2006 Season Articles - August
2006 Mark Martin Nextel Cup Track Notes - Sunday, September 3, 2006
Sony HD 500 / California Speedway
No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion
August 30, 2006DRIVER: Mark Martin
TEAM: No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion
OWNER: Jack Roush
CREW CHIEF: Pat Tryson
THE CAR
Chassis: RK-381 - This is the same car used to run to top-five finishes at Indianapolis and Michigan in August.
MARK MARTIN - FAST FACTS - CALIFORNIA SPEEDWAY
- Mark Martin has posted six top-10 and three top-five finishes in 12 races at California Speedway.
- Martin has led a total of 268 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.
- Martin won the Busch race at Fontana in 2005 in his only Busch run there.
- Martin will pull double duty this weekend at California, running in Saturday's Busch race.
- Martin is the only driver in California Speedway history to post wins in Cup, Busch, Truck and IROC at the two-mile track.
- Martin enters the race in 10th place in the Nextel Cup point standings, 90 points ahead of 11th and just 48 points behind fourth.
QUOTING MARK MARTIN AND CREW CHIEF PAT TRYSON ON CALIFORNIA SPEEDWAY - NEXTEL CUP
Mark Martin:
"California has really turned into a nice place to race and we've had our share of success there over the years. We were always good there from the start, running out of gas the first year and still finishing 10th and going back the next year and getting the win. It's really a track that fits into our strong suit and we are hoping for a good finish this weekend.
"We had a really tough outing last weekend at Bristol, but that is not something that we can worry about now. Our task is to focus on the next race and that race is this weekend at Fontana, and we are going into the race needing a strong run and a good finish. The point race is really close right now, with only about 50 points separating 10th from fourth and we need to go there and beat all those guys around us and hopefully leave there one step closer to locking in our place in the Chase."
Pat Tryson:
"Fontana is one of our best tracks and we've been pretty good there the last few times. We are taking the same car that we ran to a top-five finish at Michigan a couple of weeks ago, so we are expecting to be pretty strong and hopefully contend for the win and put ourselves in a better position in the points moving into Richmond. Mark is really strong at these types of tracks, so it's our job to give him what he needs with the car and in the pits and we know that he'll be able to do the rest."
2006 Mark Martin Busch Series Track Notes - Saturday, September 2, 2006
Ameriquest 300 - California Speedway
No. 6 Ameriquest Ford Fusion
August 30, 2006DRIVER: Mark Martin
TEAM: No. 6 Ameriquest Ford Fusion
OWNER: Jack Roush
CREW CHIEF: Mike Beam
THE CAR
Chassis: RK-278 - This car ran at Michigan two weeks ago and finished fifth.
QUOTING MARK MARTIN AND CREW CHIEF MIKE BEAM ON CALIFORNIA SPEEDWAY - BUSCH SERIES
Mark Martin:
"California is one of my favorite tracks. We won the Busch race there last year and we won the truck race there in the spring. We won the Cup race there a few years ago as well, so we've had a lot of success there over the years. We are looking forward to getting back out there in the Busch car and seeing what we can do. Fontana has been a track where he had a lot of success over the years and I think we've been fortunate to win in just about everything that we've raced there. Hopefully we'll be able to go there and continue on with that tradition."
Mike Beam:
"This is just a great race team to work with. Mark is a great driver and we are excited about going back to California where we had a great run in the truck in February. We had a great run in the truck at Bristol and we finished top five with this Busch car a couple of weeks ago at Michigan, so we are pretty excited about what we have going on right now with this race team."
Pull out pom-poms for Martin
Mike Brudenell
Detroit Free Press
August 29, 2006First, let me say I've had my moments with Mark Martin, and he with me.
At Michigan International Speedway in 2005, Martin took offense to a question I asked him in his hauler.
He stopped talking. I walked out.
For the remainder of the weekend, I stalked by the No. 6 Ford, giving it the evil eye.
Now, a year later, I find myself hoping Martin makes NASCAR's Chase for the Championship, which begins at New Hampshire on Sept. 17.
No, Martin and I haven't hugged and made up. I doubt he remembers the incident, anyway. And I haven't interviewed Martin one-on-one since, although I've stood inches from him during media scrums, when microphones, tape recorders and TV cameras have been poked in his face.
I want Martin, who drives for Roush Racing, to make the Chase because he's an incredibly good, if not great, race car driver who deserves a Cup Championship before he retires.
In a Cup career that began in 1981, Martin has watched Darrell Waltrip, Terry Labonte, Bobby Allison, Dale Earnhardt, Bill Elliott, Rusty Wallace, Alan Kulwicki, Jeff Gordon, Dale Jarrett, Bobby Labonte, Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth and Kurt Busch win NASCAR's premier series.
While Earnhardt, with seven championships, is in a class of his own, Martin might have won half a dozen titles if luck was on his side. Consider:
In 1990, 1994, 1998 and 2002, Martin finished runner-up to Earnhardt (twice), Gordon and Stewart, respectively. In most years, Martin's seven victories in '98 would have been good enough for a championship -- only Gordon had 13 wins that season.
In 1989, 1993, 1997 and 1999, Martin finished third in points.
In 1995, 2004 and 2005, he placed fourth, while in 1991 and 1992, he was sixth, and in 1996, he finished fifth.
At Roush, Martin has had a few off seasons, if you could call them that. He finished 15th in points in his first year with the team in 1988, eighth in 2000, 12th in 2001 and 17th in 2003. Many drivers would take those "off" years in a heartbeat.
As it stands, Martin, who is 47 and says he might race in 2007, is 10th in points, 90 clear of Kasey Kahne, who is 11th. Greg Biffle (12th) and Carl Edwards (13th) are the only others drivers who can qualify for NASCAR's 10-race playoff series.
Two races, California and Richmond, remain before the start of the Chase, and Martin, Kahne, Biffle and Edwards have all been strong at these tracks. Although only points leader Jimmie Johnson and second-place Kenseth have booked their ticket in the Chase, Martin is on the bubble. Martin would like a couple of top-five performances over the next couple of weeks to assure a berth.
I, for one, won't bet against that happening. If anyone can bring a car home up front in a tight squeeze, it's Mark Martin.
Martinsville Speedway Coming Attractions
Mark Martin To Appear In Martinsville AAA Fan Hospitality
August 29, 2006MARTINSVILLE, VA. – Mark Martin fans will have a rare chance for an up-close experience with the driver of the AAA Ford Fusion prior to the SUBWAY 500 at Martinsville Speedway on October 22.
Martinsville Speedway and AAA, the official auto club of Martinsville Speedway, are offering a special ticket and hospitality package for the SUBWAY 500 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race on October 22.
The offer, which costs $145 for AAA members, and $170 for non-members, includes:
Tower ticket to the SUBWAY 500 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race
Admission to exclusive fan forum with Mark Martin
Admission to AAA member hospitality chalet
Lunch buffet with non-alcoholic beverages
Tram tour of track on race morning.
Call 1-877-722-3849 today and ask for the Mark Martin package.
Roush Racing’s and mark Martin’s name and/or likeness used by authority of Roush Racing, Livonia, Michigan. The AAA logo is a trademark of the American Automobile Association. All sales are final. No refunds or exchanges. Offer not valid on previously purchased tickets. Offer cannot be combined with other discounts or promotions.
Mark Martin to Visit With Fans in AAA Pit Tour Experience Prior to Oct. 8 UAW-Ford 500
By Kristi R. King
August 28, 2006TALLADEGA, Ala. -- Talladega Superspeedway Vice President and General Manager Rick Humphrey announced today that fans who purchase the AAA Pit Tour Experience for the Oct. 8 UAW-Ford 500 at Talladega Superspeedway will enjoy a visit from NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series No. 6 AAA Ford driver Mark Martin.
AAA is the Official Auto Club and insurance provider of Talladega Superspeedway. While the AAA Pit Tour Experience is open to all guests who choose to purchase the package, the track is offering the experience for only $130 to AAA members who also purchase frontstretch grandstand or tower tickets for the UAW-Ford 500.
In addition to the special visit from Martin*, the AAA Pit Tour Experience hospitality package includes:
Pass to the AAA Pit Tour Experience located in Talladega Superspeedway’s Hospitality Village
Pre-race Pit Road Tour
Catering for continental breakfast, lunch, soda and water, plus four beverage tickets per person
Event souvenir
Suite/Hospitality parking pass
“We know Mark Martin’s appearance in the AAA Pit Tour Experience will be a big hit with all of our guests,” Humphrey said. “We are pleased that our partnership with AAA enables us to offer this experience to our fans and urge AAA Members to take advantage of the special offer.”
To purchase the AAA Pit Tour Experience hospitality package, call the Talladega Superspeedway Ticket Office at 1-877-Go2-DEGA (462-3342). If you’re not a member of AAA, join online at AAA.com/RacingJoin. As North America’s largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA provides its more than 49 million members with travel, insurance, financial and automotive-related services. Since its founding in 1902, AAA has been a leader and advocate for the safety and security of all travelers.
Talladega Superspeedway will welcome fans back for the UAW-Ford 500 event weekend set for Oct. 6-8, 2006, featuring 1,000 miles of racing in 3 days. The weekend begins with the Food World 250 ARCA RE/MAX Series race on Friday, Oct. 6, followed by the track’s inaugural NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race on Saturday, Oct. 7. Then on Sunday, Oct. 8, NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series teams will compete in the UAW-Ford 500, race four in the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup. Kids age 11 and younger are admitted free of charge on Friday and Saturday of race weekends in the general admission grandstands at Talladega Superspeedway. To order tickets, call 1-877-Go2-DEGA (1-877-462-3342). For our hearing impaired guests, please call TDD 1-866-ISC-TRAK (1-866-472-8725). Tickets also are available online at www.racetickets.com, or in person by visiting the Talladega Superspeedway Ticket Office from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. CDT, Monday - Friday.
* Pit Tour and driver appearances are tentative in the event of unforeseen circumstances.
FOX Sports - NASCAR - Martin, Roush respond to report on SPEED's NASCAR RaceDay
August 27, 2006On Saturday, Roush Racing president Geoff Smith told NASCAR.com that Martin won't run a full-time Cup schedule in a Roush car in 2007.
On SPEED's ultimate prerace show, NASCAR RaceDay, reporter Wendy Venturini spoke with Jack Roush and Mark Martin about the report.
Roush responds:
Wendy Venturini: What is your response to what's been posted on the Internet this morning?
Jack Roush: Well, like I said, I haven't seen it. I don't know what's there, and I cannot respond to that. As far as what the state of Mark Martin's future is, right now, the plan is to be full-time in a truck. And I had conversations within the hour with (Roush Racing president) Geoff Smith and (senior vice-president, marketing) Torrey Galida over various situations that might be interesting to Mark to run a full-time program. Mark has not indicated to me that that was off the table, and I haven't heard that from any other source that I consider to be close.
Wendy Venturini:
So this might be blown out of proportion or maybe called out a little bit early because there's still talks that he will be in a truck for Roush full-time?
Jack Roush:
He will be in a truck full-time for Roush, but whether he might run 12 races or 10 races or 20 races or a full-time Cup program in addition to a part-time truck program, a full-time Cup program in addition to a part-time truck program, I'm not sure. It's all up in the air as far as I know.
Martin on '07:
Wendy Venturini:
Mark, what's your response to what's been posted on the Internet today? Any truth you will not be in a Roush Cup car next year?
Mark Martin:
Well, Wendy. First of all, you broke the news because I didn't know it 'til you broke the news. But since then, I have seen it on the Internet. Haven't talked to Geoff Smith about it, but Jack Roush and I — it was news to both of us today. There have been possible scenarios that would have put me back in the 6 car. I gave them a menu of things that I would like to do, and one of those was a part-time schedule in the 6 car and share the car with some rookies. I don't know. I guess that's not working out, but Geoff Smith hadn't told us that. With the rules the way they are on five Cup teams or four Cup teams under Roush Racing's rules that if I want to do a limited schedule and I can't do it in the 6 car, then that's it. I really hate it that NASCAR's put that rule into effect, but it's no big deal. I really have a bright future ahead. I'm so excited about 2007. I don't know if you watched or not, but Wednesday night was awesome with that Scott's Ford F-150. Got a great race team there and a lot to look forward to. There's some other things that I would like to do, and I have gotten excited about and then didn't get excited about. So there's still a lot of possibilities out there.
