NASCAR's Mark Martin
2007 Season Articles - March & April
Army Drivers Push Machine Gun Training
By Rebecca A. Montgomery - Army News Service
Military.com
April 26, 2007AVONDALE, Ariz. - Mark Martin and Regan Smith, co-drivers of the No. 01 U.S. Army car, are helping Soldiers learn the safe and proper way to set up the M2 machine gun.
The two taped an Army training video at the Phoenix International Raceway April 20. The TACOM Life Cycle Management Command at Rock Island, Ill., is preparing the video, which shows adjustments of headspace and timing for safe and effective operation of the M2.
The training video will be available to Soldiers worldwide, with public service announcements slated to soon air on the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service.
The video will show that if Soldiers take short cuts when setting the M2 headspace and timing, it could mean injury to them or damage to the weapon.
In their message to Soldiers, Mr. Martin and Mr. Smith stressed the importance of following proper procedures.
"In every race we depend on our crew to properly set up our car and keep us safe," said Mr. Martin. "Every time you install a barrel on your M2, proper adjustments to headspace and timing must be performed."
The video will also show pre checks and explain to Soldiers why it is important to perform the procedures each time before they fire the weapon.
"Safety and teamwork are a priority for us and for you. That's why your equipment has to be set up for safe and effective operation," said Mr. Smith.
Mr. Smith started go-kart racing at the age of four and competed in the World Karting Association as a 12-year-old. He began co-driving the 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet in 2007 with Mr. Martin as his coach.
Mr. Martin, whose first NASCAR cup start was in 1981, became the driver of the Army car this year and came within inches of winning the Daytona 500 last February.
"It's an honor to appear in this video which will help protect Soldiers," said Mr. Martin.
(Ms. Rebecca A. Montgomery writes for TACOM LCMC Rock Island Public Affairs.)
Martin Finishes 12th in COT Debut
Veteran moves from 11th to 10th in Nextel Cup pointsPHOENIX (April 21, 2007) -- Despite problems that Mark Martin encountered in his Car of Tomorrow (COT) debut Saturday night, the savvy U.S. Army driver still managed to pull off a respectable 12th-place finish at Phoenix International Raceway.
Martin, who missed NASCAR's previous two COT races (Bristol and Martinsville) as part of his limited 2007 schedule with Ginn Racing, is 10th in the Nextel Cup driver standings. In the six races in which he has competed, Martin has averaged a 6.16 finish. In owner points, the 01 Army team is ranked fifth.
"That was a pretty hard race tonight," said Martin. "We never really did get a handle on the car, and we just weren't able to get going all night. I couldn't get the Army Chevy to hook up coming off turn four like we were able to do during Friday's practice. We still have work to do on our Car of Tomorrow program, but we'll keep plugging away and get better."
"Still, Ryan Pemberton, crew chief) did a great job calling the race and the pit crew was once again awesome," added Martin. "When you don't have it all together and still finish 12th, that says something about the quality of this team. We're like our soldiers, we never give up."
Martin started the racer 10th, butwas never able to get his U.S. Army Chevrolet dialed in on the one-mile oval. He ran in the mid to high teens for the majority of the 312-lap event before gaining track position late in the race to finish 12th. It was the first time in six races that he failed to post a top-10 result.
Martin will take off next weekend's race at Talladega. He will return to action the following week in Richmond. Regan Smith will pilot the 01 car at Talladega Superspeedway in the Aaron's 499 -- Sunday, April 29.
Mark Martin Media Visit - Phoenix
GM RacingBEHIND THE HAULER CHAT WITH MARK MARTIN, NO. 01 U.S. ARMY IMPALA SS
Mark Martin, No. 01 U.S. Army Impala SS, spoke with members of the media at Phoenix International Raceway about his semi-retirement and his first race in the Impala SS.
ON MAKING THE DECISION TO NOT COMPETE FULL-TIME IN NNCS AFTER LEADING THE POINTS:
"If I had wanted to chase the Cup, I would have."
ON HAVING A LOT OF PEOPLE AROUND HIM ENCOURAGE HIM TO STAY IN THE CAR AND GO FOR IT:
"I had some people around me. They certainly weren't all saying that. I am really happy, I have the greatest life any one could ever ask for. The best family you could ever dream of, you know, I am cool with it."
ON HOW MUCH PHYSICAL FITNESS PLAYS IN TO HOW COMPETITIVE HE STILL IS:
"I don't think I am a better driver than any of these guys. So there has got to be some reasons for my success and I don't think it is the driver part of it. Part of it is the physical fitness, part of it is the fire and to manage that fire, it might be difficult when I am 75. I am 48 now and I have it, I won't race if I don't have it. I am not racing 38 races this year if that tells you anything. I still have it and it is hot, but I don't know if I have enough for all of it. I am starting to build a desire and a fire for other things in life. Since I was 15 years old, this has been it for me, number one. Taking precedent over everything. There are a lot of things that have to do with me being able to still be as competitive as I am on the race track. I don't think I am as good as I was 15 years ago but it is hard tell.
"Part of circumstances without question and part of it is that old thing that you make your own luck. You don't make it all but you can make part of it. Part of it is I have been in good situations. Part of it is I am able to inspire people around me, I have worked with people who believe in may and I may not be as good as they think I am but it doesn't matter as long as we get the result and that is the truth. I don't view myself as a better driver than many of these guys, but I certainly wouldn't be happy with the results that a lot of them get. I will do anything, anything to run good. It doesn't matter if it require working your guts out on a sponsor, or working your guts out on a team of working with my own hands at the race track, testing. You know, there is a lot more to this than just strapping yourself in and mashing the gas.
"The people that work on your cars have to love you, they have to believe in you. There is a lot of that. I don't know, I can't answer your question. You have to ask that the people around me, those question. But I know there is a lot more to it than just strapping in."
ON WOULD HE STILL DO THIS IF HE WAS IN A SITUATION LIKE DALE JARRETT FOR EXAMPLE WHERE HE WENT BACK TO ABSOLUTE SQUARE ONE:
"No, I am already at a limited schedule based on 2003 and 2001. Those two years were way substandard and unacceptable to me. So I made my plans and I am sticking to them."
ON MORE ADVICE AND INFORMATION SOURCES TO BE AVAILABLE TO THE YOUNG KIDS COMING IN TO THE SPORT NOW TO HELP THEM COPE WITH THE ENVIRONMENT:
"I definitely think they need more financial advisors, and a lot of the young guys, their parents are good for that or are savvy didn't. They didn't get here by being stupid to start with. The kids didn't and their parents didn't who helped get their kids here. Financial advisory is very critical in making the most of your career. For the most part I think we have a great group of young drivers. We have different drivers working in different areas to improve themselves whether it is physical fitness or their mental state, anything else. In order to succeed in this business, you have to excel in more than one area."
ON NOW SEEING WHY CHEVY HAS BEEN DOMINANT FOR SO MANY YEARS:
"You know, I won't know how to answer that question other than that NASCAR does the very best they can to regulate the competition. A lot of the results have to do with the people working on it. What you do with what you have to work with makes a big difference. There are certain times when a manufacturer has a clear advantage big time like in 1998 I remember that the Ford had a big advantage. But not very often do you see that in this business. What you see is teams working together and excel with whatever it is they are working with. I feel that the field is very level out there right now and on any given weekend the results would be different with just a drop of a hat.
ON WHY HE IS SO AT PEACE WITH HIS LIFE RIGHT NOW:
"Because respect means more to me than that trophy. I don't know how much respect you can hold on to when you are fighting a losing battle. Respect is the main ingredient of what really makes me tick and also satisfies me. I am not walking away from racing. I might have a tough time, I don't know. It wouldn't be as easy if I had hung up my helmet that it was to set it aside every two weeks once in a while. If I hadn't raced Cup this year, I would have raced something. I can't imagine in the next 10 years driving something sometimes because that is what I want to do. Any professional who has done something all of their life, whether it is writing or racing or shooting basketballs, or whatever, if that is what is what they have done since they were a little kid, and they were really, really good at it, it is not going to be easy for them to quit doing that.
"It is a problem for not just athletes, but for everybody. I think that is the standard for everybody, it is hard to quit doing something that you love for so long."
ON WHAT HE WILL BE DOING NEXT WEEKEND WHEN HE IS NOT RACING AT TALLADEGA:
"I will be racing with Ricky Carmichael and Matt (Martin, his son)."
ON CAR OF TOMORROW:
"Well, it going to be all new to me except I have been at all of the tests so far and have driven at all the tests and all. I don't really have much thought about it. I hope it goes as good as everything else. This team has been incredible. I have had huge horsepower with the Hendrick engines and great reliability. Some of the best race cars I have ever driven. I am sure if this one isn't, we will fix it for the next time. This is a great team and so far our testing has been competitive.
"A lot of people have speculated that this car would suit the old guys. It won't suit my driving style if it doesn't turn and that is the main problem with these cars. If anything it is going to be anti my style. I can't stand a car that pushes. There is our challenge. It was pitiful the first time I drove it, it was fair at Bristol, wasn't so good Caraway. It was really good a Richmond. Feel wise I felt the car was as good or better than any car I have ever driven there. We weren't the fastest car but I really like the way it drove. So I was real encouraged to come here. This will be my first event in the Impala.
"I don't know that the aero will be a big thing here. Everybody has got the same car. I don't think we are going fast enough to have major aero issues. This is a good track for this car. Richmond and here I think is good. Maybe more interesting at Darlington. I think it will be real real interesting at bigger tracks. I think if we had had it at Texas I don't think it would have been so great. We were complaining about the other car not turning well and this car inherently has a huge issue because we have been limited to half the front suspension we had with the other car. There is nothing about the COT that is a big deal other than that. The wing, is no big deal. More room, bigger greenhouse, none of that stuff is no big deal. But taking half the front suspension away is going to have the teams and the drivers squirming, it is a real challenge."
ON KYLE BUSCH LEAVING TRACK LAST WEEK:
"It is the crew chief's decision is whether he wants to work on that driver's stuff. He shouldn't really have a decision on what the driver does, he should just have a decision on what he does and everybody is different. It is everyone's own decision.
ON HIS OPINION ABOUT DALE, JR. JUMPING IN THE NO. 5 CAR:
"Now you are asking me for my opinion and It is my opinion that everyone who is talking about what Dale, Jr. did last weekend, everyone who is saying that was wrong are wrong. Why not, what is wrong with that? In Dale, Jr., case it probably needed to be a Chevy, but beyond that, what is wrong with that.
"Like Dale said, it is a throw back to the old days. What is wrong with respecting the way it used to be a little bit. That is just my opinion. Other people are probably going to have the opinion that well that was three points the No. 5 might knock you out of the Chase over. Back in the day, we didn't worry about that so much because we were racers. When a friend or people you like, he (Dale, Jr.) likes and respects the people that work on the No. 5 car and when they asked him, he was honored by that. You know that he is going to do that. He didn't get a committee together and consult them, he did what he felt like he wanted and was right to do. That is what I think, I support him 100%."
ON WHAT IT WILL FEEL LIKE TO WIN AT CUP LEVEL WITH ANOTHER TEAM:
"These guys deserve to win. They are so incredibly good. Ryan (Pemberton) and all the guys on this team. The big deal to me will see them, their enthusiasm their excitement, it will be about them, it won't be about me. The thing is I have driven for so many different teams, Jack Roush and other teams. I won races for Bill Davis in his Busch car and others, mostly Roush Truck, Cup and Busch but so many different teams. So many different dashes, switch panels and all that stuff, the thing that I remember about those wins are like the Mike Beam and crew at Daytona or whenever we won a truck race. Or Ben Lesley and the guys at Charlotte in 2002. A lot of those guys had never been in victory lane. They had never won a Cup race, maybe never even won a race at all, I don't know. I know they had not won in Cup. That is what I remember, not anything about me and what I felt like. I don't know where the trophy is. I know it is in the museum somewhere but I haven't walked up and looked at it. That is not what I remember; I remember the faces and the thrill and the team and how much they enjoyed it. That is what this would be about if we were able to make it happen, that is what would mean the most to me. I wouldn't think about Jack Roush or Bobby Ginn, I would think about Jay Frye and Ryan and the other guys who have given their guts for this and deserve it."
Martin Driving Home Point
Veteran sits at 11th in points, despite having taken two races off
Ginn RacingAVONDALE, Ariz. (April 19, 2007) -- Despite having only competed in five of seven races this season, Mark Martin finds himself 11th in the Nextel Cup point standings as the series rolls into Phoenix. As a part of his planned limited schedule in 2007, Martin took off races at Bristol and Martinsville, but four top-five finishes in five starts have Martin sitting in 11th position and inside the 'Chase' cut-off mark well into April.
In fact, Martin is ahead of 25 drivers who have competed in all seven races and 29 drivers who have started more races in 2007. In two fewer events, Martin has outscored guys with the names of Busch, Biffle, Harvick and Earnhardt Jr. just to name a few.
"You know I fought my entire career to stay inside the top 15," said Martin. "I never really knew the secret was staying at home for some races (laughing). Actually, I think it just says so much about this No. 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet Team and how great of a situation they have put me in.
"I have the greatest job on the planet," added Martin. "And I'm very thankful to be able to be in this situation and to be able to still race with a team of his caliber."
In addition, Martin and co-driver Regan Smith have the No. 01 team in fourth in the Nextel Cup owner standings and in solid contention for an owner's championship.
Despite his current standing in the points, Martin still plans on taking Talladega off next weekend, before returning to action the following week at Richmond. Martin will then take part in seven consecutive events including the Coca-Cola 600 and the Nextel All-Star Challenge before staying home from Sonoma, California.
Martin knows that with his current schedule, even with his huge success in 2007, he will eventually fall out of the top of the points chart.
"That's okay," added Martin. "Listen, I spent 19 years chasing that thing and I never gave any less than 100 percent. We had some great runs and I'm proud of what we were able to do, but at this point I just don't have any interest in continuing to chase after the cup.
"I do however, plan on going out and doing everything I can do win some races with this U.S. Army Team."
Mark Martin Subway Fresh Fit 500 Preview
Martin to make COT debut in Phoenix
Ginn RacingAfter rolling to another top-five finish last weekend at Texas, Martin prepares to make his racing debut in the Car of Tomorrow this weekend at Phoenix. It will be the third COT race for the No. 01 U.S. Army Team, but the first for Martin. Martin did test the COT back in March at Bristol.
WORTHY NOTES
Martin won at Phoenix on Halloween of 1993.
Martin led 111 laps and had the dominate car of this event last season.
MARTIN AT PHOENIX
Martin will make his 22nd start at Phoenix International Raceway, where he won on Oct. 31, 1993. He has 14 top five and eight top 10 finishes at Phoenix. However, his best finish in two spring races at Phoenix is 11th last season.
MARK MARTIN FAST FACTS - PHOENIX
Martin has finished inside the top 10 in 66 percent (14) of his Phoenix Cup races.
Martin won at Phoenix on Oct. 31, 1993.
Martin has finished inside the top 10 in 12 of the last 17 races at Phoenix.
