Martin's Team Wins Pit Crew Competition in California
U.S. Army crew takes early lead in Checkers/Rally's Double Drive-Thru Challenge
Checkers
February 27, 2007Mark Martin's pit crew took top honors in the Checkers/Rally's Double Drive-Thru Challenge following Sunday's (Feb. 25) Nextel Cup Series race at California Speedway. The No. 01 Army crew secured their second consecutive win this season, taking an early lead in the competition.
"I don't know what you can say about these guys, except that they are awesome to work with," said Martin, driver of the 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet. "The Army crew keeps coming through with fast stops when we need them. They did a good job all day and got me to the checkered flag with a top- five finish. It was another great team effort."
Pit crew coach Lance Munksgard added, "I'm so proud that Checkers/Rally's is recognizing our crew for all their effort. They've worked hard to become one of the fastest teams on pit road and I think winning two-in-a-row this season proves that they are."
Checkers/Rally's will award Martin's team $11,150 for winning the weekly award. An additional $111,150 will be presented to the pit crew with the most wins at the completion of the 36-race Nextel Cup schedule.
The No. 01 over-the-wall crew, which spent 297.758 seconds on pit road, includes: Scott King (jackman), Colin Pasi (front-tire carrier), Charlie Brock (front-tire changer), Dwayne Moore (rear-tire carrier), Dave Woodhead (rear-tire changer), Danny Harrington (gasman), Scotty Hazlett (catch can) and J.D. Hilton (windshield). The team's crew chief is Ryan Pemberton.
To win the Checkers/Rally's Double Drive-Thru Challenge, teams are required to finish on the lead lap while spending the least amount of time on pit road. Checkers/Rally's is in its third season as title sponsor for the pit crew challenge.
Martin Rolling, Off to Career Best Start with Ginn Racing
Veteran racer finds new life and Nextel Cup points lead with new team
Ginn Racing
February 27, 2007Mooresville, N.C. (Feb. 27, 2007) -- Mark Martin is off to the best start of his racing career and for the first time since Sept. 22, 2002, the veteran is on top of the NASCAR world.
It was even difficult for the stoic Martin to hide his delight just moments after climbing out of his No. 01 U.S. Army Chevy following a top-five finish Sunday at California Speedway. The finish combined with Martin's dramatic second-place run in the season-opening Daytona 500, marks the first time in his 20 plus year Cup career that he has started the season with consecutive top-five finishes.
When informed that he was the points leader Sunday night, a humble but happy Martin said, "That's really cool. This team is awesome. It's just great working with the guys on the U.S. Army Team and the guys at Ginn Racing. We've had cars good enough to win in both of the first two races and that really says a lot about this organization and where it is going. We still have a long way to go, but we sure are off to a great start."
"It's really just been an awesome experience," added Martin. "I'm rolling and I'm having the time of my life."
Many were skeptical when Martin announced last fall that after 19 years he was leaving Roush Racing for Ginn Racing. Some even went as far as to question his motives and his desire to compete. After two races; a top-five at California Speedway and a runner-up finish in one of the closest Daytona 500's in history, Martin's doubters are few and far between and the only skeptics who remain are the ones who question whether Martin can run a part-time schedule in such a competitive car.
"I wouldn't come out here and race if I didn't think I could be competitive," said Martin. "What Bobby Ginn (team owner) and Jay Frye (CEO, GM) did was give me that opportunity and I think that we are making the most of it. It's really been a blast and I can't wait to get to Vegas and see what we have for them in a couple of weeks."
The plan is for Martin to run the next two races at Las Vegas and Atlanta, before giving way to rookie Regan Smith at the Bristol Race. Many question the validity of that plan given Martin's early success this season. One of the doubters is Martin's former teammate at Roush Racing, Matt Kenseth, who is rumored to have a $200 bet that Martin will run a full season, rather than scale back.
As for now, Martin is just taking it all in and enjoying his new surroundings.
"I'm just having the time of my life," said Martin. "We've had good cars and we've shown that we are capable of winning races and running competitively. There is still a lot of work to do here at Ginn Racing, but I think that we have shown that this is for real and that we are up to the challenge."
Martin may have hard time scaling back
By Jenna Fryer
AP Auto Racing Writer
February 26, 2007CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Mark Martin spent the past two years waffling on his future in racing. Now that he's found the perfect situation, he really doesn't want change his mind again.
But from his perch atop the Nextel Cup points standings, Martin knows sticking to the plan might be easier said than done.
"I'm very comfortable with what I've laid out, but I've learned never to say never," Martin said Monday. "I am the happiest man in racing right now with the best job in all of motorsports. That's where I am today."
What's at issue, though, is where Martin will be one month from now.
He's scheduled to spend March 23-25 in Lake City, Fla., racing late models with his son, Matt, and NASCAR newcomer Ricky Carmichael. That will be a world away from Bristol Motor Speedway, where the Nextel Cup Series is scheduled to roar on without Martin for the first time since Nov. 22, 1987 - a streak of 621 consecutive races.
Martin has been trying for two years to ease his way out from behind the wheel. But racing is all he's ever known, and for as hard as it is to picture a NASCAR without Martin, it's even harder for him to imagine not having it in his life.
So he settled on a limited schedule with Ginn Racing of 23 races this season - just enough to keep his competitive juices flowing, and not so many as to run the 48-year-old ragged.
Only problem is, Martin is off to the best start of his 25-year career.
He almost won the Daytona 500, losing at the line to Kevin Harvick in a controversial photo finish, and was fifth on Sunday at California Speedway to give him season-opening top-five finishes for the first time in his career. It's put Martin on top of the points standings for the first time since Sept. 22, 2002, and has forced him to examine if he's really ready to get out of the race car.
When he climbed from behind the wheel on Sunday, he was adamant that he will not be behind the wheel next month at Bristol.
That hadn't changed on Monday, but Martin was a lot less convincing.
"I can, as of right now, say I am fine with things," Martin said. "I can't say how I will feel after Atlanta (on March 18). I know I don't want to run for the championship this year."
A four-time championship runner-up, Martin is considered the greatest driver to never win a title. He accepted long ago that he'll never hoist the Cup, and refuses to spend the end of his career fruitlessly chasing one.
"I am at peace with the hardware part, the trophy part, I didn't earn one and now I don't want to chase one," he said. "I want to move on to the next chapter."
That's how he was able to leave Roush Racing after 19 seasons and an intensely close relationship with owner Jack Roush. It led him to Ginn, a reborn team under new ownership that was willing to give Martin all the flexibility in the world to get him inside the shop.
Bobby Ginn, a lifelong NASCAR fan, is new to the business but committed to doing it right. So he purchased a fledgling second-tier race team last summer, and as part of his five-year plan, Ginn set out to hire the best people he could find.
It led him to Martin, who signed on to do a whole lot more besides driving the flagship No. 01 Chevrolet on a part-time basis.
"We understood going in that we couldn't win the championship with Mark Martin because he was going to run a limited schedule," Ginn said. "That was fine because his value to me goes far beyond the race track. He's a mentor, he helps the crews, he helps our shop and our development program.
"His value to me is getting information from one of the all-time greats."
OK, but aren't you going to try to talk him into making a run at the championship?
"Absolutely not," Ginn said. "A deal is a deal. We will be fine with whatever Mark decides and we won't pressure him to do anything."
Ginn's gut feeling is that Martin will stick to the partial schedule. Others aren't so sure and Martin doesn't blame them for being skeptical.
"There will be lots of speculation of what may come," Martin said. "Matt Kenseth, who is so tight that he squeaks when he walks, he's bet someone $200 that I'll run the full season."
Martin doesn't think he will, but admits that can change. And it has nothing to do with a championship.
It's all about winning right now, something he's come awfully close to doing twice so far this season. He was driving for the Wood Brothers and leading with five laps to go in Friday night's Truck Series race in California when he was bumped out of the way on a restart.
Martin didn't complain about it, though, and handled the defeat with the same dignity he used following the 500.
"The Wood Brothers, to see there stuff out front like it was in the '70s, that means something to me," Martin said. "That means more to me than a championship and is probably something only the gray haired fans can appreciate."
As long as Martin can compete for wins, he will always have difficulty walking away. It's why Kenseth's bet isn't easy money and why Martin can't emphatically say he will not run the full schedule.
Ultimately, though, Martin knows that sitting out Bristol will be the best thing for him because one way or the other, he'll finally find out if he can live without racing.
"I think after that it will be fairly clear to me what my future holds," Martin said. "If it bothers me to not be in the race, that's one thing. If I am watching the race and glad I am not in it, then that's another.
"When the race is over, I think I will know a little bit more about how this will go for me."
Martin disappointed again in truck race
By Mike Harris
AP Auto Racing Writer
February 23, 2007FONTANA, Calif. (AP) -- Mark Martin lost another heartbreaker Friday night. Five days after being passed on the last lap and losing to Kevin Harvick by the length of a hood in the Daytona 500, Martin was dominating the NASCAR Craftsman Truck race at California Speedway before Ron Hornaday Jr. bumped him out of the lead on a restart with five laps to go.
Former series champion Mike Skinner jumped past Hornaday into the lead before the caution flag came out and stayed out front, earning his 20th truck victory.
"We have to thank Ron Hornaday," said Jeff Hensley, Skinner's crew chief. "Mark Martin had us all covered. We lucked into one."
Hornaday said Martin was slow on the restart.
"I feel sorry for Mark, but he just kept getting slower and slower and slower and you can only hit the brakes so much in that situation," Hornaday said. "We were all stacking up behind him.
"Mark and I are the only ones who really know what happened and I know he tried to get the second-place truck to get out of the gas. If that happens, then maybe I'd be the guy who wound up spun out. But I did hit him and Mark is such a clean competitor I hated to see it happen."
Martin, who pitted after spinning into the infield grass, wound up 23rd.
"You know, the thing just kind of lifted up, starting spinning its wheels and I got behind on the steering," he said. "But that's OK. We had a good race. That truck was really fast and I had some fun."
It appeared Martin, driving his first race for the Wood Brothers/JTG Racing, would easily match his victory here a year ago after holding off a challenge from Skinner's Toyota on a restart on lap 92 of the 100-lap event.
But David Starr brought out another caution, his second of the night, with a spin on lap 93, giving the challengers one more chance.
"We were looking pretty good. But they have a caution for just about anything when we don't need them and we don't get them when we do," said Martin, who might have won the 500 if NASCAR had thrown a caution when cars began crashing on the last lap.
"If we hadn't had that yellow, I don't think there would have been any question of Mark Martin losing it," Hornaday said.
Jack Sprague, who came from third place on the last lap to win the truck opener last week in Daytona, finished third this time, followed by pole winner Carl Edwards, Ted Musgrave, Johnny Benson and 2006 series champion Todd Bodine.
Mark Martin Post Race Notes and Quotes - Auto Club 500
GM Racing
February 25, 2007MARK MARTIN, NO. 01 U.S. ARMY MONTE CARLO SS - Finished 5th
"I'm just proud to represent the United States Army and to work with this team - man, this is just awesome. We had a couple of difficulties here today. We had a really fast car. I'm very encouraged. There were times when we were as fast as the leader. There were a couple of times when we were a little faster and times when we were off. All in all, we have potential here to get up there and win a race. I think we've shown that the last two weeks. We'll keep working to try to make all these Ginn Racing teams better.
"I am just proud to be here representing the U.S. Army. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for this team. Man, this is just awesome. We had a couple of difficulties here today, we had a very fast car. There were times we were as fast as the leaders, there were a couple times we were a little faster. All in all, I think we have potential here to get up there and win a race. We have shown that the last two weeks. We will keep working to make all these Ginn Racing teams better I am very proud of this team to come home with a top-five and I want to thank all the fans. They are incredible, all the encouragement they have given me this week.
"I am loving this and I am rolling, man."
ARE YOU GOING TO STAY IN THE CAR FULL-TIME NOW WITH ALL THE SUCCESS THAT YOU'RE HAVING?
"No."
Mark Martin Post Race Report - Auto Club 500
Martin Scores Top-Five Finish; Leaves California with Nextel Cup Driver Points Lead
Ginn RacingFONTANA, Calif. (Feb. 25, 2007) -- U.S. Army driver Mark Martin left California Speedway leading the Nextel Cup driver point standings after posting a fifth-place finish in Sunday's Auto Club 500.
It was the second consecutive top-five result for Martin, who finished runner-up by a few feet in last week's season-opening Daytona 500. The last time the racing icon led the point standings was Sept. 22, 2002. It is also the first time a Ginn Racing driver (formerly MB2 Motorsports) has led the NASCAR Cup driver point standings.
Running in ninth place, Martin and crew chief Ryan Pemberton took a gamble when they decided not to pit when the caution flew with eight laps remaining in the 250-lap event. When the race was restarted after being red flagged for approximately 15 minutes, Martin's No. 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet charged to the checkered flag with a top-five finish.
"I'm just proud to represent the United States Army and to work with this team -- man, this is just awesome," said Martin. "We had a really fast car and I'm very encouraged. The pit stops were excellent."
It's nice to lead the points, but it's even better to be competitive," added Martin. "All in all, we have potential to get up there and win a race. I think we've shown that the last two weeks."
Martin started the race third and at times exhibited a car strong enough to win. However, the team would be forced to overcome an untimely caution that put Martin a lap down early.
"That was a bad break, but Mark hung in there until we got our lap back," said Pemberton. "We made the decision to stay out at the end and it turned out to be the right call. We're off to a good start and it's been a total team effort."
The Nextel Cup Series is off this weekend and will resume competition March 11 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Mark Martin Media Visit - February 23, 2007
GM RacingMARK MARTIN, NO. 01 U.S. ARMY MONTE CARLO SS TALKS WITH MEDIA ABOUT LAST WEEK'S DAYTONA 500 AND HIS 2007 SCHEDULE
ON THE EXTRA FAN SUPPORT HE'S RECEIVED SINCE THE DAYTONA 500?
"It really warms my heart that we have so much respect and that so many people support or respect me and pull for me. It's really sweet just to know that. And I feel really lucky and I feel blessed."
AFTER ALL THOSE YEARS OF RUNNING THE CUP SERIES FULL TIME, IT SEEMS LIKE YOU'RE RUNNING MORE RACES THIS YEAR THAN YOU HAVE IN THE PAST.
"Oh, you're mistaken. Last year I ran 65 races. I'll be running half that this year. Instead of having three weekends off from the Daytona 500 until Thanksgiving, I'm going to have 19 weekends off. So I'm really scaling back."
SO IT MUST BE MORE FUN KNOWING THAT EVERY SINGLE RACE IS JUST FOR A TROPHY AND THAT THERE'S NO BIGGER PICTURE INVOLVED?
"Yeah, there is a lot of pressure off of me to not be racing for these points, although we are kind of because we need to keep the car up in the top 35 in points. At the end of the day, I'm one of the happiest guys in racing. I've got the best job in motorsports right now."
WHAT IF YOU'RE FIRST IN THE POINT STANDINGS COME BRISTOL?
"What if?" (laughter)
WILL YOU BE AT THE BRISTOL TEST NEXT WEEK?
"Yes, I'll be there to help the teams. I don't have any desire to race Bristol at this time. I'm very happy with my situation. Nobody has told me what I have to do. I get to do what I want to do. Right now, I've laid out the schedule just exactly how I want it. That's what I like about it."
ON THE INCREASING NUMBER OF CUP DRIVERS WHO ARE FROM CALIFORNIA
"There was a time there, for years, where most of the guys were from a central location that followed the circuit. That was a long time ago. Then it started to open up and spread out. It opened up to ASA and open-wheeled cars. When you have somebody as talented as let's say Jimmie Johnson, it doesn't matter where he's from, he's going to make it to this level. So I don't think it really matters where you're fun as much as what you do."
AFTER ALL THOSE YEARS OF DRIVING FOR ONE MANUFACTURER, IS IT DIFFERENT TO FLY ANOTHER BANNER?
"It's different remembering what to say, and answering questions about it, but at the end of the day we're racing the heck out of these cars and for me that's what it's all about. I had the best shot at the Daytona 500 that I've ever had. In 22 starts, I've never had as good a shot as I had this year. I've said my thanks to Hendrick Motorsports for the great horsepower there - and to his team - I was proud to be driving that U.S. Army car."
ON THE TRUCK RACE TONIGHT, HOW WILL THE COOLER WEATHER AFFECT THE RACING? WILL IS BE AS WILD AS THE DAYTONA 500?
"I hope so. And I hope to be right in the middle of it. The trucks are just awesome. And they put on a great show and we ought to be able to be up in the middle of it."
IS IT DIFFICULT NOT TO BE GOING FOR A CHAMPIONSHIP NOW?
"I'm incredibly happy with where I am in my life and so happy with the opportunity these guys have given me to do the racing on my terms and my schedule. I'm living the dream right now."
DO YOU SEE YOURSELF EVER GOING TO THE TRUCK SERIES FULL TIME AND GOING FOR A CHAMPIONSHIP?
"I hate that last part you said. I do see that as very much a possibility. I would have been doing that in '06 had Kurt Busch not left Roush Racing at the end of '05. That's what I would have done in '06. In '06, I decided I wasn't done with Cup racing and wasn't willing to close the door to keep the other open, so I sacrificed the truck thing to be able to continue to Cup race on my schedule. Some day when I feel like I don't belong or can't be competitive or whatever it might be, when I make the decision that I don't want to Cup race anymore, maybe I would do the truck thing full time. That's one of the things that is still on the top of my list. But I still have a lot of good Cup racing in me."
CAN YOU COMPARE THE FORD RACING TECHNOLOGY TO WHAT YOU HAVE NOW WITH GINN AND HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS?
"I'm just getting started. I had an awfully good engine at Daytona."
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU TO BE RACING HERE IN CALIFORNIA?
"It's awesome. I had the choice. I chose to come out here and race. I love this race track. I love the truck racing as well, so I'm going to be racing in the race tonight and this is right up near the top of my list. This race track is what really makes it special. It's a great track and it's good to be able to share what we do with our fans out here that don't get a chance to make it back that way."
ON DAYTONA 500, IF NASCAR HAD GONE THE OTHER WAY AND HAD THROWN THE YELLOW FLAG AND WE HAD TO SIT AROUND AND WAIT 20 MINUTES BEFORE THEY DECIDED THEY WANTED TO RACE, WHETHER YOU COME OUT OF THAT ONE WAY OR THE OTHER, IT BECOMES THE CONTROVERSY. HAVE YOU THOUGHT OF THAT?