Wendy Venturini:
So virtually anyone from Roush Racing, Geoff Smith or Jack, haven't sat down and talked to you about those 2007 plans when it comes to the Cup schedule? You were looking at a part-time schedule.
Mark Martin:
That's what we were discussing. I really haven't ever had a discussion about driving the 6 car full-time in 2007. We have never had that conversation. We have had conversations about a 12-race schedule in the 6 car, and evidently that isn't working out with AAA or whatever so it's OK. There's a lot of cool things in the works still.
Wendy Venturini:
A lot of times we hear things so quickly that the drivers are hearing about them at the same time. It felt like that's what's happened today. News to the fans. News to NASCAR RaceDay and news to Mark Martin.
John Roberts:
Jimmy Spencer right now is doing some subliminal advertising. (Spencer held up a piece of paper with the number 88) Jimmy, do you want to say anything?
Jimmy Spencer:
I'm not going to say nothing, but I believe there's something to do with these snowmen and that driver right there. I love Bristol. I love Mark Martin's enthusiasm. Who wouldn't want that guy in a race car? If I owned a race car, I'd have him in it, especially at Bristol.
Editor's note: Earlier in the show, Wendy Venturini reported that Robert Yates was pursuing a veteran driver for a full-time Cup ride and hoped to make an announcement in mid-September.
NASCAR.COM - Martin won't run full time Roush Cup car in 2007 - Aug 26, 2006
By Marty Smith
NASCAR.COMBRISTOL, Tenn. -- If Mark Martin returns to the Nextel Cup Series full time in 2007 it won't be in a Roush Racing Ford, team president Geoff Smith said Saturday at Bristol Motor Speedway.
"You won't see Mark Martin in a Roush Racing owned [Cup] program," Smith said. "All our programs are sold out with the drivers we currently have. It was great of Mark to run this year.
"We're expecting Mark to be the lead guy in the Truck Series. That sponsorship is in place. We've got a couple of details to work out with Ford Motor Company, but that's where we expect to be. If he does more than that, it'll be supplemental."
Martin's projected replacement, Busch Series driver Todd Kluever, hasn't lived up to expectations, causing a buzz in the garage about his immediate future in the Nextel Cup Series. AAA is signed as sponsor of the No. 6, and per that contract Kluever is the driver.
"We're not satisfied with the aggregate performance level of that Busch team Todd's been with," Smith said. "When Jack does evaluations, he evaluates everything -- including the driver.
"That program right now is under intense scrutiny by Jack. And Todd, of course, feels that pressure. But it's our obligation to our sponsor to come forward and say where we think the program is with that driver."
So if not Martin or Kluever, who?
"[Kluever] is ready for it, but it's up to Jack to evaluate, of all the choices we have in our organization and outside the organization, is he the best candidate at this time for that program?" Smith said. "We owe it to AAA to make a formal evaluation.
"Certainly we can't leave things to rest when the performance level of the team generates this buzz. We have a lot of confidence in Todd over the long haul, but we also have to deliver over the short haul."
So might the veteran and the rookie split a season?
"Mark has not been a consideration for the 6, except only in the certain marketing scenarios early in the year that ended up not being in the equation. Even then it wasn't a full-time program," Smith said.
"It was a question of him running some races as part of a marketing transition. But in the end, the marketing plan involves a new driver in the series, and right now that's Todd Kluever. The only question is whether he's the one."
Roush was asked after Saturday night's Sharpie 500 about the prospects of Martin running the No. 6 in 2007.
"I have not been informed by Geoff that he's given up on Mark being in the 6 car next year," Roush said. "Certainly I haven't given up on that and it's pretty ironic that I had a meeting with Geoff [Saturday] morning when I rededicated ourselves to make sure that we give Mark as many options as we could have.
"I know one of the possibilities is [Martin] racing over with Boris Said and that group -- the Simo group. There has been some discussion about Mark driving that car for a number of races next year."
ThatsRacin.com | 08/27/2006 | Roush stirs the Martin pot
By David Poole
The Charlotte ObserverTeam owner Jack Roush said after Saturday's race that he has not yet given up on the idea of Mark Martin returning – yet again – for another year in the No. 6 Fords.
"Certainly I haven't given up on that," Roush said, seemingly in conflict with a NASCAR.com report about comments from Roush Racing president Geoff Smith.
"You won't see Mark Martin in a Roush Racing owned [Cup] program," Smith told NASCAR.com. "All our programs are sold out with the drivers we currently have."
Roush said that the possibility of Martin running a limited schedule for a team owned by Boris Said and Brian Simo has been discussed. Roush Racing has provided that new team with cars and other assistance.
"They're in our neighborhood and we've helped them several times this year," Roush said. "There has been some discussion about Mark driving that car for a number of races next year. I told Geoff, 'Before we decide that we'll let Mark move out of our camp and go run for somebody else for a number of races, we need to make sure that…we don't have a possibility ourselves.'"
Mark Martin Post Race Notes and Quotes – Nextel Cup - Bristol
Ford Racing: News
August 26, 2006MARK MARTIN - No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion (Finished 28th)
"I made a mistake. I was on the line and didn't know it and the officials didn't call it until we were gone, so we didn't have a chance to correct it. It was my mistake, and then we were gonna be fine to make it back up and I got in a wreck. I don't know what happened to the 4 car and that really messed the front end up so then we couldn't run. We had a good enough car to get back and have a reasonable finish and recover and rebound, but it wasn't our night. I've got to take the blame for that one."
YOU FELL TO TENTH IN POINTS. ARE YOU CONCERNED AT ALL ABOUT THE CHASE?
"I did the best I could."
Martin Can't Overcome Early Pit Road Penalty; Finishes 28th at Bristol
Pit road penalty and early accident too much to overcome for Martin, AAA Team
Mark Martin and the #6 AAA Racing Team
Bristol Motor Speedway/August 26, 2006“We’ll just have to go get them in California next week." - Mark Martin after Saturday night’s race at Bristol
BRISTOL, TENN. (August 26, 2006) – It was simply one of those nights for Mark Martin and the No. 6 AAA race team. In a race that started with great promise, Martin was penalized early for pitting out of the box and was held for a lap by NASCAR. Martin fought diligently to get back on the lead lap, at one time passing and holding off the leaders for several laps, but an accident with the No. 4 car on lap 210 caused severe damage to the alignment of Martin’s Ford Fusion, effectively ending his bid for a solid finish. Martin would be forced to limp home to a 28th place finish, while preserving his place in the Nextel Cup top 10 with two races remaining until the cutoff point for the Chase to the Nextel Cup.
“That was a tough night,” said Martin. “I messed up getting in the pits and that set us back and cost us a lap. We had a good car and were able work our way back up front and even drive our way back on the lead lap at one time, but we just weren’t able to get a break there, and when we got caught up in that accident it knocked the tow out on the car and it was just too tight to drive from that point on. It’s a shame, because the team did a great job and we really had a good car going into this thing.
“We really just can’t worry about that now,” added Martin. “We just have to go back and get them in California next week. We should be really good there and we’ll just have to go there and beat those other guys on the track. That is what we have to do and we will be up for the challenge.”
Martin started the race 15th after an early draw hurt his qualifying effort on Friday. However, by the weekend’s final practice session, Martin had one of the fastest cars in the field and was poised for a run at the trophy on Saturday night. The veteran needed only two laps to move to 13th once the race went green, and he was running there when the race’s first caution was called on lap 61. The team came down pit road for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment and picked up one spot to 12th. However, NASCAR penalized Martin for pitting out of the box and he was forced to come back down pit road and serve a one-lap penalty. He returned in 33rd position and one lap down when the field went green on lap 67.
The penalty would deal a severe blow to Martin and the team’s chances, but true to character Martin and the team dug down and came back fighting. By lap 121, Martin had driven himself into the lucky dog position as the first car one lap down. On lap 132, he passed race leader Dale Earnhardt Jr. to get back on the tail end of the lead lap. Martin was able to keep the leaders at bay for the next 57 laps, before eventually being overtaken by race leader Jeff Gordon on lap 189. Martin was able to collect the free pass back to the lead lap on lap 210 after the race’s fifth caution, but the caution would come at a huge price for Martin and the AAA team. The No. 4 car missed a shift, and Martin was unable to avoid a collision with the car. One lap later with Martin running 30th, the No. 4 car blew up causing the caution, but the tow had been knocked out of Martin’s car, effectively ending any chances he had for a good finish.
He would spend the remaining laps of the race, holding on to what position he could, as he was forced to settle for the 28th -place finish. The finish dropped Martin six places to 10th in the Nextel Cup point standing. With two races remaining at Fontana and Richmond, Martin currently holds on to a 90 point lead over 11th-place Kasey Kahne. He trails ninth by just two points and is only 48 points out of fourth.
The team will return to action next week at California Speedway, where Martin finished ninth in the spring and 11th last year. Martin has one win, three top fives and six top 10 finishes in 12 starts at California.
Roush Racing is a subsidiary of Livonia, Mich., based Roush Enterprises which operates 14 motorsports teams; five in NASCAR Nextel Cup with drivers Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards, six in the Busch Series with Martin, Kenseth, Biffle, Edwards, Todd Kluever and Danny O'Quinn, Jr., and two in the Craftsman Truck Series with Martin, David Ragan, Michel Jourdain, Jr. and Erik Darnell.
Mark Martin - Friday Interview at Bristol
Ford Racing: News
August 25, 2006Mark Martin, driver of the No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion, is fourth in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series point standings with three races remaining before the Chase for the Nextel Cup. Martin spoke about returning to Bristol Motor Speedway and further addressed his outlook for 2007.
MARK MARTIN -- No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion
HAVE YOU MADE ANYMORE HEADWAY AS FAR AS DECIDING WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO DO IN 2007?
"No. I'm just focused on what we're doing right here. I had a lot of fun Wednesday night and I'm just gonna kind of wait and see what materializes here and see what looks exciting. That truck is an awful lot of fun."
IF YOU STAYED IN CUP IS THERE ANY CHANCE YOU WOULD DRIVE FOR SOMEBODY OTHER THAN ROUSH?
"There are certain scenarios that might bring that around. I'm interested in a limited schedule and, obviously, I would love to do that with Jack, but that would kind of mess up the 6 car. I wish they didn't have a limitation on teams, but I'm not worried about it. I've got a chase to try to make. I've got it the best in the world. I have nothing to worry about for 2007 -- nothing."
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE TRUCK RACE.
"Thanks to Jack and all the guys on the Scotts team. They just had that Ford wired in. It's such a pleasure to drive for those guys. You only hit it that good once every so often. Those guys are tough. You see Todd Bodine every race and he's tough to beat, and there are so many other great drivers and great teams there. Believe me, I don't take it for granted. It's a privilege to drive for those guys."
IS THERE ANYTHING YOU CAN DO SATURDAY NIGHT TO TRY TO SOLIDIFY YOUR POSITION IN THE STANDINGS?
"I'll do everything I can, but I do everytime I come here and I've been in wrecks a lot as of late, so we'll really focus on doing our best in qualifying and doing our best to stay on top of things in the race, but there are only so much you can do. You're really powerless here to a bigger extent than anywhere else."
IT LOOKS LIKE 50 FULL-TIME CUP TEAMS NEXT YEAR. WILL THAT BE GOOD FOR THE SPORT?
"I guess it depends on who you ask. I think it will be really good for the fans. I think it is good for the sport. I think it's the most exciting time in NASCAR. It's thrilling to have Juan Montoya coming and Villeneuve, considering that's a big move for where NASCAR has come and where it's going. From a competitor's standpoint, it will have to take your breath away. It's gonna be bigger and better and tougher than ever before."
HAS RACING THE TRUCKS PUT ANY EXTRA STRAIN OR PRESSURE ON YOU?
"I'm stretched pretty thin this year, but I seem to be holding up pretty well. I'm doing a lot of neat stuff with AAA, helping them promote teen driver safety and things for them and all of our other sponsors as well. I'm driving a lot of stuff -- 67 races -- so it's a lot, but it's all going good. You caught me on a day when I've got a smile on my face, so I guess that's a good thing. I feel like I'm on top of the world. I've got a truck team sitting there waiting for me that's a dream come true and a lot of other interesting possibilities here. I'm driving for a great team with a great sponsor and have a shot at the chase. I don't know what else a guy could ask for."