Martin has finished second or better in six of 21 races at Phoenix.
Martin led 111 laps at Phoenix in the spring race last year.
The race will mark Martin's debut in the Car of Tomorrow.
THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY
Martin fans will most likely remember last year's spring Pheonix race as 'the one that got away.' Martin's car was clearly the class of the field, leading 111 laps and building as much as a six second lead. A problem in the pits dropped Martin to the back of the field midway though the race, but he was so strong that night driving all the way back to second place before running out of fuel at the end of the race. Even with all the problems, he still finished 11th on the night.
MAKING HIS POINT
Despite the fact that Martin is not running a full schedule in 2007 and he took off races at Martinsville and Bristol, after seven races in 2007 Martin is in 11th place in the Nextel Cup point standings and inside the Chase cut-off mark. In fact, Martin is ahead of 25 drivers who have competed in all seven races and 29 drivers who have started more races in 2007. In addition, Martin and co-driver Regan Smith have the No. 01 in fourth in the Nextel Cup owner standings and in solid contention for an owner's championship.
MARTIN'S ROLL AT GINN CONTINUES
Despite a limited schedule in 2007, Martin started his Cup season with three-consecutive top-five finishes for the first time in his racing career and five straight top 10's . Until joining with Ginn Racing this season, Martin had never started a season with back-to-back top-fives and his second-place finish in the Daytona 500 is also a career best. Martin's three straight top-fives to open the season also marked the first time Martin has scored three consecutive top-five finishes since 2002 and his lead in the points was his first since 2002. He became the oldest driver to lead the points for more than one week and the first driver since 1983 to walk away with the lead.
THE STREAK ENDS
Phoenix will see the end of Martin's streak of what will be two consecutive Nextel Cup starts, as Martin is not scheduled to compete at Talladega in two weeks.
MARK MARTIN COMMENTS ON PHOENIX
"I've always enjoyed racing out in Phoenix. I've had some really good runs there over the years and last year in this race I think we had the car to beat and just weren't able to finish the deal. I'm really excited about going there this weekend with Ryan and this U.S. Army Team. This is just an incredible race team here at Ginn Racing. The cars are fast, the pit strategy is brilliant and the guys really get it done on pit road when it counts. You really just couldn't ask for more in a team and it's the best team I've ever worked with.
MARK MARTIN COMMENTS ON HIS DEBUT IN THE CAR OF TOMORROW
"I'm not sure what to think going into my first COT race. I was able to test the car at Bristol earlier this year and I think we have our work cut out for us. We were about a 15th-place car at the test, but we've actually raced a lot better this year than we practice, so I guess only time will tell. I haven't really been that big a fan of the COT, but I love working with these guys so much, that I'm looking forward to going there and seeing what we can have. I'm also looking forward to working with the COT program here at Ginn and helping to improve that as we go along."
Martin's Pit Crew Takes Top Honors in Texas
U.S. Army Crew Scores 4th Win of Season in Checkers/Rally's Double Drive-Thru Challenge
Checkers/Rally's
April 17, 2007Mark Martin's No. 01 pit crew earned its fourth Checkers/Rally's Double Drive-Thru Challenge win of the season Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway -- lifting its team to a third-place finish in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series event.
With four Double Drive-Thru Challenge victories, the U.S. Army/Ginn Racing pit crew is the only multiple winner in the first seven races of the 2007 season.
"What can you say about these guys, they are just awesome," said Martin. "This is the best race team that I've ever worked with. The Army pit crew really stepped up on Sunday and help gain us some really needed track position. I love working with this team. They make coming to work really fun."
Martin's over-the-wall crew 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 pit crew coach is Lance Munksgard.
Checkers/Rally's awards the winning Nextel Cup pit crew each week with a cash prize of $11,000. An additional $111,150 will be presented to the pit crew with the most Double Drive-Thru Challenge wins at the completion of the 36-race Nextel Cup schedule.
The No. 01 crew has collected $44,000 in prize money for its wins this season and currently boasts a three-win lead in the standings.
"It was another solid performance by the 01 Army crew," said crew chief Ryan Pemberton. "The guys are doing a fantastic job of having consistent pit stops each week and it is really showing in the team's results."
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.
2007 Checkers/Rally's Double Drive-Thru Challenge Winners -- Nextel Cup Series:
Daytona (2/18) Mark Martin Team
California (2/25) Mark Martin Team
Las Vegas (3/11) Mark Martin Team
Atlanta (3/18) Jimmie Johnson Team
Bristol (3/25) Denny Hamlin Team
Martinsville (4/1) Dale Earnhardt Jr. Team
Texas (4/15) Mark Martin TeamMenard's Pit Crew Takes Top Honors in Texas:
Paul Menard's No. 15 crew earned the Checkers/Rally's Double Drive-Thru Challenge win at Texas Motor Speedway. The team spent 146.329 seconds on pit road during the April 14 Busch Series event.
Mark Martin Post Race Press Conference - Samsung 500
GM Racing
April 15, 2007MARK MARTIN, NO. 01 U.S. ARMY MONTE CARLO SS POST RACE PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT:
TELL US ABOUT YOUR RUN TODAY:
"I'm really proud of this team and it's fun to be back. I wish we could have been up there with my buddies scrapping for it but I'm satisfied with third. But I'm satisfied with third. It was just such an incredible job by Ryan Pemberton and the team. We got the car adjusted midway through the race. That's what Juan (Montoya) were just talking about. We were racing back and forth. About halfway we hit it and we just took off. We never touched it again all day which is pretty incredible. Just a few tweaks here and there and the car took off."
HOW DID YOU LIKE YOUR BREAK FROM RACING?
"I love it. I knew when Bristol was over with I had made the right decision. You want to be careful about bragging how good a deal. I have hit the lotto, no question. To be able to drive these cars for this team is a dream come true and to be able to step away when I want to step away, I just couldn't ever imagine having that kind of privilege. I really, really love working with Ryan and that team. They're so excited and that makes it so much fun to go to work. Even testing is not that much fun but it's kind of fun to go to work with them. I really do love those guys."
IS THERE REALLY PARITY BETWEEN THE MANUFACTURERS? CHEVY HAS WON SIX OUT OF SEVEN RACES.
"If that race would have been three laps shorter, Matt (Kenseth) would have won. In the last run before the final run, I was faster than Jeff (Burton) was. Things change with every run and every adjustment. If you don't make an adjustment then maybe you needed to and things move around. Jeff Burton just ran like he was shot out of a cannon that last run. If he would have run like he ran before, he wouldn't have won."
ARE YOU NOW LESS LIKELY TO EVER COME BACK FULL-TIME?
"I've made the decision. I'm not going to make that declaration but just between you and me, off the record."
ARE YOU DEFINITELY OFF FOR TALLADEGA?
"If you want to look for a story, we can make it in on owners points if things were to continue to go well. But we're not even going to discuss that at this point in time. It continues to go well but it doesn't seem very realistic to be able to do it like that. I have no interest. I chased that Cup hard. I gave it my guts. Now I'm enjoying just getting to race. It's fun."
ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO RACING THE IMPALA SS?
"I'm not dreading it because I love these guys so much but from our test we appear to be about a 15th-place car. The good thing is that when we practice, a lot of times our car of today looks to be a 15th-place car. It seems like we race better than we practice. I hope to be able to help develop the new race cars into better cars but I do feel that we have more work to do than some of the teams on the car. I guess we'll find out next week."
Mark Martin Post Race Notes and Quotes - Samsung 500
GM Racing
April 15, 2007MARK MARTIN, NO 01 U.S. ARMY MONTE CARLO SS, GINN RACING, FINISHED THIRD:
"It was a great run. Hopefully it's given our soldiers something to cheer for all over the world. We appreciate what they're doing for us. What a great team, what a great run. Got the car adjusted out about half way through the race and didn't touch it again. The guys just pounded it out, just great stops. I love working for these guys (Ginn Racing)."
"It's really fun to be back. I was we could have been up there scrapping for it. But I'm satisfied with third. (The team) did such a great job to get the car adjusted midway through the race . about halfway we just hit it and the car just took off. We didn't touch it again all day, which is pretty incredible. Just a few tweaks here and there and the car just took off."
Mark Martin Race Report - Samsung 500
Martin Continues Impressive Start With Ginn Racing; Finishes Third in Texas
Ginn Racing
FORT WORTH, Texas (April 15, 2007) -- The Mark Martin 2007 story got even more interesting following his impressive third-place finish in Sunday's Samsung 500 Nextel Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway.
After taking the previous two races off as part of his limited schedule for Ginn Racing, Martin came back with another solid performance.
The U.S. Army driver, who has now competed in five Cup races this season, posted his fifth straight top-10 result and fourth top five. Despite missing the two races in Bristol, Tenn. and Martinsville, Va. Martin is 11th in driver points, within the top-12 of the Chase cutoff. In Nextel Cup owner points, the 01 team jumped from sixth to fourth.
"This team is just awesome -- they are the best I've ever worked with," said Martin moments after climbing out of his No. 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet. "I want to be careful about bragging too much, but I have hit the lotto. To be able to drive these cars for this team is a dream come true. And to be able to step away when I want to, I just could not imagine having that kind of privilege. I just really, really love working with Ryan (Pemberton, crew chief) and the team. They are so excited and that makes it so much fun to go to work."
Martin started the race sixth based on owner points after Friday's qualifying session was canceled due to severe weather. The team struggled early with the car's handling in traffic and Martin dropped back to as far as 15th.
"About halfway through the race we got the car adjusted to our likening," noted Martin. "The closer we got to the front, the Army Chevy performed much better. The pit crew was outstanding again -- they pounded out fast stops and got us to the front."
The 01 team made its final adjustment on its fourth pit stop of the race (Lap 117 of 334), moving the track bar up and adjusting the air pressure. Martin returned to the field in 14th position and started his march to the front.
"Man, I would have loved to have won for our soldiers who are out there defending our country all over the world," said Martin. "It's an honor to driver the soldiers' car."
The race winner (Jeff Burton) and runner-up (Matt Kenseth) are former teammates of Martin. "I really wish I could've been up there with my buddies scraping for the win," added Martin. "But I am satisfied with third."
The U.S. Army Team will return to action next weekend in Phoenix, where Martin will make his race debut in the Car of Tomorrow. The Phoenix race is scheduled for Saturday evening.
Mark Martin Friday Media Visit
GM Racing
April 13, 2007MARK MARTIN, NO. 01 U.S. ARMY MONTE CARLO SS, 15TH IN POINTS, MET WITH MEDIA TO DISCUSS HIS RETURN TO THE TRACK AFTER THREE WEEKS OFF
ON THE HANDLING OF THE MONTE CARLO SS VS. THE IMPALA SS:
"Well we've been doing a lot this year even a little bit of truck racing too so variety is the spice of life they say."
ON HIS THREE WEEKS OF AND IF HE FEELS REJUVINATED:
"Well I'm excited about being here, real excited. I've really enjoyed being around my friends and being back in this environment. I had some of the weekends off but not a lot. I've still been doing an awful lot but it's a nice break to be at home on Friday or doing some different things the last three weekends than spending them at a NASCAR track.
"I love it. I'm back with my friends and the people I love actually. To be honest with you I was surprised how good it was. I knew it's going to be great because it's what I do but these people in this garage have been my family for 20 years and I enjoy coming to the race track and being a part of that."
ON BEING BACK AT TEXAS:
"We're glad to be here working together. There's a lot of competition. It's quite a challenge. We enjoy working together. We really have a good time and we're looking forward to this weekend."
WHAT WILL BE THE KEY FOR BEING SUCCESSFUL HERE?
"(The key is) if we make our car faster than everyone else's."
ON GOING TO OHIO SPEEDWAY ON JULY 13th:
"That's where we'll be Friday night. I haven't gotten a chance to see it yet but we'll see it soon. We're excited about it. (I'm) looking forward to it."
ON GOING TO PHOENIX:
"It will be my first race in the Car of Tomorrow but I've done three or four tests with the U.S. Army team. I don't know exactly what to expect. Our testing has been a little bit disappointing to me. Really to be honest with you we haven't tested as well as we did with the regular car and we've raced much better than we tested with the regular car so if we race better with the Car of Tomorrow than we tested then we'll do well."
IS PHOENIX A PLACE YOU LIKE GOING TO?
"Yeah, that's why it's on my schedule. I had the option of going or not going to Phoenix. Sure I want to go. I love going out there. I like the race track. I love the fans there and their support and I look forward to working with this whole team on sort of a new challenge, especially for me, with the COT."
WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE NASCAR GO NEXT TO BUILD A NEW TRACK?
"I don't know. I'm more interested in making my car go fast. Let them figure out where they're going to take the tracks."
WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE TRACK?
"I don't know. Charlotte I guess."
ON DRIVING TWO DIFFERENT CHEVROLET RACE CARS THIS SEASON:
"Yeah, you have to take into consideration what car you've just strapped into. You can't just get out it, strap into something and go out on the race track. The difference between the trucks and the Busch cars and the Cup cars is significant on one hand. On the other hand, a car is a car is a car."
ARE YOU EXCITED TO BE BACK RACING OR DID YOU ENJOY BEING AWAY?
"Both. I'm definitely liking this being away for a couple of weekends and doing our fan appreciations deal. Easter weekend in Arkansas was really fun. We had great support from our fans and getting to race with Ricky Carmichael was really special for me. I'm just really excited to be back at the race track with my friends as well so now I've got a set of friends away from the track and a set of friends at the track."
WHEN'S THE LAST TIME YOU HAD A SET OF FRIENDS AWAY FROM THE TRACK?
"When I was 14. It started diminishing when I started racing and the last 20 years or 25 years, nearly 30 (years), outside of my wife my crew chief and my team have been by best friends."
IS THE PARTIAL SCHEDULE WHAT YOU EXPECTED?
"It is, everything that I had hoped for and I'm loving it."
WHAT WAS THE BEST PART ABOUT YOUR LAST THREE WEEKS?
"When I woke up Friday morning at home instead of a race track with no anxiety, no pressure, being able to take my son to lunch Friday. So Friday, that was the best."
WHAT WAS IT LIKE TAKING YOUR SON OUT TO LUNCH?
"Oh, we do it regularly. We don't do it on Friday. It's just quality time. It's hard to have quality time with a 15-year old. They're got their own lives and I have mine. I've enjoyed the Fridays the most of all of it. I have worked harder this year than I ever have in my career so I haven't been on vacation the last three weeks. I've been digging as hard as I can go but it's been different and it's been wonderful - racing with Ricky Carmichael, having a weekend off, fan appreciation - all real special weekends, all three different weekends."
DID YOU WATCH ANY OF THE RACES ON TV?
"I watched them all."
WHAT WAS IT LIKE WATCHING IT ON TV?
"It was fun because I did it with friends."
DID YOU FEEL LIKE YOU WANTED TO BE THERE?
"No."
DO YOU EVER HAVE ANY MOMENTS ON THOSE FRIDAYS OF NOT WANTING TO GO OUT THERE AND PRACTICE?