"You're right. I never considered that. I never gave that a consideration. But you know that hardware means a lot, but it doesn't mean as much as the respect of the fans and the competitors. I would have loved to have won it - to the line. I would have loved to have seen this team in victory lane because I know what it would have meant to them. But I didn't get it done. But I didn't give a thought about the controversy that could have been or the fact that the caution could have come out at a time when I wasn't ahead. I have accepted the result as what it was since about 10 seconds after we crossed the finish line. It took about 10 seconds for me to get my arms around it and I did, and that's it."
IF WE THINK WE HAVE CONTROVERSY NOW, HOW ABOUT THE OTHER WAY?
"You're right. It's been like being caught up in a hurricane ever since. I've had a lot of well-wishers and so many people call. I've had a lot of people call who are disappointed and heart-broken. I hate that. I wish I could fix it for them. But I was glad to have had a shot at it."
Mark Martin Post Qualifying Notes and Quotes - Auto Club 500
Ginn Racing
February 23, 2007MARK MARTIN, NO. 01 U.S. ARMY MONTE CARLO SS, QUALIFIED 3RD:
"When he (Ryan Pemberton, crew chief) said '78', I thought 'Man, '78', I as hoping for a flat. Man, I didn't know what we did. We are still getting to know one another, Just a lot of different, we are just still getting to know each other, Man, this is just awesome to drive for this U.S. Army team, We probably won't do any better when we get to know one another, but it is sure going to feel less awkward, I ask him on the back stretch coming up to speed, 'Did you do this?', 'Did you do that?' you know. I am having a blast.
"It was a good lap for us. I am old and I don't qualify well. The track is going to get faster and we are going to get knocked back, but it isn't going to be like the last time I was here, I started last because I overdrove. I didn't want to do that so that was a conservative lap, we have just an awesome race car, great Hendrick horsepower, Life is so good for me right now, I just appreciate it all. I appreciate the opportunity to drive this stuff and have all these fans." Mark Martin, driver of the No. 21 F-150, will have a chance to defend his race title tonight in the San Bernardino County 200 behind the wheel of a Wood Brothers/JTG Racing Ford. Martin, who will make his debut for Wood Brothers/JTG Racing as a teammate to Stacy Compton, commented on his return to the truck series.
Mark Martin Post Race Notes and Quotes - San Bernardino County 200
Ford Racing
MARK MARTIN-21-Bad Boy Mowers Ford F-150 (Finished 23rd)
WHAT HAPPENED AT THE END?
"I don't know. All of a sudden my motor kinda revved up, the wheels starting spinning and I got behind in the steering."
YOU'RE STILL ABLE TO MANAGE A SMILE AFTER THAT FINISH.
"Yeah, I want to thank these guys for giving me a chance. That was a lot of fun. It was awesome. They've got to have cautions at the end."
DO YOU THINK YOU WOULD HAVE WON IF IT WENT CAUTION-FREE?
"We were looking pretty good. But, they have a caution for just about anything. We get them when we don't need one, and we don't get them when we do. But that's OK; we had a good race. That truck was really fast. It was good and I had some fun."
HORNADAY ADMITTED TO GETTING INTO YOUR REAR ON THE RESTART.
"You know, the thing just kinda lifted up, started spinning its wheels and I got behind on the steering. I just got behind on the steering."
Mark Martin Pre-race Notes and Quotes - San Bernardino County 200
Ford Racing
February 23, 2007MARK MARTIN-21-Bad Boy Mowers Ford F-150
YOU ARE IN A FAMILIAR VEHICLE, BUT WITH A NEW TEAM THIS WEEKEND AS YOU ATTEMPT TO DEFEND YOUR TITLE IN THE TRUCK SERIES RACE.
"Well, it's awesome to be back in the truck series. We're just trying to get to know one another and trying to get meshed together. We have a really nice truck here, and Bad Boy Mowers out of my hometown of Batesville, Ark., are onboard. I think that's pretty cool to represent the home folks. The truck is fast, but we're just trying to get all of the pieces of the puzzle kinda meshed together here. I think we can get ourselves in a position to be contenders with the equipment that we have. We'll have to see what the last bit of practice brings us and how things go on pit road and those kinds of things. I believe that the potential to get it done is here."
YOU DID NOT COMPETE IN THE TRUCK SERIES SEASON-OPENER, A RACE THAT YOU WON LAST YEAR. DID YOU MISS NOT BEING PART OF THAT EVENT?
"I don't know if I missed it or not. I love truck racing and it looked fun and it looked wild. It was definitely an exciting race. I love truck racing, and I'm glad to be out here. I wanted to run at least a few truck races this year, and I'm excited to have that opportunity with the Wood Brothers and Tad Geschickter."
YOU WERE KNOWN FOR BEING THE DRIVER OF THE NO. 6 FOR MOST OF YOUR CAREER, BUT HERE THIS WEEKEND YOU FIND YOURSELF IN THE NO. 21, ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT NUMBER IN NASCAR FOLKLORE.
"It's an honor and a privilege to be with JTG and the Wood Brothers. The number 21 really means something to me. It really means a lot to me. It might not to some folks, or they might not recognize that, but it's iconic. It's huge for me, and though I may never drive the 21 Cup car, it still has a lot of the same meaning to me. They're heroes, my heroes from the 70s when I was trying to get my feet on the ground and get started racing. There's a lot of history here and it's just a real special opportunity that I have to work with these guys."
WITH THIS TEAM BEING RELATIVELY NEW TO THE TRUCK SERIES, ARE YOU BEING LOOKED TO HELP DEVELOP THE PROGRAM?
"Yes. I'm to that point in my career where trying to develop one for myself is not really practical. These guys give me an opportunity to do what I love to do, and they get the opportunity to have my experience, input and guidance to help them get on good, solid track. I guess it works good for them, and it certainly is fun for me."
HOW WELL DO THE TRUCKS HANDLE ON THIS TWO-MILE SPEEDWAY?
"They're pretty stable. They're a lot of fun. They really stick good here and handle good. They really go through the corners and it's a lot of fun. I'm thrilled to be out here and tickled to be representing the hometown folks and having the 21 on the side and working with a new group. It's all fun and exciting."
Martin to run six truck races for Wood Brothers in 2007
Ginn RacingMooresville, N.C. (Feb. 20, 2007) -- Mark Martin has announced that he will run six races in the Wood Brothers No. 21 Craftsman Truck entry, with the first race coming next weekend at California Speedway. Martin will look to defend his truck series win there a year ago, when he led 63 of 106 laps in route to the victory.
Martin, who runs Cup races for Ginn Racing in the No. 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet is also running Busch races for Hendrick Motorsports and Roush Racing in 2007. The veteran, who won six truck races in 2006, will look to add to the rich heritage of the Wood Brothers and the No. 21; a heritage that Martin acknowledges as special to himself.
"It's really an honor to be working with the Wood Brothers and to be driving the No. 21, in any series," said Martin. "I don't think a lot of the younger fans out there really understand what the Wood Brothers and that No. 21 have meant to NASCAR and just how strong of a history that number carries within the garage.
"That's really what makes it so special to me," added Martin. "Growing up and watching NASCAR, I fully understand all of the tradition associated with the No. 21 and I'm very proud to be associated with it, if only in a small way."
In addition to California, Martin will run races at Charlotte (May 19), Dover (June 3), Michigan (June 17), Bristol (Aug. 22) and Atlanta (Oct. 28). In addition to California, Martin will enter the races as the defending winner at Dover and Bristol.
Last season Martin won six of his 14 races in the Craftsman Truck Series, including the first two at Daytona and Fontana. He finished top five in 11 of those 14 starts, and has won seven of his career 17 races in the series.
Car open should Martin opt for full-time ride
By David Caraviello - NASCAR.COM
February 20, 2007If Mark Martin decides he wants to run a full Nextel Cup season, he'll have a car waiting for him at Ginn Racing.
Martin is scheduled to compete in about 22 events this season in a No. 01 car he'll share with teammate Regan Smith, along with a variety of Busch and Craftsman Truck starts for other teams. But if results like his dramatic runner-up finish to Kevin Harvick in Sunday's Daytona 500 whet his appetite for another championship run, Martin has the option of driving the U.S Army car full time.
"If he came to us and that's what he wanted to do," Jay Frye, Ginn Racing's CEO and general manager said Tuesday, "then we would do that."
Frye stressed that the subject hasn't even come up. But should Martin make that decision, Smith would move to the team's No. 39 car, which failed to qualify at Daytona.
"That's a good Cup team that's actually a Busch team," Frye said. "We could run that fourth team in numerous races also. I don't think it would be that big of an issue if that's what happens."
As it stands now, Martin is scheduled to run the first four weeks of the season in the No. 01 car. He's slated to turn it over to Smith on March 25 at Bristol and end his streak of 617 consecutive Nextel Cup starts. But Matt Kenseth wonders if his old Roush Racing teammate will be able to give up the seat should he follow his Daytona finish with a few more solid results.
"I think that if he's up there in points, and with the way they're doing the Chase and all that stuff, if his team is competitive, I wouldn't be shocked if he ended up running the whole season trying to run for the championship," Kenseth said. "That's just me, though. He hasn't said anything like that. I just know him pretty well, and when he sat there two or three years ago and said he was going to retire, I didn't buy that, either."
Frye said the team is still working under Martin's part-time schedule, which includes another shot at Daytona in July. But even he wonders if that will change should Martin enjoy more success in the coming weeks.
"We're not putting any pressure on him to [go full time]," Frye said. "Right now, our schedule is the same as it was, and I don't see that changing. But three or four weeks from now? You never know. Right now, I don't anticipate that."
Ginn Racing placed all three of its cars in the top 20 at Daytona, with Joe Nemechek ninth and Sterling Marlin 17th. Frye said there was never any thought of protesting NASCAR's decision to delay the final-lap caution, which didn't come out until after the leaders had crossed the finish line.
"In their defense, if they had to call it one way or the other, it would have been difficult either way. We were racing Harvick at the end, regardless of what happened behind. We came up a couple of feet short," Frye said.
"If you had said before the race you'd finish second, ninth, and 17th, you'd probably be pretty happy with that. But it was so close. Everybody was just crushed afterward. But as the days go on, and I'm sure when we get to Fontana, we're very proud of what we've accomplished."
Martin's Team Captures Pit Crew Challenge Win in Daytona
Victory is Second Straight for 01 Army Crew
Checkers
February 20, 2007Mark Martin's No. 01 pit crew earned the Checkers/ Rally's Double Drive-Thru Challenge win in the Nextel Cup Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway, helping boost the U.S. Army driver to a runner-up finish in Sunday's Daytona 500.
This is the second consecutive pit crew challenge win for the Army crew, which claimed top honors in the 2006 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
"I just can't say enough about the work of our pit crew," offered Martin, whose team spent 216.620 seconds on pit road during Sunday's event. "Those guys were Army Strong in the pits and helped give me my best shot ever at winning the Daytona 500."
Martin continued, "They (the crew) put us out in the lead when we needed it and I feel terrible that I wasn't able to hold on. Those guys really stepped up to the plate when the pressure was at its greatest and they delivered like champions do."
The No. 01 over-the-wall crew consists of: Scott King (jackman), Colin Pasi (front-tire carrier), Charlie Brock (front-tire changer), Dwayne Moore (rear-tire carrier), Dave Woodhead (rear-tire changer), Danny Harrington (gasman), Scott Hazlett (catch can) and J.D. Hilton (windshield). The pit crew coach is Lance Munksgard.
To win the Checkers/Rally's Double Drive-Thru Challenge, teams are required to finish on the lead lap while spending the least amount of time on pit road. The program pays $11,000 to the weekly winner. An additional $111,150 bonus will be awarded to the pit crew with the most wins at the completion of the 36-race schedule.
Busch Series Result -- Daytona
Aric Almirola's No. 18 over-the-wall crew grabbed the Checkers/Rally's Double Drive-Thru Challenge win in Saturday's Busch Series event at Daytona International Speedway. The crew spent 83.361 seconds on pit road.
Truck Series Result -- Daytona
Johnny Benson's No. 23 over-the-wall crew took top honors in Friday night's Craftsman Truck race at Daytona. The team spent 129.793 seconds on pit road.
NASCAR didn't cheat Martin, it just let him down
By Ed Hinton - Orlando Sentinel : Top Sports
February 20, 2007DAYTONA BEACH -- On one issue, Mark Martin stands diametrically opposed to all who know him. He has long deemed himself unworthy of NASCAR. The others deem NASCAR unworthy of Mark Martin.
That issue was settled in favor of the majority Sunday night.
Only the record books will say this was the Daytona 500 that Kevin Harvick won. History and lore will resonate with the one Mark Martin lost -- or had taken away from him on a blown call, or was robbed of, depending on your point of view.
Don't feel sorry for him. He's a mighty big little man. His heart is so held together by scar tissue it can't be broken anymore. He can handle this. He already has, and now a nation knows what his peers always have: He towers over all the rest in decency and dignity.
Feel for Harvick, who did nothing wrong, just drove his heart out. Under any other circumstances, his effort would have been an instant classic. But even as he crossed the finish line ahead of Martin by the length of a hood, "I knew I was going to be the bad guy," he said.
Feel for three NASCAR officials in the race-control tower, any of whom could have changed the outcome by uttering a single word a few seconds earlier: "Caution."
As I understand it, the usual veterans were in charge: NASCAR President Mike Helton, Nextel Cup Director John Darby and managing event director David Hoots.
I don't think they robbed or jobbed Martin. I think they let him down. They are decent men. This will not weigh lightly on their minds. They have to live with this: that it was Martin, of all people.
Martin, who by consensus of his peers is the best driver never to win the NASCAR points championship. He tried 20 times, was in the hunt 10 times, finished second three times, with never a whine or whimper.
Martin, who is the cleanest, kindest, fairest racer any of the drivers have seen -- no matter their backgrounds in NASCAR, Indy cars, dirt tracks, off-road, whatever.
Martin, who this year finally gave up running for the season championship but who for one split second of his 48 years thought he had won the Daytona 500, on his 23rd try, and then when he realized he'd lost again, said to his crew on the radio, "Thank y'all so much."
Just for the chance, he meant.
There have been reports that he didn't know about the wrecking going on behind him, didn't know of the hesitation in throwing the caution. He knew. I was monitoring his radio channel as it all happened. He knew.
It's just that he walked into the media center and stood 10 feet tall as always. And, formally, he covered for NASCAR.
By current NASCAR rules, when a caution comes out, the field is instantaneously frozen. So a caution at the right moment would have left Martin the winner, even though Harvick beat him to the line.
NASCAR issued a statement, trying to explain that the caution came out only after Clint Bowyer's car went sideways and began rolling. By that moment the race was over. That was ages, in Daytona 500 time, after the massive wreck began.
"The vehicles that were in the earlier part of the incident were already off the track and on the apron," NASCAR maintained.
Reviewing the replays, I couldn't see how the people in the tower could have been sure of that. Cars were wrecking every which way, well before Bowyer tumbled, and indeed well before Harvick and Martin got to the line.
NASCAR's licensed TV networks have joined in the defense, maintaining that at the instant the wreck started, Harvick was a nose ahead. Then Martin went back ahead later, then Harvick at the line. So, the defense claims, a frozen field would have given the win to Harvick.
Never in the history of motor racing has a caution come out at the instant a wreck begins. There is always human reaction time, spotting the incident, then the time it takes to flip a switch or say, "Caution," to the person who flips the switch.
Allowing for human reaction, at the moment a caution became justified on the last lap of the 49th Daytona 500, Mark Martin was clearly ahead.
By Monday, NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston was pointing out that "at this point, most people have had a chance to see this in slow motion, several times. Our guys up in the tower were seeing it for the first time, in real time."
Read that as pleading no contest.
Tough circumstances. But the same circumstances under which they always have to decide whether to throw cautions.
NASCAR has to live with this. And that will be harder than any criticism could be.
Column: Speedweeks shows need for change
By Jenna Fryer
AP Auto Racing Writer
February 19, 2007DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- It was a split-second decision that NASCAR could get neither right nor wrong. As the cars tumbled across the track in the Daytona 500's closing moments, series officials had to make a tough choice.
They could throw a caution flag immediately, giving Mark Martin a sentimental victory while denying Kevin Harvick a chance to race to the finish. Or they could let them race on - even as a seven-car demolition derby exploded behind them - in a frenzied final stretch that will be remembered as one of the best in NASCAR history.
NASCAR went for the drama.
When the cars crossed the finish line, the cheating scandal that ensnared five teams and tainted preparations for the Great American Race was forgotten - at least for a while.
By allowing Harvick and Martin to race to the checkered flag, giving Harvick his first Daytona 500 victory and dropping Martin to 0-for-23, NASCAR created a whole new controversy.
"We get criticized for everything we do, and this is no exception," competition director Robin Pemberton said Monday. "If we throw the flag too early, people are mad that we kept Harvick from winning. If we throw it too late, people are mad that Mark Martin didn't win.
"It's hard. It's always hard. All we can do is make the best decisions that we can in that moment."
But in that moment NASCAR slightly changed its own rules.
In the old days, drivers raced to the flag when the caution came out. That practice was stopped in 2003, when NASCAR determined it was too dangerous to allow speeding cars to zip past an accident scene.
Now, the field is frozen and all cars must slow down when a caution comes out. Multi-car mayhem generally warrants a caution. But as Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth and Jeff Gordon bumped and banged across the track just a few hundred yards from the finish, NASCAR let the racing go on.
It wasn't until Clint Bowyer flipped, crossing the finish line on his roof as flames ripped through his car, that NASCAR finally waved the yellow flag.
By then, it was too late for Martin. Harvick already had nosed ahead, beating him across the finish line by the length of his car hood. The .020 margin of victory was the closest in the history of electronic scoring at Daytona.
Martin initially was irate over his radio, criticizing NASCAR for not throwing the caution.
"I can't believe they waited!" he wailed.
Still, he refused to blast NASCAR for its decision - which might have cost Martin is last shot at a Daytona 500 victory. He's easing into retirement and is racing a partial schedule this season, with no firm plans for his future.
"No one wants to hear a grown man cry," the 48-year-old Martin said. "I'm not going to cry about it. This is the end. They made the decision. That's what we're going to live with."
That's just how it goes in NASCAR, where the rules can be a moving target and enforcement is almost always arbitrary.
On any other lap at any other race, it's likely the caution would have come out the moment Busch and Kenseth made contact.
Arguing that it was OK because it was the last lap isn't right, either. In 2005, NASCAR froze the field on the final lap at Talladega Superspeedway because of a spinning car way behind the leaders. Tony Stewart crossed the finish line first, but Dale Jarrett got the win because he was ahead when the field was frozen.
Different circumstances lead to different interpretations.
It's why Johnny Benson wasn't flagged for driving below the yellow line in Friday night's Truck Series race, even though NASCAR has made that part of the track a strict no-no. But NASCAR deemed Benson's move legal.
