more refined. I would have wanted to have been more of a lunatic."
Mark Martin Age: 45 Hometown: Batesville, Ark. Points position: 4th Points behind leader: 81 2004 wins: 1 2004 top fives: 9 2004 top 10s: 14 Best finish at Phoenix (site of Sunday's race): 1st (1993) Finish at Phoenix last year: 10th Average finish last five races at Phoenix: 8.2