"No, I want to race. It's the greatest day of my life. Bristol Friday morning when I woke up, I had worked really hard all week. I had everything organized and I didn't have anything to do except whatever it was I wanted to do. It was wonderful. I took Matt to lunch and then we went off short track racing. I had a blast. All three weekends have been completely different and they've all been wonderful. They've been something that mean so much to me that I don't think I'd give that up."
ON IT BEING A TEST OF BREAKING THE ADDICTION TO RACE EVERY WEEKEND:
"It was going to be a true test. After Bristol was over with I knew I was fine and that I had made the right decision."
ON IF HE HAS ANY SUPERSTITIONS:
"No, just please no four-leaf clovers. I've got one of those, taped it in my race car once at North Wilkesboro and I got crashed before the green flag came out so I don't believe in good luck charms and I also don't believe in anything that's supposed to be back luck."
ON IT BEING FRIDAY THE 13TH:
"I don't think Jason is out there anywhere. Or is Jason Freddy Krueger (laughs)?"
WAS THERE EVER A TIME YOU WISHED YOU WENT TO BRISTOL OR MARTINSVILLE? "Never, no I'm very, very happy. I made the right decision."
ON REGAN SMITH'S PERFORMANCE:
"Regan did a fabulous job. We're so proud of him. I look forward to continuing to work with him. He's really coming along."
ON HOW STRONG THEIR TEAM'S HAVE BEEN:
"I'm really proud of what we've been able to accomplish here at Ginn Racing but I honestly know we have a lot of work in front of us. Even though we've got great results we all want more."
ON WHAT THE TEAM HAS DONE DIFFERENTLY:
"I don't think they've done anything differently. I think this was a great team before I came here and they're excitement and enthusiasm of my coming really sparked some good karma. We had some good luck. We could have had accidents in all four races and everybody would be saying boy that was mistake. We had fast cars, did a great job, incredible on pit road and Ryan (Pemberton) has proven to me that he's one of the smartest crew chiefs in the garage and I feel like I'm one of the luckiest guys in the business."
ON HIS BET WITH JEFF BURTON:
"I don't think we bet. I think he bet with somebody else. I haven't collected anything."
ON IF HIS PARTIAL SCHEDULE WILL HAVE ANY AFFECT ON HIS PERFORMANCE THE REST OF THE SEASON:
"It won't have any affect on my performance. It won't. It could possibly have an effect on the team's performance but I don't think so."
Martin charged-up after short hiatus
By Ken Woods
Ginn Racing
April 11, 2007FORT WORTH, Texas -- After taking nearly one month off from the NASCAR circuit, Mark Martin will return to competition this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway.
Martin, who led the Nextel Cup driver point standings after the first four races, stuck to his plan of running a limited schedule for Ginn Racing in 2007 by sitting out the Bristol and Martinsville events.
The short hiatus has the U.S. Army driver fired up and ready to do battle again in NASCAR’s elite division.
“I’m charged up and ready to represent our soldiers again,” said Martin. “The break was truly wonderful. I was doing just exactly what I wanted to do. One weekend I got to go racing with Ricky Carmichael and my son Matt. Another weekend I was with my two-year-old grandson. I also had friends over for a cookout to watch the last two Cup races. It was like developing and opening a new chapter in my life.”
With the new chapter open, Martin is now ready to continue where he left off in his No. 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet.
Martin earned three consecutive top-five finishes to start the season, followed by a 10th-place result at the fourth race in Atlanta. He was the only driver to record top-10 results in the first four Cup events and it marked his best start of his 25-year racing career.
The early performances allowed Martin to walk away from full-time Nextel Cup racing with the point lead. In fact, Martin’s start was so impressive that despite not running in the last two races, he is still 15th in the standings.
“That’s kind of wild,” said Martin. “I spent my entire career fighting to be up there in the top-15 or so and now I see that the best way to do it is just not to show up (laughing). Actually, we just had some great runs -- thanks to some good luck, fast cars, great pit strategy and excellent pit stops.”
“I get e-mails from many of our soldiers and that really inspires me to put their car in Victory Lane,” added Martin. “Driving the soldiers’ car is an awesome responsibility. I want to make every soldier proud of their 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet."
Based on past performances at the 1.5-mile Texas oval, there’s a good chance that Martin will continue to have success in the 01 machine. He won at Texas in April of 1999 and was runner-up in the 2005 fall race.
Martin will also make his second Busch start of the season this weekend. He boasts three wins and one pole in seven Busch starts at Texas. One of the three Busch wins was at the 1997 inaugural event.
Mark Martin Samsung 500 Race Preview - Nextel Cup
Ginn Racing
April 11, 2007MARTIN READY TO MAKE RETURN AT TEXAS
After almost a month away from the track, Martin returns to Nextel Cup action this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. Refreshed and well rested Martin will look to become the first two-time winner at the 1.5-mile track where he visited victory lane in 1998.
WORTHY NOTES
Martin won the second event at Texas in 1998.
Martin won the inaugural Busch event at Texas and has three wins at Texas in the series.
MARK MARTIN - LAST YEAR AT TEXAS
April 9, 2006 – Texas Motor Speedway
Samsung/Radio Shack 500
Started 3rd, Finished 9thMartin and the team ran to their fifth top-10 finish of 2006, with a ninth-place run at Texas Motor Speedway. In a weekend where Martin qualified third, was the fastest car in Saturday’s final practice session and took the race lead on lap one, Martin ran in the top-10 for the majority of the day, finishing the weekend off with a top-10 finish and a solid day in the points; cutting the margin between Martin and first place to only 46 points.
MARTIN OFF TO CAREER-BEST START WITH GINN RACING
Despite a limited schedule in 2007, Martin started his Cup season with three-consecutive top-five finishes for the first time in his racing career and four straight top 10's . Until joining with Ginn Racing this season, Martin had never started a season with back-to-back top-fives and his second-place finish in the Daytona 500 is also a career best. Martin's three straight top-fives to open the season also marked the first time Martin has scored three consecutive top-five finishes since 2002 and his lead in the points was his first since 2002. He became the oldest driver to lead the points for more than one week and the first driver since 1983 to walk away with the lead.
WALKING AWAY ON TOP
Martin was able to do something few have done - walk away on top. Martin led the point standings for three weeks, before taking the race off at Bristol as part of his limited schedule.
POINTING FORWARD
Despite taking off Bristol and Martinsville, Martin still sits in 15th place in the driver standings, only 21 points outside of 12th and 58 out of 10th. With only four races started, Martin is ahead of 21 other drivers who have competed in all six events. In owner points, Martin and Regan Smith have the Ginn Racing No. 01 Chevy in sixth place, just two points behind fifth, and still solidly in contention for an owner's championship.
MARTIN AT TEXAS
Martin will make his 13th start at Texas Motor Speedway this weekend, where he won the second race in 1998. He has three top fives and five top 10's in those starts. Martin finished ninth in this race a year ago and 22nd at TMS in the spring.
Starts: 12 (10)
Wins: 1 (1)
Top 5's: 4 (3)
Top 10's: 6(5)
Poles: 0
Highest finish: 1st (4/5/98)
First time: 4/6/97 (38th)
Last year: 4/9/06(9th)
Last time: 11/5/06 (22nd)STARTING OVER
Martin's streak of 621-consecutive starts - the fifth longest in NASCAR history - came to an end when he did not start the race at Bristol. Martin will start a new streak this weekend that will end at two when he stays home from Talladega in two weeks.
MARTIN FAST FACTS - TEXAS
Martin posted a Cup win at Texas in the second race there in 1998.
Martin has three top fives and five top 10's in eight Cup starts at Texas.
Martin has won three times in the Busch Series at Texas in four races, including the inaugural Busch race there in 1997. He'll compete again in the Busch race this weekend.
Martin became the oldest driver ever to lead the Nextel Cup points for more than one week.
Martin is off to his best ever start in the Nextel Cup Series, with three consecutive top-fives.
Martin's top-five finish at Vegas marked the first time he has scored three straight top-fives since '02.
Mark Martin to compete in final Busch series race with Roush Fenway Racing
Roush FenwayCONCORD, N.C. (April 11, 2007) - For the final time in 2007, Mark Martin will compete for Roush Fenway Racing in the Busch Series this Saturday at Texas Motor Speedway. Mark Martin parted ways with driving a full-time schedule for Roush Fenway Racing, but signed on for two Busch Series events in 2007. The first of which was Daytona in February where he was paired up with crew chief Chad Norris and the No. 06 Dish Network team. Martin had a successful first outing in the No. 06 Dish Network Ford Fusion earning a fifth place finish.
This weekend the No. 06 Dish Network team will have the veteran behind the wheel for the final time in 2007. Texas is a track that Martin excels at and he is looking forward to getting back into a Busch car.
"Texas has always been a really good track for us and we've won two or three races there in the Busch Series," said Mark Martin. "In fact we won the first one there back in 1997 and we are looking forward to going back there this weekend and seeing what we have. Chad Norris and the guys at Roush Fenway Racing gave me a good car at Daytona, so hopefully we can pick up where we left off and contend for the win in the No. 06 Dish Network car."
Crew chief Norris and the entire No. 06 team have had a few weekends off and are ready to get back to the track with Martin.
"The whole team is really looking forward to having Mark back in the Dish Network Ford," said Norris. "We are bringing what we feel like is a winning car. It is the same car Jamie (McMurray) raced to a top-15 finish in Atlanta last month. We've been preparing for this race the past few weeks, all of the guys have been putting a ton of effort into trying to make Mark's last start at Roush Fenway Racing a memorable one. With Mark's record at Texas we feel like we have a really good shot to bring a trophy back home with us."
Mark Martin O'Reilly 300 Preview
Roush Fenway
April 11, 2007Team: No.06 Dish Network Ford Fusion
Crew Chief: Chad Norris
Chassis: RK- 371 - last ran AtlantaMartin on racing NBS at Texas Motor Speedway:
"Texas has always been a really good track for us and we've won two or three races there in the Busch Series. In fact we won the first one there back in 1997 and we are looking forward to going back there this weekend and seeing what we have. Chad Norris and the guys at Roush Fenway Racing gave me a good car at Daytona, so hopefully we can pick up where we left off and contend for the win in the No. 06 Dish Network car."
Crew Chief Chad Norris on racing at Texas Motor Speedway:
"The whole team is really looking forward to having Mark (Martin) back in the Dish Network Ford. We are bringing what we feel like is a winning car. It is the same car Jamie (McMurray) raced to a top-15 finish in Atlanta last month. We've been preparing for this race the past few weeks, all of the guys have been putting a ton of effort into trying to make Mark's last start at Roush Fenway Racing a memorable one. With Mark's record at Texas we feel like we have a really good shot to bring a trophy back home with us."
NASCAR (NNCS) Mark Martin Teleconference
April 11, 2007THE MODERATOR: How do you feel coming back to Phoenix International Raceway next weekend?
MARK MARTIN: I'm all charged up, ready to go to the racetrack. I'm all excited. I have certainly been anything but on vacation. I just can't imagine how I could have possibly been more busy these three weeks considering that I wasn't racing.
But we did a Car of Tomorrow test at Richmond, which was helping us prepare for a couple days, helping us prepare for Phoenix. Had Fan Appreciation days here Easter weekend, which we had thousands of people here. Had a blast. It's our annual event, third annual. Just been running wide open, doing photo shoots, shooting commercials and taking care of business.
Still been like a whirlwind, but I certainly enjoyed my weekends.
THE MODERATOR: Certainly a couple of fun weeks there. As we approach Phoenix, you approach your first event in the Car of Tomorrow. What have you gained from your tests and from watching Regan Smith drive the 01? What are your overall impressions coming to a one-mile track like Phoenix?
MARK MARTIN: I think it will be fun. I don't really feel that we are on the cutting edge of the COT car again racing right now. Certainly look to be competitive in our tests that we've done at Bristol and Richmond. We hope to be competitive. But I really feel like, as a group, we certainly have some work to do and some ground to gain on a couple of other teams out there.
THE MODERATOR: We'll now open it up to questions from our members of the media.
Q. Sitting at home and watching the racing, what did you think of the Car of Tomorrow out there on the track? Did it make racing more exciting, or were you thinking if you were out there you would be could go this instead? What were your impressions?
MARK MARTIN: I have a hard time imagining how the Car of Tomorrow can make racing more exciting. I know that that might have been someone's hope along the way, but I don't see that. I don't believe that it's going -- I don't believe it's going to do that.
But still, I'm a huge race fan. I thought the racing went pretty well. We will continue to make the car more and more friendly for the competitors to operate and we'll continue to make it better, and hopefully there will be some changes in the rules and things that will make it work better for us.
But from a spectator point of view, you could hardly tell the difference.
Q. In testing, what were your impressions being inside the car? Did you find it to be harder to handle? How did it drive?
MARK MARTIN: It doesn't work as well as the other car. It's basically because the splitter design in the front end is mandated so close to the ground that it cuts about 50% of the front suspension travel out of the car. That's really the only thing about the car that is really throwing the teams for a loop. It's really hard to get used to having to limit the front suspension to about half what we're used to using.
Q. Does it make it for a bumpier ride that way?
MARK MARTIN: A little bit, yeah. Of course, the car doesn't turn as well because it doesn't have as much suspension in the front. It's a real struggle to get the car turned, so the back end slides around a lot because you're trying so hard to get it to turn.
It's a challenge for everyone.
Q. A lot of Cup drivers drive Busch, you included. A lot of up-and-coming drivers who don't have the Cup experience that are trying to get up through the Busch ranks are getting squeezed out. An example is a kid from Sacramento, Burney Lamar. Do you see there being a time when it might be more friendly for the Busch drivers to come up, or is Busch going to become Cup Light where it's another Cup race?
MARK MARTIN: It's hard to say. I'm not very good with predicting the future. That's one I couldn't say for sure. When I do know, I certainly will say. This is one question that I couldn't answer for sure. It could go either way.
Q. What would you like to see? Would you like to see more development in the Busch Series?
MARK MARTIN: That's another tough question. If you take the Cup guys out, that's a good thing for everyone else except there won't be any sponsors and it won't be very appealing to the fans. If it's Cup Light, then I don't know. But there's all different ways to look at it.
If you are good enough to come in there and compete with the Cup guys, then you're good enough to get a shot in Nextel Cup. It would be hard for you to convince me that it's harder for a driver today to make it to Nextel Cup than it used to be. That would be a tough one for you to do for me. It's always been incredibly difficult to break through to the top series. I don't think it's harder today than it ever was. It's just real hard. But it always was.
Q. Not being in a Nextel Cup race in quite a long time, you did have a busy schedule. You probably have had a couple minutes to reflect on what it was like not to be in the car. What kind of feeling did you have not to be in the Cup car?
MARK MARTIN: It was wonderful. I was doing just exactly what I wanted to do. It was incredible to be home on Friday instead of at the racetrack facing the pressure of getting ready to qualify and going through the qualification part of it and everything. I had the opportunity to have lunch with my son.