WITH KENSETH RUNNING SO WELL IN RECENT RACES IS THERE ANYTHING OF HIS SETUPS THAT YOU CAN TRANSLATE TO YOUR CAR?
"It's not driving styles. We know what they're running for setups. We can't find the intimate details of what is making those work. It's hard to get those intimate details out of them."
WOULD A WIN HERE MEAN AS MUCH OR MORE TO YOU THAN ANY OTHER PLACE?
"At this stage of the game a win anywhere would be a big deal. I've said a lot that you don't get to choose where you win, you're just lucky if you get the win, so I'll take it wherever it comes. They're running good. They will run good here. We know what they have here. We ran basically what they had last time and we ran sixth, but they are really good right now at some race tracks that we can't run their setup. It would be nice, but they're trying to win a championship too, so we'll just have to see how things work out."
IS THIS AS RACE AS UNPREDICTABLE AS A PLATE RACE?
"It's as unpredictable as Talladega. It's right up at the top of the list for not having control of your own destiny. Certainly you need to run well here and you need to pit smart and all those things, but you can do everything right or you can do everything wrong and it doesn't matter. If it's your day to have a bad day, there's not much you're gonna be able to do about it."
HOW MUCH DOES EXPERIENCE PLAY A PART HERE FOR A GUY LIKE DENNY HAMLIN?
"Luck is way more important than experience, so if he's got good luck on his side, he's in great shape. It doesn't matter how much experience you have here, if you've got bad luck, you're not gonna do any good."
HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A RACE HERE WHERE IT ENDED AND PEOPLE WEREN'T ANGRY?
"Yeah, but I can't say that I look at everybody. I've walked away from here not knowing about any controversy."
DO YOU THINK NASCAR IS A LITTLE MORE LENIENT HERE THAN MOST PLACES?
"That's a good question. From my standpoint, I think they're equally consistent here as anywhere else, but that's not the most fair viewpoint. My viewpoint is blurred by all the other things that go on, but my response to that question is I think it's consistent."
MAYBE YOU FEEL THAT WAY BECAUSE YOU HAVEN'T BEEN THE VIOLATOR IN RECENT YEARS.
"That's true."
EVERY DRIVER WHO RACES WITH YOU COMMENTS ABOUT HOW CLEAN YOU RACE. CAN YOU DO THAT HERE OR DO THEY HAVE TO SEE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT MARK MARTIN HERE?
"You can do it here, but they can't abuse you. It they abuse me, then it's different. But it can be done here and it can be done everywhere. It just depends on if someone thinks they're gonna abuse or not. If they're gonna abuse, then things might get a little tougher."
ARE OTHERS MORE PRONE TO ABUSE YOUR STYLE AND FAIRNESS FOR CLEAN RACING HERE THAN AT OTHER PLACES? DO YOU FIND YOURSELF GETTING BEAT ON AND ABUSED MORE?
"No, they're more likely to not abuse me and abuse someone else because of my history."
SO YOU GET A BREAK HERE IN A WAY?
"I get a break almost everywhere based on my history. That's how I view it, but, certainly, you can't give many breaks here. If I earn a break here, I typically always get it and where someone might not that doesn't have the same history that I have. That's how I feel about it. I race everyone. If someone earns a break with me on the race track, they get it -- here or anywhere else. For the most part, I feel like I'm treated fairly out there and if it was to go the other way, then we can race people the way they race us and do to some degree."
WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER ABOUT YOUR FIRST EXPERIENCE AT THIS TRACK?
"It wasn't a big deal coming here. We raced Winchester and Salem, Indiana. I had heard about Bristol, but I knew it was a lot like Winchester and Salem, so it wasn't that big of a deal to me. It wasn't anything real different. Like the first time I went to Daytona, I had never seen anything like that but here, it wasn't a shock because I had done a lot of racing at Winchester and Salem."
YOU SEEM MORE RELAXED THESE DAYS?
"I feel pretty tense. It's been really hard to sleep the last week or two. It's still pretty intense. I wish it wasn't, but I still care just like this is my first time. I still care just as much."
IS IT BECAUSE OF WHERE YOU ARE IN THE CHASE AS OPPOSED TO IT BEING THE LAST TIME?
"I'm not thinking or considering about my future in racing. I'm thinking and considering now and from now until December. That's all I'm really focused on."
Mark Martin Post Qualifying and Post Race Notes and Quotes - NCTS - Bristol
Ford Racing: News
August 23, 2006Mark Martin, driver of the No. 6 Ford F-150, returned to the Craftsman Truck Series after a six-race hiatus and grabbed his second pole of the season in qualifying for this evening's O'Reilly 200. Martin, who last competed in the series at Michigan in June, has seven starts this season with three victories. Martin, who now has two career truck series poles and four victories, captured the pole in his 11th career truck series start with a time of 15.320 seconds and an average speed of 125.248 mph.
MARK MARTIN-6-Scotts Ford F-150 (Qualified 1st)
TODAY'S QUALIFYING RUN MARKED AN IMPRESSIVE RETURN TO THE SERIES.
"Wow, just an incredible truck that these guys have given me with this Scotts F-150. I just love coming to Bristol with these guys. They're just so much fun to work with. They enjoy it when we run good and they really take it hard when we don't, so they're willing to work really hard. This pole is a product of their hard work and it sets us up for what we hope will be a good run tonight."
YOU HAVE EXPERIENCED SUCCESS HERE AT BRISTOL IN BOTH THE CUP AND BUSCH SERIES. SHOULD WE EXPECT NO LESS TONIGHT?
"It's going to be a real competitive race. You know how they go here, track position is about everything and you've got a lot of good drivers and a lot of good trucks. It will be a wild night and maybe the best race of the weekend. Winning the pole was a good start and it gives the guys a little something extra heading into the race tonight."
WITH THE TRUCKS SERIES ONLY STARTING 36 TRUCKS, WILL THAT MAKE IT A LITTLE EASIER TO PASS ON THE TRACK DURING THE RACE?
"I think so. Even though the trucks are a little bit larger, I think it will help having a few less, for sure. But, this is Bristol and anything can happen, and when it does, it usually happens pretty fast. This Scotts Ford F-150 is fast and that makes it fun to drive, and I'm looking forward to tonight."
MARTIN WINS FOR THE FOURTH TIME IN 2006
Mark Martin took the checkered flag for the fifth time in his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career with tonight's victory. Martin won the pole and went to victory lane in his first truck series start at Bristol Motor Speedway, and now has wins at the half-mile track in all three of NASCAR's major touring series.
In eight races this season, Martin has driven to victory lane a series-high four times, and extended Roush Racing's all-time series win mark to 41.
Ford has now won 76 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races all time, and six in 2006.
Ford's win tonight is its third truck series victory at BMS (Ruttman, Edwards).
The last Ford truck series triumph at BMS occurred when Carl Edwards won this event in 2004.
MARK MARTIN-6-Scotts Ford F-150 (Finished 1st)
"It's all these guys right here. This Scotts F-150 was just spectacular. I'm just really lucky to be able to drive this thing. I really want to thank Jack Roush and this whole team. It's fun to drive this truck. This place has not been kind to me lately and Mike Beam (crew chief) just had a good strategy and the best truck here. I knew it was awesome in practice, and I've been looking forward to it all day."
DID YOU EVER THINK THAT LAP 30 WAS TOO EARLY TO MAKE YOUR ONLY PIT STOP?
"I did, but at lap 100 I knew it wasn't because the tires were, I swear, we never raced anyway, it seemed like we were under caution ever other lap. There at the end, I don't know how much faster new tires would have been. I guess it would have been faster, but that thing would have rolled. It was just so tough."
"Mike Beam and all of these guys just gave me such a great truck today. I really want to thank them and Jack Roush and Scotts and Ford. This place hasn't always been real kind to me and today it was spectacular. Mike Beam had very good strategy and we had an incredible truck to drive and this was fun."
HOW IMPORTANT WAS YOUR SPOTTER TONIGHT?
"Well, I have a great spotter with Bobby Hudson, but when you have Todd Bodine behind you, you're never safe. He's an incredible driver and he can pull a rabbit out of the hat in a heartbeat."
JACK ROUSH, Owner-6-Scotts Ford F-150
"Well, Mark is the man. Any talk about Mark and retiring anytime soon is premature. He's healthy, and he's fast, and he's having a good time right now."
Martin Dominates Bristol Truck Race; Becomes fourth Winningest Driver in NASCAR History
Mark Martin and the #6 Scotts Racing Ford F-150 Team
Bristol Motor Speedway/August 23, 2006Martin takes pole and cruises away from field at Bristol for fourth truck series win of season.
"It all started off being a great day as soon as I got here and started working with Mike Beam and the Scotts team... They really had that F-150 working today.” - Mark Martin after Martin’s win at Bristol
BRISTOL, TENN. (August 23, 2006) – Mark Martin and the No. 6 Scotts Ford F-150 were simply dominant in Wednesday night’s Craftsman Truck Series win at Bristol Motor Speedway. Martin took the pole, his second of the season, and led 164 of 200 laps en route to his fourth victory of the season in just eight starts in the Craftsman Truck Series. Martin never surrendered the lead on the track all night, giving up the lead only once while coming down pit road, while others opted to stay out on the track. The win made Martin the fourth winningest driver in NASCAR history, with 87 total NASCAR wins in the Nextel Cup, Busch and Truck series’.
"It all started off being a great day as soon as I got here and started working with Mike Beam and the Scotts team,” said Martin. “They really had that F-150 working today. We made a few adjustments on it during practice and I told them, 'Man, we're ready.' We quit practice early and the truck was spectacular. I knew it was today and it was tonight. Mike Beam made a great call and we had the truck that we needed to save tires and save gas till it came time to lower the hammer."
Martin was fast right out of the truck and never looked back, taking what was his 10th career NASCAR pole at Bristol (seven Cup, two Busch). He pulled away early and simply drove away from the field. The race’s nine cautions were the only thing that kept the field close, but Martin would pull away each time on the restart. After the race’s second caution was issued on lap 28 the team would come down pit road for its first and only stop of the race, taking on four tires and fuel. Martin would come out of the pits short on enough fuel to make it the remainder of the race, but his ability to conserve on long green flag runs, combined with the numerous cautions down the stretch was enough to take him to the end.
Martin came out of the pits in 14th position, as 13 cars opted to stay out on the track for a different fuel strategy. The field went green on lap 33 and Martin drove his way back inside the top 10 on lap 50. He was running in ninth when the race’s third caution was called on lap 63. The remainder of the field was then forced to come down pit road and Martin was shown as the leader when the field returned to green on lap 69. He led the remaining 131 laps in one of the most dominating performances of his career.
“It was spectacular the whole time and it's just a lot of fun to race with Mike and all of those guys,” added Martin. “They get so excited when we run good and that makes it so much fun. I want to thank Jack Roush for making that available to me. Such a great team, and I thought we had an incredible crowd here tonight, a big crowd and they were supportive of it. I'm sure we're going to see a lot more sparks yet this weekend. We're not done making sparks out there yet." The win was Martin’s fifth at Bristol Motor Speedway, with two each coming in the Cup and Busch Series’. Martin now has four wins, seven top-five finishes and two poles in eight truck starts in 2006. He will return to action in the Scotts Ford F-150 at New Hampshire in September.
Roush Racing is a subsidiary of Livonia, Mich., based Roush Enterprises which operates 14 motorsports teams; five in NASCAR Nextel Cup with drivers Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards, six in the Busch Series with Martin, Kenseth, Biffle, Edwards, Todd Kluever and Danny O'Quinn, Jr., and two in the Craftsman Truck Series with Martin, David Ragan, Michel Jourdain, Jr. and Erik Darnell.
Mark Martin wins NASCAR trucks race at Bristol Motor Speedway
August 23, 2006BRISTOL, Tenn. (AP) -- Mark Martin, starting from the pole for the first time in a truck race at Bristol Motor Speedway, made just one pit stop and won the Craftsman Truck Series' O'Reilly 200 on Wednesday night.
Martin decided to roll the dice and take his lone pit stop during the second caution of the race on lap 30. He reclaimed the lead on lap 66 when the leaders pitted during the third caution and never relinquished his advantage, claiming the win on a green-white-checker finish.