It's why in a week that saw six people thrown out of the garage for cheating, Jeff Gordon received only a slap on the wrist when his car failed an inspection.
It's why Elliott Sadler and Scott Riggs were penalized for infractions that car owner Ray Evernham insisted are not even addressed in the rule book.
And it's why Michael Waltrip wasn't kicked out of the Daytona 500 after NASCAR found a fuel additive in his new Toyota Camry. The transgression was so blatant Pemberton said he was personally insulted. NASCAR cracked down on Waltrip with stiff penalties, but his presence in the race infuriated rival drivers.
The one constant of Speedweeks? Every incident proved it's past time for NASCAR to have a very clear rule book. Otherwise, everything will always be arbitrary - even fantastic finishes like Sundays.
Martin Takes The High Road En Route To No. 2
By Martin Fennelly
TBO.com
February 19, 2007DAYTONA BEACH - It will break your heart, the Daytona 500. Sometimes it will run the life clean out of you even after you beat it, like with Dale Earnhardt, who died six years ago Sunday. But mostly it works within the surly bonds. It simply robs you of other things.
We thought Tony Stewart had a lock on that Sunday. Stewart had the best car here - and then he was into the wall and out of the race and 0-for-9 at the Daytona 500.
You call 0-for-9 tough?
Heartbreak stayed for the finish.
And so Kevin Harvick, out of nowhere, won NASCAR's Super Bowl. He won it by inches in a frantic green-white-checkered overtime finish. It came down to a drag race with chaos right behind, cars spinning everywhere, even a burning wreck after two drivers crossed the line as a single blur, with smoke in their mirrors. Smoke and mirrors.
And Mark Martin second.
No yellow flag was waved. Where was the yellow? Maybe it was just as well. It didn't affect the Harvick-Martin duel. And yet there seemed little justice in the outcome. Mark Martin, 48, the best driver never to win a points title or a Daytona 500, was beaten by the blink of an eye in his 23rd try. Old 0-for-23 Mark.
"I let it slip away, slip through my fingers," Martin said. "And I'm fine with that."
What?
"My heart wasn't broke."
He Gets No Help:
He kept racing as he waited for the yellow that never came or the help from other drivers that never came either.
No, it wasn't lost on us that Martin was driving the U.S. Army Chevrolet, but that he was an army of one as he tried to hold off the field. Not even his old Roush Racing teammates helped. Matt Kenseth pushed Harvick along.
If ever a guy deserved a push, it was Mark Martin. He has won 35 races in his NASCAR career, but never this, the biggest one. He has finished second in the points race four times, but never first. He has always carried himself with class. All he ever asked for in any race was a chance. And this was the best of his at the 500.
"I'm going to tell you that Mark Martin is a champion," third-place finisher Jeff Burton said. "I don't care if he ever wins a championship. He's a champion. I don't care if he ever wins a Daytona 500. He's a champion."
Harvick took the lead coming out of the last turn. But Martin took it back and was ahead a few hundred yards from the finish when cars spun behind him. If the yellow flashes, Martin wins. Cars everywhere and no yellow?
Borderline call, but NASCAR might have broken its own rules.
Mark Martin could have raised hell about the missing yellow. He could have been bitter. But not Sunday.
"Nobody wants to hear a grown man cry, all right?" he said. "That is what it is. And I'm not going to cry about it. That's the end."
There was a soaring majesty to his comment, especially given this week at Daytona, when too many men looked for unfair advantage. Here, finally, was honesty and decency.
"We were inches or feet or whatever we were short," Mark Martin said. "It was so close, but it was second."
As Close As Can Be:
A lot of people pulled for him. Dale Earnhardt tried 20 times before he won here. Darrell Waltrip took forever to win a 500, too. From his TV perch Sunday, D.W. let it all hang out.
"Mark Martin, hang on, baby," Waltrip said.
What a story. Mark Martin tried to retire a couple of years ago, but Jack Roush talked him out of it. Martin did retire from Cup racing after last season, but Ginn Racing lured him back, at least for 22 races.
So here he was, the man who raced for Roush for two decades and did the sport proud. We'd thought his day was done. Here he was, holding off everyone as the laps melted away.
Then the last lap was gone.
Mark Martin was second.
"I probably will feel some sadness somewhere along the line," Martin said.
Not Sunday.
His heart wasn't broken.
Champion enough.
Martin nearly gets elusive Daytona win
By Mark Long
AP Sports Writer
February 19, 2007DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Mark Martin went part time and nearly won big time. Martin, who walked away from Roush Racing after 19 successful seasons to run a partial schedule, came a few feet from ending 25 years of frustration in NASCAR's premier event Sunday.
Kevin Harvick edged Martin in a wild final lap, forcing the 48-year-old driver to settle for second place in the season-opening Daytona 500.
"I probably will feel some sadness somewhere along the line," Martin said. "(But) my heart wasn't broken. I've done this stuff a long time, and I've had a lot worse happen than what happened there in the last 200 yards."
Martin has experienced plenty of heartache and disappointment at Daytona. He's wrecked more times than he cares to remember. He's spent entire races near the back of the pack. He's had podium finishes and early exits.
He's never been this close, which explains why he was more encouraged than discouraged Sunday.
Martin's best previous finish in the Daytona 500 was third in 1995. With so little success at NASCAR's most famous track, it has always been his least favorite venue.
That nearly changed Sunday.
Martin was leading with two laps to go and looked like he would hold off Kyle Busch. But Busch started a multi-car accident in the final turn that left Martin with no one pushing him to the finish line.
Harvick and Matt Kenseth teamed up on the outside, allowing Harvick to pull alongside Martin and edge him at the line.
"I knew I was going to be the bad guy there at the end," Harvick said.
Martin would have won the race had NASCAR officials waved the yellow flag a few seconds earlier - while he was still out front. Instead, Harvick drove by and picked up the victory.
Martin could have been sour, and no one would have blamed him.
But Martin got exactly what he wanted - a shot at winning the Daytona 500.
"They gave me a chance. That's all I ever asked," Martin said in his usual self-deprecating tone. "I really hate I let them down. I gave them what I could, but I just didn't get it done."
Considered the greatest driver to never win a championship and respected like few others in the sport, Martin left Jack Roush because the owner wouldn't give him the flexibility he needed as he eases into retirement.
He took a job with upstart Ginn Racing, driving for a Florida land developer who bought an existing second-tier team to satisfy his love of NASCAR. Bobby Ginn lured Martin to his stable, with the promise of a scaled-back schedule that Martin could set.
He surprisingly put Daytona on the list, even though restrictor-plate racing always has given Martin fits. He'd never really come close to winning the Great American Race - even during his best years while driving for one of NASCAR's best teams.
"I knew that I might have the best chance ever the day after we signed the deal, and it came true," Martin said. "That was true. I did have the best shot ever."
He nearly made it happen.
"As good as I feel for (Richard Childress Racing) and Kevin, I feel that bad for Mark," third-place finisher Jeff Burton said. "Mark Martin is a champion. I don't care if he ever wins a championship. He's a champion. I don't care if he ever wins the Daytona 500. He's a champion. But it would be nice for Mark Martin to be able to see the hardware on the trophy case - for him.
Martin said "it would have broke me in half" had Harvick or anyone else let him win the race.
"That's what I love about this sport - it's hard," Martin said. "It's what's driven me for over 30 years. That's what I love about it, and that's why I'm here. I had the choice of whether or not I wanted to race the Daytona 500. I wanted a chance. I wanted a shot at it, and these guys gave me a shot."
Martin Army Strong; Falls Inches Short of Winning Daytona 500
Veteran opens new Ginn Racing era with strongest Daytona 500 run of illustrious racing career
Ginn Racing
February 18, 2007"I just can't tell you how bad I wanted it," said Mark Martin seconds after climbing out of his No. 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet following Sunday's Daytona 500. "We gave it our best shot -- we were within inches of getting it done."
"All I asked for was a chance to win and they (Ginn Racing and the No. 01 U.S. Army Team) gave me that today. I never asked for the trophy, I just asked for a real shot at it and thats exactly what I had -- my best ever opportunity to win the Daytona 500."
Martin led 26 of the final 27 laps before being overtaken by Kevin Harvick at the finish line. Harvick's margin of victory was 0.020 seconds.
"When I looked up there at the end, I was minus any pushers," explained Martin. "I didn't have any help to get it done, and that's the way it goes."
Martin was in the lead when cars started crashing on the final lap, but the caution surprisingly never came out. Had NASCAR waved the yellow flag, the 48-year Martin would have been declared the winner.
The second-place result was Martin's career-best Daytona 500 result. His previous best was third in 1995.
"I'm so proud of the effort that we gave here tonight and so proud to represent the U.S. Army," added Martin. "This is the soldiers' car and I hope we made them proud today."
Martin started the race 26th and spent much of the day patiently and methodically working his way through the draft, while in constant communication with crew chief Ryan Pemberton on how to improve the car's performance.
Martin moved inside the top 10 on Lap 144 and broke inside the top five nine laps later.
Running fourth when a caution came out on Lap 156, a 13.6-second stop by the U.S. Army crew sent Martin to second place when green-flag racing resumed.
Martin spent the next several laps battling the front runners, but was unable to overtake the leader, eventually being shuffled back to eighth before the fourth caution of the race.
Pemberton opted for two-tires on the next pit stop and Martin returned to the field leading the Daytona 500. He would lead the remainder of the race, with the exception of the final inches.
"We were so close and I just hope that I gave all of our soldiers something to cheer about," said Martin. "I really wanted to win with all my heart. I'm honored to work with this Army team and this was a great way to kick off my start with Ginn Racing."
Mark Martin Post Race Notes and Quotes - Daytona 500
GM Racing
February 18, 2007MARK MARTIN, NO. 01 U.S. ARMY MONTE CARLO SS - Finished 2nd:
TAKE US THROUGH THAT LAST LAP. IT LOOKED LIKE YOU HAD THE NO. 5 (KYLE BUSCH) COVERED AND THEN OUT OF NOWHERE COMES THE NO. 29 (HARVICK)
"Well, we saw him up there. We were just doing everything we could, you know. It was the Daytona 500 man. I just want to thank Bobby Ginn and especially the U. S. Army team. I'm so proud to be a part of this team. They gave me a chance at the Daytona 500 and that's all I ever asked. I really hate that I let them down. I gave it what I would, but I didn't get it done. I really thought they were going to throw the caution. I was still ahead; then they were wrecking behind. If they would have thrown the yellow, it was in our fingers. But they waited and waited and they waited and I didn't have any pusher there at the end and he was in the preferred for second back forward. But I just want to thank everybody for all their support. I wanted to win that thing and they were going to have to pry it out of my fingers, man. I was looking back to see if we had any help, but I didn't see any back there. It was just short."
DO YOU THINK MAYBE THIS IS THE YEAR?
"Hey, this is a green-white-checkered at the Daytona 500. I knew the race was on. And man we got so far down the line. I saw him (Harvick) get that run. I tried to block it. And then I got back down and you know, minus the wreck and everybody coming through there good with a good pusher, we would have still had it done. I really still thought, as we entered Turn 3, that we were going to get it done. And then they started wrecking and we were still ahead of him. But it just wasn't meant to be. I didn't get the job done."
The conferences below include Mark Martin, Jeff Burton and Kevin Harvick.
Daytona 500: Top Three Press Conference - Part 1
Daytona 500: Top Three Press Conference - Part 2
Daytona 500: Top Three Press Conference - Part 3
Mark Martin Race Re-cap
Martin Runs To Top-Five Finish In Daytona Busch Race
Veteran earns 105th top-five finish of Busch racing career
Orbitz 300 - Daytona International Speedway – Feb. 17, 2007
Started: 8th - Finished 5th
Roush RacingDAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Mark Martin’s brief return to Roush Racing was a successful one, with Martin taking up where he left off with a fifth-place finish in the Orbitz 300 at Daytona International Speedway. The finish was Martin’s 105th top-five career Busch finish and only his fourth top-five Daytona Busch finish in 12 series starts at the track.
“The Dish Network car worked really well there and if we could have had just one more adjustment I think that we would have been there,” said Martin. “I tried to help out Carl there at the end and I was hoping that he would push me when he was behind me, as I felt that he might have pushed me better than I could push him. Still, I want to thank everyone for letting me run the race, we had a blast.”
Running in the No. 06 car, Martin started the race eighth and quickly worked his way into the top five. He was running in third by the time the day’s first caution was called on just the third lap of the race. The car’s handling eventually became too tight for Martin to control and he dropped back to seventh position by the time the race’s second caution was issued on lap 17. With the car tight, Martin brought the No. 06 down pit road for four tires, fuel, air pressure and wedge adjustments. Excellent work in the pits by the Chad Norris led No. 06 team sent Martin back out in fourth when green-flag racing resumed.
Martin moved to as high as second place, but continued to struggle with the car’s handling, even after more adjustments under caution on lap 65 and then fell back to as far as 13th on lap 78. Martin was able to reel in the car eventually, over the course of a long, and rare, green-flag run that would see the race go green for the final 51 laps.
Martin quickly regrouped and moved his car back inside the top 10 on the following lap, where he would run for the remainder of the race, drafting his way back inside the top five on lap 96. He moved around former Roush teammate Carl Edwards for third on lap 101. Edwards eventually moved his familiar No. 60 car back around Martin, and Martin spent the remainder of the race teaming with Edwards, as they battled for top-five finishes.
The race was Martin’s first Busch race at Daytona since 1999 and his first top-five Busch finish there since 1998. It was also his first restrictor-plate Busch race since 1999.
Martin’s next Busch race will come in April at Texas, when he again gets behind the wheel of the No. 06 Dish Network Ford.
Mark Martin Post Race Notes and Quotes - Orbitz 300
Ford Racing
February 17, 2007MARK MARTIN-06-Dish Network Ford Fusion (Finished 5th)
"That was a blast. Green-flag racing is what it's all about. We got those long green-flag runs and the Dish Network Fusion worked well, but we needed one more adjustment. I tried helping out Carl there, and I felt like he might have kinda been a teammate, so I was trying to help Carl. I was trying to help Carl, and I wish Carl, when I had him behind me, would have stuck with me. I thought he could push me better than I could push him. I didn't handle quite good enough; we needed one more adjustment. I really want to thank everybody for letting me participate in this thing."
Mark Martin Post Qualifying Notes and Quotes - Orbitz 300
Ford Racing
February 16, 2007MARK MARTIN-06-Dish Network Ford Fusion (Qualified 7th)
YOU HAVE NEVER WON A BUSCH RACE AT DAYTONA, BUT DO YOU HAVE THE CAR TO DO IT THIS WEEKEND?
"I don't know. That's a big pickup for qualifying. We were really concerned with making it on time, and obviously we're in good shape. We had a little bit better handling package that we were afraid would qualify slower. I don't know if the car is going to handle as good as I want. Like I say, we had a little bit better rare package, but we wouldn't have qualified as well. I guess we'll have to wait and see. It certainly ran fast today, so it means that we have a fast car. I'm always asking for a fast car here and I finally have one."
WAS IT AT ALL AWKWARD RETURNING TO A ROUSH CAR?
"Heck, we're just picking up where I left off last year. It's like I never left this side of the garage. The first (Busch) race out of the box and we're back in a Roush car, so it's kind of crazy."
Martin Finishes 14th In Gatorade Duel Qualifying Race
Mark will start 26th in Daytona 500DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 15, 2007) -- Mark Martin finished 14th in Thursday's Gatorade Duel qualifying race.
Martin will join teammates Joe Nemechek and Sterling Marlin when the green flag drops for NASCAR's most famous race. A fourth Ginn Racing-owned Chevrolet, the No. 39 driven by rookie Regan Smith, came up just short of making the 500, finishing 19th.
"I'm ready for the (Daytona) 500," said Martin after climbing out of his No. 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet. "Now we are all getting primed for Sunday. That's what it's all about here and we want to make our soldiers proud of their car.
"With the car handling tight early in the race, the 01 team took four tires and made a suspension adjustment when the first caution flew on Lap 24 of 60. A quick pit stop by the U.S. Army crew put Martin in eighth place when green flag racing resumed.
Martin held at eighth for several laps, before being shuffled back to 18th when the second caution was called on Lap 50. Martin came down pit road and took four tires, returning to the track in 22nd position with only seven laps remaining. The Army Chevy did make a late charge, picking up eight spots to finish 14th.
The complicated qualifying format will have Martin starting 26th in Sunday' s 500. The race will be Martin's 44th at Daytona International Speedway and the first with Ginn Racing and the U.S. Army.
Sunday's race will be televised on FOX, beginning with a prerace show at 2 p.m. ET.
Mark Martin Post Race Notes and Quotes - Gatorade Duel 2
GM RacingMARK MARTIN, NO. 01 U.S. ARMY MONTE CARLO SS - Finished 14th
I'm ready for the (Daytona) 500. That was a frustrating race for us. We were really worried about Joe (Nemechek) making the race and he did a spectacular job and I'm very proud of him getting in there. I sure wouldn't want to do what Joe had to do today and he just did an outstanding job. Now we are all getting primed up for the 500. Our car is pretty good. It wasn't as good today as it was in the Bud Shootout, but we have a couple of days to work on it and get it better. We are looking forward the 500 and that's what it's all about here."
Mark Martin - GM Friday Interview
February 16, 2007
GM RacingMARK MARTIN, DRIVER OF THE NO. 01 U.S. ARMY MONTE CARLO SS, TALKED WITH MEDIA ABOUT PUSHING THE CURRENT RULES AND RULES FOR THE UPCOMING CAR OF TOMORROW
ON NASCAR CONSISTENCY WITH PENALTIES
"If they continue to do what they are doing, they will be consistent."
ON THE NEW RIGHT SIDE TIRE
"It is not that difficult. It is more of a challenge to get your car handling properly, but racing is challenging."
ON HOW CAR IS RUNNING AND HANDLING
"We are going to use the about 2 hours we have left of practice before the Daytona 500 to see if we can make any improvement on our U.S. Army Chevy."
ON THERE BEING MORE TEMPTATION TO PUSH RULES HERE THAN OTHER PLACES
"There are 61 cars that NASCAR felt it necessary to make it fair. There are a lot of cars that went home before this race. They have busted people for things they haven't really looked at before. Certainly people are getting the message that the rules are going to be strictly enforced. With that many cars, it is for good reason."
ON CONSIDERING DOING MORE RACES WHEN BRISTOL GETS HERE
"Why do ya'all keep saying that? (LAUGHS) I don't know, Matt Kenseth has $200 on it. We will see if he wins it or not. (LAUGHS) I have a plan that I am very happy with. If I wanted to run the full season, I certainly could. I don't want to, I haven't asked to, if fact I said no to that over and over again. Let's just not worry about whether or not I am fifth in the points going in to Bristol, and just let me do what I want to do, and that is what I have on the schedule. I just don't see any need to be worried about the what ifs."