One weekend I got to go racing with Ricky Carmichael and Matt. Another weekend I got to have my two-year-old grandson over and all my friends over to cook out and watch the race. Developing and opening a new chapter in my life.
Q. You talked about being with Matt. How is his career developing? Do you see a lot of you within him or is he growing up to be a unique personality?
MARK MARTIN: Well, he's not me. He doesn't want to live in my shadow. He's a good little race car driver, but I don't have any idea what he's going to do with his life at this time. I don't know if he's going to be a race car driver or not. That will be a choice of his that he will make whenever the time comes to make that.
As of right now, we're just having fun with it.
Q. When you look at being in the Roush organization for so long, now going to Bobby Ginn, is that a breath of fresh air or what is it like to be somewhere else after so many years? What is your experience like now being somewhere new and in a growing organization compared to Ginn Racing?
MARK MARTIN: Initially I was horrified of making a change like that after 19 years. But it's something that I'm really, really glad that I did. It's really, really fun for me because I have a chance to help build and develop something, much like I did with Roush Racing. I get to participate in all the things that I want to participate in and I get to not participate in some of the things that I don't want to, which is incredible. It's fantastic.
I get to teach and mentor great young drivers. I get to race a car that is a contender to win whenever I want. I get to have a weekend off when I want and do some things with my family and pursue a different chapter, open a different chapter in my life.
I am so thrilled with my decision to go over there with them. I love those people. I love the team. I love working with U.S. Army. It's an honor and a privilege. I feel like the luckiest guy in the world.
Q. Looking at all your years of racing and being in the NASCAR way of life, what is something a fan or even someone at NASCAR can say that you have an effect or contribution, Hey, they took that suggestion and it's a way of life today that has helped someone out?
MARK MARTIN: That I made?
Q. Yes.
MARK MARTIN: I'm just a little, little, little bitty gear in the big wheel, you know. I don't know.
Q. Are you happy with the progress Ricky Carmichael has made so far? What are some of the problems or issues you see being a rookie?
MARK MARTIN: We've just done one race and I was thrilled with what he did. He has an awful lot to learn and he learned quite a bit the first time out. Real excited about working with Ricky. I love him as a person. He is a fierce competitor and incredibly talented. I'm sure, as sure as I'm breathing, that he's going to do this.
Q. There's still some concerns I guess at Texas Speedway, some drivers have brought up the fact there's still a bump in the road, bump in the track, there's some problems there. Are you satisfied with the changes they've made?
MARK MARTIN: Yeah, I'm not aware of any problems at the racetrack. I love it and I think the drivers love it. I think the fans love it. It's a fabulous facility.
Q. Is it to be expected that teams have struggled so far this year? Is that to be expected?
MARK MARTIN: Let me give you my take on this. I know you haven't noticed this, but this is the truth from a guy who knows. I know what I'm talking about. Dave Blaney and Bill Davis' car was a top five car in all four of the first four races, they just didn't finish there. They exceeded my expectations. I mean, serious top five car. Didn't get the finish they had coming.
And then Vickers ran great in the Bud Shootout at Daytona and ran great in California, but didn't make most of the rest of the races. He could have ran great like 10th. I think that's great.
So, yeah, they've had a disaster. You know, I mean, Michael Waltrip Racing hasn't met expectations, but whose expectations. My expectations for them were for them to struggle desperately because it's such a hard -- what he tried to do is huge: start a new three-car team. Wasn't expanding a two-car team to a three-car team, whatever. Starting from scratch, Michael got good people, but he just didn't get them mixed together just right just yet.
Michael Waltrip Racing is struggling, and Red Bull is struggling, not necessarily Toyota is struggling. I'd say Bill Davis is exceeding expectations with the 22 car.
THE MODERATOR: Mark, out here in Phoenix, we have a program called Salute to Military Families Program. Last year it was able to provide over 4,000 tickets to military servicemen and their families in the state of Arizona. We've continued this program this year. As you know, much of NASCAR is devoted to military support. You driving the U.S. Army car, you never hesitate to speak of that, your appreciation of the military while racing. Can you elaborate a little bit more on that and what it means to you to represent the U.S. Army this season.
MARK MARTIN: Well, you know, the U.S. Army represents so many things that are important to me and to the fabric of our country, like loyalty, honesty, duty, discipline, respect, a lot of things that are huge not only to me but to our country. What we don't get the message across enough is how proud we are of our soldiers and what they're doing for us, what it means to us and to our country. That's something that I think is really important for all of us to try to keep in mind.
THE MODERATOR: Mark, thank you very much for your time. On behalf of the West Coast media, good luck this week at Texas running the Cup and Busch Series cars. We look forward to seeing you here under the lights at Phoenix International Raceway.
MARK MARTIN: I can't wait to get there. Thank you, guys.
3rd Annual Mark Martin Fan Days
By Brett Garrett
KAIT - Jonesboro, AR
April 6, 2007BATESVILLE, AR--He's a local hero and a NASCAR legend. Batesville native, Mark Martin is spending the weekend repaying all his supporters with the 3rd Annual Mark Martin Fan Days.
"It's a great event because I can spend all day with them and watch the dirt track races where I got started. It's just a great weekend," said Martin.
Fans from across the nation like Ed Rhoads made the pilgrimage to Arkansas to the racing hero.
"Sort of a dream come true, makes an old man like me feel like a young kid again," said Rhoads a Springfield, Ohio native.
Rhoads has watched Martin for decades and appreciates the annual event.
"I think it's phenomenal to give back to the fans and show them you appreciate the loyalty they have shown you throughout the years," said Rhoads.
"It means a lot to share that with all the fans and also with my hometown and everyone in Arkansas," said Martin.
This year Tony Stewart made an appearance at the event and some fans camped out as early as Wednesday night to catch a glimpse of the two time Nextel Cup champion.
"We left my house at 5:00 p.m. and got here at 3:30 a.m. this morning," said Celeste Duncan a Walker, Louisiana native.
Celeste Duncan made the trip to meet Stewart, who up until now she had only seen on T.V.
"He can drive anything. I mean he can get in a street car, a NASCAR, a dirt car he can drive anything," said Duncan.
Stewart made the trip with his pet monkey and talked with fans and autographed everything from tires to cars. Even though Stewart was in Martin's hometown, he appreciated the strong fan support.
"It's been a lot of fun, we have had a good time here," said Stewart.
With Mark Martin seeing success this year all the fans in attendance had one question...How many more races will he win?
"I hope a lot. The U.S. Army Team has obviously done great right out of the gates, so I hope we can keep it going," said Martin.
There are plenty of fans that were in Batesville Friday who are hoping the same thing.
Mark Martin didn't miss Bristol a bit
By Jenna Fryer
AP Auto Racing Writer
March 26, 2007CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Mark Martin gave up a spot in the show to watch it from home, and wouldn't change a thing about his first weekend off in 622 NASCAR races.
Martin wasn't sure how he'd feel watching Sunday's race from Bristol Motor Speedway, but after dozing off twice during the 500-mile event, he realized he can live without racing.
"I never once wished I was out there," Martin said Monday. "When they started the engines, there was a few seconds there that seemed a little bit eerie to me. But that was the only time that it ever even crossed my mind.
"There was no anxiety whatsoever. I enjoyed watching the race. I nodded off once or twice during a commercial, but snapped right back up. It was just a wonderful weekend. I wouldn't trade it for a Nextel Cup."
It was the final hurdle Martin had to cross to know for sure that he can continue his plan of easing into retirement.
He tried to walk away from NASCAR's highest level, only to be pulled back into the 36-race schedule by former car owner Jack Roush.
Then Ginn Racing gave him a chance to set his own schedule, and Martin jumped at the idea of re-claiming part of his life back. But the pressure to abandon his partial-schedule plan mounted after a terrific start to the season put Martin on top of the Nextel Cup standings.
Five years ago, the pursuit of a championship would have consumed Martin.
No more.
After 19 years of chasing the Cup - with four heartbreaking runner-up finishes - Martin is finally at peace with what hardware he does have. Under no circumstance would he allow himself to be sucked back in for another run.
So he stuck with his plan to take last weekend off, knowing full well it was going to be the test he needed to figure out the rest of his career.
If his heart ached from being away from the track, and he lay awake at night regretting his decision, Martin would know he wasn't ready to walk away.
But if he could sit back and enjoy a rare weekend with the family, then Martin would finally be free.
He was free on Monday, never sounding more rested and relaxed.
"Some people maybe think I am not doing this by choice, and wonder why am I slowing down because the performance has been really well the last three or so years," Martin said. "I am not doing it because I still can't have a good day on the race track. It's just that racing has been first in my life for over 30 years, and I definitely had to make a change in that.
"The time has come to do that, and based on how I felt yesterday, I am more excited than ever about my life."
In the interest of full disclosure, Martin was hardly removed from the action at Bristol.
He spoke daily with crew chief Ryan Pemberton and replacement driver Regan Smith, followed practice on the computer and watched qualifying on TV. He even took a couple of calls from good buddy Jeff Burton.
But he also found time do a few family things.
Martin spent Friday night with his in-laws, then headed to Columbia Motorsports Park in Lake City, Fla., to help son Matt and NASCAR newcomer Ricky Carmichael in a late model race.
Martin stepped right into his role as Carmichael's coach, watching from the top of a hauler as he talked the motorcycle star around the track.
Carmichael finished third in his heat race to advance to the main feature, where an accident on the second lap led to a flat tire that sent his Chevrolet into the wall. Matt Martin, racing for the first time since September, finished fourth in his heat and seventh in the feature.
"Ricky showed his incredible talent and ability and got really fast, made large gains, and we learned a lot in a short period of time," Martin said. "I tried to get him to focus on the lessons that he learned and not the final result."
After a late night at the track, Martin hustled back to Daytona Beach on Sunday morning so Matt Martin could play paint ball with his friends. The 15 year old is unsure how far he wants to go in racing, and is trying to find a balance between being a teenager and a budding NASCAR star.
"I don't know if he knows for sure that he wants to be famous," Martin said. "A lot of 15-year-old racecar drivers don't know what it would be like to be to be a NASCAR driver. This kid does.
"But I would rather he doesn't want it, anyway. I think every parent wants better for their kids than what they've had, and we have a lot of scar tissue from this."
Martin will continue being a regular citizen this weekend, when he plans to pick his grandson up in Tennessee then head to Arkansas for a party with his oldest friends. They'll gather around the TV in Batesville to watch the race at Martinsville Speedway, and Martin is convinced a few of his competitors would probably like to join him.
"Certainly this isn't something you would want if you were 25 or 35," he said. "But if you take a guy like Matt Kenseth and let him do this 13 more years, then see what he thinks. Or Jeff Burton, put him out there eight or nine more years.
"I am sure you won't see Tony Stewart in eight or nine more years. Although he might be eyeing a schedule like mine, him and Jeff Gordon both. There just comes a time when you have to stake a claim on your life, and mine is now."
Martin Excited for Smith in Nextel Cup Debut
Point Leader plans 'cook out' for Sunday's Race
Ginn RacingMOORESVILLE, N.C. (March 22, 2007) -- Mark Martin cannot even recall the last time he didn't start a Nextel Cup race.
The current point leader has started in 621 consecutive Cup races, dating back to Feb. 14, 1988. That streak will come to an end for Martin this weekend when he stays home from Bristol Motor Speedway as a part of his planned limited schedule in 2007.
And as in many cases the closing of one door signifies the opening of another.
While Martin stays home and ponders what to place on the grill for Sunday, Ginn Racing rookie Regan Smith will prepare to make his first career Nextel Cup start, taking over the wheel for Martin in the No. 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet.
"It will be quite an initiation for Regan at Bristol," said Martin, who has led the Nextel Cup points for the past month. "He's really going to be put to the test with the inaugural race with the Car of Tomorrow and with all the mania that comes with Bristol on a normal basis."
"It will be intense," added Martin, who himself has been caught up in accidents in seven of the last 12 races at Bristol, while bringing home only one top-10 finish there since 2000.
When asked to describe Bristol Motor Speedway, Martin said, "That place is like flying a fighter jet around a basketball arena, while at the same time 42 other jets are flying around the place. It's really a crazy race and I can't wait to sit at home and watch those guys bang it out without me."
Regarding Smith, Martin confidently says the 23-year-old is ready for the challenge.
"We believe that Regan is up for it," said Martin. "He'll be put to the test early at Bristol, but we've worked with him and believe that he is a tremendous driver. He's a very mature young man and he'll be fine.
"We do have great expectations for Regan, but I did tell him that it's important that he not put too much pressure on himself for this race. It's a crazy race and there is so much that goes on there that you can't control. You can't get too caught up in worrying about all of that. It had gotten to the point where I think we wrecked every time we went there, so one thing that is for sure is that he can't have more worse luck there than I've had."
"I've really enjoyed working with Regan and can't wait to see him get his chance on the track," continued Martin. "The one thing I can tell you about Regan is that I've never been able to go faster than him in his car and I respect him for that. I think he's going to have a great career ahead of him. I can remember my first Cup race and that's a pretty exciting time for a race car driver."
Martin will also be busy this weekend working with Ginn Racing development driver Ricky Carmichael as he begins his switch from Motocross phenom to stock car driver. Carmichael will be racing along with Martin's son Matt in a late model race in Lake City, Fla. on Saturday night.
"I'll be tired from being out racing on Saturday night with the guys and then trying to travel back home," said Martin. "So I'll be recuperating and spending my time catching up and getting organized. And then next weekend, the Martinsville weekend, I hope to have that whole weekend for myself, my friends and family and just do something different than we've done for the last 20 years."
Ginn Racing Teleconference - Mark Martin, Regan Smith, Ricky Carmichael
Ginn Racing
March 20, 2007KEVIN WOODS: I want to welcome everyone. Thank you for calling in today. We also want to thank Mark Martin, Regan Smith and Ricky Carmichael for joining us. And we'll briefly introduce the three of them, ask them a question. Then we'll open it up to questions from everybody out there. Of course, Regan will be making his first Cup start this weekend at Bristol in the 01 U.S. Army Chevy. Ricky will be making his stock car debut at Columbia Motorsports Park, Lake City, Florida. And Mark Martin, Nextel Cup points leader, will be staying at home on Sunday to watch the race on television and he'll be helping with Ricky on Saturday night. So Regan, if you could just comment a little bit about stepping into the car this weekend and how excited you are about your debut.
REGAN SMITH: I'm excited to be stepping into the U.S. Army Chevrolet this weekend. And it's an awesome team. Ryan Pemberton, and all the guys have been doing an awesome job all year long. And Mark has had a great year leading the points, turning the reigns over to me, it's pretty big deal to hop in as a rookie into the car that's leading the points and driver points.
So I am looking forward to it and want to go up and have a strong showing and finish all the laps. And then just try to get lots of experience and move on from there and gain experience to take to Martinsville.
Q: Ricky, you seem to be having a lot going out here. You have a debut of your own coming up Saturday night in Lake City. But you're also a proud father of a couple of twins?