``I'd be curious to know how much gas was left,'' team-owner Jack Roush wondered after the race.
With the victory, Martin became the first person to win a Cup race, a Busch race and a Craftsman Truck race at Bristol.
``I'm just really lucky to be able to drive this thing,'' Martin said. ``It was awesome in practice and stayed that way all day.''
Points leader Todd Bodine was second, followed by Ted Musgrave, Johnny Benson and David Starr.
``We had the second-best truck, and that's where we finished,'' Bodine said. ``We should have won last week and we finished second this week. That's what we had to do for points.''
Mike Skinner had one of the fastest trucks on the track early and he snagged the lead when Martin pitted early. After Skinner pitted at lap 66 and relinquished his lead, he spent the rest of the race furiously trying to fight his way through the field.
Handling problems near the end of the race relegated him to a seventh-place finish.
It was a typical night at Bristol Motor Speedway as the race featured nine caution periods for 53 laps.
Martin continues success in Bristol, wins O'Reilly 200
August 23, 2006BRISTOL, TENNESSEE (TICKER) -- Mark Martin completed a trifecta at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Martin capitalized on some savvy pit strategy en route to winning Wednesday night's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series 200 at one of his favorite tracks.
A regular on the Nextel circuit, Martin continued to dominate the truck series, winning for the fourth time in eight races. He has seven top-five finishes.
The latest win for Martin gave him one here in each of the NASCAR Series in his career, making him the first driver to accomplish the feat.
Starting from the pole, Martin gave up the lead after taking his lone pit stop on lap 30. The decision ulitimately paid off.
Driving a Ford F-150 for Roush Racing, Martin took back the lead midway through the race and dominated the rest of the night, including one final restart with 10 laps remaining.
After a spinout led to the restart, Martin was able to hold off the Toyota Tundra of points leader Todd Bodine en route to reaching Victory Lane. Martin won by 0.149 seconds.
Martin, who collected the first prize of $47,350, led for the final 134 laps and for 163 overall.
Bodine was second, followed by the Toyotas of Ted Musgrave, Johnny Benson and David Starr.
Bodine increased his lead to 154 points in the standings over Benson.
There were nine cautions for 53 laps.
Martin, AAA Team Run to Top-Five Finish at Michigan
Martin advances to fourth in Nextel Cup point standings with three races remaining until cutoff
Mark Martin and the #6 AAA Racing Team
Michigan International Speedway/August 20, 2006“I love racing at this place. We had a very strong car there at the end.” - Mark Martin after Sunday’s top-five finish at Michigan
BROOKLYN, MICH. (August 20, 2006) – Mark Martin held off a charging Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the final laps at Michigan International Speedway to run to a fifth place finish in the GFS 400. The finish was Martin’s second top-five in the last three races and it moved Martin up two places to fourth in the Nextel Cup point standings with only three races remaining before the 26-race cutoff point for the Chase for the Nextel Cup.
“This is a good run for us,” said Martin after the race. “We had a very strong car there at the end. It took us all day to get running, but once we did we were really strong. I’m proud of the AAA team, they gave me a good car and we were pretty strong at the end.”
Martin struggled with a loose race car early on and for much of the race, falling back to as far as 22nd early. However, after several adjustments in the pits, the car eventually came around, developing into one of the fastest cars in the race as Martin made his charge to the front late in the race. Martin broke into the top 10 on lap 144 and never looked back. By lap 151 he was turning the fastest times on the race track, breaking into the top five on lap 169 and holding on for his fifth top-five finish of the season. Martin battled Earnhardt Jr. down to the final lap to hang on to the finish.
“That was one more off the list,” said Martin. “If we can get through Bristol without wrecking, we’ll be in pretty good shape. The AAA team did a great job today, and I’m really proud of the effort.”
Martin started the race 14th and moved into 11th position by just the second lap of the race. However, the car’s handling eventually became extremely loose in the hot sun, and the team came down pit road after the day’s second caution on lap 11 to take two tires and make a track bar adjustment to help tighten up the car’s handling. Martin returned in 22nd position when the field returned to green on lap 14.
Martin soon reported that the car was still ‘way too loose’, and he returned to the pits on lap 23 after the race’s third caution to make an additional wedge adjustment and take four fresh tires. The car remained ‘loose’, but Martin was still able to work his way up to 15th position by lap 39. The team adjusted the car under caution on lap 43 and stayed out under caution on lap 53. The car’s handling finally began coming around allowing Martin to work his way to 13th by lap 59.
Crew chief Pat Tryson brought Martin into the pits four laps later after caution number six was waved. The call was to take two tires and Martin went back out in 19th position. He again patiently mounted a march forward reaching 13th place by lap 76, before the car’s handling tightened up too much and began to push in the corner. Martin again fell back to 17th position by lap 92 before the leaders on different pit cycles began to pit on lap 96. Martin moved up to third place as the leaders pitted, before eventually coming into the pits on lap 108 to take four tires, fuel and wedge out.
Martin was back in 15th when caution number seven was called on lap 113. This time the team was able to stay out and Martin started in ninth position when green-flag racing resumed on lap 119. By lap 122 Martin was running the fastest times on the race track, as he moved into sixth place on lap 129. Caution was issued moments later, and the team decided to come down pit road once again for four tires. The gamble worked with Martin coming back out in 10th as the field went green on lap 134. By lap 151, Martin was again the fastest car on the track, as he again powered his way to sixth position. Nine laps later the race’s 10th and final caution was called and the team came down pit road for the seventh and final time of the day, putting on four tires and taking fuel in its fastest stop of the say with a time of 13.3-seconds.
Martin went back out in eighth, as a few cars opted for two tires and fuel only. Martin was able to drive back to sixth by lap 165, before breaking into the top five on lap 172 with 28 laps to go in the race. Martin surrendered fifth place to Jeff Gordon two laps later, but he moved back into fifth with a handful of laps remaining. He was forced to battle hard for the position down the stretch, but was able to hold on to the finish.
With the run, Martin is now 138 points ahead of 11th and 89 points in front of 10th. He trails third by 78 and leads fifth by 11. The finish was Martin’s 16th top-five Cup finish at Michigan International Speedway. The team returns to action next Saturday night at Bristol, where Martin finished seventh in the spring.
Roush Racing is a subsidiary of Livonia, Mich., based Roush Enterprises which operates 14 motorsports teams; five in NASCAR Nextel Cup with drivers Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards, six in the Busch Series with Martin, Kenseth, Biffle, Edwards, Todd Kluever and Danny O'Quinn, Jr., and two in the Craftsman Truck Series with Martin, David Ragan, Michel Jourdain, Jr. and Erik Darnell.
Mark Martin Post Race Notes and Quotes - GFS Marketplace 400
Ford Racing: News
August 20, 2006MARK MARTIN -- No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion (finished 5th)
"This is a good run for us. Had a very strong car at the end that took us all day to get running. I'm proud of the AAA team. We were pretty strong at the end."
WHAT DOES TODAY'S FINISH MEAN FOR YOU IN TERMS OF THE CHASE?
"That was one more off the list. If we can get through Bristol without wrecking, it'll look pretty good."
IS MICHIGAN A TRACK YOU PARTICULARLY LIKE?
"I love this place. And we had a good car today. It was a good time. I appreciate my boys."
Martin Scores Record 29th Busch Pole; Moves On to Top-Five Finish at Michigan
Late cautions spoil Martin’s bid for win from the pole in Michigan Busch race
Mark Martin and the #6 Pennzoil Ford Racing Team
Michigan International Speedway/August 19, 2006“Well we did have a lot of fun today. Our Pennzoil Fusion was really good. I want to thank all of these guys that put this car together. It was a fast car.” - Mark Martin after Saturday’s Busch race at Michigan
BROOKLYN, MICH. (August 19, 2006) – Mark Martin recorded his record 29th Busch Series Pole and then went on to finish fifth in the Carfax 250 on Saturday at Michigan International Speedway. The finish is Martin’s sixth top-five and eighth top-10 in nine Busch starts at MIS. Martin started up front and ran as low as eighth late in the race with a car strong on long runs, but saw his chances of victory foiled by a series of late cautions at the end of the race.
“We had a really good car today, especially on the long runs,” said Martin. “Mike (Beam) and the team did a great job with the car at it was fast today. We just weren’t good enough on the restarts to get ahead of them there late in the race. We were able to get up to the front on that one long run, but all the cautions late hurt our chances in the end.
“We really wanted to get up there and race for the win with (Dale Earnhardt) Junior. It just didn’t really like the restarts that much and it would take it a while to come in. Still, we had a good car and it was a lot of fun to drive the Pennzoil Fusion today,” added Martin. “Hopefully we’ll be able to bring this car back to Fontana and go for the win there in a couple of weeks.”
Martin started on the pole, but quickly dropped back to fourth as he worked with the free handling condition of the car. The team pitted under the day’s second caution on lap 21 to take four tires and fuel and came back out in 12th position, as several cars opted to stay out. Martin quickly moved back through the field, breaking back inside the top five on lap 32. He stayed out under the race’s fourth caution and returned in second place on lap 43. However, he struggled with the car’s handling after a restart on lap 49 and fell back to seventh position by lap 50.
The field then embarked on a long-green flag run that saw Martin patiently work his way back through the field. He moved back inside the top-five by the half-way point on lap 63. He took over third place on lap 75 and passed teammate Carl Edwards for second on lap 77. The team pitted under green on lap 78 for four tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment. By the time the field had cycled back through, Martin was back in second place when caution number six was called on lap 101.
The team again came into the pits for four tires, fuel and wedge and returned in seventh as a handful of cars opted for two tires. The field restarted on lap 105 and by lap 109 Martin was in sixth and clearly turning the fastest times on the race track. He was catching the leaders by two and three tenths a second, but saw his momentum halted when the caution flag waved on lap 117. The car would be too loose on the restart and Martin dropped back to sixth by lap 122. Edwards, who was leading the race, was wrecked on the last lap and Martin was able to avoid the spinning No. 60 car and move back inside the top-five for the fifth-place finish.
With the pole, Martin now holds the Busch record for poles (29) and wins (47). Martin will return to action in the Busch Series in two weeks at California Speedway.
Roush Racing is a subsidiary of Livonia, Mich., based Roush Enterprises which operates 14 motorsports teams; five in NASCAR Nextel Cup with drivers Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards, six in the Busch Series with Martin, Kenseth, Biffle, Edwards, Todd Kluever and Danny O'Quinn, Jr., and two in the Craftsman Truck Series with Martin, David Ragan, Michel Jourdain, Jr. and Erik Darnell.
M6M comment about Jr. wrecking Carl...Mark didn't see anything, but I and countless Edwards/Roush fans did. Freaking Jr. bumped/wrecked Carl. You know who SHOULD have won that race. If you don't know, my suggestion to you is get your head and or eyes examined :)
Carl shouldn't have gone back out and bumped Jr. though. I don't agree with that, but I guess Carl wanted to make a point. You know NASCAR would never do anything about Earnhardt wrecking Carl. You think they want death threats? LOL
Hopefully, Carl will continue to tell it like it is. I admire that in him. The sound of "boo-ing" did add a nice touch at the end of the race. I would say Michigan is Ford country ;) Go get em' next time Carl! Whoop some butt!
Mark Martin Notes and Quotes - Carfax 250
Ford Racing: News
August 19, 2006Mark Martin, driver of the No. 6 Pennzoil Fusion, won the pole for Saturday's Carfax 200 at Michigan International Speedway. This is Martin's 29th Busch Series pole, a new record in the NASCAR Busch Series.
MARK MARTIN--6--Pennzoil Fusion (Finished 5th)
AT THE BEGINNING OF THE DAY YOU SAID YOU JUST WANTED TO GO OUT THERE AND HAVE FUN. HOW WAS IT OUT THERE TODAY?
"Well we did have a lot of fun. Our Pennzoil Fusion was really good. It was really good on the long runs. You know, we got too many cautions at the end. I want to thank all of these guys that put this car together. It was a fast car and we were running second before the last couple of cautions and really wanted to get up there and race for the win with [Dale Earnhardt] Junior. It just didn't really like the restarts that much and it would take it a while to come in."
YOU WERE RUNNING BEHIND JUNIOR AND ROBBY GORDON TOWARDS THE END. COULD YOU SEE UP FRONT OR WHAT HAPPENED WITH CARL?