ON HOW HARD IT WILL BE NOT TO PULL IN THE NO. 6 PITS DURING THE RACE
"I hope it's not hard. If it is, I am in trouble. I don't know, I have had people around me speculate that I would do that. I don't know if I will or not. I have run two races so far and that car wasn't in those races. I knew where my pit was; I found my pit board ok. At the same time, I was in the 6 car for 19 years. But I have drove a lot of other things too. I have drove 60, I have drove the No. 9 and some other things. Obviously considering that the colors haven't changed much if at all from when I drove the car, there is a chance. I have done a lot more dumber things than that."
ON WHAT MAKES PEOPLE BEND THE RULES
"I think most of the infractions that have been caught this week that are in things that have been commonly done in the past. It is competition and people pushing the limits. It is Daytona. Whether or not it gives you an advantage or not, it makes you think you are trying harder if you do that. A lot of the things that have come down this week are over things that probably give them a performance advantage that their intent was to do. I know for a fact, a lot of the things won't make the car run faster, but that was the intent. It made it bad because it was to gain an advantage even though it probably wasn't going to give them an advantage."
ON HAVING A CONVERSATION WITH CREW CHIEF ON THIS ISSUE
"No Ryan (Pemberton) is more conservative than some of the other crew chiefs I have worked with in the past. I think we are good there. Ryan seems to be more conservative."
ON WHAT IS BEING SAID IN THE GARAGE
"I don't think anything out of the ordinary whatsoever has happened so far. All the things that have happened are things that have been done in the past. The message from NASCAR is clear 'We are tightening up guys'. I applaud NASCAR for that cause I don't think 25 points got anybody's attention. People hated to lose them but stepping it up will get their attention. There is no amount of money that will get their attention because there is so much at stake in this business. When you starting taking 50 points, that really takes their attention. A 100 points sent the message home."
ON NASCAR ENTERING DIFFICULT WATERS TRYING TO DEFINE INTENT
"Always in the past, it didn't matter if it was intentional or not. That is the unfortunate thing, we have had lower quality springs in the past that some would not hold their free height where your cars would be low after the race with no intent. You still go penalized even though you didn't intend for that to happen. I think the penalty is always going to be there, whether it was meant to happen or not. But, if you meant to cheat the competition, I think the penalty should be worse than if you cheated the competition by accident."
ON NASCAR TIGHTENING UP IN PREPARATION OF CAR OF TOMORROW DEBUT
"I am not sure. I think one of things was there 61 cars for the Daytona 500. I think that is part of it. Certainly, the rules for the COT and the way that car is, it tightens the box up like I have never seen. It is incredible how the box has tightened there. Because the box is tightened, it is like a handful of spaghetti. I think they may be sending a message 'Hey, everything we lay out, you are going to have to follow and if you don't follow it, shame on you. You are going to get caught'. All these things are small things. I am unaware of the Michael Waltrip issue, I don't really know anything about that. But I will bet you anything in the world, whatever performance improvement that would have been gained by whatever might have been done there still would have been small. Like I say, the things that have happened here this week with the Evernham cars and the No. 17 car, are things that have been done forever, that's not knew. I am pretty sure that I know what they did on the 17 car and I am pretty sure there was no advantage by it but they were sure trying hard. You know what I mean, that is what racers do. So many of these things, you are just trying so hard. I think that this week will go a long way in corraling up those things. I think it is good. Certainly, I don't think the teams are going to want to lose 50 points and darn sure not 100. When you have the competition that we have today, people just need to be playing it straight. Racers is so different today because there really are no gray areas. It used to be so much more fun, you used to be able to be creative and bring things to table if you were smart and creative. There are just hardly any areas to work anymore. For me, I am not even smart, and I used to be able to bring things to the table. Man, you could put the world on pause and 10 years I still won't come up with anything.& nbsp; The box is really tight today. It is a different world."
ON TAKING THE FUN OUT OF IT
"It takes it out for me but doesn't necessarily take it out for someone who doesn't know any different. Regan Smith, I don't know, not very long ago. I don't even know what year, maybe 1984 or something like that. That is just wrong (LAUGHS). But, he just doesn't know the difference. A lot of these guys they just don't know the difference. So I am not going to sit here and say it takes all the fun out of it. When I was coming along, I heard those old guys yapping about how good the good old days were. How wrong the kids were and all that stuff. I don't want to be one of those guys, because when they were saying it, it wasn't very attractive to me. I didn't care much for all that and I am not going to stand around saying all that now. I don't want to be a naysayer like that, sort of the old timers syndrome. I don't want to sign up for that. It is different and yes, it has taken the fun out of it for me because I don't feel like I have a way to contribute anymore. When we first started Roush Racing, I felt like I could pay attention, be a part of the team and thought of things we could do that gave us advantages. We saw and felt that advantage, and that was a blast for it, it was fun. I feel that window is a lot smaller now, it is a lot, lot smaller. But for guys coming along that don't know, they are just thrilled to be here and be doing this.
ON MORE TALENTED YOUNGER DRIVERS IN THE MARKET NOW
"Yes, ok and here is why. There has always been that talent but it wasn't in NASCAR because there was no room for it, no one interested in it. But it was still out there not given the opportunity that is obviously being given today that Jeff Gordon brought here and then grow - the sponsorship, the money, the backing and all that. If you were Regan then, you were lucky if you were driving a dirt track car, and winning races. If you were doing that and did that for another five years, you might get luck and be given an opportunity to drive a back marker car here for another five to six years. And if you made that back marker car run better than everybody thought it should, then you might get a chance when one of the old guys retired, to move up to a good enough car that you might be able to win in. That is how it used to be, it is different now."
ON THOUGHTS OF IT THERE WILL BE MORE INFRACTIONS FOUND
"I think you will continue to see some more infractions pop up because they are cracking tighter. Certainly there will be less intentional and more accidental infractions and there are accidental infractions believe me. Things happen. The quality of springs are better today but there is a thing out there that isn't right they have got to fix. These guys are building these cars that when you hit them in the back, it bends the frame down and takes the quarters down. Then you are that much low after the race. And they say well we got hit in the back, well that is bull. That is not right and I know that happened yesterday. Same deal as Jeff Gordon except his deal was different, his frame wasn't bent, it was another thing, it was another thing, but if your frame is bent, then what are you supposed to do. That is what the teams say, what are you supposed to do. Well if you are smart, you make you car so it bends and you get your teammate to run into. We bump draft out there right. That is the next thing that has to be fixed on this deal. It is not fair for somebody to race with the quarter panels an inch low. And if you are smart and agressive and they are, it has happened already and it will happen in the 500. I am not going to say nothing to NASCAR, they ought to know what is going on. They measure the cars, they ought to see it. They should have known about this a long time before I do. I heard about it after the two Talladega races last year. This has been going on and if you are smart, and you are agressive and build a frame where it will bend easy and have your buddy hit ya. Boom, you now have a giant, I am talking about a giant, advantage if you can get it down an inch.
ON NASCAR AND FANS READINESS FOR INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR
"I think so. I don't feel awkward or uncomfortable. I think Juan Pablo Montoya is one of the greatest things that has happened to NASCAR in my time. He is a world-class champion driver that is coming in here and really make his mark. That is huge for us. That makes everyone of us drivers more recognized for what we have done and our successes. It is great.
ON THE FOREIGN MANUFACTURER COMING IN
"I'm not as comfortable with that one but I'm not against it. Yeah, those words you used to explain, I'll try not to use them. I am one of those traditionalists. I'm not the most comfortable with that but let me tell you what the other side of the coin is. That's creating jobs and giving opportunity to young people who want to be in this sport to do and realizes their dreams. It will open up jobs and opportunities and it will also force the other manufacturers to step up their game which can only be good for the successful individuals in this sport. There are two sides. I'm riding the fence on it. I'm not on either side but I did want to point out, not only put out the negatives because there are positives to it that I named."
ANY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES WITH DRAFTING NOW THAT YOU ARE WITH A NEW MANUFACTURER
"I feel good about our car. I've been blessed with great cars and great engines over the past few years. Certainly stepping into Hendrick power and the Monte Carlo has not been a dramatic change based on the great stuff that I've been in the last few years. I do feel really good about the power that I have here and the speed that we have in our car. We just still need to get our arms around the handling just a little bit better to be able to reach its full potential. I feel that my car has the potential to be a contender to win this race but we don't have that harnessed yet and we only have two and half hours left. We're going to work on that but the potential is there. We just haven't got our arms around it yet."
HOW COMPETITIVE CAN YOU BE WITH THIS TEAM THIS YEAR?
"I think that we can have some flashes of brilliance. I don't think that we can post the kind of consistent level that we all are working toward. I think that this is a long term commitment from Bobby (Ginn) and all the guys here. They finally have the tools that they need to build a team that can be a contender, I mean a heavy hitter kind of contender in this business. That's comforting to me because number one, it's a great challenge and number two, I feel that they have a use for me and need me here for a long time because we know it's going to take a long time. It makes me feel good to be needed. It makes me feel really good to be a part of it so I'm real excited about that. We're all hopeful that we can have our flashes of brilliance but we also realize that we are not yet on the level of Hendrick or Gibbs or Childress at this time."
WITH ALL THE SCRUTINY ON THE CUP CARS, HOW DO YOU THINK THIS HAS AFFECTED THE BUSCH RACE? WILL THEY BE MORE CAREFUL?
"Boy, I couldn't answer that question. I am so busy over here that I barely get there and I dodge straight in the car. I don't know what's going on down there. I never even hardly saw my crew before I jumped in to go out and practice."
HOW HARD DOES THAT MAKE IT TO COMPETE?
"It is. I am definitely not involved and immersed in that program. I'm piling up in their car and whatever they are giving me is what is and that's it. My real focus here has been the Daytona 500 and the U.S. Army Chevy."
HOW DO YOU LIKE YOUR CAR?
"I like my car. My car has the potential in it to be a contender to win. We don't have that furnished yet. Our car is good. It has great potential."
Central Florida Resident Bids $13,600 to Win
Ginn Resorts Matches Bid; Money to Benefit Florida Tornado Victims
Mark Martin/Daytona 500 Dream Package
Ginn RacingDAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 16, 2007) -- Myron Bowlin, of Ocala, Fla., scored the highest bid on eBay to win the Mark Martin/Daytona 500 Dream package that will benefit Central Florida's tornado victims.
The "Ultimate Mark Martin/Daytona 500 Dream Package" was the creation of Martin, the NASCAR icon and Florida resident, Ginn Racing, Martin's NASCAR Nextel Cup team, and Ginn Resorts, a central Florida-based developer.
Bowlin's high bid of $13,600 will be matched by Ginn Resorts. The total gift of $27,200 will go directly to the American Red Cross Central Florida relief programs.
"Mark Martin has been my favorite driver since I started following NASCAR 10 years ago," said auction winner Bowlin. "He is a first class driver and a first class person. This is the experience of a lifetime. I've never been more excited to attend a race than I am about this weekend's Daytona 500. Plus, it's great to know that I'll be helping the victims of the tornadoes."
Bowlin, winner of the "Ultimate Mark Martin/Daytona 500 Dream Package," will receive the following:
A day as honorary crew chief for Martin's No. 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet
The hood of Martin's No. 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet
A ride with Martin in a pace car on the famed Daytona International Speedway
The fire suit Martin will wear in this year's Daytona 500
Two VIP suite tickets to the Orbitz 300 Busch race and the Daytona 500 Cup race
Guest pass to the Daytona 500 driver/crew chief meeting, as Martin's guest
Accommodations for three nights at Ginn Reunion Resort"I'm thrilled that the auction will help those in need in Central Florida," Martin said. "I've lived in this area for many years and was just devastated to see what these people went through. I'm also looking forward to meeting Myron. My fans mean everything to me and I truly appreciate all their support so spending some time with him the day before the race will be really special."
"It is so great to see someone fulfill their lifelong dream and at the same time, help people that need it the most," said Bobby Ginn, president and CEO of Ginn Resorts and owner of Ginn Racing. "Ginn Resorts puts a premium on assisting those in the communities where we develop in times of need."
About Mark Martin:
Martin left his longtime ride with Roush Racing after the 2006 season and signed a multiyear contract with Ginn Racing to drive the No. 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet.
Martin, who is one of only three drivers who have made the Chase for the Nextel Cup each season since the playoff championship format began three years ago, began his remarkable journey 25 years ago when he made his first Cup start at North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway on April 5, 1981. Since then the Hall of Fame driver has amassed a record of: 674 starts, 35 wins, 234 top fives, 374 top 10s and 41 poles.
About Ginn Racing:
Founded in July 1996, Ginn Racing (formerly known as MB2 Motorsports) has grown from a single-car NASCAR Cup team in an 8,000-square-foot shop to a multicar operation, which is currently housed in a 158,000-square-foot shop in Mooresville, N.C. Ginn Racing's lineup for the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series consists of the No. 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet to be co-driven by Mark Martin and rookie Regan Smith; the No. 13 Chevrolet, driven by Joe Nemechek; and the No. 14 Waste Management/Panasonic Chevrolet, driven by Sterling Marlin. Ginn Racing will also field a full-time Busch team in 2007 with drivers Smith and Kraig Kinser plus a driver development program with Jesus Hernandez and motocross champion Ricky Carmichael. For more information about Ginn Racing visit the company’s web site at Ginn Racing.
Hendrick Announces Mark Martin as Driver for Selected Busch Series Events
February 14, 2007Hendrick Motorsports announced today that it will field racing legend Mark Martin this season in three NASCAR Busch Series events. Martin's schedule will kick off May 11 at Darlington, S.C., where he has posted eight of his 47 career Busch Series victories. The 48-year-old will make additional starts on Aug. 18 at Brooklyn, Mich., and the Nov. 17 season finale at Homestead, Fla.
The press conference featured Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports and drivers of the No. 5 Hendrick Autoguard Monte Carlo SS, Kyle Busch and Mark Martin:
RICK HENDRICK
"This is an exciting day for me. Mark Martin and I have been friends for 25 years. Henry Hyde got us together when I first got started and we almost put a deal together and then several times in the past we've come close. We've talked. When you look at your career and what you've tried to accomplish and the people you've been around - there are legends in the sport - there are some legends who are still racing and I think I've got both ends of it here, a young guy and a guys who has been around for a few years. We're bringing one of our companies, Hendrick Autoguard, on board in the Busch Series with Mark Martin and Kyle Busch. To have an opportunity, I'd say it's more like a privilege to have a guy like Mark Martin to drive one of our Busch cars. Hopefully part of our resume will be that we've been able to win a Busch race with Mark Martin. We've got 6,000 employees in the dealerships that are really excited about this. They are big Kyle Busch fans. Everybody is a Mark Martin fan.
"When Kyle and I used to get to the race track and I'd wonder if Mark Martin was running the race. Hopefully we didn't see his car there because for many years in the Busch Series if you saw the No. 66 car there, that mean we were racing for second. Our organization is excited. We're going to use the car in our dealerships around the country when we're not racing.
"Mark and I started about this when he moved over to Ginn Racing this year because we do the engines for that team and offer some other support and we just thought this would be something that would be pretty neat before we quit that we'll have an opportunity to do that. So I can't wait to walk out on pit road and see Mark Martin's name on the roof of one of our cars."
HOW DID ALL OF THIS COME ABOUT?
MARK MARTIN
"Rick and I have been friends for 25 years. We've talked several different times about working together. As this thing started to materialize with Ginn Racing, it just sort of made sense. It's an opportunity for him, but it's really an opportunity for me. It means every bit as much or more to me than it does to Rick. You only go around once in life and I drove for Jack Roush an awfully long time and to have an opportunity to race with the incredible people at Hendrick Motorsports and have their support is a real special opportunity for me.
"I was telling Rick that I was going to have to get with the guys on the No. 5 car that they bring me an awfully special race car because if Kyle ain't winning in it, I'm not going to be able to either. These young guys are keeping me on my toes and that's part of what makes it fun is the challenge. I have an enormous respect for Kyle's skill and ability and I think most of you know that I've been a fan of the new and up and coming drivers for a long time. It's a special opportunity for me to get to participate in all this. I did get a menu of choices and Darlington was on there. I think I've won there before in a Busch car, I'm not sure. So the pressure is on. It's going to be fun. It's going to be something to put in the history book for Rick and me."
NOT ONLY IS MARK MARTIN GOING TO BE A TEAMMATE, BUT HE'S ALSO KIND OF A FAN OF YOURS. HOW DOES THAT FEEL?
KYLE BUSCH
"It's an awesome opportunity for me to be associated with such a great aspect of this sport with Mark Martin and being able to not only race alongside of him, but with him and be a part of Hendrick Motorsports together. He's always been a fan of the Busch brothers I guess. Kurt (Busch) has been able to work with him. For me it's been extra special in that respect. I'm 21 so I've still got plenty to learn. I'd be more than willing to learn from Mark anything he can teach me. It's going to be a whole new venture. All the guys at the shop are pumped up. There are a lot of new race cars being built. We had a great test at Las Vegas. I'm looking forward to running here this weekend in Daytona, but getting to California and on to our hometown in Vegas for the first three."
WHAT IS YOUR SCHEDULE FOR 2007?
MARK MARTIN
"It's 22 with Ginn Racing. It's two with Roush Racing in the Busch Series. It's three with the Hendrick Autoguard program after I'm finished with the Roush Busch stuff. And then we're doing six Truck races. The first will be next weekend in California in the Bad Boy Mowers No. 21 truck. Presently the Bad Boys sponsorship is for California. We're still working on the details of the others."
ON MEDIA DAY, YOU SAID YOU FELT BETTER THAN EVER BEFORE. HOW DO YOU FEEL NOW?
MARK MARTIN
"This has been a thrill. We've known we were going to do this for quite a long time. I've been anxious to announce it because that's been something we've kind of been holding back. I'm real excited about it. This is one of the most exciting things I've done in my career. It ranks right up there with anything that I've ever done to be able to be involved with Hendrick Motorsports and the history that they have and to be able to see their excitement putting behind it. But it's a lot of history. That No. 21 - it isn't a Cup car, but it still means much more to me than it might to Kyle. Someone who is as young as Kyle, he doesn't totally grasp what the Wood Bros meant to NASCAR racing. That's also something that's real special to me. But to be real honest with you, the thing that I'm really excited about is just working with Ginn Racing. They've given me the opportunity to run the U.S. Army car, but also to do everything that I want in racing. I have a dream come true right there with that organization. I'm able to do what I want, and drive for Rick and to drive the Wood's truck, and to be able to work with Ricky Carmichael and the other development drivers and have them racing in my cars and on and on. I'm living a dream."