RICKY CARMICHAEL: Yes, it's been an amazing week for me, no doubt about it. And you know everything worked out and I had a, you know, an addition, a boy and a girl. And we got that done and I was able to finish up my last supercross race and that went very, very good and just really, really excited about this weekend.
But I'm nervous. But it's a good nervous. It's a great feeling that I haven't had in a long time. And all the talking is about to stop now, because it's time to start here.
Q: Mark, you're kind of winding down on what your streak was. But jumping into the next chapter what you have going on at Ginn Racing, can you comment on what you're doing to get Regan ready for his debut and Ricky this weekend?
MARK MARTIN: Regan, he's ready. He's displayed great speed, great adaptability. Testing with Regan on more than one occasion. Worked up with him at Bristol. The guys have a good race car and a great race team.
And Regan's biggest challenge at Bristol will be to try to avoid everyone else's troubles. Obviously we'd like to see him run all 500 laps, and that's not easy to do even for a veteran up there.
So it's going to be an interesting weekend, but we think the world of Regan as a person, young man, and as a really bright new star coming into the NASCAR Nextel Cup series. So we look forward to being a part of his rise to success. And, of course, going to have a lot of fun this weekend with Ricky.
Not everyone that follows stock car racing realizes the kind of impact that Ricky Carmichael has had in his career and is a huge force in motor sports. And this is the first step in converting from two wheels to four. And we're going to take it easy and not try to get in too deep here on this first race. And kind of find out what it's all about.
And then kind of ramp it up with each event following this first weekend, each event that we'll be going to will be stepping up the amount of competition and the number of car count and all that. But this weekend is all about getting comfortable in the race car and getting comfortable with other cars around. And it's just going to be -- it's going to be a lot of fun.
I really feel privileged at this point in my career to have a chance to work with great rising young drivers like Ricky and Regan.
Q: Ricky, I was surprised you didn't name them "Super" and "Moto".
RICKY CARMICHAEL: Come on. (Chuckling).
Q: Are you going to do any motocross, any two-wheel competition planned in the next couple of years?
RICKY CARMICHAEL: Going to do six outdoors and then the Motocross of Nations is in America this year. And I'm going to do that. That's September. And then the rest is history for me. I've had all the fun I can stand and just really looking forward to driving. To be honest with you, that's where my head's been the last, I would say, four, 5 weeks.
And it's been hard to stay motivated and focused on the two-wheel side of things. I've just been looking forward to that.
Q: Are you getting ready to bulldoze your supercross track in the backyard and have Mark come down and help you build a little short track?
RICKY CARMICHAEL: I already built a little dirt track and got some carts and stuff on it. It's a pretty nice deal there. But I keep my supercross track there. I got a guy that rides with me, a young buck coming up.
And that's my roots. And I enjoy to watch the young kids coming up.
Q: The last motorcross-related question, with you out there, is there really anybody that's going to touch James?
RICKY CARMICHAEL: I don't think anyone is in his level right now. But you know it's not going to be like he's just going to go out and dominate since I'm gone. You know, obviously, when he races me, we definitely run off from the pack.
But racing in any form of racing, you only do what you have to do to win. If one of those guys, Mark or Regan went to a local race, I'm sure it would be all they could do to beat some of the local guys.
But you throw those local guys in a Cup car and they wouldn't even qualify. So that's just the nature of the sport. And that's just a natural thing that occurs is he's only going to do what he has to do to win.
But no one is really in his league, though. There really is no one in his league.
Q: Ricky, I watched you stay night at the Citrus Bowl 42,000 fans screaming your name and now everything is going to be a little different this Saturday night. I mean mentally, do you have to readjust your thought plan because basically you're just starting out another new career here?
RICKY CARMICHAEL: Absolutely. It's a whole new thought plan. And for me it's my first race. So I can drive the car; it's just now being in a racing situation, I think it's a really great time for me to learn some more. Every time I get behind the car it seems like I learn and learn.
And now being out there with some other drivers, it's going to be tough. To be honest with you, I don't know what to expect. I just want to do my best and be in there. And I'll have a better guideline of what I think my potential is as a racer after this weekend.
Q: Have you ever even seen Columbia Motorsports Park?
RICKY CARMICHAEL: Just from what I've seen on the Internet. Just from that. But, no, I've never been there. As long as I've lived in Florida, I haven't been there.
Q: Mark, are you going to be in radio contact with Ricky during the race?
MARK MARTIN: Yes. I probably won't be with Matt. The last time I spotted for Matt I stood there and watched a wreck happen in front of him and watched him drive, drive, drive right into it and I never said a word. So I quit spotting because I kept thinking about what would I do, what would I do, what would I do.
So, yeah, I'll be on the radio with Ricky and Matt and the guys that help him normally do an incredible job. And I'll just be a proud dad of Matt. But I'll watching them both.
Q: Regan, difficult enough to just jump in a Cup car after the season started like this, but can you talk about what it's like to be in the point leader's car?
REGAN SMITH: Obviously it's an honor and privilege first off to be getting into the point leader's car and to further that, it's an honor and privilege to share a seat with Mark Martin. I've watched Mark since I was a little kid and I think that's been well documented all year that it's somebody I grew up watching and had a lot of respect for just the way he handled himself around the racetrack and on the racetrack and just in general, the respect he's had for the sport.
And it's a pretty big shoes for me to fill, definitely. And I just want to go out there and do the U.S. Army team proud. And a finish is going to be great for us this weekend especially if we can finish all the laps. If we don't finish all the laps still finish the race and be clean all day long. That's going to be an accomplishment.
Q: Do you anticipate being racy or just kind of -- you're not getting paid to ride?
REGAN SMITH: I definitely don't get paid to ride. I'm a race car driver, I'm a competitor. Any time I'm on that racetrack I'll be racing I'd love nothing else to be rubbing shoulders with Tony Stewart for the end of the race. But the he same time you've got to grow and you've got to mature. I've never been in a 500-lap race before. This will be the first one for me.
So there's going to be a little bit of a learning process there to where I've got to learn how to take care of the car for that long and to pace myself to make sure we're around at the end and to make sure we're good at the end.
So I'm definitely going to go out there to be racy. I'm not riding, that's for sure.
Q: Do you take any inspiration maybe from how quickly Montoya has adapted? If he can come in with no stock car experience at least you've got a leg up on him from that perspective. Doesn't seem like the transition phase is as difficult as maybe has been in the past.
REGAN SMITH: I don't know. He's a talented race car driver first off. If you take a good race car driver place them in any situation they'll figure out how to make it work.
With that being said, I've raced against a lot of these guys for three years now on and off full time last year and full time with the Busch car this year. I know I've gone with them and I know I've got the talent and ability and we've had some good tests and I'm confident in myself, definitely. It's just a matter of getting through that first race and not doing anything stupid.
There's always little things as a rookie you're going to have to learn as you go and they're going to see that stripe on the back of the car and it's going to remind them it's not Mark Martin this week, definitely. I was joking with the guys, I was at the shop here earlier today and the stripe on the back of the car is neon yellow. It's not like even Army yellow it doesn't fade in with the race car. Stands out pretty big time.
Q: I want to talk to Mark and ask him: Mark, number one, when you finish the top in points and walk out that way in consecutive finishes it's kind of a cool way to do it in a way. And I was talking to Jeff Burton about that last night but how did you feel with the point situation and stepping out the way you did on the full schedule?
MARK MARTIN: Well, it feels good. Certainly the way that you would like to do it. And it's been a long consecutive number, 621 and the last four have been some of the best of my career. So I look forward to moving forward and carrying out my plan, and I look forward to watching the race on Sunday.
And I'm just really grateful for all the fan support that I've had, especially over the last year. And the incredible effort that's been made by Ryan Pemberton and all the guys that have worked so hard for so many years at that race team and suffered so many setbacks.
I think that they finally have gotten the recognition and the credit that they deserve. Incredible race team, having Ernie taken from them, Jerry taken from them, having gone through so many drivers. They've had an incredible team. And they've got a chance to show it, really show it this year.
Q: That's a really good point. And cool of you to mention that. I want to ask you about the race on Sunday. You said you were going to maybe have a cook-out at your house for friends that lived in your neighborhood. I'm guessing you'll have to buy a bigger TV. The fans have all kinds of things hooked up to watch it. How would you watch a race? Do you have a big screen or something?
MARK MARTIN: Yes, I've got a nice 42-inch plasma and Tivo. So I'll be replaying the wrecks moving them back and going forward and watching them in slow motion. So I will sorely be disappointed if there isn't lots of wrecks, because it seems like there sure is every time I go -- every time I'm in the race there.
So there probably will be again. I think that it's going to be interesting seeing the car tomorrow in its first race. Seriously, I'm just going to hang out. Barbecue a little bit and hang out and watch the race.
But the biggest thing, I expect to be having a blast Saturday night with Ricky and Matt and everyone. And I look forward to just being relaxed on Sunday.
Q: Mark, kind of a follow-up to what Claire asked. Having been a four time series runner-up and now having the points lead and stepping back for the next couple of races, was it kind of a heart wrenching decision to make? Was it really hard to come to that final decision to not race these next two races?
MARK MARTIN: No, I've done it for 621. (Chuckling) you know, the people that are saying that they can't believe it, they haven't lived it. Not only have I been doing it for 19 years straight, but I've been doing it successfully for 19 years straight.
I've only had one year that really wasn't a great year by anyone's standards. Been in the top 10 in points every year but three in 19. So you know with that comes great responsibility to your sponsors, to the media, to the fans and to your team, to continue all those expectations and to continue to fight for a championship.
You don't want to this year, so it hasn't been gut wrenching at all. I mean I've had mixed emotions but it's not been about the championship. It's about racing in general. But I'm excited that I don't have to worry about chasing the championship and making the chase.
And it's been a lot of stress for a lot of years and I don't have that weight on my shoulders anymore. Certainly don't have it in 2007.
Q: Not necessarily because of the Daytona 500, but what do you think there is about Harvick that makes him such a rival and tough driver out there?
A. Well, Kevin is a driven, incredibly talented, driven young man, who has really focused on what he does and has been since the first time I saw him drive a Craftsman truck.
Q: Mark, I heard somebody talk the other day about if there wasn't a chase you might have a different perspective on continuing your season. Is that an accurate statement? If there was no chase, if it was the old point system, would you consider continuing the season and racing every race this year?
MARK MARTIN: No, I don't even understand what kind of logic went behind that. I don't understand that. I've been planning on cutting back for quite some time now. And just had to forego that plan in 2006 in order to help out, bail out the team I love, the car that I felt very much a part of, the No. 6 car. And Jack Rausch who was responsible for most of the success I've had in NASCAR.
Now I'm carrying out that plan. Just had a delay, a bump in the road but now I'm carrying out that plan. And I'm not interested in chasing that championship. I've done that for 19 years and I've had a great career. And 2007 isn't the year to do that anymore.
I have got some other things that I'm very interested in doing, pursuing. And my life, there are portions of my life that are passing, have been passing me by. And I'm going to try to capture a couple of little pieces of that at age 48.
It's never too late.
Q: I noticed Jeff Burton was talking with you and he had a bet whether or not you would go to Bristol. What was the bet now that it's pretty much a done deal and what does he owe you?
MARK MARTIN: He didn't bet me. I don't know who the bets were with. I really don't know. Matt Kenseth and Jeff Burton were the two that were speculating. Neither, I don't think -- I don't know for sure. I know Matt thought that I was going to continue on. And I'm not sure where Burton stood.
But Jeff Burton didn't get a particularly real early start in his career. And he's got -- you give him another eight years and see what he's got to say about it. And you give Matt Kenseth 13 years of this more, see what he says.
The people that are speaking about this stuff, you know, just haven't walked in my shoes yet. And I appreciate -- I certainly appreciate where they're coming from, but I know what I was like when I was 35 years old. Couldn't fathom this day either.
But the schedule sucks every ounce of time that you have. It sucks it all out and I've given everything. And racing has come first in my life, not my family. I haven't had a sick day in 19 years. I haven't missed a day's work.
So I laid out a different schedule for 2007.
Q: Mark, you've been sitting here and we've beat you to death man for the last month about this staying in the car and whatnot. On that note, 621 straight weeks of racing, what's the best day of your career? And I remember it was in '98 what not when you had the bad back problem and your guys had to put you in the race car, what was the worst time?
MARK MARTIN: The worst time of my career was Sunday night after Watkins Glen, when I walked into the hangar and my wife said that my dad had been in a plane crash. And my dad's nickname was Cat, and he was called that because he had to have had nine lives. When she told me that I thought, oh that one probably really hurt. Never dreaming that he could not survive anything.
And we were in a championship battle that year with Jeff Gordon. And we did our deal and buried my dad in a hurry so that I could hurry and get to the racetrack on Thursday at Michigan.
And I raced my Busch car in Michigan and raced the Cup car in Michigan and I led the race and led the race a whole lot and the caution came out. We had the race in the bag. And a caution came out late in the race and, I don't know, whatever exchange in the pit stops that happened, I got passed right at the end.
And the emotion just was more than I could take. And I felt some different about it ever since. I don't know if I should have took a sick day that day or what. But that was the worst day of my career.
And the best day of my career has been so many days of the realization of the incredible respect that has been given to me by the competitors and the fans. And especially all the cheers on every driver introduction for the last year, that's what's the best day -- those are the best days of my career.
Q: Ricky, how much have you actually done in a stock car to get ready for this?
RICKY CARMICHAEL: I have a little bit of time, obviously, now under my belt. Enough to where I don't have to count no more. But obviously I still lack many, many, many hours. But that's part of the process. And I'm looking forward to getting much more seat time and just super excited that it's starting this weekend.
Q: I remember you watching Jeremy off the track I think in your first race. How tough is it going to be for you to just take things easy and not go for the front, even though you know that.
RICKY CARMICHAEL: I think I've learned a lot through my motocross career and supercross career to have them patience. And I know it's going to take a while to get where we want to be and to get to our goal.
And we have to do what we have to do. And as far as me doing anything, I don't think that I'm going to be the guy that's doing anything. I think that I'm going to have a bullet on my back or the car, there's no doubt about it. But it seems that it's been that way for my whole career in motorcycle racing. So I'll be used to it.
It won't bother me. It's not if it's going to happen, it's when it's going to happen. I'm not out there to ruffle any feathers. I'm more interested on taking care what I have to do and progressing and trying to make this whole deal happen and look at the long-term goal, where Regan and Mark are.
Q: You worked with Jeff Bendick when you first came up there with Kawasaki. Now you have a guy like Mark. How lucky are you to have two veteran guys like that to help you out and are there any similarities between the two?
RICKY CARMICHAEL: Absolutely. Jeff was really good at looking beyond and not just looking lap for lap and looking at the big picture. And he was very, very good mentally. It always seemed like he said the right things. And I don't really like for people to sugar coat things. If you're having a bad day and you're not cutting the mustard you need to be told that you're no good. But at the same time there's a certain way of going about it and just from the times that I've been able to work with Mark, he gives me that confidence that I really need at this stage.