"I couldn't really see it."
EVEN BEFORE THE HALFWAY POINT OF THE RACE, GUYS STARTING GOING THREE-WIDE AND YOU KIND OF HELD OFF ON THAT. ON A BIG TRACK LIKE MICHIGAN, IS THAT SOMETHING YOU DON'T WANT TO DO TOO EARLY IN THE RACE?
"Well you know you've just got to race smart and it's a big and long race. We were working on the car, we were a contender to win there and the cautions really kind of hurt us there. We were gaining on Junior there, I wanted to get up there and make a race out of it and then the restarts kind of jumbled us up. We didn't take off that good on restarts, and then it would come in [once the run got going]."
Unretired...
By Tom Bone
Bluefield Daily Telegraph
August 21, 2006Martin not ready to quit
BRISTOL, Tenn. — Roush Racing great Mark Martin is leaving NASCAR’s Nextel Cup Series after this season. Most observers use the dreaded “R” word to describe his departure. Martin is not one of them.
“Everybody likes to use that word ‘retirement,’ like I’m going to retire,” said Martin, whose schedule will encompass 63 racing events this year. “Yeah, right. I’m going to retire all right, in about 60 years.”
In 2007, Martin has a full complement of races planned; only most of them will be while in a truck and not while in a car.
He does, however, expect to participate in the Bud Shootout, the All-Star race, and in selected short-track races across America, but recent comments suggest he may also consider making a dozen starts in a Cup car next year.
Martin will still be under the employ of Jack Roush and driving a Ford bearing the No. 6. For Martin, the Craftsman Truck Series offers him the opportunity to race in the same fashion he did when he first began racing stock cars in 1974 — more for fun and less as a job.
“[Racing a truck] is like driving race cars 25 years ago. Those guys really get up on the wheel,” Martin said, who ran five NASCAR Cup races in 1981, the year before he began his first full season in 1982. “[Racing them] feels awesome. In my opinion, it’s the best racing in NASCAR. I’m learning a lot and sometimes I don’t know what to fix or what we can’t fix, but I’m still trying to find my way.”
Don’t be fooled by the violin music though. In seven truck races this season, he has already distinguished himself by “finding his way” to Victory Lane three times and registering six Top-Five finishes.
When Martin isn’t in a race next year, he’ll most likely be watching another Martin who is — his son, Matt. Although he enjoys following Matt’s burgeoning racing career, he is between two opinions about his son pursuing the same career as he did.
“I have mixed emotions about Matt’s racing. On the one hand, I want him to be a greater race car driver than I could have ever been. On the other hand, everybody wants better for their kids than for themselves,” said Martin. “In a lot of ways, I don’t want him to have to go through the sacrifices and compromises that have to be made along the way, and to be in such a competitive environment for so many years.”
These days on those rare off-weekends when he has an opportunity to watch Matt perform, he does so with a father’s expected apprehension.
“I went to one of his races and he asked me, ‘Are you going to spot for me?’, and I said, ‘Do you want me to?’ Martin recalled. “He said, ‘You kind of get excited’. It’s a lot easier for me when I have control over things than when I’m watching him do it.”
It is that ability to stay in control that has made Martin one of the most respected race car drivers in NASCAR. Most of his peers, when asked, name him as one of their favorite drivers to race with or against.
Respect of that scale is earned, not endowed, and Martin considers the respect he has gained on the track as his greatest achievement. Similarly, Martin is equally comfortable with racing those who have garnered that same kind of respect.
"I enjoy racing with and against a lot of the guys, but the veterans are my favorites. I had a good time racing with Rusty (Wallace),” Martin said. “He and I started racing against each other in 1976 from the little bitty tracks all the way through NASCAR. I have great respect for Rusty and miss him this year.”
Just as they prefer racing certain drivers, most if not all Nextel Cup drivers have an affinity toward certain race tracks. Martin lists several, including Lowes Motor Speedway, Michigan, Atlanta, California, Las Vegas, Dover, and Pocono. This coming weekend, he will be engaged in Cup battle one final time on a track that didn’t make his list.
“Bristol Motor Speedway is exhausting and much more exciting than it was in the nineties,” said Martin. “The competition has gotten so close that there’s never a break and you never have a chance to relax. It’s very stressful mentally and incredibly difficult physically. Usually, I’m like a zombie on the way home afterward.”
Favorite track or not, and win or lose, the fans at B.M.S. and other tracks along the Nextel Cup circuit seem to adore Mark Martin.
“I take pride in the fact that over the years,” Martin said, “from time to time, I’ve been able to make it exciting for my fans.”
What will Mark Martin do in 2007?
By Mark Zeske
SI.com Writer
August 16, 2006Veteran driver Mark Martin is having another great NASCAR season. He's sixth in the standings and consistently piling up points. The 47-year-old doesn't have a win and he's nowhere near the leaders in top fives and top 10s, but he has only three finishes worse than 20th.
But instead of buzzing about Martin's chances to win a title, all the NASCAR Nation wants to talk about is what he's going to do next year. This, of course, is fair, because Martin's future plans make for much better gossip, speculation and debate than how he's doing on the race track.
Martin brought much of the attention on himself when he declared that the 2005 season would be his last. He enjoyed a farewell tour, then decided to come back in '06 when owner Jack Roush found himself short of quality drivers.
To top it all off, Martin doesn't have a clue as to what he'll be doing in 2007. "I don't know about that," he said last weekend at Watkins Glen. "I'm not worried about it."
Martin hasn't signed a contract for '07 but has more possibilities than perhaps anyone in the history of NASCAR. Here are his six best.
1. Run a full-time schedule in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
This is what Martin keeps insisting he wants. "This is where my heart is," Martin says. Not exactly your usual retirement rout, but Martin plans for his 14-year-old son, Matt, to eventually race in the Craftsman Series. Matt is a racing prodigy, and Martin will be the mastermind behind his son's career.
2. Race a full-time schedule in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and race part-time on the Nextel Cup Series.
This is the have-your-cake-and-eat-it-too proposal, as Martin would fulfill his top goal of being on the Craftsman circuit. Every Cup driver secretly dreams about running a partial schedule -- the big events and the tracks they love -- but having to Chase for the Championship usually shatters that thinking.
Martin calls this his "best-case scenario" but doesn't know if this is a possibility or not because Ford hasn't committed to the Craftsman Series yet for 2007, and there's no way he's racing for two manufacturers -- even if they are in different series. Also, NASCAR's new limits on car ownership would prevent Roush from running five full-time cars and a part-timer for Martin.
3. Race another full-time season on the Nextel Cup circuit for Roush Racing.
Roush plans to put Todd Kluever in Martin's No. 6 Ford in the Cup Series in '07, but Kluever has struggled in the Busch Series this year. If Kluever's not ready, Martin could race another season for Roush in the same car he's piloting this year.
In all likelihood, Kluever's uncertainty is probably keeping Martin from getting a deal done. If Kluever was either in or out, decisions would get made quickly.
4. Race another full-time season on the Nextel Cup circuit for another team.
Rumors continue to link Martin with Robert Yates Racing, something that makes sense, but Martin laughs at that gossip. While both are Ford teams and Yates is looking for drivers, the two have never talked about hooking up except to joke about it. Martin isn't sure he wants to race for anybody other than Roush; the two have been paired up since 1988.
5. Become a Nextel Cup owner and race another full-time season at NASCAR's highest level.
This is Jack Roush's idea, and it makes more sense than perhaps anything else, on a simple level. Martin already technically owns the car of teammate Matt Kenseth. He would also own his car and perhaps even a third entry. This would help with NASCAR's desire to limit the number of cars per team and instantly create another NASCAR superteam.
Don't count on this happening, though, since the main reason Martin wants to retire from Cup is to spend time with family and friends. He believes he can race trucks and still have enough down time for a personal life. If he's going to build a superteam, look for it to happen in the trucks as he gears up for Matt's career.
6. Martin could win his coveted NASCAR championship, then ride off into the sunset and never race again.
Now that would really give the NASCAR community something to talk about.
M6M comment: With all the talk about if Mark is staying or going, his theme song should be "Should I Stay Or Should I Go?" by The Clash.
NASCAR.COM - We wonder ... - Aug 14, 2006: ... could Mark Martin either retire or just tell us he's going to drive forever?
Mark Martin said Sunday on SPEED's NASCAR Raceday that next season he plans to drive the full Craftsman Truck Series schedule plus a dozen Nextel Cup Series races if he can get sponsorship.
I'm confused. When Martin first said he was going to retire, what, like 10 years ago, he said he was doing so because he didn't like the demanding schedule. But -- and I know my math can be suspect -- the Craftsman Truck Series runs 25 races a year. That, added to a dozen Cup races adds up to 37 events, one more than a Nextel Cup season minus the Bud Shootout and All-Star race, which by the way Martin would be eligible for.
Don't get me wrong. Martin shouldn't retire. He's still a competitive driver, to say the least. Plus, I think NASCAR needs his veteran presence now more than ever. Still, the whole, "I'm leaving, I'm not leaving, I'm kind of leaving" thing is getting tiresome -- quickly.
Just drop it. Refund all the money from those "Salute to You" t-shirts, give the rocking chair back to FOX, race as much as you want to and don't apologize for it.
You're a racer. Race.
The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.
SceneDaily Blog » Blog Archive » Let Martin relax
By Steve Waid
August 14, 2006There’s been a considerable amount of speculation about what Mark Martin might do next year – the year in which he’s supposed to FINALLY be retired from full-time Nextel Cup competition.
It’s been suggested that Martin might compete another year for Roush Racing since the driver who is scheduled to replace him, Todd Kluever, hasn’t had enough seasoning in the Busch Series.
It was rumored that Martin might be hired to replace Dale Jarrett at Robert Yates Racing - who starts this stuff? – which Martin has shrugged off with about as much humor as he can produce.
Martin did say that team owner Jack Roush asked him to own two teams next year, one for which he would drive. Martin said he has the ability to do that, but certainly not the desire. He doesn’t want the stress. He wants family and friends.
While he’s not closing the door on any as yet unforeseen opportunities, what Martin wants to do is compete full time in the Craftsman Truck Series and race in at least a dozen Cup races, provided a car and sponsorship can be found.
I say that’s exactly what he should do. At last, let the man do what he wants and leave him alone – OK?
Martin has been competing at NASCAR’s highest level since 1988, always with Roush, and has become one of Cup racing’s most successful and respected drivers.
He told us in 2005 that he would complete a full-time schedule for the last time and he dedicated that farewell season to the fans.
Then, thanks to the Jamie McMurray-Kurt Busch convoluted contract scenarios, Martin agreed to drive for Roush in 2006 instead of moving on. His loyalty to Roush compelled him to do it.
The time has come - and passed - for him to finally do what he desires to do. And the time has come for those who try to entice him to do otherwise to leave him alone and get the heck out of the way.
2006 Mark Martin Nextel Cup Track Notes - Sunday, August 20, 2006
GFS Marketplace 400 / Michigan International Speedway
No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion
August 16, 2006DRIVER: Mark Martin
TEAM: No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion
OWNER: Jack Roush
CREW CHIEF: Pat Tryson
THE CAR
Chassis: RK-381 ran two weeks ago in its debut at Indianapolis and finished fifth.
MARK MARTIN - FAST FACTS - MIS - NEXTEL CUP
- Mark Martin's 26 top-10 finishes at Michigan are the most of any active driver.
- Martin has four wins at Michigan in the Cup car.
- Martin has led 22 races at Michigan for a total of 851 laps.
- Martin has finished in the top 10 in six of his last 11 at Michigan, including a third-place finish there last spring.
QUOTING MARK MARTIN AND CREW PAT TRYSON ON MIS - NEXTEL CUP
Mark Martin:
"Typically Michigan is one of our best tracks on the circuit and we've had some really strong runs there over the past few years. We were off there in June, so we do go there with our work cut out for us. It's actually a great track and if you have your car set up right, you can really pass and it's really a lot of fun to get around there. We just have to work and get back to where we need to be and if we can dial the car in, we should be pretty strong.
"We had a tough day at Watkins Glen, but in the end we were able to hang in there and battled for a top-20 finish and we ended up with a decent day in the points. This weekend we need to come out with a strong finish at Michigan and hopefully we can start to put a little more cushion between us and 10th position, as we continue to fight to get back into that Chase."