HOW DID YOU MANAGE TO KEEP THIS A SECRET?
RICK HENDRICK
"I don't know. It's hard for us to explain what this means. It really is because you have people you like in the sport and people you respect in the sport. And I can't tell you how many times I've been to a race track with a Busch car knowing that you couldn't beat this guy (Martin). I remember the first race that Kyle sat down in the Busch car in Charlotte. If we'd put four tires on he would have won the race. To see talented guys in the sport that have had a great career to want to do something with you and together you say this would really be neat and you build a promotion around it with your people. But in 1984, when I showed up down here with All Star racing on my car, I had City Chevrolet on the back of it and that's all the sponsorship I had. That was my Chevrolet store. And to bring out the AutoGuard program gives our 6,000 employees an opportunity to feel a part of something. So we have a lot of energy around and that's very important to us. It's very important to our people.
Mark Martin: An army of one
Mark Martin is back at 48 but is driving in just 22 of the 36 Nextel Cup races in his U.S. Army Chevrolet.
By Alan Schmadtke | Orlando Sentinel Staff Writer
February 14, 2007DAYTONA BEACH -- Twice Mark Martin tried walking away from Nextel Cup driving, and both times he sat back down behind the wheel.
Then, just when Martin's Sunday stock-car experiences seemed destined for a couch and a remote, he made a move few believed or understood.
He left Roush Racing.
His contract up, his schedule too hectic, Martin left one of NASCAR's most successful teams for an upstart, for a Nextel Cup wannabe.
Martin never had met real-estate mogul Bobby Ginn before he agreed to drive for newly renamed Ginn Racing, a formerly underfunded team known as MB2 Motorsports.
And while most of the attention for NASCAR's 2007 season is trained on defending champion Jimmie Johnson and fellow stars Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon, Martin has no regrets.
"I've got the best gig in NASCAR," he said. "I'm the happiest I've ever been."
After 19 years at Roush, where he became a stabilizing force and the veteran leader for a team of five Cup cars, Martin finally said enough was enough. Too many years of too much grinding for points took a toll, and he finally summoned the courage to walk away.
On the track, he traded the No. 6 AAA Ford for the No. 01 Army Chevrolet. Off it, he stepped out of the constant glare that Nextel Cup racing has become. Martin, 48, is slated to drive 22 of 36 Cup races, at least two Busch Series races and six events in the Craftsman Truck Series for Wood Brothers Racing.
Cup rookie Regan Smith will drive the Army car in Cup events Martin doesn't.
"I have an enormous amount of weight off of me," said Martin, a resident of the Spruce Creek Fly-In community in Volusia County. "I didn't know it was going to be this good."
Martin's new bosses feel the same way. Ginn Racing CEO Jay Frye, who knew Martin from their days with a Valvoline team, gets credit for wresting him away from Roush. It was Frye who convinced Martin that Ginn -- who has developments throughout Florida and South Carolina and also sponsors an LPGA event in Orlando -- has deep pockets and a deeper commitment.
Last year, Ginn moved into a 160,000-square-foot building and had room to spare in sponsoring Nextel Cup teams for Sterling Marlin and Joe Nemechek. This year, it has three Cup teams, plus a Busch Series team. It hopes to add a fourth Cup team next year.
"We've grown pretty fast. We're having to get organized in the shop because we're running out of room," Frye said.
At the same time, Frye believes that after years of holding variously named teams together with primer, bonding and excess brake lines, he finally hit the lottery.
Give Frye a few minutes, and he comes up with new analogies for what Martin represents to Ginn Racing, for now and for the future. He's today's all-star, tomorrow's Hall of Fame mentor. And possibly much, much more.
"I compare it to Roger Clemens," Frye said of the deal securing Martin. "Roger Clemens retires. Then he talked to the Houston Astros. The Astros are like, 'What do you want to do?' They organize a program around him. He pitches every weekend, doesn't travel with the team, sees his kids play [baseball] and almost wins the Cy Young [Award]. It's a win-win."
The other potential winners here are Smith, a 23-year-old with 85 Busch races behind him, and Ginn's stable of young drivers.
A Cup schedule split between Martin and Smith means the No. 01 team probably won't challenge for a points title or even for a spot in the expanded Chase for the Championship. (Although by owners points, it technically could qualify.)
Yet the main reason Frye was so willing to live with Martin's half-schedule was Martin's stated willingness to mentor Smith and others at Ginn. Motorcycle racer Ricky Carmichael and two 15-year-olds, Martin's son Matt and Matt Bowers, are in Ginn's driver-development program.
Martin will head Ginn's Florida driver development. When racers graduate from Martin's program, they'll go to North Carolina to start racing in ARCA and truck events.
The development agreement wasn't part of the deal that pried Martin from Roush, "but was part of Bobby's vision," Martin said. "They're giving my dreams a chance to come true by giving me a chance to do things I love."
While Frye predicts the Army car will win a race in 2007, its crew chief is at once optimistic and realistic.
Ryan Pemberton, who steered Nemechek around the Cup schedule in 2006, has never navigated a race with Smith or Martin before. He has had to learn Martin's extensive vocabulary for describing cars and performance. And he's having to learn about Smith while educating the rookie. One thing Ginn's money can't buy is a time machine.
"Just spending time together is one thing that always helps," Pemberton said. "There are so many things about the program that you can't just write them all down and start talking about them one by one. We're going to have to experience some things. Some conversations will spawn others.
"You can't force it. We just take it one day at a time. [Because] each practice session and race we're going to learn more about each other."
No other full-time Cup team is splitting seat time between drivers. While unusual, the arrangement clearly recharged Martin.
His NASCAR career spans 26 years and includes 35 Cup victories and 16 seasons of top-10 finishes in the points standings. Although Martin rejuvenated his career when he joined Roush Racing in 1988, he had become frustrated that he was unable to leverage his stature for less time at the track on Sundays and more time helping Matt's racing career.
Toward the end of 2005, Martin announced he'd be walking away from a full-time Cup career. He'd fill in where needed, he said, but would concentrate on another passion, driving in the Friday night Craftsman Truck Series.
Roush talked him out of it. The result was one of the best years of Martin's career. He made the Chase for the third year in a row, one of only three drivers to have such a streak. He finished ninth in points.
Ironically, the success made it easier for Martin to walk away after the season.
"I got to tell them what I wanted to do, and they said OK," he said of Frye and Ginn. "This is not a short-term endeavor for me. I see it being long term -- as long as Roush was. I wouldn't be surprised to be with Ginn in 19 years."
Martin's Son Unsure About Racing
By Tony Fabrizio, Carter Gaddis
TBO.com - Sports
February 14, 2007SPRUCE CREEK - Matt Martin may not want to race in NASCAR after all.
The 15-year-old son of NASCAR star Mark Martin has been racing since he turned 7. He has demonstrated some ability and has the right connections, so everyone has assumed he will try to follow in his dad's footsteps.
And he may.
Or he may not.
"I don't think racing is something I want to make as a career, at least from right now," Matt said Tuesday during a lunch at his dad's airplane hanger in the Spruce Creek fly-in community. "I have other interests. The cool thing is, I don't have to decide now. I'm 15. I want to have some fun."
Matt is scheduled to race at Columbia Motorsports Park in Lake City on March 24 with motocross legend Ricky Carmichael, whom Mark is helping develop for Ginn Racing. Beyond that, Matt will race a limited schedule.
Mark Martin says that even though young prospects are signing with major NASCAR teams at earlier and earlier ages, there's no hurry for Matt to do anything.
"I don't want him to decide this is his life quest yet," he said. "I wouldn't want him to be like that. If this is all that was in his life, I would be disappointed."
Matt Martin is home-schooled. He is interested in military history and plays for the Daytona Beach Savage, a paintball team.
CROSS-OWNERSHIP REACTION: NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France apparently doesn't have a problem with Roush Racing selling 50 percent of its company to a group headed by Red Sox owner John Henry.
"We like it when other people in sports, who can bring something in besides just financially, bring some other ways of doing things," he said during a "state-of-the-sport" news conference Tuesday. "That's always been helpful if you go through history, and I think John Henry will be no different."
Roush is expected to announce the new partnership with Fenway Sport Group tonight at Daytona Beach's minor-league stadium.
"Obviously, what [Henry has] done up in New England with building the Red Sox, winning the World Series, being on Sports Channel and a bunch of other assets…" France said. "If I was Jack [Roush] and had a chance to partner with John - which he may or may not do, but looks like he will - I [would, too]."
NO EASY TASK: Zephyrhills' David Reutimann has to beat out some stout competition in Thursday's second 150-mile qualifying race to qualify for Sunday's Daytona 500.
He has to finish first or second among the 12 drivers in his race who don't have an automatic qualifying berth or didn't nail down a spot in Sunday's time trials.
Among the drivers in Reutmann's race who haven't locked up a 500 berth: Brian Vickers, Lakeland's Joe Nemechek, Mike Skinner and fellow rookies Paul Menard and Regan Smith.
Since 35 of the 43 starting spots for the 500 were reserved for drivers whose teams finished in the top 35 of last year's car owner standings, Reutimann, who is driving for a rookie team (Michael Waltrip Racing) and manufacturer (Toyota), faced tough odds at the outset.
QUOTABLE: Jeff Burton says Juan Pablo Montoya's participation in NASCAR will show Formula One fans "we're not just a bunch of dumb unintelligent rednecks with cherry pickers taking engines out of trees."
He also believes F1 drivers will come to "realize this is harder than it appears," but that Montoya's natural ability will quickly show through.
"The NASCAR fans are going to realize, 'Man, those guys who turn left and right over there in Europe, they're pretty damn good,' " Burton said. "I think it's going to be an eye-opener for everybody."
HOT LAPS: France indicated progress is being made on replacing Anheuser-Busch as title sponsorship of the Busch Series in 2008. "We'll be looking down the road very shortly at a new title sponsor," he said. Anheuser-Busch said in December it would end the sponsorship after its 26th season … Mark Martin will drive Ginn Racing's No. 01 Chevy in 22 races this year, but what about next year when the rookie he's sharing the car with, Smith, is ready to go full-time? "My contract says I'm going to do the same thing in '08 that I'm doing in '07, but I have the opportunity to adjust that as well," Martin said.
Pole Day Qualifying Complete; Martin Looks to Daytona 500
Ginn RacingDAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 11, 2007) -- Mark Martin qualified 33rd in Sunday's Pole Day at Daytona International Speedway. The U.S. Army Team will now turn its attention to Thursday's Gatorade Duel qualifying race, as they continue to get ready for Sunday's (Feb. 18) Daytona 500.
Martin's No. 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet toured the 2.5-mile oval in 49.109 seconds at 183.266 miles per hour. His qualifying result will place him in one of the two Gatorade Duel 150-mile races on Thursday, which will determine the starting lineup for the Daytona 500, except for the front row.
Pole Day locked in the front row for the Daytona 500. David Gilliland took the pole, and his Robert Yates teammate, Ricky Rudd, will sit on the outside pole. The winning pole speed was 186.320.
"Qualifying really doesn't mean much out here unless you sit on the front row," said Martin. "We had a spectacular U.S. Army Chevy in the Bud Shootout last night and we have a great race team. We just need to make sure that these guys keep their chins up. We'll make it all back on Thursday I guarantee that."
"All the rest of this stuff is just filler," added Martin. "The 500 is all I care about and we had a great car last night and we'll have a better one on Sunday, so I'm really excited about what we have going on."
Martin and the team will return to action on Wednesday for practice as they prepare for Thursday's qualifying race.
The Gatorade Duel races will be televised on SPEED, beginning at 2 p.m. ET.
Note: NASCAR will not release official Pole Day qualifying results or lineups for Thursday's Gatorade Duel qualifying races until post-Pole Day qualifying technical inspection is complete.
Mark Martin Daytona 500 Post Qualifying Notes and Quotes
GM RacingMARK MARTIN, NO. 01 U.S. ARMY MONTE CARLO SS - Qualified 33rd:
"I'm just thrilled to be a part of this U.S. Army team. We have a great race team and I just want to make sure that these guys keep their chin up because we'll make it all back on Thursday, I guarantee it. Our car was spectacular in the Budweiser Shootout.
When we get to racing in the daytime this track gets slick; if there's any chance that we might be able to improve on our handling from last night we'll be great.
"Qualifying doesn't mean a whole lot unless you are sitting on the front row or you're one of the go-homers and we're neither of those.
"I'd take my Budweiser Shootout car and start dead last in the 500 and be happy and never turn another lap between now and then. Because all this other stuff in between is just filler. The 500 is all I care about and I had a great-handling car. This car in single-car runs is quite a bit better than that car so I have every reason to believe that we've got a great shot at the Daytona 500. I just want these guys to keep these guys to keep their chin up. The race doesn't start until Sunday and starting spots don't mean much. But I'll bet we get us a good one come this Thursday."
Martin runs to sixth-place finish at Bud Shootout
U.S. Army/Ginn Racing Debut
Ginn RacingVeteran Excited About Moving Into the Daytona 500
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 10, 2007) -- "That was awesome guys...we can win, we can win the Daytona 500," said an energized Mark Martin as he pulled his No. 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet into the garage after finishing sixth in Saturday night's Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway.
"It's just a pleasure to drive this car for the U.S. Army team and to work with these guys -- and to run good is just a bonus," added Martin. "The car was really fast, did well on the long runs and handled well in the corners. That wasn't a win, but I believe that if we can make our car handle that good on Sunday, I think we can have a shot to win the Daytona 500."
Martin started the race 10th and drafted his way all the way to fourthin just the first two laps. He eventually was shuffled out of the draft and moved back to 11th by Lap 13 of 70. He was running 10th when the mandatory caution was issued on Lap 20.
After the break Martin moved in and out of the top 10 for the next several laps. He radioed the team on Lap 39 that his U.S. Army Chevy was good enough to win with the right mix of help. However, Martin would struggle finding the drafting help he needed to move back through the field as he settled in at eight place for the next several laps.
"We didn't have a ton of help -- we almost got wrecked there early and several of the fast cars that could have helped got around us," explained Martin. "The car was fast enough to get up there and make some noise, but we just couldn't find the right partners to help us make that happen."
The Army Chevy was still running in eighth when the night's second caution was called for debris on Lap 53. Martin came down pit road for tires and a slight wedge adjustment. He held his position at eighth when the field returned to green with 12 laps remaining.
Martin remained solid, but a near run-in with Boris Said almost wrecked the Army Chevy. He lost several positions and fell all the way to 16th with only four laps remaining. However, Martin's No. 01 machine was strong on this night and was able to power its way back through the field, avoiding a multicar accident on the final lap and bringing home a sixth-place finish.
"We almost had a big wreck with Boris (Said) there at the end with five to go and we went to the back and I thought that was it. But we could just roll through the corners so well and pass cars without much help."
"I had a blast. I'm living large right now," added Martin "This was just a great way to start off with the U.S. Army Chevy, Ginn Racing, Ryan (crew chief, Pemberton). I'm really more encouraged right now than I even was coming in. I know that we have a lot of work to do and we'd like to be faster, but with a car that handles like that, we have a shot at the 500 and that's what we all really want. This is the most fun I've had in a long time."
Martin and the No. 01 U.S. Army Team return to action tomorrow (Sunday) for Pole Day qualifying for the Daytona 500. Qualifying begins at 2:10 p.m., with Martin going out 51st. Pole Day will be televised on FOX, beginning at 2 p.m. ET.
Mark Martin Post Race Notes and Quotes - Budweiser Shootout
GM RacingMARK MARTIN, NO. 01 U.S. ARMY CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO - Finished 6th
I am just thrilled to be with this U.S. Army Team. I love working with these guys and to run good is a bonus. The car was so fast through the corners. We didn't have a ton of help out there, but if they can make our primary car run that good on Sunday we can be a contender in the 500. We almost had a big wreck with Boris (Said) there at the end with five to go and we went to the back and I thought that was it, but we could just roll through the corners so well that we just started passing cars without much help.
I had a blast -- I am living large right now. I was loving it out there. It was a great way to start off with Ryan (crew chief, Pemberton) and the U.S. Army Chevy. I am really more encouraged right now than I even was beforehand. I know we have more work to do to get where we would like to be. But the way this car handled I think we can have a shot at the 500 and that's what we all want. I cherish the opportunity the Army has given me. I had a blast, the most fun I had in a long time. I love these guys so much. They have their heart in it. It's an honor and pleasure to work with this team. If it gets hot and slick on Sunday and we have a car that handles like tonight, we can be a contender.
Mark Martin - Daytona Media Day
GM RacingMARK MARTIN, NO. 01 U.S. ARMY MONTE CARLO SS TALKS WITH MEDIA ABOUT RELIEF EFFORTS FOR VICTIMS OF CENTRAL FLORIDA TORNADOES, HOW TOUGH IT IS TO MAKE THE DAYTONA 500 FIELD, AND SENIOR DRIVERS
THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF TALK ABOUT JAMES HYLTON (AGE 72) TRYING TO MAKE THE FIELD FOR THE DAYTONA 500. HOW DIFFICULT IS IT TO WALK AWAY FROM THIS SPORT AT ANY AGE?
"For James Hylton, it's something that he loves and that he wants to do. For most of us, it has been the center of our lives since we were kids. That's not exclusive to a race car driver. Many people have difficulty with retiring - especially if you're talking about retiring from something you love with a passion. And at some point in time, you have to face the fact that you can't compete on that level anymore. But for me, I still might choose to compete - just not on that level. But I don't think this is exclusive. We see it in other kinds of sports and we also see it in all walks of life. I have a love for this sport and I'm spreading my passion out through teaching and mentoring and leading and other things other than just driving. But I'm not finished with driving. That's why I'm so thankful about what Ginn (Racing) has done for me here. They've given me an opportunity to do all these things. I have a passion for that - just like I do for the Daytona 500. I have a love for this sport. I'm a fan first."
DO YOU THINK JAMES HYLTON MIGHT BE MORE READILY EMBRACED AND ACCEPTED HERE IN THE GARAGE GIVEN HIS EXPERIENCE MORE SO THAN A GUY WHO IS HERE FOR THE FIRST TIME?
"I'm sorry to say that maybe 30 percent of the field, and certainly there is a little sarcasm in my voice, when I say that many out here don't know who James is. I take great pride in Sterling Marlin and myself and Kenny Schrader and Dale Jarrett and the ones who do know who he is and who have respect for him. There are a lot of and drivers here who don't know James."
AT HIS AGE, ARE THERE ANY CONCERNS ABOUT SAFETY FROM YOU GUYS?