If he's blowing smoke or not it makes me feel really good. But he's been incredible for me. He's ridden a motorcycle in his day. And there are a lot of things that relate.
And it's been a pleasure and I have a lot of trust in him and I listen to every word he says and it's just an honor. That's what I told everybody. When I did my deal again and I heard that he was coming, I could not believe it. And it's simply been a pleasure. And I'm blessed to have him in my corner. There's no doubt about it.
Q: Wanted to ask Mark, in the last few years the sports scene, new structure for the points, the Lucky Dog rule and now there's Car of Tomorrow among other things. With your vast years of experience in the sport is this a more proactive period on NASCAR's part in making changes, or did you see this even years ago more so than maybe I did since I wasn't around in those years?
MARK MARTIN: No, there's more changing. But the world is changing faster, too. There's an enormous growth. You have more people, more brilliant minds working at NASCAR today than you had years ago, more fans, sponsors, more owners, obviously more coverage. More guys like you covering the sport so sure things are moving faster now than they did when I first got involved in the early 80s.
I think that the chase is the outstanding. It's fantastic. I think that some of the growth is really cool and some of the growth is maybe not so cool.
The one thing we all have to remember is that time can't sit still. Nothing ever sits still. And change is inevitable in almost every aspect of our lives.
Q: With that being said, how did the recent changes impact you as a driver, have to change how you do things and can you imagine somebody like Regan now who is just starting out, what he may be going through as his career goes from the last 10, 15, 20 years, what he'll experience.
MARK MARTIN: You know the driver, this is not the correct wording for it, but in the '80s the driver was the engineer. The driver was the guy that brought the wealth of knowledge and leadership to the team. Of course you had Jake elders and some of the guys that always their cars really ran good.
But still the team relied on the driver so much for direction on things. That's not the case anymore. We have engineering and so much high tech involved in the sport that now it is the sheer youth, skill, fearless, you know some of the things that are sharper when you're maybe younger than when you're older and yet that experience that you gain along the way isn't that big a premium as it was in the early days.
What I'm saying is the sport, along with the schedule, is becoming a young man's sport. And it will be very rare to see 50-year-old drivers that started at 20. 25-year careers in today's age at today's pace, which it will only get even greater, I don't think you're going to see that. I think the drivers will be burned out, as well as the crews, as well.
The schedule is the thing that I love racing and that's why I'm going to continue to drive race cars. But the schedule is what has driven a wedge, I think, in between some of the guys that have been in this sport so long. Especially if they've worked incredibly hard and been very successful. The more successful you are, the higher the demand is on you and the more it wears you down.
Q: Thank you. Ricky, we've got the supercross series coming here this weekend. Obviously a lot of people in this town wishing you hung around for one more week. But I was just wondering, when you came into that series, you were kind of replacing a legend with Jeremy McGrath, and now James Stewart is kind of facing that same situation, becoming the face of the sport in place of you. I wanted to ask you about some of the pressures maybe that he'll be feeling in being the man now?
RICKY CARMICHAEL: It's a tough role. And for me it was the physical part of it was the easy thing. It can mentally wear on you, like Mark was saying. It's so mentally tough on you.
And for me, the 10 years, I was always winning a championship and you were always under the gun to defend it. He's going to be under the same thing now. And you know it's his job as the champion and being the guy of the sport to take it to that next level as I tried to do after Jeremy left. Now he's the next guy to do that.
And it's a lot going on and it's a lot happening. So you definitely find out what people are made of in times like these. And for him, I think him being an African American, I think it's going to be tough for him to stay in that position for too long, because he has so many opportunities.
But it's going to be tough. But if he can surround himself with good people that have his best interests at heart and in mind, I think he can do it. But I'd be surprised if he makes it as long as I did or Jeremy did, just because of the opportunities that will come to him.
Q: How important, Ricky, is the series itself to have a marquee star to kind of have that one guy that people come out to watch?
RICKY CARMICHAEL: It's really important, because you know obviously supercross wants to be where NASCAR is, but unfortunately there's not enough parity. So we need that key guy. There was Jeremy, there was me now there's James.
Unless they can do something to make the racing better where 10 guys have a chance to win rather than one guy all the time, he's going to -- it's super important to have that one marquee guy.
And that's what I'm trying to do for the motorcycle racing is get it more like NASCAR, where you can come to a race and your guy has a chance to win, not just the same old guy all the time. So it's important right now that he's in there.
Q: My question for you is, Mark, after 621 you go home, how did you feel Sunday night and Monday and this morning compared to other times in your career?
MARK MARTIN: I really don't feel any different. You know, it's really proud I didn't have any idea we were still leading the points when I got out of the car Sunday. I was really pretty proud of that. But not as proud as my son Matt is. Sometimes he's hard to impress. But he seems to be very proud of that fact.
My Monday has been the same. My Tuesday has been the same. I've been incredibly business, trying to get everything done and caught up and organized so that I can possibly cruise somewhere along the way, but I don't know when that's going to be.
So I don't really feel any different at all. And I think that Sunday will be an eye-opener for me, kind of like it will be for Ricky. And for Regan as well. I think we're all in for an eye-opener, and I don't even know what to expect. I expect to enjoy watching the race and there might be a twinge in there along the way that I wish I was there. But I doubt it.
I think I'm going to enjoy the race and going to be grateful for the great career that I have had and for the great job -- I've got the best job in motor sports. I've told you that over and over again. I get to drive for a capable race team and a capable car when I want at the places I want to race at. And I couldn't ask for better than that.
Q: Any chance when you're off racing with Matt, Ricky, you might get in yourself and hot lap to help them with their setups?
MARK MARTIN: I can't fit in Matt's but I can fit in Ricky's and my stuff will be on board. I don't expect to, though. Testing, yes, I do. I mean testing -- I've tested the car Ricky is going to race over there. And Jesus Hernandez raced the car during speed weeks in preparation.
And we have hired Mike Fritz, who is a driver down here that is won tons of races in Florida in the Super Late Model Division, one of the best in Florida to come to work at our race shop, Mark Martin Performance, and be a part of our program. And he's hung up the helmet at least temporarily to help us get our program stronger. So that's something I'm really excited about is having Mike Fritz added to the mix and we're going to do a lot of race and we're going to teach these kids how to race. Matt Bowers, Matt Martin, we're going to give him an opportunity to get better and we're going to get Ricky ready to move up to the big stuff here this summer. So it's going to be fun.
Q: Regan, is there in the quiet moments, has there been a motivational or inspirational conversation you've had with Mark that keeps running through your head as you get ready to go up there?
REGAN SMITH: Well, I think for me even today for instance listening in on the conference, the nice things Mark had to say at the beginning, for a young guy myself coming up through it's special to hear Mark say those comments.
As Ricky said earlier Mark is not the kind of guy that's going to BS you, he's going to shoot it straight.
That means a lot to me and that gives me confidence as a driver. But also at the same time when we've been off testing together and stuff like that, the things that Mark's done to help me at the test and the things that he said at the test to help me get better in the race cars and stock cars, whether it be the Cup cars or Busch cars?
Q: Can you take us inside that a little bit to share some of the things he said to you?
REGAN SMITH: There's not one thing, just to pinpoint and say exactly. It's just the little words of encouragement and the little things that he says. Like, for instance, at the Mexico race, Mark was watching the Mexico race. I had a problem at the end of the race there. We had a flat tire didn't get the finish we deserved.
He was watching, and he let me know that. And just to know that he's watching and that he's rooting for us still and even though he's not going to be in Bristol this weekend, I'm sure when I talk to him Monday he'll know everything that happened throughout the course of the race and that means a lot to me.
As I've said before I've looked up to him since I was four years old when I first started watching races on TV and that's pretty special?
MARK MARTIN: Bill, let me answer that question, too. Regan is humble and is exactly how I want him to be. And so, therefore, it's nice that he didn't tell you this. But I haven't gone faster in his race car yet. That's probably the biggest vote of confidence of all.
I've been in his car in Lakeland and Bristol, and I think that's the biggest thing. And that's a huge vote of confidence not only for Regan but for Ryan Pemberton and for me as well, about what he's fixing to embark on. We really believe in him and we know he's going to do well.
Q: For Ricky, Damian touched a little bit about this. But I want you to explain to us who have never driven anything competitively what the transition has been like coming off two wheels and going to four. I mean you know can you give us specifics about track time and just preparing yourself physically for the transition?
RICKY CARMICHAEL: You know the biggest thing for me has been just I'm learning something every time that I get in the car as opposed to a motorcycle. I've done it for so long, 22 years, that it was like putting on my shoes. For me it takes a lot more mental concentration in the car than a motorcycle. But the thing that is easier for me in a car is the physical aspect of it.
It's much easier. I'm not out of breath. And you know strength- wise, it's much easier for me. And so that's one good thing that I can turn over. And another thing you're always racing that's going to be the same no matter whether it's a motorcycle or a car. It's just learning what the car does and what the motorcycle does. And so the racing is always the same no matter what form of racing.
The biggest thing for me has been the amount of focus you have to have in a car as opposed to a motorcycle. I have to stay much more focused.
Q: Where have you been making laps? What tracks have you been working on just to try to get used to the sensation?
RICKY CARMICHAEL: I started out at Hickory North Carolina a few times. New Samerna and Lakeland those two tracks I've been to a few times. I've only been to Lakeland once but the others I've been to quite a few times. Not enough but that's fixing to pick up and we'll put in our time.
Q: Mark, I just want to tell you that there are a few athletes that go out on top and just commend you for sticking to your guns and doing what you want to do. Good luck this weekend?
MARK MARTIN: Thank you. It means a lot to me. And I really appreciate it. I watch (inaudible) Texas, wherever the race was that he won, it was his final IRL race. He won the Indy 500 that year, finished second in the points and won the last race. That was cooler than cool, man.
But this is pretty good too, to do it this way, thank you.
Q: Ricky he's going out on top too but at least he's got a full-time job?
MARK MARTIN: Yes. He's got his hands full. We're going to be working hard. He's a great young man with a tremendous work ethic and I know you know that.
RICKY CARMICHAEL: I was telling somebody this weekend, if you can write a book the only thing you have to do is change the names on the book. And I just felt bad for Mark, with all these people saying he's going to keep racing, going to keep racing, fortunately for me I got that out of the way a couple times and I just, you just get tired of hearing it. Now everyone can see that why they would never think he wasn't a man of his word. But just amazing why they wouldn't trust what he said.
And I think it's awesome, and I know he'll feel a load off his shoulders after this weekend is over so everyone will quit asking him that darn question.
Q: Now he could probably help you with learning how to change diapers. (Laughter)
Q: Mark, I was just wondering, when you're watching on TV this weekend, what will you be looking for out of the COT?
MARK MARTIN: Drivability. You know I wasn't -- I went up and did the test with Regan there. And helping him prepare and stuff. And to be real honest with you, when I came up on cars that had been out for a while on hot tires and were slower because of that, I wasn't comfortable when passing them.
You're not real comfortable in a regular car up there but the car of tomorrow is less comfortable yet. I think it's going to be a real challenge to put 43 of them out there and keep all the drivers under control because you have to go there and you have to pass and it's not comfortable being confined. In other words, you really feel that you need all the racetrack.
And so I'm going to be watching for the drivability of it. To be real honest with you, if NASCAR would just raise that splitter up, the car would be fine. There's nothing wrong with that car other than the splitter height. They're trying to take away 50% of the front end suspension travel. If they didn't do that, it wouldn't really be a big deal for the teams to get used to the rest of it, the wing. The rest of the car is just a car.
But when you cut that front suspension in half, now it becomes a problem. It's a shock to all of us. And now we don't know if it's because other things about the car or what. We don't know what to do.
You can't find a way to make the car drive as nice and as smooth as it did with double the suspension in the front.
Q: What about 2008, are you thinking full-time then?
MARK MARTIN: Let's please don't start talking about that yet.
(Laughter)
Right now, you know, right now I've got the same schedule. I mean that's what the paperwork said that I signed, we did two years of the 22-race schedule with the option of adding or deleting. I haven't missed a race yet. I haven't even set Bristol out yet. So let's wait until September to talk about '08. That's when I talk to Jay and all about '08 is September and we won't be talking about it until then.
Q: For Ricky, what do supercross skills will transfer best to the stock car track?
RICKY CARMICHAEL: I think the racing mentality, the racing instincts and supercross, you have to be much more on your game. Everything is coming up to you so fast that there is a bit more focus in supercross than you need in the outdoor motocross. So I think that's what will transfer. I think that will help me when there's more cars on the track with me I think that I could carry some of that over. But it's hard for me to really tell you what, because I haven't raced and I will be able to answer that more precisely next week for you.
Q: Regan, can you comment on having Mark Martin as a mentor and coach in your NASCAR quest?
REGAN SMITH: It's a huge opportunity for me to have Mark there to be able to talk to him and get knowledge from him. For instance, at the Bristol test, if I thought the car was good and he hopped into it and said, no, you'll have to be a little bit freer for this for the long runs and for the race, that's stuff I would have had to go through a race to learn to start with and instead now I've got that knowledge up front.
And just little things like that. There's so many other things. I've watched Mark. I've tried to kind of have the same respect for the sport and other drivers that he's had throughout my career. And it's a legend and that's all I can say about him. He's awesome.
Mark Martin Post Race Notes and Quotes – Kolbalt Tools 500
GM Racing
March 18, 2007MARK MARTIN, NO. 01 U.S. ARMY MONTE CARLO SS, FINISHED 10th
"I feel good, man. I am looking forward to next weekend. I want to thank all the fans that have supported me and especially this U.S. Army Chevy. This team is incredible. We were off a little with the car today, but they fought so hard and this is how I want to do it.
"We missed our setup just a little bit but what an awesome effort by the U.S. Army team. We battled it out there and got a pretty good finish but the car was off a little.
"Somebody told me I was still leading the points; I don't really know but that will be gone after next week. At least we said we were leading when we took a break.
"It was a good race with long runs and that's real racing. That's the way I like it. This one was a little more of a chore than the first couple, but I love working with this U.S. Army Team and representing our soldiers. These guys are just fabulous and they give their heart and soul. They are finally getting the recognition they deserve.
"People might not believe it, but they'll have a hard time finding me next week. This think has really been encompassing. We've worked really hard since January and we've put a lot into this. My team has and I have too. It's been a hard-working stretch and I'm really looking to taking a little break.
"I am so proud of this team. They've had a lot of setbacks, with Ernie and Jerry -- a lot of disappointments and I'm just so proud of this team and to be a part of it.
"It's really cool and kind of a story book to go out leading the points like this. It's the way to do it and I'm just proud of this team to finally get the recognition they deserve. These guys are awesome and I sure wish I had been driving their car a little sooner."
Points Leader Martin Closes Out 621-Race Streak with Top-10 Finish in Atlanta
Ginn Racing
HAMPTON, Ga. (March 18, 2007) – Mark Martin closed out the fifth-longest consecutive-start streak in NASCAR Cup history with a 10th-place finish in Sunday's Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Martin's 621-consecutive start streak began Feb. 14, 1988 at the Daytona 500.