Pat Tryson:
"Michigan is one of our favorite tracks and we've had a lot of really good runs there in the past few years. Unfortunately we didn't have a very good run there in the spring, so it will be up to us to make sure that we get back on track. We are taking the same car that we ran at Indy a few weeks ago and it was a top-five car, so we are optimistic going into this weekend. Mark really likes racing at Michigan and his record there is pretty stout, so that tells us all we have to do is provide him with the right car and setup and a solid effort on pit road and he knows how to do the rest."
2006 Mark Martin Busch Series Track Notes - Saturday, August 19, 2006
Carfax 250 / Michigan International Speedway
No. 6 Pennzoil Ford Fusion
August 16, 2006DRIVER: Mark Martin
TEAM: No. 6 Pennzoil Ford Fusion
OWNER: Jack Roush
CREW CHIEF: Mike Beam
THE CAR
Chassis: RK-378 will make its first run this weekend.
MARK MARTIN - FAST FACTS - MIS - BUSCH SERIES
- Martin has finished top three in three of his last six Cup starts at MIS.
- Martin boasts two Busch wins at Michigan and will take part in the Busch race there this weekend.
- Martin's 47 wins in the Busch Series are the series record.
- Martin's 28 career Busch poles tie for the most ever in the series.
- Martin has two wins in the Busch Series at Michigan and five top-fives in eight races.
QUOTING MARK MARTIN AND CREW CHIEF MIKE BEAM ON MIS - BUSCH SERIES
Mark Martin:
"Michigan is one of my favorite tracks on the circuit and we are looking forward to running the Busch race there this weekend. We ran the truck there in the spring and we were pretty good, so hopefully we'll be just as good in the Busch car. We've had a good bit of success there in the past, and we are looking forward to building on that this weekend."
Mike Beam:
"We're excited to be running the Busch race with Mark Martin this weekend in Michigan. Any time you've got Mark Martin at the wheel of a Busch car, you feel like you've got a shot to win. This is our No. 6 Craftsman Truck Series team that runs this deal, and I'm real proud of all the hard work that they put in to this effort. We're taking a brand new chassis this weekend, and we're hoping that it will be a pretty good car for us. It would mean a lot if we could pull off a good run up there in Jack Roush and Ford's backyards."
Martin, No. 6 AAA Team Fight to Top 20 at Watkins Glen
No. 6 Team struggles, but takes a step closer to Chase Berth
Mark Martin and the #6 AAA Racing Team
Watkins Glen International/August 13, 2006“We didn’t have a whole lot to work with, but the team really hung in there and fought hard.” - Mark Martin after Sunday’s Race at The Glen
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (August 13, 2006) – Mark Martin and the No. 6 AAA race team went into Sunday’s race at Watkins Glen knowing they faced an uphill battle. Martin qualified 20th on Friday, but lost his engine during Saturday’s Happy Hour session and was forced to start at the back of the season’s second and final road course race. In addition, the team lost valuable practice time on Saturday as they continued to struggle with the car’s setup and handling. All those factors would combine for a tough day of racing at Watkins Glen International, but in the end the team was able to fight to a 20th place finish and pick up valuable points in the race for the Chase.
“We didn’t have a whole lot to work with, but the team really hung in there and fought hard today,” said Martin after the race. “We just weren’t fast enough, but we did everything we could and used pit road strategy to get the best finish we could. In the end, it obviously wasn’t the finish that we came in here looking for, but we were able to survive and finish with a good points day.”
Martin started 40th and moved up inside the top 30 by the ninth lap of the race. He was running 27th when the majority of the field started to pit on lap 27. The team stayed out until lap 23 before pitting under green for four tires and fuel. Martin had climbed to 24th by lap 43 of the race when the day’s fifth caution was called. The team used the caution to again come down pit road for four tires and fuel. Martin had moved inside the top 20 when caution number six was issued on lap 54. This time the team came down pit road for fuel only and returned in 17th position when the field went green on lap 56.
Eventually Martin began to struggle with the cars behind him on fresher tires, falling all the way back to 28th by lap 78, just moments before the final caution of the day was issued. This time the team opted to come down pit road for four fresh tires. The move would pay off, with Martin returning in 29th position and picking up seven positions in the race’s final five laps.
Martin remains in sixth position in the Nextel Cup point standings, but the finish moved Martin to 143 points ahead of 11th position, with only four races remaining before the 26-race cut off for the Nextel Cup Chase.
The team will return to action next weekend at Michigan International Speedway, where Martin has earned four wins, 15 top-five finishes and 26 top 10’s in 40 starts.
Roush Racing is a subsidiary of Livonia, Mich., based Roush Enterprises which operates 14 motorsports teams; five in NASCAR Nextel Cup with drivers Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards, six in the Busch Series with Martin, Kenseth, Biffle, Edwards, Todd Kluever and Danny O'Quinn, Jr., and two in the Craftsman Truck Series with Martin, David Ragan, Michel Jourdain, Jr. and Erik Darnell.
Mark Martin Post Qualifying Notes and Quotes – AMD at The Glen
Ford Racing: News
August 11, 2006MARK MARTIN - No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion (Qualified 20th)
"That's probably what we could expect. The car wasn't really a hot-rod today. We've got an hour-and-a-half tomorrow and we usually get around here pretty good. I'm hoping we'll figure some things out. It isn't bad, it just doesn't have the speed that we need. It doesn't do anything spectacular and if we can find a thing or two that will do spectacular for us tomorrow, it'll be OK and be good on Sunday."
Mark Martin Interview - Friday, August 11, 2006
Ford Racing: NewsMark Martin, driver of the No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion, is sixth in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series point standings with five races remaining until the Chase for the Nextel Cup begins. He spoke about his position in the standings and this weekend's race before Friday's practice.
MARK MARTIN - No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion
ANOTHER YEAR AT WATKINS GLEN.
"Yeah, I was thinking this morning driving in that I've been here quite a few times."
WILL YOU BE HERE NEXT YEAR, TOO?
"I don't know about that. I don't think so. I'm not worried about it."
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT YOUR FUTURE AT ALL?
"No, I really can't. I'm not worried about it."
IT'S REALLY CLOSE FROM THIRD ON BACK. THERE'S REALLY NOT MUCH ROOM FOR ERROR IS THERE?
"We could have been 10th. If we would have had to pit there under the green with 20 to go, that would have dropped us to 10th. It's a dogfight from third on back, really. To be honest with you, third is not that far ahead of us and it all comes down right now to bad luck. We should be fine barring problems, but we've got four races to go yet and there are a lot of opportunities for things to go wrong and sometimes you just can't recover from those. I think that everyone in the top 13 or 14 are vulnerable to those kind of things."
ARE YOU TRYING TO BE MORE CONSERVATIVE AT ALL?
"No, I got in a good position by racing like I race and that's what we'll continue to do."
DO YOU SEE THIS TRACK AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO CEMENT YOUR SPOT IN THE TOP 10?
"I don't. I don't see this as an opportunity at all. This is just a level water line kind of race for us. We run good pretty much everywhere. I certainly don't feel that I run better here than anywhere else that we're coming up on, so we just keep on racing and give it everything that we have. I've put an awfully lot into this season and I'm looking forward to seeing how it turns out, and I'm looking forward to opening a new chapter in my life in some ways. I've been doing this stuff a long time and there's not much time for anything else, so I look forward to exploring some new things."
WHERE DOES YOUR TRUCK SITUATION STAND RIGHT NOW?
"We have all the commitments done, except for Ford. Ford has not made their commitment for it yet."
SO YOU'VE SIGNED THE CONTRACT?
"No. I won't sign a contract until Ford's commitment is done."
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE AAA DRIVER INITIATIVE?
"I think we've been really effective, but you've got to keep going. You can't get the message out there one time and then let it go. We have to continue to follow up and then support it and back it up with more. They're talking about an eventual change in thinking and the way people think and the way that things are done going into the future."
IS IT FOR PARENTS OR TEEN DRIVERS?
"It's for both. The best role models out there for teen drivers are their parents and they are, in a lot of ways, provide direction and leadership for the young people."
DO YOU HAVE A TEEN DRIVER IN YOUR FAMILY?
"I have a teen race car driver, but he's 14 so he's not driving on the road yet."
DO KIDS DRIVE BETTER OR WORSE TODAY THAN YEARS AGO?
"The world is different than it was, so the world has become more safety conscious. There's more traffic and there are more intersections and more opportunities for things to go wrong. We're a lot more safety conscious today than we were when I was growing up, so there have been gains made, but there's still room for improvement."
ARE YOU SATISFIED WITH THE SEASON?
"It's been a good year. It's been great working with AAA on important issues and issues that are important to me. We've had some great performances on the race track and I'm glad that I was able to help our team out, AAA, and the 6 car, and Roush Roush, and everything, and not much considering doing it again."
WAS IT A DIFFICULT DECISION TO COME BACK FOR ONE MORE YEAR?
"A little bit, but to put it plain and simple, when I need help and I ask somebody to help me, I want them to do it."
THERE HASN'T BEEN QUALIFYING THE LAST TWO YEARS HERE. WHAT'S IT GOING TO TAKE TO HAVE A GOOD LAP HERE?
"It's the same as it's been for the 19 years I've been coming up here - a fast car and getting a good lap."
DO YOU THINK YOU'LL BE ABLE TO DO THAT WITHOUT HAVING QUALIFYING THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS?
"It depends on my car."
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT MICHIGAN NEXT WEEK?
"I hadn't thought about Michigan yet. I love the race track, I really do. I always look forward to going up there and race, but I haven't thought much about it yet."
HAVING THE START-FINISH LINE FURTHER DOWN THE COURSE HERE, WILL THAT PLAY A ROLE IN THE RACE?
"I don't think so, but it might change a little bit of how the restarts go or something, but, for the most part, I don't think it'll make a big difference."
YOU DON'T THINK SOMEBODY MIGHT FEEL THEY'VE GOT MORE ROOM TO GET TO THE START-FINISH LINE AND MAYBE GET INTO SOMEBODY'S BUMPER?
"No."
DO YOU THINK THEY SHOULD ADD THE CHASE FORMAT TO THE BUSCH AND TRUCK SERIES?
"Yes."
SHOULD CUP GUYS HAVE TO RUN THE ENTIRE BUSCH SCHEDULE AND NOT BE ALLOWED TO DO THINGS LIKE ONE-OFFS?
"I don't know what they should do. I really don't. The Truck Series seems pretty healthy and it's pretty much on its own. The Busch Series would be pretty weak right now if there were no Cup drivers in it. I don't know what the answer is. It sure would be a different look if you pulled them all out right now. I don't know if there would be a full field of cars. I don't know."
Martin has no ownership plans
By Goodwin Kelly
SCENE Daily.com
August 11, 2006Mark Martin's racing future remains unresolved, but the veteran driver is eliminating one possible option for 2007 - he won't own a Nextel Cup race team.
Martin, who drives the No. 6 Ford, said Friday that he shot down that idea floated by Jack Roush, his current team owner who will soon be restricted to four race cars.
"Jack would like me to own two teams - own one and drive one," Martin said in the Watkins Glen International garage area.
"I just don't have that much left in me," he continued. "I'm a fighter, and I've got a lot of fire and desire. If I wanted to, I could do that."
But Martin, who has yet to sign a Craftsman Truck Series contract with Ford for next season, doesn't want the responsibility and hassle that comes with team ownership.
"I would be miserable," Martin said. "I would work right down to my knees. That's not what I want for my future.
"I want some time. I want some friends. I want to be there for family and friends. I want to do some other things and still race. I can do that with the truck series, and we'll see what works out from there."
Martin's ideal racing schedule would be a full-time Craftsman Truck Series ride complimented by up to a dozen Nextel Cup races.
He can't do that with Roush. Martin said Busch Series driver Todd Kluever will drive the No. 6 entry full-time next season.
Martin said he would not race just any stock car. It would have to be a car, preferably a Ford, that would run up front and contend for a victory.
"I wouldn't want to do it under the situation that Terry Labonte did it or Bill Elliott did it," Martin said. "I think everyone knows that my dignity means more to me than just go riding around in circles. I want to race to win."
Martin left the door open for any number of scenarios in 2007, including a full-time Cup ride.