"No. Not from me. I certainly wouldn't throw stones. That's only 24 years from now and I'm not going to say nothing (laughs). In 24 years, heck, I plan on loving life just as much then as I do now. I don't see it today, but that's a long time away."
DO YOU SEE YOURSELF OUT HERE DRIVING AT THAT AGE?
"No. Do I? No. But I'm not going to say never say never because look at me (laughs). I think it's cool. I also know what challenge he faces today. This field is terrifying. I haven't seen any mania and hype about what an incredible feat it is going to be about what it is going to be make this race this year. That should be the story right now. Wow. I am so concerned for Sterling Marlin and Joe Nemechek. Sterling has won this race twice. He has the fastest of all our cars, thank goodness. But there are so few spots and so many greats. When it comes right down to this qualifying race, they're willing to try anything - to skip tires and skip pit stops and whatever it is for those two or three little spots that are going to come out of those qualifying races. It's pretty incredible. That was a long story about what he faces to make the show. But it means a lot to an old school guy to see somebody come and try."
WOULD THAT MAKE IT A BIGGER "WOW" FACTOR IF HE WERE TO GET IN THE SHOW?
"It would blow everyone away - along with his retirement sponsor (laughs). Yeah, you'd better it! Those gray hairs are standing up loving it, right? Hey-hey...yes sir! So, yeah, it's going to be cool. If he makes it in, I'm going to be standing there cheering for James on Thursday."
ON THE FLORIDA TORNADOES DID YOU HEAR THE TORNADOES? DID IT WAKE YOU UP?
"Oh, yes it did. It was 4am - exactly when it came through. It was only out our back gate. The destruction went right across just south of us. I wasn't scared for my sake, but I was very concerned about my airplane, which wasn't in my hanger. It was in Ormand Beach and I didn't know where the storm was. I knew it was a bad storm. But it woke us up. It was loud. It was close."
WHAT WENT THROUGH YOUR MIND WHEN YOU SAW THE DEVASTATION?
"It scared me because it woke me up and I laid there and I could see light flashing and I got up and shut the storm shutters to the screened porch. My only concern was my airplane. But I didn't realize it was a tornado. It just looked like a hurricane. I didn't realize it until the next morning.
"I felt so bad for the people that were stuck by this. Once again, it just seems like we've had a lot of it in Central Florida. It looked like a hurricane. I didn't expect it."
ON RAISING MONEY FOR THE VICTIMS OF THE STORM
"Both Bobby Ginn and I are residents of Florida. So it means something extra to us to be able to do something to help them out. It makes us feel good. It will not only benefit the victims, but it will make some fans dreams come true with the dream package we have put together for a fan to be able to participate in."
THE DALE EARNHARDT JR. THING IS GETTING A LOT OF PLAY. WILL THE STRESS OF IT GET TO HIM IF HIS CONTRACT ISSUES ARE NOT RESOLVED SOON?
"Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the strongest man I know today. Obviously it would be a distraction, but I don't really think it would affect his performance. He's the strongest man I know today."
Ginn Racing Contracts with Martin to Mentor Development Drivers
Ginn RacingMOORESVILLE, N.C. (Feb. 9, 2007) -- Ginn Racing has contracted with Mark Martin Performance to oversee the company's driver development program, which includes Ricky Carmichael, Matt Martin and Matt Bowers. All three are Florida residents -- Carmichael (27, Tallahassee), Martin (15, Daytona Beach) and Bowers (15, Mount Dora).
Martin will work with the development drivers while they compete in the late model and super model divisions at Florida race tracks. Once the drivers graduate from Martin's tutelage, they will join Ginn Racing's North Carolina-based development program that will include the ARCA RE/MAX Series and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
"I don't believe you can ask for anyone better than Mark to oversee the development program and mentor the young drivers," said Jay Frye, Ginn Racing's CEO and general manager. "Having Mark in this capacity will only enhance our development program and the future of Ginn Racing."
Martin, who drives the No. 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet for Ginn Racing, said, "I love to compete and I love to teach. And I have the best of both worlds with Ginn Racing. I look forward to this role and know that it's going to be a lot of fun instructing a group of young drivers who share a passion for racing."
Bad Boy Mowers to Sponsor Mark Martin at Craftsman Truck Series Event
By Jeffrey Cheatham
February 6, 2007Sometimes when you’re looking for race team sponsorship, you don’t have to look further than home. The Wood Brothers/JTG No. 20 Race Team has announced that the Batesville, Arkansas-based Bad Boy Lawn Mower Company has signed a one-race deal to sponsor Mark Martin in the San Bernardino County 200 Craftsman Truck Series race at California Speedway on February 23rd, 2007.
Wood Brothers/JTG President & CEO Tad Geschickter inked the deal recently and financial terms were not disclosed. “I’m very glad we were able to continue to live up to our commitment to fund Mark Martin’s racing program with our organization,” said Geschickter. “I do have to admit, though, if you have a hard time selling a 35-time winner in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series to a sponsor, prospecting may not be for you,” he added with a chuckle.
Bad Boy Lawn Mowers began in 1998 with the sole purpose of producing the strongest, most durable zero-turn lawn mower available, while delivering an excellent quality of cut, reliability, productivity and comfort. The meteoric rise of sales put the company on an expansive growth plan, now comprising over 200,000 square feet of factory space. Bad Boy Mowers future vision includes the continued collaboration of experts in the commercial turf industry. The company has recently added to their sales staff and has built several new buildings, including an onsite, fully-automated, state-of-the-art paint facility which increased production by 10 times their previous capacity.
Veteran driver Mark Martin, never known for the “Bad Boy” image, is ready to tackle pitchman duties, nonetheless. “Bad Boy is a local company from my hometown and I’m certainly proud to be able to represent them,” said Martin. “You can take a look at their operation and see that they’re all about progress and so am I. We’re going to have some fun together,” he added.
Bad Boy Mowers President & CEO Phil Pulley is very excited to be teaming up with a hometown hero, so to speak. “I think this legendary combination will bring some great exposure to Bad Boy Mowers,” stated Pulley. “The entire company is very revved up and would like to thank Mark Martin and the Wood Brothers/JTG Racing Organization for such a grand opportunity,” he added.
Mark Martin Budweiser Shootout Preview
Martin Gears Up For Record-Extending 19th Budweiser Shootout
Veteran driver set to make debut in No. 01 U.S. Army Chevy
Ginn RacingDAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 5, 2007) -- Mark Martin's appearance in Saturday night's (Feb. 10) Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway will be his record-extending 19th consecutive start and 20th overall. The all-star event will also mark his debut for Ginn Racing in the No. 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet.
"It's going to definitely be a big day for us," said Martin. "We've raced in a lot of Shootouts and we won the deal in '99, but this year we'll be making our debut with Ginn Racing and our debut with the U.S. Army in the No. 01 Chevrolet. We'll be able to see what we have right off the bat. I'm excited about getting back on the track and kicking off Speedweeks and the season in the Shootout.
"The Budweiser Shootout is one of those events where points don't matter and second place means nothing, so you have everyone out there really going for it all and trying to get the win. We were able to hang on and win it in '99 and we had a pretty strong run last season. This year it will be my first race with Ryan (Pemberton, crew chief) and the guys on the 01 team. I'm really excited about getting the season started with the Shootout, as we head into the Daytona 500."
Martin's first Shootout -- Feb. 7, 1982 -- had historical significance for the long-running NASCAR all-star race. The Batesville, Ark. native became the first rookie to qualify for the event after winning his first Cup pole in only his third career start on July 11, 1981 at Nashville International Raceway. Martin would actually go on to capture two poles in 1981, despite running in only five races. He finished eighth in the 1982 Shootout (then called the Busch Clash) behind the wheel of the No. 02 Buick.
Martin has amassed 41 career poles -- a large reason for his 19 Shootout starts. He'll start this year's Shootout via a former winner's provisional, a right he earned when he held off Ken Schrader to win the 1999 event.
After the 1982 Shootout, Martin did not compete in the event again until 1989, but the veteran driver has not missed the event since. In 19 starts in the Budweiser Shootout Martin has an average finish of 7.58. He finished seventh in the event a year ago.
"I just can't wait to get on the track and get this season kicked off with the Shootout," added Martin. "I can't remember being this excited heading into a season in a long, long time. We really have a big challenge ahead of us and we just can't wait to get going on the race track and prove to everyone that we are for real and that we fully intend to run well and compete this season."
Mark Martin Busch Series - Orbitz 300 Preview - February 17, 2007
Roush RacingDRIVER: Mark Martin
OWNER: Jack Roush
TEAM: Team: Number 06 - Dish Network Ford Fusion
CREW CHIEF: Chad Norris
THE CAR
Chassis: RK- 236 - Last ran Daytona in July with Todd Kluever, finished 25th
QUOTING MARK MARTIN AND CREW CHIEF CHAD NORRIS ON RACING AT DAYTONA - BUSCH SERIES
Mark Martin:
"Well, I said at Homestead last year about never saying never when it came to driving for Jack again and here we are at Daytona and we'll be in one of Jack's Busch cars. Daytona isn't my favorite place in the world, and we've never been able to win there in the Busch car. We were however, able to win there last year in the truck, so maybe our luck is changing there and we can take another trip to victory lane with Jack."
Chad Norris:
"We are taking a car that has been in the stable for awhile. David Ragan tested the car and it was pretty fast with him, so I think with Mark's experience we should be fine. The No. 06 team is really excited to be a part of having Mark in the car. We all really think this is a shot to start this new team off on the right foot and maybe get the first win for Dish Network and Roush Racing for the season."
Martin 'Living A Dream' With Ginn Racing
Veteran excited about long term goals with new team
Ginn RacingLAS VEGAS, NEVADA (Jan 29, 2007) -- "I'm the happiest I've ever been in my life," Mark Martin told a group of reporters at the annual Lowe's Motor Speedway Media Tour. Grinning ear-to-ear the veteran driver went on to elaborate.
"I just can't believe that I've been presented with this opportunity to do something that I wanted so much," said Martin. "There are just so many things going on here at Ginn Racing - in addition to driving the car. Working with all of these young drivers is especially rewarding to me. Drivers like Ricky Carmichael; he's going to be driving my car down in Florida this year. I do have a short track program and getting the chance to race Ricky down in Florida is going to be a lot of fun."
Martin, who will co-drive the No. 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet with Regan Smith in 2007, went on to elaborate on the plans briefly laid out by team owner Bobby Ginn during the first part of the tour.
"I really see the vision of the five-year plan," said Martin. "Even more than I did when I signed up for this thing. It's really starting to all materialize in front of me and I can see the thrill and the excitement of the challenge as we start to take off on our plan. Bobby has given me a great opportunity and I'm thankful for that, it's like I am living a dream here."
"What we've tried to do is come in and be good partners with Jay (Frye, CEO/GM) and the team," said Ginn. "We've tried to work hard to make improvements where necessary such as bringing in Gary DeHart (shop operations manager) and with some of the other changes we've made. We had to get started quickly and our business plan is pretty much laid out for the next five years. We didn't go into this with a short term attitude, we went into this with a plan and we knew it would take a long time to develop the shop and develop the way we work together in the shop."
"What I'm not asking people to believe is that we are going to go out and win the series next year," added Ginn. "But, we are committed to a five-year plan to really grow into a team than can and will compete at that level. The amount that we have in place already is very important and the way we promote our teams. Having good sponsors and having them be successful is something that is key to building a good strong team that can compete down the road."
Martin seems to have found new purpose with Ginn, not only as one of the top drivers on the circuit, but as a mentor and a teacher to Ginn's crop of development drivers, all of which will benefit from Martin's tutelage and direction.
"He has not only the ability to go out and win races, but also the desire to help come in here and build the development program," said Ginn. "He is just a tremendous asset to Ginn Racing and we are very excited about his being here.
Martin and the No. 01 U.S. Army team are in Las Vegas this week for their second testing session together as a team, as they continue to prepare for the upcoming season. Martin remains excited about his driving duties as well as his role as a teacher.
"I'm excited about driving the U.S. Army Chevy and we have more big announcements to come," added Martin. "It's just a big transition year for me, after 19 years, but we have a lot going on this year, and we are just really excited about what we have coming up in the near future and down the road as well."
Preseason Thunder - Mark Martin Press Conference
Ginn Racing
January 16, 2007Martin Martin enters his first year with Ginn Racing at the helm of the No. 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet. Daytona testing provided Martin with his first opportunity to work with Ginn Racing and get acclimated to the No. 01 U.S. Army Team.
MARK MARTIN -- No. 01 U.S. ARMY Chevrolet
"We've just had a couple of days to get used to everything and remember where the switches are and where the gauges are and figuring out how to read the gauges. It's a lot different territory. Driving the car is not that different. I spent yesterday getting familiar with that and getting familiar with the guys and we had a blast this afternoon drafting. I really look forward to working with Ryan Pemberton and I'm excited about being a part of the U.S. Army Team. I can't wait to go to Vegas in a couple of weeks and test."
ABOUT THE PROCESS OF GETTING COMFORTABLE AT GINN RACING
I'm already comfortable with the guys at Ginn. Just because I stayed with Jack Roush for 19 years, doesn't make it wrong for me to drive for someone else -- It just makes it strange. I'm actually already beyond that. To me and many of my fans I'll always be No. 6 and a part of me will always be No. 6, but that's emotions and this is racing. We haven't spent much time educating the fans and the media about what a terrific opportunity this is to be on the ground floor and help be one of the architects for the future of Ginn Racing, just like Roush Racing. This is not a short term endeavor for me. I see it being long term -- as long as Roush was. I wouldn't be surprised to be with Ginn in 19 years. I probably won't be driving them, maybe I'll be driving the hauler or something like that, but I expect to be around. The cool opportunity that I have is that I get to do whatever I want to do. That can be drive Cup cars or Busch cars and I get to mentor young drivers or do whatever it is that I would like to do there. If you look in depth you have Gary DeHart there and he's a Cup champion. Sterling Marlin has one two Daytona 500's. You have Slugger (Labbe) and the success he has had and Peter Sospenzo and Joe Nemechek and the success they have together and you have Ryan, who's won with Joe. You have an incredible core group there that is expanding as fast as we can and building as fast as we can build to try and get where these other guys are. We hope to get there as soon as possible and then try and move on. There is an intention to try to be a powerhouse in NASCAR and there is a realization that it takes time to do that -- a lot of time. In the meantime we are going to work long and hard and I think that we can get some great results this year and better results next year. There is a long term plan and I'm real excited about it and I'm really excited to worth with all of these great people and to build something.
WHAT WERE YOUR INITIAL IMPRESSIONS OF BOBBY GINN?
I didn't really know what to expect before I met Bobby. I did the deal with Jay Frye and signed the contract before I ever even met Bobby. I had Googled him and checked him out a bit to see what we were getting involved with, but I made the deal with Jay and the team and the U.S. Army based on what they all wanted to do and the commitment that Bobby Ginn had made to the organization. Meeting him was just a pleasant surprise. His demeanor -- well he hasn't been successful like he has because of luck. He is just one heck of a guy. He's a people person who is soft spoken, but very direct. He is committed to see this race team become a powerhouse in NASCAR, and if you look around at the staff their now, verses where it was a year ago, you can see that commitment is there and will continue to grow and get stronger and results will come when they may. They may not come as fast, or they may come faster than we expect.
We know how hard it is and we know what we are up against and it's an exciting challenge for all of us, but Bobby Ginn is a very special person and I look forward to working with him for a long time.
CAN YOU CLARIFY WHAT MANUFACTURER YOU DRIVE FOR?
I'm having fun because according to a lot of you guys I'm breaking all the rules this year. I'm going to be racing a Chevy in more than just 22 Cup races. I'll be racing a Chevy in some Busch races and I'm going to race a Roush Racing Busch car here (Daytona) and Texas and I guess that's breaking the rules. We are also doing six races now in the Wood Brothers truck, so I'm going to enjoy breaking all the rules in '07 and we'll see what happens in '08. I just kind of want to be like some of my heroes like Tony Stewart or Kenny Schrader , or Kenny Wallace and drive what I want to when I want to and where I want to this year. That's a little special to me. I've raced for 23 years and I'm going to race the heck out of that U.S. Army car this year and from the drivers seat it really won't matter to me.
ARE YOU GOING TO BE A MORE EDGY DRIVER NOW THAT YOU ARE"T CHASING THE CHAMPIONSHIP?
Are you asking me if I'm going to be scraping behind the hauler (laugh). You know, I race by a code and that code is not really based on point racing. Now I've always point raced from the start of my career, but my code -- what I think is right and what I think is not right -- will not change. Now certainly it will be nice to know that taking a risk on a pit stop is not going to break my life or career. When you race in points you live and die by every single point and that has certainly taken its toll on me and I'm excited about not having to deal with that in 2007.
CAN YOU BE A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH BY THE LIKES OF ROUSH?
I think that will be a tremendous challenge in 2007 for the team, but we have every expectation of being a rival of theirs. It might take time, but I certainly feel that I have as much of a chance of winning a race in 2007 as I did in 2006 and that is certainly a good feeling. But to do it more on a consistent basis, that is going to be tough. There are a lot of great people here, but we still have a lot of expanding and learning to do. It's a great challenge, but I look forward to being able to be a part of it.
WHAT HAS IMPRESSED YOU ABOUT BOBBY GINN?
Bobby is just a really dynamic person. He's very comfortable to be around and it's just obvious to see why he's been so successful once you've been around him a little bit and you guys should get to know him. But again, I made this deal with Jay Frye, whom I've known for 10 years. I did my homework on Bobby and what impressed me about the whole package was the commitment they have made to what they want to do and what they want to achieve. I was impressed with the commitment that Bobby has made to help get there and they allowed me to tell them at what level on wanted to participate. I have the best gig in NASCAR as far as I'm concerned. I got to lay out exactly what I wanted to do at this stage of my career. I'm not 24, so for where I am, I think I have the best deal in racing. I'm the happiest I've ever been in my life. I'm very excited to go to the race track each and every day. I'm very excited to work with Regan Smith this year and Ricky Carmichael and Jesus Hernandez, who is a developmental driver -- and as we speak is testing one of my late models. He is going to race one of mine and Matt's late models at New Smyrna during Speedweeks. I'm living the dream and having the time of my life.
Martin Has History With 01 Car
Martin, No. 01 Car go way back
Martin piloted No. 01 Chevrolet in 1983 World 600
Ginn RacingMOORESVILLE, N.C. (Jan. 12, 2007) -- Mark Martin will start this year's Budweiser Shootout (Feb. 10) in the No. 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet, marking the first time in 19 years he will drive a car other than the No. 6 in a Cup event.