With his fourth straight top-10 finish of the season, the U.S. Army Chevrolet driver maintained his lead in the Nextel Cup driver point standings. He left Atlanta with an eight-point lead over Jeff Gordon.
"It is really cool and I guess it's kind of a storybook way to go out after chasing those points so hard for the last 20 years," said Martin. "It's definitely the way to do it and I just can't say enough about this U.S. Army Race team. They are a fabulous team and an awesome group of guys. It's great to finally see them get the recognition they deserve. I sure wish I had been driving their car a little sooner."
"I get so many e-mails from our troops and it makes me even more happy that the soldiers' car is on top of the standings," added Martin. "Our soldiers inspire all of us and I am so proud to represent them."
Martin, who is driving a limited schedule for Ginn Racing, will miss the next two Nextel Cup races in Bristol (March 25) and Martinsville (April 1). Rookie Regan Smith will drive the 01 Army car in those two events before Martin returns for the Texas Motor Speedway race on April 15.
This is the third time in Martin's career that he has started the season with four straight top 10s. The other two times were in 1995 and 2000. Martin's other finishes in 2007 were: second at Daytona and fifth at both California and Las Vegas.
Martin, who started the race fourth after a strong qualifying effort on Friday,struggled with a loose race car early in the event, dropping as far back as 16th.
However, crew chief Ryan Pemberton and the No. 01 team refused to give up, continuing to work on the Chevrolet in hopes of improving the handling. By Lap 270 of 325 Martin had driven the car back to the 11th position. And when the race's fifth caution was called (Lap 272), the Army over-the-wall crew came through with one of its quickest stops of the day, sending Martin back out in ninth position. The veteran driver would run the remainder of the race inside the top 10.
“We weren't as good today as we had been the first couple of races," said Martin. "But the guys on the Army team never gave up -- just like our soldiers. We were able to gain positions on pit road during those last two stops and bring home a top-10 finish."
"They also allowed me to leave here as the points leader and I have to thank them for all they have done for me this year," continued Martin.
Following Sunday's race, Martin quickly put to rest any rumors about his plans for next weekend.
"I'm looking forward to next weekend," said Martin. "I just want to thank all the fans for their support, especially with this U.S. Army car and what we have going on. I know a lot of people still don't believe that I won't be racing next weekend, but they will have a really hard time finding me.
"We've worked really hard since January and we've put a lot into this. It's been a hard-working stretch and I'm looking forward to taking a little break."
Mark Martin Post Qualifying Notes and Quotes - Kolbalt Tool 500
GM Racing
March 17, 2007MARK MARTIN, NO. 01 U.S. ARMY MONTE CARLO SS - Qualified 4th
"I was coming down the straightaway and right when I got to the corner, I breathed out and fogged up my shield. I said, "Oh Lord, I can't do that any more. I couldn't see going in the corner, I hit the apron down here on the first lap and I am not a Mr. Second Lap kinda guy. It is such a priveldge to drive for this U.S. Army team and Robin Pemberton. We have underestimated so much how awesome Ryan and this whole team is. I saw what Sterling did and was real proud of him and I thought man, if I can just run that, we will be ok. Then Joe (Nemechek) I am so proud of him because he wasn't that good in practice. This is such a great group. I feel like I am living a dream, I am the luckiest guy in the world to be driving this U.S. Army Chevy."
Mark Martin Media Visit
GM Racing
March 16, 2007Mark Martin, No. 1 U.S. Army Monte Carlo SS, currently leads the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series point standings. He talked with members of the motorsports media at Atlanta Motor Speedway about not racing at Bristol and his plans for the rest of the season.
ON HOW HE'LL DO THIS WEEKEND
"I think all the drivers really look forward to coming to Atlanta, all the ones that I know of anyway for sure. It's just one of the best places to race, kind of like a huge Rockingham that we miss having the opportunity to race from the very bottom white line of the race track all the way up to the wall is Atlanta and you can do it anywhere in between whatever your car is working like or whatever you can manage to get done. It's a place that we love to come to, I especially love to come to. I'm very excited about driving our U.S. Army Chevy. As everyone knows they've really put me in great race cars this year. Those guys are really getting it done on pit road winning all three of the pit stop challenges this year and the final one from Homestead makes them four in a row. I'm so proud of those guys. To work with Ryan Pemberton, one of the most sought after crew chiefs in the garage. He was about 18 years old in the photograph of my first Nextel Cup win, standing back there with a Strohs Light uniform on. It's cool when I walk past the car that is on display from that race and the big photographs behind it and there's Ryan. So it's cool to work with him. He's a young man in my eyes because he was a kid at that time but believe me after working with him three races, I told him after the race Sunday I won't ever question anything he tells me again. He is the man. It's pretty awesome and it's about time they get the recognition they deserve. I guess you can say I'm excited about being here."
ON VOLUNTARILY ENDING HIS STREAK OF 621 CONSECUTIVE STARTS AFTER SUNDAY
"Gosh, I have a lot of thoughts on that. One is when they asked me when I hit 500 what I thought and when I hit 600 what I thought. When I hit 600 what I thought was I'd been doing it a really long time in some really good cars because I didn't miss the show any of those times along that way. It's a lot easier to do when I know I'm driving that 01 car and I have the support from everyone and I know that I don't have to walk away from the sport that I love, the people that I love, the fans, the whole thing. I love what I do and I'm not walking away from it. I'm just taking a break."
ON THE TOP-35 QUALIFYING FORMAT AND SOME GOOD TEAMS BEING SENT HOME
"You know we've seen the competition mass grow and shrink over the years. There was a time when it was as big as it is now I think at one time a few years ago. This is where everybody wants to be (but) just not everyone can participate. That's a shame but that's where we are. This is where everybody in racing would like to be and there's a lot of people trying to be a part of it right now and there's only room for 43." Contacts: "I can't say. All I know is that you need to be locked in. You need that. You need it. I'm not so sure you need 43. I'm not so sure that you don't need them all that way. I don't know. Believe me, if I was running NASCAR it would be in a mess right now. It wouldn't be where it is right now. All I can tell you is that for the people that make the commitment to do all these races they need to know that they can race and I support that part of the aspect. It's a real complex question you are asking and it's really a difficult situation and I'm not real good at it. All I know is from a competitor standpoint and knowing Jack Roush and looking from an owner standpoints that there need to be guarantees that you are in."
ON BEING ABLE TO TAKE IT ONE RACE AT A TIME WITH THE OPTIONS HE HAS WITH HIS TEAM TO SEE IF HE'LL RUN THE NEXT RACE. HAVE YOU AND THE TEAM TALKED ABOUT TAKING IT ONE RACE AT A TIME?
"I'm not going to Bristol and I'm to going to Martinsville. I will review my second-half schedule sometime. We can do exactly what you said the only thing is I'm not going to Bristol. That we know but I will look at other races. I am an incredibly loyal guy and circumstances may come along. I know there are a small number of races that when I laid my original schedule out that I would love to do that I gave to Regan in the second half because I was trying to prepare him for full-time Cup. Now that we're assured that he gets to race Cup, whether I race or not, they will put Regan in a fourth car then it's possible that some of those races that I really wanted to do in the second half I could possibly do. We can put to rest the Bristol thing. There is certain little once-in-a-while mixed emotions. OK, I have done 621. You can make all the arguments that you want about changing your mind but the bottom line is that I'm going to take a break. I need to take a break. I've committed to take a break. My family and I are committed to it. My team agreed to it. We made our deal and we're going to carry it out as far as the Bristol and Martinsville thing goes and then of course then there's no points to ever be talked again for the rest of the year from my standpoint unless something crazy was to happen. We can take it from the races that I really want to do and that make sense."
DO YOU WANT THE TALK ABOUT YOU CONTINUING FOR A FULL SEASON TO JUST STOP? CAN YOU QUANTITY HOW MUCH IT HAS TO DO WITH THE FACT THAT YOU'RE NOT GOING TO PAY THAT BET TO JEFF BURTON?
"I don't know for sure if he bet that house, but that's a big house, big house he's talking about. But it's Matt Kenseth that's going to have to give that $200 up and that's going to hurt him. In fact I want a picture of that tear coming off his face. That's going to get him. You know he called me. I'm flying my airplane myself now and I'm trying to get it taxied out to take it off and my phone is ringing and it's Matt after race. He told some goofy stuff like 'Hey, I would never passed you on the last lap but since you're not running all the races and don't need the points, I did. But otherwise I would have never passed you on the last lap like that.' I had to leave Saturday night. I went over to his coach and was hanging out. He was relentless. I finally got up and left. I had to leave because he was starting to almost sway me he was working on me so hard. I said 'I got to go. I'll see you guys.' Seriously life is really good for me. I'm so happy. I'm so proud to be a part of this team and see them getting the results they are and it's all good. I don't think that this is a time for anyone to be disappointed. I think we should all be happy and encouraged by where we are today and what we have to look forward to.
"I'll tell you guys there's other things to talk about. Seriously there's other things to talk about that might even be more fun. I'll be happy to get that behind. But the biggest thing is that I love what I do and I want to continue to love it. There's been times in the last few years that I didn't love what I was doing and I don't want to ever feel that way again. I don't want to ever feel that way again about something that I love with the kind of passion that I have. So I need a break."
DOES IT FEEL GOOD TO BE COMING BACK TO FAMILIAR GROUND HERE IN ATLANTA?
"It really does. It may turn out and backfire on us. I spent the whole weekend convincing my crew that I would do a better job for them here than I was going to do for them at Vegas which I proved by qualifying poorer than the car I had. I had a better car than what I qualified and I said 'See I told you I'm not that good here under these conditions but I'll make it up to you when I get to Atlanta.' So I certainly hope I can make good on my promise. This is going to be fun. This is a great race track and I'm having a ball. My team is on a roll. I just hope we can continue to have the same result. I also want everybody to know how incredibly proud I am of Joe Nemechek and Sterling Marlin. I know Joe didn't get a chance to show what they were capable of last Sunday but certainly Sterling did. I'm as proud of his performance last week and probably as disappointed as they were with their failure but it's good. It's not just the 01. The whole organization is really getting there. We're getting there as an organization and I believe that there's a lot more hard work in front of us."
WHAT IS YOUR IMPRESSION WHEN PEOPLE KEEP ASKING YOU THE SAME QUESTION OVER AND OVER?
"The only thing is I hope the fans don't get sick of hearing about it, which thank goodness is going to come to an end here shortly because I have great relationship with the fans and I'm not doing it, you guys are. You have to also remember that I love you guys and y'all are a very important of my career and of my life. If I don't see you guys then my like changes OK. I was pretty sure I wasn't going to see guys much anymore after the announcement at Talladega in October so even if it is the same irritating question over and over again, at least y'all are talking to me and that's a good thing. No, I understand it's a big deal. There can be a case made that I've waffled quite a bit on all this. My case that I can make says I really haven't that much. All I really ever really said was is that a full-time schedule was not out there in front of me and it wound up being in '06 after all. But that was due to circumstances. It wasn't like I just woke up one day and said 'Man, I want to do this again.' It was something that I filled in for an organization that I loved and had passion for and had helped build and been a part of from the beginning and didn't want to see struggle to fill a hole. Now we're just carrying out the plan and we'll just kind of take things one thing at a time. We're going to skip the Bristol thing and I'm sure the same thing will go for Martinsville and then we'll take it one thing at time. I've learned to never say never in this business so I know there's some races that I don't have on the schedule for whatever reason might come up. I couldn't tell you why. Right now there's 23 and I'm looking forward to having a couple of weekends off."
YOU MENTIONED PREVIOUSLY TALLADEGA IS NOT ONE OF THE PLACES YOU'LL GO BACK TO. IS THAT STILL ACCURATE?
"Yeah, that is accurate. It is not on the schedule just as Bristol and Martinsville are not on the schedule. Back to what I was saying before and I kind of forgot, I want everybody to understand that there are some things in my life that I don't want to completely pass by. I feel like there's some things I want to do that I just can't get to under the current scenario. There's a number of things. I'd like to do a little bit more for my sponsors. I certainly want to spend a little bit more time with my family. But I also want to have a little bit more time for the fans as well. That being said, there are rare occasions when we can just hang with the fans for almost unlimited amount of time because you're always on a rush. You can stop for one minute or five minutes or you might be at an autograph session for an hour and a half but Easter weekend where Friday and Saturday of that weekend, I can spend a good solid eight hours a day hanging with the fans doing more than signing one autograph and shoving it back to them and moving to the next person. That's one of things that I look forward to doing along with some quality sponsor things with the Army and a little bit of quality time with my family as well. You just can't take that kind of time when you're on the run all the time. So one of the most fun and exciting events of the year for me was doing that in Batesville where I bring other guys in like Tony Stewart will come. That will be the fourth Nextel Cup champion that I've had to my hometown. That means a lot to me. It probably doesn't mean anything to some people but if you think about it, that's a big deal. Batesville is a small town. Some little things can be more on the agenda than just how fast did you run today or getting to the race track or how did you finish or what's the next thing on the schedule. I want to have enough time to slow down just a little bit and do some of things that are different and move them up the priority list."
ON POSSIBLY BEING THE FIRST NASCAR DRIVER TO SAY HE LOVES THE MEDIA
"I do. That's true though. I believe you see it. I hope you believe it."
DID THE NEW FORMAT OF THE CHASE AFFECT YOUR DECISION FOR THIS SEASON?
"No, that doesn't play into the equation. The back breaker on the whole thing is three weekends off from Daytona to Thanksgiving and one of those goes to the Batesville deal. Seriously there just is no time in this business if you capitalize on every opportunity that's there for you. Sure I could have slowed down and not do a lot of the things that were available but that's not me. I do everything that I can possibly do. I do the deals with the sponsors. I do the deals with the media. I do everything that I can physically do so it's basically the schedule. I love what I am doing and I love driving that car so I would drive it every weekend if it weren't for the schedule. It's solely I got to take a break and have some time."
SINCE YOU AREN'T RACING NEXT WEEKEND, WHERE WILL YOU BE AND WHAT WILL YOU BE DOING?
"Saturday I'll be at Lake City, Columbia Motorsports Park with two late models. Ricky Carmichael in one and Matt Martin in the other one. So in a sense, I'm still on the job especially Ricky. It's my charge to get Ricky prepared to graduate from late models in Florida to (tape inaudible) Cup, Truck and then Busch and so on. This will be Ricky's first race in a late model and that's what I'm going to be doing next weekend. And then next weekend I hope to just have off. I hope to just be on the couch with the remote control in my hand because I can use a little of that too. One other thing, talking about everything that's going on. I don't usually sit around and watch cars race and wish I was out there but those trucks running out there are driving me crazy. I love these trucks so much. So I'm definitely going to be working toward trying to fill in and do more trucks in the future. Everybody knows that I like those things but I did feel that. When they started running those things around here I thought 'Gosh, I wish I was out there.' That is one thing that I'm going to work on, try to fill a little bit more trucks in to the combination mix of what I'm doing going forward."