"I'm not going to say I won't do a full schedule, because it could happen, but I don't see it," Martin said.
Martin said the rumor about racing a Cup car with Robert Yates Racing has no merit. The two men made a joke about a union after hearing about the speculation.
"It was just a joke," Martin said of his conversation with Yates. "I said, 'How much am I supposed to give you (to drive your car)?"
Martin's future remains up in the air, including his factory contract. Asked if he would be required to drive a Ford in a part-time schedule, Martin got a twinkle in his eyes.
"It wouldn't work well for me to be the Ford banner boy in trucks, then do Cup racing in something else," he said. "I haven't signed my truck deal yet. You know, they make all kinds of trucks."
2006 Mark Martin Track Notes - Sunday, August 13, 2006
AMD at The Glen / Watkins Glen International
No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion
August 10, 2006DRIVER: Mark Martin
TEAM: No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion
OWNER: Jack Roush
CREW CHIEF: Pat Tryson
THE CAR
Chassis: RK-204 last ran Sonoma June 2006 and finished 13th. It finished seventh at The Glen in 2005 and third there in 2004.
MARK MARTIN FAST FACTS – WATKINS GLEN
- Mark Martin has finished in the top 10 in 16 of his 18 races at The Glen, the most of any driver.
- Martin has finished in the top five or better in 12 of 18 races at The Glen, the most of any driver.
- Martin has finished top 15 in 17 of his 18 races at Watkins Glen.
- Martin's three poles are the most of any driver, he is one of only three drivers with multiple poles there.
- Martin won from the pole in three straight races at the Glen from '93 to '95.
- Martin's 204 laps led at Watkins Glen are the most of any driver.
- Martin set a track record in '95 at the Glen, running 220.5 miles on the 2.4-mile track in 2 hours, 11 minutes and 54 seconds (100.303 mph)
- Martin has a 6.22 average finish in 18 career races at The Glen, leading all active drivers.
- Martin's 32 modern era top-10 finishes in road course races are the most in NASCAR history. Martin has finished inside the top 10 in 80 percent of his 40 Cup road course races.
- Martin's four wins at road courses tie for the ninth most in NASCAR history and his four poles tie for the eighth most.
QUOTING MARK MARTIN AND CREW CHIEF PAT TRYSON ON WATKINS GLEN
Mark Martin:
"I really like road course racing. It can be a great challenge and a lot of fun. It reminds me a lot of learning to drive on those winding dirt roads of Batesville, Ark., where I grew up. Over the years we have had a lot of success at the road courses and we've been pretty good at Watkins Glen the last few years. We had a stretch in the '90's where we just tore the place up, but it has always been a really good track for us and hopefully we'll be able to continue that tradition this weekend.
"We had a great run this past weekend at Indy and hopefully we can do that again this weekend at a track where he have been really good. We really need to put a few more good runs together to put some distance between ourselves and 10th place in this Chase and if we can do that , then we can start concentrating on making a run for this championship. We have all the pieces in place to do just that, we just have to figure out how to put it all together down the stretch."
Pat Tryson:
"We love going to Watkins Glen. It's a great track for Mark and a great track for this team. Mark's record speaks for itself on road courses and especially at Watkins Glen. Our goal is to go there and get the car just right for him and then we know what he is capable of doing once the race starts. We had a good run there last year and we were really good there two years ago, so we are looking to go there and get another solid finish and hopefully get ourselves in even better position for the chase, which is the big picture right now."
Martin: A True Master of the Road Course
Veteran will look to expand on his phenomenal road course record at Watkins Glen this weekendCONCORD, N.C.(August 9, 2006) – Mark Martin has taken the green flag in a Nextel Cup road course race 40 times during his esteemed NASCAR career, and he has brought home a top-10 finish in an astounding 80 percent of those races. Thirty-two times, more than any other driver in NASCAR history, Martin has taken the checkered flag at a road course in 10th place or better. This weekend at Watkins Glen International he will look to accomplish that feat once more.
“Well I’ve always really liked the road course,” said Martin. “We’ve had a lot of success on them over the years and we always look forward to going back. The road course racing reminds me a lot of those winding dirt roads in Arkansas where I first learned to drive. It’s a lot like that, except the roads are paved, the equipment is a lot more advance and the competition is pretty steep.
“Still, when you get right down to it, it’s about the same things. It’s about who can get around that thing the fastest. Hopefully this weekend that will be us.”
Martin’s history at Watkins Glen is nothing short of phenomenal. Competing in 18 races at the road course, Martin had finished inside the top 15 seventeen times (94 percent). He had finished inside the top 10 sixteen times (89 percent), and inside the top five 12 times. In addition, he boasts three wins at The Glen, with all three wins coming in consecutive starts from 1993-95 and with all three coming from the pole. Martin’s three poles tie only with Dale Earnhardt for the most ever at the track.
Martin has led 204 laps at The Glen, the most of any driver, and his 6.22 average finishing spot is the best of all active drivers as well. He has posted top-10 finishes in 16 or the last 17 races including a seventh-place run last season and a third in 2004.
Overall on the road courses Martin has turned in top-five finishes in exactly half of his 40 starts. He has four wins and has led 365 of the 3,644 road-course laps ran. He has logged over 8,500 miles on Cup road courses, with an average start of 9.2 and an average finish of 8.2. Martin finished eighth in his first Cup road course start at Riverside International Raceway, on June 13, 1982.
Martin moves into the race in sixth place in the Nextel Cup point standings, with only five races remaining before the cutoff point for the 10-race Chase to the Nextel Cup. Martin is currently 137 points in front of 11th and 100 points in front of 10th, going into a track where he has been Mr. Consistent for the past 18 years.
“I am really looking to go there and run well and hopefully add a little distance between myself and 10th and 11th place,” added Martin. “We had a good run last weekend at Indy, so we really need to get on a roll here and close this thing out. If we can do that then we can shift our attention to winning that championship. We have all the pieces to do it, we just have to put it all together at the right time and see what happens.
Roush Racing is a subsidiary of Livonia, Mich., based Roush Enterprises that operates 14 motorsports teams; five in NASCAR NEXTEL Cup with drivers Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards, six in the Busch Series with Martin, Kenseth, Biffle, Edwards, Todd Kluever and Danny O'Quinn, Jr., and three in the Craftsman Truck Series with Martin, David Ragan, Erik Darnell and Michel Jourdain, Jr.
On the Mark
By Jerry Bonkowski
Yahoo! Sports' NASCAR columnist
August 8, 2006INDIANAPOLIS – Jimmie Johnson got all the attention after winning Sunday's Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, but few probably breathed a bigger sigh of relief than Mark Martin.
Finishing fifth behind Johnson, Roush Racing teammate Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway certainly didn't quench Martin's thirst for his first win of the season, but it went a long way toward helping protect his position in the top 10 as the Chase for the Nextel Cup nears.
"We just weren't quite good enough to get up there and win," Martin said. "I wasn't in the front, but I could see the front and that made it great."
It almost wasn't so great.
Late in Sunday's race, it appeared Martin would be adding to the recent string of so-so performances that have plagued his No. 6 team lately. A loose wheel in the final 30 laps almost put a damper on what likely was Martin's last career appearance at the Brickyard.
But for all the bad luck the Arkansas native has experienced in 20-plus years of Cup competition, he benefited from some timely good luck when a caution came out shortly thereafter, allowing him to pit under caution.
"I was real concerned," admitted Martin, who likely would have fallen to the back of the top 10 in points had he been forced to pit under green. "I don't know if we would've made it or not, but we got a caution and we got a chance to change it."
Martin managed to limp to his pit stall, his crew fixed the problem and he motored away toward what would become his fourth top-five (and 10th overall top-10) finish of 2006.
"Fortunately, we got the caution there," crew chief Pat Tryson said. "[Martin] was willing to stay out, but I didn't want to take that risk. We needed a good finish and [Martin] came through."
Martin now is sixth in the standings, 137 points ahead of 11th-place Kasey Kahne. While that's far from making him a Chase lock, it is more than the 95-point cushion Martin had over formerly 11th-ranked Dale Earnhardt Jr. heading into Sunday's race.
But more importantly, Sunday's finish was a step toward stemming Martin's recent slide in the standings, a result of up-and-down finishes in the seven races prior to Indianapolis.
After finishing ninth at Dover in early June, Martin has logged results of 17th (Pocono), 27th (Michigan), 13th (Sonoma), 33rd (Daytona), 18th (Chicago), fourth (New Hampshire) and finally 19th in NASCAR's return visit to Pocono two weeks ago.
That stretch is in sharp contrast to Martin's performance over most of the first half of the season, when he had only one finish worse than 13th in the first 14 races. That steady run kept Martin in the top five in the standings most of the way, including a high of second in the points after Martinsville.
Given the recent slump, Sunday's finish was just what Martin and Co. needed. It may not have been a win, but it keeps Martin in the middle of the Chase hunt, with a little added cushion to boot.
"Big picture, the Chase is very important right now and a couple guys had some bad luck there at the end and that's going to help us get some breathing room, and that's important," Tryson said. "But right now [the key is to] get some momentum back and make a run for the championship."
Over the years, some critics have referred to Martin as a pessimist, particularly when he goes through stretches of dismal finishes like he has done recently. But Sunday's end result certainly buoyed Martin's spirits, and with five races left until the start of the Chase, Martin is sounding confident.
"We've got to tune up to be a championship contender, but it's all here," Martin said. "This old man ain't gave up yet."
Mark Martin and Pat Tryson Post Race Notes and Quotes - Allstate 400 at the Brickyard
Ford Racing: News
August 6, 2006MARK MARTIN -- No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion (Finished 5th)
"I want to thank the fans for supporting us so much, for supporting this AAA Fusion and my team, for standing behind me. The Roush-Yates horsepower was awesome today. This is why I've raced for 32 years. We just weren't quite good enough to get up there and win, but we were good enough to get up there and watch them race for it."
ANOTHER TOP FIVE.
"We've got to tune up to be a championship contender, but it's all here. This old man ain't gave up yet."
WITH ABOUT 27 LAPS TO GO, YOU HAD A LOOSE WHEEL.
"I was real concerned. I don't know if we would've made it or not, but we got a caution and we got a chance to change it. I just want to thank the fans and Roush-Yates power and the AAA team, and this is why I've been racing all these years. I wasn't in the front, but I could see the front and that made it good."
PAT TRYSON -- Crew chief, No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion
ON MARK MARTIN'S EFFORT
"He did a great job. We had a strong car all day long, not quite strong enough to win, might have been had we been able to get him all the way up in clean air, but he did a fantastic job amd you can't ask for any more than that."
HE REPORTED A VIBRATION WITH ABOUT 27 LAPS TO GO...
"It was loose and he just rode it out until it stabilized a little bit, and fortunately we got the caution there. He was willing to stay out, but I didn't want to take that risk. We needed a good finish today, and he came through."
THOUGHTS ON A TOP-FIVE FINISH AS FAR AS THE POINTS RACE...
"Big picture, the Chase is very important right now and a couple guys had some bad luck there at the end and that's probably going to help us get some breathing room, and that's important. But right now, get some momentum back and make a run for the championship."
Martin Races to Top-Five Finish in Allstate 400 at the Brickyard
Martin and the No. 6 AAA Race team finish fifth at Indy; add distance in run for Chase
Mark Martin and the #6 AAA Racing Team
Indianapolis Motor Speedway/August 6, 2006“That was a really great effort by the AAA team today…If we can keep running like this and build on what we had today, we can make a run for this championship.” - Mark Martin after the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard
INDIANAPOLIS, IND. (August 6, 2006) – Mark Martin and the No. 6 AAA race team put together one of their strongest runs of the season in Sunday’s Allstate 400 at the Brickyard at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The finish – Martin’ fourth top-five of the season, maintained Martin’s sixth-place position in the Nextel Cup Point standings, and moved Martin 137 points ahead of 11th position with just five races left before the 26-race cutoff.
“This was a really good effort by this AAA team today,” said Martin. “This is why I've raced for 32 years. We just weren't quite good enough to get up there and win, but we were good enough to get up there and watch them race for it and that is what you ask for. We couldn’t get in the lead today, but we sure could see it.
“The Roush-Yates horsepower was awesome today,” added Martin. “We had a good car and a great effort and it was a lot of fun. Hopefully we can take this and move on to Watkins Glen and put a little more distance between us and 10th place.”