However, what many may not realize is that while this will be Martin's first race with Ginn Racing and his first race with the Army on board, it will not be his first Cup event in the No. 01 Chevrolet.
In fact, Martin's history with the No. 01 goes back 24 years, even further back than Martin's history in the No. 6 Roush car. Martin started 16 Cup races in 1983, the 10th of which was at Charlotte, where he ran the No. 01 Activision Chevrolet. A humble beginning in the car, Martin started the race 20th and finished 29th after getting caught up in an accident.
"The car was actually owned by Emanuel Zerakis," said Martin. Emanuel was a great guy and I knew that he had a good car. Lowe's has always been one of my favorite tracks, and I needed a ride. Humpy Wheeler and the guys from the Speedway actually helped get the sponsorship together with Emanuel and Activision, which was the sponsor. So we called them and were able to put it all together.
"As for the race, we started 20th, but we crashed Lap 270. We made around $1700, which was big money back in those days, especially for wrecking. I guess when you think about it, it's kind of ironic that we'll be going back to the 01 this year. Of course, we'll be expecting to finish a lot better this time."
More than 20 years later, Martin ironically returns to the No. 01 where he looks to forge a new legacy in the latest chapter of his storied career.
Bobby Ginn Media Tour Statement
Ginn RacingBobby Ginn - Team Owner Ginn Racing
I want to thank all the media for coming out today. This is of course my first media day. There is a lot going on here. Some of you I know and some of you I haven't been able to meet since getting involved in the racing world and NASCAR. It was something that I had thought of for many, many years and it was perfect timing as I ran into a great situation. I do believe that fate has a great way of working things out, as I met a guy named Jay Frye and I don't know which one of us was a better salesman, but he did a great job introducing me with the opportunity to come into a team that stayed together and worked together over the years. They had two great veteran drivers and a great crew chief in Ryan Pemberton.
"What we've tried to do is come in and be good partners with Jay and the team. We've tried to work hard to make improvements where necessary such as bringing in Gary DeHart and with some of the other changes we've made. We had to get started quickly and our business plan is pretty much laid out for the next five years. We didn't go into this with a short term attitude, we went into this with a plan and we knew it would take a long time to develop the shop and develop the way we work together in the shop.
"One of the things that we've decided to do is to announce most of the new sponsors between now and Daytona, to allow them the opportunity to have the podium.
"This has all been a tremendous learning curve and a great opportunity. It's moved very fast for us over here. Having a background in real estate, the first thing I did was look and see if we had the facilities. You can't have a great shop if you don't have the facilities for that, and Jay had done a great job of putting together a great facility right before I came along and since then in the few months that we've been together, we have expansion underway to expand the facilities by another 30 percent. We've have begun to employ more people and build on our teams. We've been a two-car team and our plan is to be a four-car team in '08. We will have a three-car team in '07 and we knew we had to be on the expansion program not only in terms of facilities, but in people.
"One of the things that I believe -- in my own business, in life and in the race team, is that at the end of the day you can have all of the best sheet metal and all of the best motors, but if you don't have great people you are never going to get there. That is what I saw here -- the opportunity with Jay. I'm excited about it all and I know that he is too.
"With the expansion, we've had to expand by 60 people in a very short amount of time. We've about caught up to where we need to be and to what we have to have in place for our four- car team next year. There is just a lot of growth going on right now at Ginn Racing and it's all good.
"The last thing we had to turn our attention to is drivers. As I said the one thing I believe in is people and I believe in the drivers program. If you look at our drivers -- that's our future and it's something that we have invested in early in our career in racing. We wanted to identify young drivers and bringing Mark Martin to our team -- convincing him to make that kind of change after 19 years-- he would help the other drivers and would help the young guys in taking them through the ranks, while not pushing them too fast or holding them back. Nobody is more excited about that than Mark Martin, who will be our tutor of drivers in the future.
"We are also excited about Ricky Carmichael, who is the winningest racer in motocross history. He is just an individual that I got to know and fell in love with. - his work ethic and his incredible family. His support and fan base are strong, but his desire to win is on top of it all; just his attitude to win. We are kind of both in the same position. I'm 58 years old and changing careers and he's 27 years old and changing careers, so we have that in common. We got together and like our other developmental drivers, we think he is the future.
"One of the other things we needed to do this year at Ginn Racing was to bring in a third driver and what an opportunity to bring in one that not only had the experience and was a winning driver, with the ability to continue to win, but someone like Mark Martin, who is just what everyone wants to stand for. He has not only the ability to go out and win races, but also the desire to help come in here and build the developmental program. He is just a tremendous asset to Ginn Racing.
"Also, our two drivers that were here when I got here and both of whom I've gotten to be good friends with. Joe (Nemechek) and his family and Sterling (Marlin) and his family have become a part of our family and this year we are going to put the best equipment we can underneath them and the best pit crews around them and just support them and we are expecting this year to be a great year."
How do you sell to the race fans that this team is going to be one of the top teams in the sport in three to five years?
"We'll it's not just one thing. You have to have the facilities and the engineering. You have to have good drivers and what I'm not asking people to believe is that we are going to go out and win the series next year. But, we are committed to a five-year plan to really grow into a team than can and will compete at that level. The amount that we have in place already is very important and the way we promote our teams. Having good sponsors and having them be successful is something that is key to building a good strong team that can compete down the road."
Veteran Martin might regret not retiring while among best
By Pete Pistone
AUTO RACING - CBS SportsLine.com
January 25, 2007My memories of Willie Mays are not of one of the greatest baseball players in history, but of a stumbling, broken-down outfielder for the New York Mets.
As a Chicagoan, my recollection of Michael Jordan's glory days with the six-time world champion Bulls is dimmed by thoughts of his two un-retirements, one with the Bulls and one with the Wizards. Instead of "Air Jordan," Michael looked more like one of the guys I play with twice a week at the YMCA.
Darrell Waltrip's glorious racing career has been tainted by visions of him buying journeyman Carl Long's ride at Charlotte a few years back just to make a race and coming back in the Truck and Busch Series "one last time."
Those sad memories of superstar athletes not knowing when to ride off into the sunset filled my mind as I listened to Mark Martin's plans for 2007.
Forget the "Salute to You" tour he dedicated to fans two years ago, when he announced he was going to walk away from the sport. Martin seems determined to become the unwanted houseguest who comes for a weekend visit only to stay through the holidays.
There's no doubt Martin can still drive a race car. He was in the thick of the "Chase for the Nextel Cup" last season for the second consecutive year and finished ninth in the final point standings.
But it was Martin who told everyone he was tired of the grind, that after more than two decades in the sport it was time to walk away and do something different. Martin wanted to spend more time with his family and mentor his son Matt's racing career.
But for the second consecutive year, he has had a change of heart.
Initially, Martin said he would run a full truck schedule this year because the 25-race slate was a better fit for his lifestyle.
But apparently the dimmer spotlight of the trucks wasn't where Martin wanted to be. Instead, he again has opted for the center stage of the Nextel Cup Series.
"What I'm going to do now gives me the opportunity to stay in Cup on a limited basis with great flexibility," Martin said of his latest plans to join the Ginn Racing team for 22 races in the No. 01 Army Chevrolet.
The somewhat shocking news was a blow to longtime Martin friend and car owner Jack Roush, who thought, after 19 years together, Martin would at least stay with the team as its Truck Series driver.
But the itch of the Nextel Cup circuit was obviously something Martin still needed to scratch. With the Roush Cup stable overflowing in 2007 with Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle and Jamie McMurray, and newcomer David Ragan set to take Martin's spot in the team's No. 6 car, there wasn't an opportunity for Martin to stay when he decided he didn't want to hang up his helmet after all.
So Martin will now try to win with a team that has to be considered middle of the pack at best. Granted, team owner Bobby Ginn has poured millions of dollars into the new operation, which he morphed into Ginn Racing from its previous MB2 Motorsports status. But with Martin sharing time with rookie Regan Smith, and teammates Sterling Marlin and Joe Nemechek in the twilight of their careers, Ginn isn't a powerhouse team by any means.
We've been so used to seeing Martin run at the front of the field the past several years, it will be a shame to see him not able to run for more than a top 20 finish.
Martin also will toil for the Wood Brothers Racing team in a part-time Craftsman Truck Series schedule, looking to fulfill his apparently still-burning desire for more seat time. But that program will again be at the mercy of the resources of a team that has done little in NASCAR racing the past decade or so. Martin still feels the need for speed and thinks he can be competitive in the two programs he has lined up this season. But there's one person no one can outrun, on a race track or in life -- Father Time.
Let's hope he doesn't catch up to Martin too quickly in 2007 and erase the warm memories we have of one of NASCAR's true greats.
Mark Martin regarding Benny Parsons: “Benny has been a friend to me for over 30 years. He was a friend to me behind the scenes, as well as a neighbor. He gave advice to me 30 years ago about a NASCAR career and he was a great friend to me ever since then. It’s a big loss to NASCAR. I can remember last fall him calling me, and the excitement in his voice, telling me he was cancer free. I think that makes it so much more disappointing to all of us, because we thought he was in the clear. He wasn’t just a great driver and a great champion and a great TV personality, but he was a great person and a really fun person to be around, and he will be missed.”
Martin to show versatility
Schedule will keep driver busy in Nextel Cup, Busch and Craftsman Truck series
By Mark Decotis
floridatoday.com
January 18, 2007DAYTONA BEACH -- Take it to the bank, there is no straighter arrow or upright character in NASCAR than Mark Martin. But everyone has to step out of the box now and then and 2007 is Martin's year.
And while Martin's idea of "breaking all the rules," as he called it, certainly pales in comparison to the legendary outlandish and outlaw behavior that runs deep in the sport's DNA, he's proceeding and is prepared to love it every lap of the way.
You see, for Martin, breaking the rules consists of driving as many different makes of race cars in as many different race series for as many different owners as possible. This season he will:
Drive the No. 01 Ginn Racing U.S. Army-sponsored Chevy in as many as 20 Nextel Cup points races and two exhibitions (the Budweiser Shootout and the NASCAR Nextel All-Star Challenge).
Drive a Chevy in the NASCAR Busch Series for an owner still to be determined.
Drive a Roush Racing Ford in the Busch Series season-opener at Daytona and in at least one other race.
Drive a Wood Brothers Ford in as many as six NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races.
And believe it or not, this is all part of Martin's plan to cut back from the ever-increasing demands of a full-time Cup schedule, something he ditched after the 2006 season that marked his 19th straight campaign with Roush.
By not running a full Cup schedule, Martin will have more weekends off than he has had in nearly two decades, allowing him to focus on family, friends and frolic -- both in and out of a race car or truck.
Let him explain.
"For me, I wanted to be a little bit more like some of my heroes, like Tony Stewart or Kenny Schrader or Kenny Wallace and drive what I wanted to, when I wanted to, where I wanted to," Martin told reporters during preseason testing at Daytona, which concluded on Wednesday.
"It feels real special. I raced Fords for 23 years and I'm going to race the heck out of that U.S. Army car this year. From the driver's seat, I'm not going to know the difference."
Martin was non-committal, though, when asked if his laissez-faire attitude and the fact he will not be chasing a Cup championship this season might result in him being a little edgier, a little more aggressive.
"I raced by a code," he said. "I can't see that code ever changing...what I think is right and what I think is not right.
"But, certainly it will be a relief to be able to race and know that if I take a risk on a pit stop, skipping a pit stop or making one, that it's going to make or break my life or my career because it turns out to not be the best decision."
And then Martin shed some light on an underlying current that runs swift and deep in NASCAR, a current that can swamp a career.
"When you race for points, if you don't live and die by every single point and every single finishing position and every single race that you enter, then you're not giving it everything you've got and that takes its toll," he said.
"It's certainly taken its toll on me and I'm excited about not having to deal with that in 2007."
Good for him. After countless Sundays pounding the pavement in Winston and now Nextel Cup, Martin deserves the down time, the decompression time and the time with his wife, Arlene, and budding racer son, Matt, who is clearly the apple of his father's eye.
"He has the greatest time of his life in front of him," Martin said of his 15-year-old. "For me, every year has become more wonderful. "It's been incredible to see him become a young adult."
But with Martin taking some time away, it is fair to raise the question of whether he believes he can still be a force in Nextel Cup -- and raised it was.
And as usual, Martin was honest in assessing his chances.
"I think that will be a tremendous challenge in 2007 for the team, but we have every expectation of being a rival of theirs (Roush Racing)," he said.
"It might take time, but I certainly feel that I have as much of a chance of winning a race in 2007 as I did in 2006 and that is certainly a good feeling. But to do it more on a consistent basis, that is going to be tough. There are a lot of great people here, but we still have a lot of expanding and learning to do. It's a great challenge, but I look forward to being able to be a part of it."
Martin says new team is a good fit
Longtime Ford stalwart will drive a Chevrolet in 22 Cup races this year
By Mike Mulhern - Winston-Salem Journal Reporter
January 18, 2007DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - In a world in which brand loyalty is so valued, Mark Martin has gone over the top, leaving Ford, his racing lifeline for 19 years, for Chevrolet.
And he said he loves it.
"I'm having fun because, according to a lot of you guys, I'm breaking all the rules this year," Martin said with a grin and a laugh.
Pressed about his stunning jump from Jack Roush's solid Ford camp to new Chevy team owner Bobby Ginn and a three-car operation run by Jay Frye, Martin replied with equal parts optimism and intrigue.
"So, Mark, how's that new Chevrolet running?" Elliott Sadler - himself having jumped from Ford to Dodge - innocently asked.
"Shhhh," Martin replied.
So is Martin still a Ford guy at heart who just happens to be running a Chevrolet, or a new Chevy guy just cleaning out old ties?
How will Martin play this balancing act? Here, for example, he's testing for the Daytona 500 in crew chief Ryan Pemberton's Chevrolet. The day before the 500, he will drive in the Daytona 300 Busch race in a Jack Roush Ford. When it comes crunch time in the draft here, where will he find drafting partners?
Martin appears like a man caught in The Twilight Zone, trying to find his way back to a simpler era. And everyone watching this episode is waiting to see the twist.
Martin clearly loves all the mystery.
"Just because I drove for Jack for 19 years doesn't make it wrong for me to drive for someone else," Martin said. "It just makes it strange. I'm already beyond that. But it will take some getting used to.
"To me and many of my fans it will always be No. 6. I'll still always be No. 6 to myself. But that's emotions - and this is racing.
"I'll be racing a Chevy in more than just my 22 Cup races. I'll race a Chevy in some Busch races as well. But I'll race a Roush Racing (Ford) Busch car here in the 300 and in Texas, and that is definitely breaking the rules. And we'll be running six races in the Wood Brothers' (Ford) truck.
Martin said that he just wants to be more like Tony Stewart, Kenny Schrader and Kenny Wallace, and drive what he wants, when he wants and where he wants.
"We haven't spent much time educating our fans and the media (about) what a great opportunity this is," Martin said. "To be on the ground floor and one of the architects for the future of Ginn Racing. This is not a short-term endeavor for me. I see it being long-term, as long as with Roush Racing. I wouldn't be surprised to be with Ginn for 19 years - though I might only be driving the tractor-trailer by then.
"The cool thing for me is I get to do whatever I want to do. Cup cars, Busch cars.
"We haven't discussed Truck racing yet."
Martin is enthusiastic about the makeup of the Ginn Racing teams.
Gary DeHart, the shop foreman, was a championship crew chief in1996 with Terry Labonte and Rick Hendrick. The other drivers are Sterling Marlin, who has won two Daytona 500s, and Joe Nemecheck, teamed with crew chief Peter Sospenso.
"There is the intention to be a powerhouse in NASCAR, but there is the realization it takes time to get there," he said. "But I think we can get some great results this year.
"I am just excited to be here building something."
A big part of Martin's newfound cheer here is that he no longer will be tied to the strains and frustrations of points racing, because for the first time in 19 years he won't be running for the NASCAR title, rather just running a part-time schedule. The elation even overcomes Martin's longtime antipathy about restrictor-plate racing.
"Certainly, it will be a relief to race and know if I take a risk, on a pit stop, it won't make or break my life or my career," Martin said. "When you're racing for points, if you don't live and die by every single point, and every single pitting position, and every single race, then you're not giving it everything you've got.
"And that takes its toll. It's certainly taken its toll on me.
"I'm not 24. At this stage of my career I've got the best deal in racing. I'm the happiest I've ever been in my life. I'm happy to go to the track every day. I'm excited. I'm living a dream."
Mark Martin Preseason Interview
By Kevin Woods - U.S. Army Racing
January 17, 2007Martin Martin enters his first year with Ginn Racing at the helm of the No. 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet. Daytona testing provided Martin with his first opportunity to work with Ginn Racing and get acclimated to the No. 01 U.S. Army Team.
MARK MARTIN – No. 01 U.S. ARMY Chevrolet
“We’ve just had a couple of days to get used to everything and remember where the switches are and where the gauges are and figuring out how to read the gauges. It’s a lot different territory. Driving the car is not that different. I spent yesterday getting familiar with that and getting familiar with the guys and we had a blast this afternoon drafting. I really look forward to working with Ryan Pemberton and I’m excited about being a part of the U.S. Army Team. I can’t wait to go to Vegas in a couple of weeks and test.”
ABOUT THE PROCESS OF GETTING COMFORTABLE AT GINN RACING.
“I’m already comfortable with the guys at Ginn. Just because I stayed with Jack Roush for 19 years, doesn’t make it wrong for me to drive for someone else – It just makes it strange. I’m actually already beyond that. To me and many of my fans I’ll always be No. 6 and a part of me will always be No. 6, but that’s emotions and this is racing. We haven’t spent much time educating the fans and the media about what a terrific opportunity this is to be on the ground floor and help be one of the architects for the future of Ginn Racing, just like Roush Racing. This is not a short term endeavor for me. I see it being long term – as long as Roush was. I wouldn’t be surprised to be with Ginn in 19 years. I probably won’t be driving them, maybe I’ll be driving the hauler or something like that, but I expect to be around. The cool opportunity that I have is that I get to do whatever I want to do. That can be drive Cup cars or Busch cars and I get to mentor young drivers or do whatever it is that I would like to do there. If you look in depth you have Gary DeHart there and he’s a Cup champion. Sterling Marlin has one two Daytona 500’s. You have Slugger (Labbe) and the success he has had and Peter Sospenzo and Joe Nemechek and the success they have together and you have Ryan, who’s won with Joe. You have an incredible core group there that is expanding as fast as we can and building as fast as we can build to try and get where these other guys are. We hope to get there as soon as possible and then try and move on. There is an intention to try to be a powerhouse in NASCAR and there is a realization that it takes time to do that – a lot of time. In the meantime we are going to work long and hard and I think that we can get some great results this year and better results next year. There is a long term plan and I’m real excited about it and I’m really excited to worth with all of these great people and to build something.
WHAT WERE YOUR INITIAL IMPRESSIONS OF BOBBY GINN?
I didn’t really know what to expect before I met Bobby. I did the deal with Jay Frye and signed the contract before I ever even met Bobby. I had Googled him and checked him out a bit to see what we were getting involved with, but I made the deal with Jay and the team and the U.S. Army based on what they all wanted to do and the commitment that Bobby Ginn had made to the organization. Meeting him was just a pleasant surprise. His demeanor – well he hasn’t been successful like he has because of luck. He is just one heck of a guy. He’s a people person who is soft spoken, but very direct. He is committed to see this race team become a powerhouse in NASCAR, and if you look around at the staff their now, verses where it was a year ago, you can see that commitment is there and will continue to grow and get stronger and results will come when they may. They may not come as fast, or they may come faster than we expect.
We know how hard it is and we know what we are up against and it’s an exciting challenge for all of us, but Bobby Ginn is a very special person and I look forward to working with him for a long time.
CAN YOU CLARIFY WHAT MANUFACTURER YOU DRIVE FOR?
I’m having fun because according to a lot of you guys I’m breaking all the rules this year. I’m going to be racing a Chevy in more than just 22 Cup races. I’ll be racing a Chevy in some Busch races and I’m going to race a Roush Racing Busch car here (Daytona) and Texas and I guess that’s breaking the rules. We are also doing six races now in the Wood Brothers truck, so I’m going to enjoy breaking all the rules in ’07 and we’ll see what happens in ’08. I just kind of want to be like some of my heroes like Tony Stewart or Kenny Schrader , or Kenny Wallace and drive what I want to when I want to and where I want to this year. That’s a little special to me. I’ve raced for 23 years and I’m going to race the heck out of that U.S. Army car this year and from the drivers seat it really won’t matter to me.
ARE YOU GOING TO BE A MORE EDGY DRIVER NOW THAT YOU ARE”T CHASING THE CHAMPIONSHIP?
“Are you asking me if I’m going to be scraping behind the hauler (laugh). You know, I race by a code and that code is not really based on point racing. Now I’ve always point raced from the start of my career, but my code – what I think is right and what I think is not right – will not change. Now certainly it will be nice to know that taking a risk on a pit stop is not going to break my life or career. When you race in points you live and die by every single point and that has certainly taken its toll on me and I’m excited about not having to deal with that in 2007.
CAN YOU BE A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH BY THE LIKES OF ROUSH?
I think that will be a tremendous challenge in 2007 for the team, but we have every expectation of being a rival of theirs. It might take time, but I certainly feel that I have as much of a chance of winning a race in 2007 as I did in 2006 and that is certainly a good feeling. But to do it more on a consistent basis, that is going to be tough. There are a lot of great people here, but we still have a lot of expanding and learning to do. It’s a great challenge, but I look forward to being able to be a part of it.
WHAT HAS IMPRESSED YOU ABOUT BOBBY GINN? Bobby is just a really dynamic person. He’s very comfortable to be around and it’s just obvious to see why he’s been so successful once you’ve been around him a little bit and you guys should get to know him. But again, I made this deal with Jay Frye, whom I’ve known for 10 years. I did my homework on Bobby and what impressed me about the whole package was the commitment they have made to what they want to do and what they want to achieve. I was impressed with the commitment that Bobby has made to help get there and they allowed me to tell them at what level on wanted to participate. I have the best gig in NASCAR as far as I’m concerned. I got to lay out exactly what I wanted to do at this stage of my career. I’m not 24, so for where I am, I think I have the best deal in racing. I’m the happiest I’ve ever been in my life. I’m very excited to go to the race track each and every day. I’m very excited to work with Regan Smith this year and Ricky Carmichael and Jesus Hernandez, who is a developmental driver – and as we speak is testing one of my late models. He is going to race one of mine and Matt’s late models at New Smyrna during Speedweeks. I’m living the dream and having the time of my life.”
First Telephone Call to Teammate Results in Sweaty Palms for Rookie Smith
Ginn Racing
January 15, 2007DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Making the first telephone call to his new teammate -- Mark Martin -- took some self encouragement for Nextel Cup rookie Regan Smith. (pronounced Ree-gan)
"It took me a couple of days to get the nerve to call Mark and introduce myself," recalled Smith, who will share the No. 01 U.S. Army/Ginn Racing ride with Martin in 2007. "Ever since I started to race, Mark was the guy I always looked up to. He has always been my hero."
Smith, 23, said the telephone call in October was a success and compared it to a good qualifying lap at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
"It (the call) was intimidating at first -- I didn't want to say something stupid," said Smith. "I was talking for the first time to one of the giants of the sport. But as the conversation went on, Mark made me feel relaxed. It was like talking to another guy on the street. We both shared in our excitement about driving the Army Chevrolet for Ginn Racing."
"After the call my hands were shaking and that told me everything went well," added Smith. "I kind of compared the call to a qualifying lap in Atlanta or someplace where we run wide open. When you come in after a good lap in Atlanta your hands should be shaking and the palms sweaty. And that's just the way I felt after the phone call with Mark -- my hands were indeed shaking and sweaty. I am not ashamed to say that I was awestruck when I first called him."
While Smith was impressed with Martin, the veteran driver was also impressed with the rookie.
"Regan and I had a great conversation and we were on the same page," said Martin. "He's eager and wants to learn. But at the same time, he knows that patience is vital in enjoying future success. I am really looking forward to being his Army teammate and helping launch his career. This is an exciting time for the both of us."
After the maiden telephone call, Martin and Smith did get together in person during a December Car of Tomorrow test session in Lakeland, Fla.
"It was great being at a test session with Mark," offered Smith. "It was neat to compare our graphs and to see where he was doing things differently. You can't put a price tag on that -- getting valuable instruction from a veteran such as Mark. I would just love to accomplish a fraction of what he has accomplished in his career."
While Smith's first official ride in the 01 Army Chevy is scheduled for Bristol Motor Speedway (March 25), the upstate New York (Cato) native is looking to make his Nextel Cup debut in the Daytona 500. Smith and Martin will both be at Daytona International Speedway this week for a three-day test session.
Martin will be testing in the 01 Army Chevy and Smith will be testing the No. 39 car for Ginn Racing, which plans to enter four Cup cars for NASCAR's season opener. Joe Nemechek (No. 13) and Sterling Marlin (No. 14) took part in last week's Daytona test session for Ginn Racing.
"We're going there (Daytona) with four cars and I have every intention of the Daytona 500 being my first Cup start," said Smith, who filled in for Nemechek for a pair of test sessions in Daytona last week.
Since Smith's No. 39 Chevrolet is not part of the top 35 in points from 2006, he will have to qualify for the Daytona 500.
Smith will also compete in the NASCAR Busch Series in 2007 for Ginn Racing. He will share the 04 Chevrolet ride with Kraig Kinser.
Relaxed Martin grateful as he gears down a storied career
By Gary Graves
USATODAY.com
January 15, 2007DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Mark Martin admitted to several differences, such as mirror and switch placements and attaching names to all those new faces. Otherwise, Martin insists, everything feels the same.
That might surprise those wondering how the Nextel Cup veteran is adapting to the obvious changes, among them:
Driving a Chevrolet Monte Carlo for Ginn Racing after 19 seasons in a Ford for Roush Racing
A schedule that will see the 48-year-old make 20 points-paying starts in the No. 01 Chevy, with Regan Smith driving the rest. Of all the differences, this one concerns him most because he never has known what real down time is like.
He sounds eager to find out.
Asked how it might feel, Martin said, "Get your arms around this: I've had three weekends off (each year) from the middle of February to Thanksgiving for a long time. I'm going to have 19 (weeks) off and that's, like, scary.
"I'm going to learn about myself and my future. … I'm going to do whatever I want to. I'm going to get a life, and I'm excited about it. After that first weekend at home, I'll learn a lot more about what my future holds for me."
This week, Martin is learning about that Chevy at Daytona International Speedway.
Seeing the manufacturer's bowtie emblem on his fire suit after all those years with the blue oval seems odd at first glance, as does the number, sponsor (U.S. Army) and black-and-gold colors formerly associated with Ginn teammate Joe Nemechek.
Once Martin grins through those wrinkles it becomes clear that change is good and in his case, necessary. Retirement remains a world away but in extending his Roush tenure one more year in 2006 he left no doubt he desired a lighter load.
With Roush already limited to five cars, a sixth ride wasn't possible and Martin announced his intended move to Ginn (formerly MB2 Motorsports) last October on the way to a ninth-place finish in his third consecutive Chase for the Nextel Cup.
Having taken his shots at a championship, he's now focusing on this next phase of his career — or rather, phasing out.
"It's different, but things change," said Martin, whose "B" car was 15th-fastest overall at 183.981 mph as the second three-day test session opened Monday. "I'm grateful I'm not in the grandstands watching today, grateful to be driving the U.S. Army car.
"I didn't want to be on the sidelines every Sunday and didn't want to be at every race. I went where I had the opportunity to do what I wanted to do, and they (Roush) did what they had to do. I look at it as, 'So what's the problem?'"
Martin, No. 01 Car go way back
Martin piloted No. 01 Chevrolet in 1983 World 600
Ginn Racing
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Jan. 12, 2007) -- Mark Martin will start this year's Budweiser Shootout (Feb. 10) in the No. 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet, marking the first time in 19 years he will drive a car other than the No. 6 in a Cup event.
However, what many may not realize is that while this will be Martin's first race with Ginn Racing and his first race with the Army on board, it will not be his first Cup event in the No. 01 Chevrolet.
In fact, Martin's history with the No. 01 goes back 24 years, even further back than Martin's history in the No. 6 Roush car. Martin started 16 Cup races in 1983, the 10th of which was at Charlotte, where he ran the No. 01 Activision Chevrolet. A humble beginning in the car, Martin started the race 20th and finished 29th after getting caught up in an accident.
"The car was actually owned by Emanuel Zerakis," said Martin. Emanuel was a great guy and I knew that he had a good car. Lowe's has always been one of my favorite tracks, and I needed a ride. Humpy Wheeler and the guys from the Speedway actually helped get the sponsorship together with Emanuel and Activision, which was the sponsor. So we called them and were able to put it all together.
"As for the race, we started 20th, but we crashed Lap 270. We made around $1700, which was big money back in those days, especially for wrecking. I guess when you think about it, it's kind of ironic that we'll be going back to the 01 this year. Of course, we'll be expecting to finish a lot better this time."
More than 20 years later, Martin ironically returns to the No. 01 where he looks to forge a new legacy in the latest chapter of his storied career.
Mark Martin in regards to Bobby Hamilton: "Bobby was one of the most down to earth people that I have ever been around. He treated everyone the same, no matter who you were or what you did."
Mark Martin announces first half schedule with Ginn Racing
Ginn RacingBud Shootout, Daytona 500 and Nextel All-Star Challenge highlight first 14 races of Martin's 2007 schedule
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Jan. 2, 2007) -- Ginn Racing announced today the first 14 races of Mark Martin's limited 2007 schedule, with highlights including a record extending 19th consecutive start in the Budweiser Shootout, his 23rd running of the famed Daytona 500 and his 18th consecutive start in the Nextel All-Star Challenge, an event he won in 1998 and 2005.
When Martin is not in the No. 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet, rookie Regan Smith will pilot the Ginn Racing entry. The remainder of Martin's Nextel Cup schedule will be announced later in the season.
"I can't tell you how excited I am about what we have going on in 2007," said Martin. "It's just a dream come true to be able to pick the races that we want to run in and to be able to do it with a full-time Cup team like the No. 01 Army team, it's just more than I could have asked for.
"Basically we were able to sit down and work on a schedule that worked for everyone," added Martin. "I just wasn't ready to step completely back from Nextel Cup racing and I felt I had a little more to give out there. At the same time, I was ready to be done with the grind of the 38-race Cup schedule, and fortunately I was able to move over to Ginn Racing and have the opportunity to do what I wanted to do.
"We open the schedule in the Budweiser Shootout and then the Daytona 500 and I'm really excited to take that Army Chevy out on the track at Daytona. Then we'll run the next three races, before taking off Bristol and Martinsville. I am really looking forward to represent our brave soldiers both here and abroad."
Martin will pilot the No. 01 Army Chevrolet for Ginn Racing in the season's first four point events and in the All-Star Shootout in February. After starts in the Daytona 500 and at California, Las Vegas and Atlanta, Martin will take off the following races at Bristol and Martinsville. The break will put an end to Martin's string of 617 consecutive starts dating back to Feb. 14, 1988.
"Streaks and numbers like that really say more about the fact that you were fortunate enough to stay healthy and keep your ride for a lot of years," said Martin. "It is something that I've been proud of, but it's also something that it's time to step away from. It's been a great run with that, but we'll be back in a few weeks and that's perfect for me."
Martin will pick up in mid-April at Texas and he will make his first start in the Car of Tomorrow at Phoenix. After taking Talladega off, Martin will take part in the next seven events including the All-Star Challenge and the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway.
Martin has a combined 20 wins and 17 poles at the 12 tracks that make up the first half schedule. In addition he has won once in the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona (1999) and twice in the Nextel All-Star Challenge.
MARK MARTIN'S FIRST HALF 2007 NEXTEL CUP SCHEDULE
Feb. 10 - Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway
Feb. 18 - Daytona 500
Feb. 25 - California Speedway
March 11 - Las Vegas Motor Speedway
March 18 - Atlanta Motor Speedway
April 15 - Texas Motor Speedway
April 21 - Phoenix International Raceway
May 5 - Richmond International Raceway
May 12 - Darlington Raceway
May 19 - Nextel All-Star Challenge
May 27 - Cola-Cola 600
June 3 - Dover International Speedway
June 10 - Pocono Raceway
June 17 - Michigan International Speedway
Mark Martin Offers Tips to 4 Young Drivers
NASCAR veteran preaches teamwork to members of the Ginn racing stable
By Donna Fellows - Ledger Correspondent
theledger.com
December 12, 2006LAKELAND - Above the roar of engines at USA International Speedway here, a single message could be heard crystal clear. Teamwork. Ginn Racing brought three cars, five drivers and various crew members to Lakeland on Monday to test their short-track programs. But more important for the four young drivers in the Ginn Racing stable, it was a time for learning. Regan Smith, Kraig Kinser, Jesus Hernandez and Ricky Carmichael each took their share of laps around the speedway - a 3/4-mile paved oval with 14-degree banking, the same as Richmond International Raceway.
When each one of them came in from their practice runs, veteran driver Mark Martin, who drove the No. 6 AAA Ford this past NASCAR Nextel Cup season, knelt by their windows to discuss their laps.
"He tells us what to look for, what to feel; you can't beat it," said Kinser of Martin's guidance.
Martin took practice laps in each of the cars in order to be able to tell the drivers what to expect.
"It's definitely an advantage, especially for all the young drivers, that we have someone with so much experience," Kinser said. "You can't put a price tag on it."
A price tag did come in the form of Bobby Ginn's purchase of MB2 Motorsports, now Ginn Racing, last summer.
Ginn revitalized the team, pumping money, equipment and staff changes into the organization, including the signing of Martin.
"To have Mark Martin working with anybody is very important. That's part of what we wanted to do with Mark," Ginn said Monday. Martin kept the mood serious but light.
"We like to see you work," Martin shouted down pit lane to Carmichael after one of his runs. "Get those elbows up."
"There will be a lot of other tests that I'll be at helping them get up to speed," said Lakeland native Joe Nemechek, who was not at the test session but was reached via telephone on Monday, of his younger teammates. The 43-year-old will be driving the No. 13 Chevrolet for the team next season.
"It's going to make us be better as a team, stronger as a team."
DISH Network(TM) Signs up to Sponsor Roush Racing's ''All-Stars''
CONCORD, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Roush Racing announced today that DISH Network™ has signed on as a primary sponsor in the NASCAR Busch Series and the NEXTEL Cup Series, with additional status as an associate sponsor on all Roush entries.
DISH Network will have a team representative in all 35 Busch Races in 2007, alternating between four Roush Busch teams. Greg Biffle will drive the No. 16 DISH Network Ford Fusion in five NEXTEL Cup races in 2007, the first of which will be at Pocono Raceway in June. When DISH Network is not featured as a primary sponsor, they will appear on each NEXTEL Cup, Busch and Craftsman Truck Series entry as an associate sponsor.
An array of drivers from each Roush team will form the “DISH All-Stars.” Driving for DISH Network in 2007 as part of the “All-Star” team will be Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards, Jamie McMurray, Todd Kluever, Danny O’Quinn, Jr., Erik Darnell and Michel Jourdain, Jr.
Mark Martin will kick off the season for DISH Network in the February Daytona Busch race. Martin will be behind the wheel of the DISH Network Ford Fusion twice in 2007, the second of which will be the spring Texas race. The remaining “DISH All-Stars” will split time behind the wheel throughout the season.
“We are proud to have DISH Network on board with us for next year,” said team owner Jack Roush. “Having them involved as a primary sponsor in our Busch Series programs is a real honor and hopefully we will put them in victory lane several times throughout the season. On behalf of everyone at Roush Racing, I’d like to welcome DISH Network to our team.”
Bobby Billman, senior vice president of Marketing for DISH Network, is excited to be on board with Roush Racing in 2007.
“DISH Network is thrilled to have the unique opportunity to sponsor such an elite racing team,” said Billman. “NASCAR is one of the most popular sports in the country with millions of devoted fans, and we believe it will be an exciting way for us to communicate the unparalleled value DISH Network offers its customers."
About EchoStar Communications/DISH Network:
EchoStar Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH) serves more than 12.755 million satellite TV customers through its DISH Network™, and is a leading U.S. provider of advanced digital television services. DISH Network’s services include hundreds of video and audio channels, Interactive TV, HDTV, sports and international programming, together with professional installation and 24-hour customer service. EchoStar has been a leader for more than 25 years in satellite TV equipment sales and support worldwide. EchoStar is included in the Nasdaq-100 Index (NDX) and is a Fortune 500 company. Visit EchoStar’s Web site at www.echostar.com or call 1-800-333-DISH (3474).
Roush Racing is a subsidiary of Livonia, Mich.-based Roush Enterprises that operates 13 motorsports teams, five in NASCAR NEXTEL Cup with drivers Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards and David Ragan; five in the Busch Series with Kenseth, Biffle, Edwards, Ragan and Todd Kluever; and three in the Craftsman Truck Series with Travis Kvapil, Erik Darnell and Peter Shepherd. For sponsorship inquiries, contact Robin Johnson, Roush Racing, 704-720-4645.