Martin was fast from the beginning and the AAA team was fast and steady in the pits. After qualifying 19th on Saturday, Martin wasted no time flexing his muscle on the track, moving to 15th position by just the seventh lap of the race. Martin broke into the top 10 on lap 25, and he would run there the remainder of the day. The AAA Team would help Martin move into the top five for the first time after a 13.68-second stop to take on four tires and fuel on lap 42.
Martin continued to hold his No. 6 AAA Ford inside the field’s top five for virtually the remainder of the 160 lap race. On lap 124 – in the final fuel window – crew chief Pat Tryson brought Martin down pit road under green, for what might have been the final pit stop of the day. Once again the No. 6 team sent Martin out in solid position, with the veteran running in fourth position once the field had cycled through its stops. However, the team would have a tense moment in the pits when Martin reported on lap 128 that he had a vibration in the wheels of the car and a fear of a loose wheel. The team caught a break, just moments later when the day’s seventh and final caution was issued on lap 143.
"I was real concerned,” said Martin. “I don't know if we would've made it or not, but we got a caution and we got a chance to change it. Thankfully things fell our way for once and we were able to go out and get the type of finish that we deserved this time.”
Martin brought his No. 6 Fusion down pit road for what would be the final stop of the day. Taking four tires and fuel in just 13.1 seconds, he returned in 10th position, as a handful of teams opted for two tires or to stay out.
The field went green on lap 146 for the final time and Martin would use the remaining 15 laps to make a march to the top five, picking up the final position with only five laps remaining.
"Mark did a great job,” said crew chief Pat Tryson. “We had a strong car all day long, not quite strong enough to win, but we might have been good enough had we been able to get him all the way up in clean air. Still he did a fantastic job and you can't ask for any more than that. Right now, we just have to gain some momentum back and make a run for the championship."
Martin and the team will return to action next weekend for the season’s second and final road course race of the season at Watkins Glen International, where Martin boasts three wins - all from the pole and 16 top-10 finishes in 18 starts.
"I want to thank the fans for supporting us so much, for supporting this AAA Fusion and my team, for standing behind me,” added Martin. “"We've got to tune up to be a championship contender, but it's all here. This old man hasn’t given up yet."
Roush Racing is a subsidiary of Livonia, Mich., based Roush Enterprises which operates 14 motorsports teams; five in NASCAR Nextel Cup with drivers Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards, six in the Busch Series with Martin, Kenseth, Biffle, Edwards, Todd Kluever and Danny O'Quinn, Jr., and two in the Craftsman Truck Series with Martin, David Ragan, Michel Jourdain, Jr. and Erik Darnell.
Mark Martin Qualifying Notes and Quotes - IMS
Ford Racing: News
August 5, 2006MARK MARTIN -- No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion (qualified 19th)
"We were so close to having a good run there. It was almost frustrating because it was right there at my fingertips. I just couldn't keep the back end tucked up under it. I was able to maintain a good momentum, but I wasn't able to blast off the corners. It's frustrating. It was nothing like a pole run, but it could have been a top 10 or 12 run for us with just a little bit of help."
SO YOU FEEL YOU'VE GOT SOMETHING TO WORK WITH IN THE NEXT TWO PRACTICES?
"We need that. We weren't happy yesterday until the very end of qualifying practice and then we made it feel a lot better. That has great potential, so I feel like we may get back what we had in the test. We were real happy in the test."
Mark Martin Chat With Reporters - Indianapolis
Ford Racing: News
August 4, 2006MARK MARTIN, driver of the No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion, heads into this weekend's race in sixth place in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup points standings with six races before the Chase for the Championship. Martin met with reporters behind the team's hauler prior to today's first practice session.
MARK MARTTIN -- No. 6 AAA Fusion
HOW DO YOU RATE INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY IN TERMS OF PRESTIGE, PLACES YOU'D LIKE TO WIN?
"It's right up there. It's right up there behind the Daytona 500. Different reasons make this race, to me, different heights on the stick there. One is, this race track has more history than anything we get involved in. From a NASCAR, stock car, point of view, the Daytona 500 carries a little bit more, so one has a little bit more of one thing and the other has a little bit more of something else."
SIX RACES BEFORE THE TOP 10 IS SOLIDIFIED. DO SENSE THAT DRIVERS ARE STARTING TO SCRAMBLE MORE AND DRIVE A LITTLE BIT MORE DIFFERENTLY?
"No, I think that everybody's been racing pretty hard all year."
AND THAT WILL KEEP UP?
"It's always the way it is in NASCAR. There's a lot of competition and we have a lot of great drivers and a lot of great cars and we have a number of young drivers that are very optimistic about what they can do, so it makes it interesting out there."
WITH SIX RACES TO GO, YOU'RE IN THE TOP 10 RIGHT NOW, BUT FROM HERE OUT WILL YOU BE CONSERVATIVE, AGGRESSIVE?
"We'll race. The same. The same as I've been doing for 30 years. Try to win 'em all. We give everything we've got every time we get within 100 yards of a race car."
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL ON THIS TRACK? THIS TRACK IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT
"This race track is a lot different, but, really, at the end of the day, if you throw out the restrictor-plate races, it's the same as everywhere else as far as being competitive. You've got to go these corners really fast. It's a given that you have to have a great car to do that, and you have to have great engines to pull 'em down these straightaways, but that's a given, too. You would have to have, I would say, great equipment, but at the end of the day you just have to go through the corners faster than everybody else if you want to put a whuppin' on 'em."
THERE'S TALK OF CHANGING THE CHASE FOR NEXT YEAR. DO YOU HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS ON HOW IT SHOULD BE?
"The only thing that I really see -- I really believe that it should be the top 10. I think for the fans, which I probably be one of next year, I think the point system after the Chase starts should be 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1. Plain as that, for those guys that are in the Chase. I, personally, don't think there should be huge bonuses for winning or anything else. If we want to make this things a show, and it's all about show business and everything else and I'm going to get to be watching instead of participating, then I want to see them go into Homestead at the last race with at least five of the 10 having a shot at the championship."
YOUR OLD TEAMMATE JEFF BURTON IS HAVING A REALLY GOOD YEAR. EVERYONE SAID THAT HE DIDN'T FORGET HOW TO DRIVE THIS YEAR. IS IT A MATTER OF RCR GETTING ITS STUFF TOGETHER OR IS THESE SOMETHING MORE TO IT?
"The driver can help the equipment or the equipment can help the driver, but in today's age, out here, you have to have both. And there are no drivers out here that can't get it done. And there is some equipment out here that has all the resources to get it done, but can't get it done in the form that it's in. And that goes in cycles, no matter if you're Richard Childress or Jack Roush or anybody else -- your equipment sometimes is very potent and sometimes it's not, for a lack of resources or people who are working or talent or anything. It's just where you are in that cycle."
ARE YOU HAPPY TO SEE HIM DO THAT WELL?
"I'm real happy for Jeff. I believe that he's going to win real soon and I'm going to be cheering."
HOW IS ROUSH'S EQUIPMENT RIGHT NOW? GREG BIFFLE SAID THAT IT'S LOST A LITTLE BIT OF ITS DOMINANCE FROM LAST SEASON.
"Our stuff was superior last year and our stuff is real good this year, but it's not superior as it was last year. For us, this year, we have to be on target. If we want to have a great showing we have to be a little bit more on target than we did last year."
HOW IMPORTANT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE DRIVER AND HIS CREW CHIEF?
"In this business today, there are no crew chiefs, I don't think, currently here in the garage, that can't get it done. As well as drivers. But different combinations get different results, and as frustrating as it might be, that's just how it is. Once you get a combination that's working, if you can keep that relationship strong and solid, then you're going to have a good run for a long time. But sometimes that gets derailed and sometimes you're able to get it back on track and sometimes you need to change the combination up some."
DOES THE SUCCESS OF THAT RELATIONSHIP DEPEND MORE ON PERSONALITY OR KNOW-HOW OF THE DRIVER AND CREW CHIEF INVOLVED?
"It's both, but the know-how is knowing how to make a marriage work or make a relationship work or communication or knowing how to play well with others. There's a lot of things that are involved there. It's just human beings working together, and that's just like a marriage or anything else. Sometimes it gets strained and sometimes it really goes well."
WOULD YOU SAY THE BREAK-UP RATE BETWEEN DRIVERS AND CREW CHIEFS IS HIGH IN NASCAR?
"I think it's just normal. I don't think it's high. I certainly don't think it's low. I think when you're in a competitive business like this you have to do whatever you need to do to try to continue to be at the top of your performance. And it's a performance-based business."
WHEN PEOPLE TALK ABOUT GOOD BEHAVIOR ON THE TRACK, THE QUESTION IS WHAT WOULD MARK MARTIN DO? WHEN YOU RETIRE, WHICH DRIVER WILL THEY TEN BE TALKING ABOUT? WHICH DRIVER WILL SET THE STANDARD FOR WHAT'S APPROPRIATE?
"Jeff Burton comes to my mind right away, not only on the race track but off the race track. Jeff Burton sets a great example for everybody in NASCAR. From the drivers' standpoints to anyone involved in this sport can look to him and pattern their thought process and their actions, really, after Jeff Burton."
WHEN YOU CAME INTO THE CIRCUIT WAS THERE ANYBODY THAT YOU PATTERNED YOURSELF AFTER?
"No, not really. Not in that respect. I certainly did admire a lot of drivers, but I never really -- there was less focus on that at that time and I tried to keep my focus on race-track stuff and working well with the media, because I knew that was going to be important, and those kinds of things."
WITH INCREASED COMPETIVENESS AND INTENSITY THESE DAYS, HOW DIFFICULT IS IT TO REMAIN POLITE ON THE TRACK OR TO NOT BE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF BECAUSE OF BEING POLITE ON THE TRACK?
"I don't see a lot of taken advantage of going on. But it is real competitive and it is a real frustrating business. It's all I can do from time to time to control my emotions, and I may have more control than some. But it still takes everything that I have from time to time to keep things in check. The thing that I've found is keeping 'em in check sometimes after all the dust settles, I find that the whole situation didn't look like I thought I saw it, and that I was wrong, and I had I not kept myself in check would've been even more embarrassed of what I had done and how I may have reacted based on things not really being as I thought they were."
HOW ARE THINGS GOING WITH YOUR SON, MATT?
"Matt's doing good. I think he's racing next weekend at New Smyrna with a Super Late Model. He's 14 years old and he's getting a chance to drive some pretty fast cars."
2006 Mark Martin Track Notes - Sunday, August 6, 2006
Allstate 400 / Indianapolis Motor Speedway
No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion
August 1, 2006DRIVER: Mark Martin
TEAM: No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion
OWNER: Jack Roush
CREW CHIEF: Pat Tryson
THE CAR
Chassis: RK-381 is a new car. It was tested at IMS last month.
MARK MARTIN - FAST FACTS - IMS
- Mark Martin has finished inside the top 10 in eight of 11 starts at Indy and inside the top six five times.
- Martin has finished top five in four of 11 starts at Indy.
- Martin has won three IROC races at Indy ('98, '99 and 2000).
QUOTING MARK MARTIN AND CREW CHIEF PAT TRYSON ON IMS
Mark Martin:
"I really enjoy racing at Indy and we have had some good runs there over the years. Indianapolis is a race track with a lot of history and we would really love to go there and win this weekend. We had a pretty good test there a couple of weeks ago and we are happy with the car that we are bringing back. We've run well at Indy the past few years, so hopefully we'll be able to build on that and run to a strong finish there this weekend.
"We've gave up some points the last few weeks, so it would be nice to come out and have a solid finish and put a little more breathing room between us and 11th place as we head into the final stretch run before the cut-off point after 26 races. The team has shown a great deal of improvement over the past few weeks, especially on pit road. Now we just have to make sure our cars are running fast on a consistent basis and we should be okay down this stretch run."
Pat Tryson:
"We really liked what we had in the test there a few weeks ago and it has been one of our strongest tracks the last few years. We had a good run there a year ago and we were really fast there two years ago. Mark definitely knows how to get around at Indy, so hopefully we can put the right car and setup under him that will give him the opportunity he needs to go out and win that thing. I know that a win at the Brickyard would mean a lot to him and everyone on this race team."