Martin to Make 621st Consecutive Start in Atlanta
At 48, the U.S. Army driver is the oldest to hold points lead for more than one week
Ginn RacingHAMPTON, Ga. (March 16, 2007) -- Mark Martin, the current NASCAR Nextel Cup points leader and oldest driver to ever hold the lead for more than one week, will make his 621st consecutive start in Sunday's Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
The only other drivers older than the 48-year-old Martin to lead the Cup points were Bobby Allison (51, 1988) and Morgan Shepherd (49, 1990), but both drivers held the lead for one week. Martin assumed the points lead, Feb. 25, following the second race of the season at California Speedway in Fontana.
Considered one of the most physically fit drivers in the sport, Martin's consecutive start streak began Feb. 14, 1988 at the Daytona 500. The streak is the longest active in NASCAR and ranks fifth all-time, behind Ricky Rudd (788), Rusty Wallace (698), Terry Labonte (655), Dale Earnhardt (648).
"I don't put a lot into streaks and that sort of thing," said Martin. "However, to be able to be around that long and to keep a ride that long while never having to take a sick day is something that I'm really proud of. As far as it coming to an end, you know all those types of things come to an end at some point and I am very comfortable with our schedule and what the plans are."
During the 19-year consecutive start streak, Martin claimed 35 wins, 233 top fives, 364 top 10s and 39 poles.
His streak is scheduled to come to an end in Bristol next week where he will give the seat to the 01 Army Chevy to rookie Regan Smith. Martin is also scheduled to miss the Martinsville race after Bristol and return to action at the April 15 Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway.
"It's been quite a run," said Martin. "But I don't look at it as anything ending. It would be really hard if I weren't ever going to run a Cup race again or if I didn't think I could compete at this level anymore. But we are right at the start of a new exciting era with Ginn Racing. We'll be at Texas for sure and we'll show up looking to win that race in the U.S. Army car. If you ask me, I have the best deal in all of NASCAR. I'm really focused more right now on all of the things that we have coming up and not anything that is coming to an end."
Martin is also looking to add to another streak in Atlanta. The U.S. Army Chevrolet driver has scored top-five finishes in the first three races of the season. It's the first time in his career that he has started a season with consecutive top fives. He was runner-up in the Daytona 500 and finished fifth in the last two races at California and Las Vegas.
"I'm having a blast driving the U.S. Army Chevy for Ginn Racing," noted Martin. "I think it's really cool that we've been competitive in each of the first three races and I think it's awesome we were able to get the points lead."
"My main focus right now is Atlanta," added Martin. "I love driving these Ginn Racing cars for Ryan (crew chief, Pemberton) and the guys. I also like racing at Atlanta, so I'm just chomping at the bit to get on that super-fast track. It should be a lot of fun, and make no mistake; I'd love to get a win this week."
In 42 career starts at the 1.54-mile Atlanta oval, Martin has posted two wins, 21 top-10s and 13 top fives. He has recorded top-five finishes at AMS in four of the last five races, including a second-place result at this race last March.
Mark Martin Preview - NASCAR Nextel Cup - Kobalt Tools 500
Ginn Racing
March 14, 2007MARTIN, NO. 01 U.S. ARMY TEAM LOOK FOR WIN IN HOTLANTA
Fresh off his third consecutive top-five finish to open 2007, Nextel Cup point leader Mark Martin and the No. 01 U.S. Army Team head to Atlanta Motor Speedway looking for victory lane. Martin continues the best start of his NASCAR Cup career and he hopes that will continue at a track where he has won twice and finished inside the top 10 in 20 occasions.
MARTIN OFF TO CAREER-BEST START
Martin has started his Cup season with three-consecutive top-five finishes for the first time in his racing career. Until joining with Ginn Racing this season, Martin had never started a season with back-to-back top-fives and his second-place finish in the Daytona 500 is also a career best. Martin's three straight top-fives to open the season also marks the first time Martin has scored three consecutive top-five finishes since 2002.
STILL ON TOP
Despite plans to run a limited schedule in 2007, Martin left California Speedway atop the Nextel Cup points standings for the first time since Sept. 22, 2002. He extended his lead at Las Vegas last weekend and become the oldest driver in the modern era to hold the points lead for more than one week. Martin leads second place by six points and third by 42.
BURNING UP THE TRACK AT ATLANTA
This will be Martin's 43rd-career Cup start at Atlanta, where the veteran has posted 21 top-10 finishes, 13 top fives and two wins. Martin ran his first career Cup race at Atlanta 24 years ago on March 21, 1982, finishing 19th. He returned there that fall and drove to a top 10. He has posted top-five finishes at AMS in four of the last five, including a second-place finish last spring.
NO. 01 U.S. ARMY PIT CREW WINS AGAIN
The No. 01 U.S. Army pit crew grabbed its fourth consecutive win in the Checkers®/Rally's Double Drive-Thru Challenge by taking top honors in Sunday's (March 11) Nextel Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
AT ATLANTA
Starts: 42 (21)
Wins: 2 (2)
Top 5's: 13 (7)
Top 10's: 21 (10)
Poles: 1 (1)
Highest finish: 1st (2 times)
First time: 3/21/82 (19th)
Last year: 3/19/06 (2nd)
Last time: 10/29/06(36th)Worthy Note: Martin is the oldest driver to ever lead the points for more than one week.
Worthy Note 2: Martin last scored three consecutive top-fives in 2002.
QUOTING MARK MARTIN ON RACING AT ATLANTA
"I can't wait to get to Atlanta. Now that's a real racetrack with real racing. It's a big, fast racetrack. The pavement has gotten a little older and it has finally given up and made it a really fun place to race. From top-to-bottom, it's one of the best places that we go, and it usually makes for a great show and a great race. What we did last week in Vegas isn't really my specialty, but the kind of racing that we'll be doing this week is, and I can't wait to take a crack at it with this No. 01 team."
QUOTING MARK MARTIN ON THE FAST START WITH GINN RACING
"It's really just been awesome. Ryan Pemberton is one of the strongest crew chiefs that I've ever worked with. He makes great calls during the race and the car's are really fast. The team is just stellar on pit road and I just love driving for these guys. That Hendrick Chevy horsepower is just huge and it's great to have that in your car.
"I'm having more fun than I can ever remember having and I truly feel that I have the best job in all of racing and that means a lot to me. I'm sure there will be ups and downs here at Ginn, but we sure aren't seeing the downs right now. I just can't wait to continue to work with and help this organization grow and I really know that I made the right decision for me and my future. It's really awesome to lead the points, but it means even more to me to have a chance to win races and be competitive each time out. It's just an awesome experience right now."
LAST YEAR AT ATLANTA
March 19, 2006
Atlanta Motor Speedway
Golden Corral 500
Started 11th, Finished 2ndMartin battled all day at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, finding the right blend of handling, speed and track position, when it mattered the most - at the end. Martin, who was strong for the entire race, used the next to the last run of the day to pick off seven cars and move from eighth to second place by lap 261, just seconds before the day's eighth and final caution was issued on lap 262. After a lightening fast stop of 12.62 in the team's final pit stop, Martin restarted in second-place with 58 laps to go in the race. Martin was able to pull his No. 6 car up beside race-leader Kasey Kahne with only 11 laps remaining, but he would be unable to take the lead away from Kahne, thus settling for the second-place finish.
Las Vegas Pit Crew Win Extends Streak for Martin's 01 Team
U.S. Army crew scores third straight win of season in the Checkers/Rally's Double Drive-Thru Challenge
Checkers/Rally'sMark Martin’s pit crew grabbed its third consecutive win of the season in the Checkers/Rally's Double Drive-Thru Challenge by taking top honors in Sunday's (March 11) Nextel Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
The No. 01 U.S. Army crew also claimed wins in the first two races of 2007 -- at Daytona and California.
"Wow, those guys are just awesome on pit road," said driver Mark Martin, who leads the Nextel Cup driver point standings with three straight top-five finishes. "The U.S. Army crew has really been a big part of our success so far this season. If they can keep that up, I hope I can help get them to Victory Lane really soon."
"The Army over-the-wall crew has played a vital role in our success," added 01 crew chief Ryan Pemberton. "Lance (Munksgard, pit crew coach) has done an outstanding job with all of the Ginn Racing teams. It is great to see Checkers/Rally’s reward and recognize the pit crews for their excellent performances."
The No. 01 over-the-wall crew, which spent 322.066 seconds on pit road in Las Vegas, 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).
Checkers/Rally's awards the winning Nextel Cup team each week with a cash prize of $11,150. 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.
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.
2007 Nextel Cup Winners Checkers/Rally's Double Drive-Thru Challenge
Daytona (2/18) Mark Martin Team
California (2/25) Mark Martin Team
Las Vegas (3/11) Mark Martin TeamBusch Series Result -- Las Vegas Motor Speedway
The No. 59 crew of Marcos Ambrose picked up the Checkers/Rally's Double Drive-Thru Challenge win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway by spending the least amount of time on pit road (315.294 seconds).
Mark Martin Post Race Notes and Quotes After UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400
Ginn Racing
March 11, 2007MARK MARTIN, NO. 01 U.S. ARMY MONTE CARLO SS - Finished 5th:
"I was just telling Ryan Pemberton that he is one of the best I have ever worked with -- what a strong crew chief. The U.S. Army Chevy was fantastic. We were looking like a third place car but then on the (final) restart the car picked up a real bad push. It was a great run -- I am so proud of this team -- I am having the time of my life driving this car. It's going to be hard to get out of it."
AS LONG AS YOU KEEP COLLECTING THESE POINTS WE'RE GOING TO ASK YOU ABOUT BRISTOL -- ANY CHANGE OF MIND?
"You keep asking -- no change yet."
DESCRIBE HOW THIS SEASON HAS UNFOLDED FOR YOU SO FAR
"A dream, just a dream. I was telling Ryan he's one of the strongest crew chiefs I ever worked with. So proud of this U. S. Army team. We had a better car than fifth; it was a third. I couldn't run with those first two -- Gordon and Johnson. On the (final) restart it just picked up a real bad push. I don't know if we had a tire going down or what. I just had to stop going into the corners. I'm thrilled to get a top five when we weren't at our best at the end. It's really a privilege to work with these guys. I am just loving life."
DID YOU EVER IMAGINE IT WOULD BE GOING THIS WELL?
"When we made the announcement in Talladega in October I saw a lot of headlines like Why Mark, Why? I believed this was the place for me and I am really happy I made the move. This is a fantastic organization. It isn't as good as it's going to get. We're going to keep working. I think they want me to hang around for a long time and I like that because I love racing and I love the fans and I'm having the time of my life."
IF YOU'RE STILL THE POINT LEADER GOING INTO BRISTOL WILL YOU STILL STEP ASIDE?
"This was an awful good car today...I was out there having fun. I don't want this to get away as far as having a great team and a great opportunity. We made this deal, they made the deal and Bobby Ginn told me a deal was a deal. I am still happy with the decision I made. But I will tell you with cars like I had at the last three races -- especially today because this was a race I was dreading with this tire and racetrack -- but it was just a dream."
HAS THE THOUGHT AT ALL ENTERED YOUR MIND THAT YOU NEED TO ALTER YOUR PLANS A LITTLE BIT AND CHALLENGE FOR THIS CHAMPIONSHIP?
"Let's just worry about that later. I was happy with the run; I'm happy with the team and happy with what I laid out. We don't need to be talking about that right now."
WHAT WERE THE CONDITIONS LIKE TODAY?
"Not as bad as I expected. Maybe I had a better car. I am just tickled with this U.S. Army Chevy. I expected it to be one of the most painful days on the racetrack that we've had. All the drivers did a fabulous job. They were very careful around each other. I'm not a good driver on this kind of tire...it's not my specialty. I love this car, but we can't take it next week (to Atlanta). And what Ryan (Pemberton) is saying right now, I'm believing. Whatever he says I am taking it to the bank. He's on it."
Martin Maintains Points Lead with Third Consecutive Top-Five Finish
Ginn Racing
March 11, 2007LAS VEGAS (March 11, 2007) -- Mark Martin claimed his third straight top-five finish with a fifth-place result in Sunday's Nextel Cup race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The finish continued Martin's best career start in 20-plus years of Cup racing.
The U.S. Army driver, who is in his first season with Ginn Racing, maintained his lead in the driver point standings. He holds a six-point margin over second place Jeff Gordon. Jeff Burton is third, 42 points behind Martin.
"A dream, just a dream," said Martin when asked to explain his hot start to the 2007 season. "I was just telling Ryan Pemberton that he is one of the best I have ever worked with -- what a strong crew chief."
"The U.S. Army Chevy was fantastic," continued Martin. "We were looking like a third place car but then on the (final) restart the car picked up a real bad push. It was a great run -- I am so proud of this team. I am having the time of my life driving this car. It's going to be hard to get out of it."
Martin started the race 14th and dropped back to 19th early as he worked to feel out the track's newly repaved surface. However, with a fast racecar and sound pit strategy, Martin drove to the front and was in second place by Lap 24 of 267. He would virtually run in the top 10 for the remainder of the race.
"We had a better car than fifth," explained Martin. "I couldn't run with those first two -- (Jeff) Gordon and (Jimmie) Johnson. I'm thrilled to get a top five when we weren't at our best at the end. It's really a privilege to work with these guys and represent our brave soldiers. I am just loving life."
Martin was also pleased with how the race unfolded considering the concerns about the track.
"It wasn't as as bad as I expected," said Martin. "I expected it to be one of the most painful days on the racetrack that we've had. The drivers did a fabulous job and they were very careful around each other."
When asked by a reporter if he ever imagined the season would be going this well, Martin replied, "When we made the announcement in Talladega in October I saw a lot of headlines like 'Why Mark, Why' ? I believed this was the place for me and I am really happy I made the move. This is a fantastic organization. It isn't as good as it's going to get. We're going to keep working. I think they want me to hang around for a long time and I like that because I love racing and I love the fans and I'm having the time of my life."
Martin was also asked the obvious question if he still plans to not drive in Bristol in two weeks.
"No change yet," replied Martin, who has now run in 620 consecutive Cup races. "We made this deal, they made the deal and Bobby Ginn told me a deal was a deal.
Martin will continue in the 01 car next Sunday (March 18) when the circuit will be at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
NASCAR.COM - Martin says car reason for his marked improvement - Mar 11, 2007
Mark Martin Media Visit - Las Vegas
GM Racing
March 9, 2007Mark Martin, NO. 01 U.S. ARMY MONTE CARLO SS, TALKS WITH MEDIA ABOUT RUNNING A PART-TIME SCHEDULE, THE LAS VEGAS TRACK SURFACE AND MORE:
ARE YOU HAVING SECOND THOUGHTS ABOUT YOUR CAREER MOVE?
"Absolutely not. I am so happy. I'm in a great place in my life; with my family, my career and everything else and I haven't had a change in heart and don't expect to. I'm pretty committed. I made a commitment to myself. I probably shouldn't need to go through this again but when I first got started with Jack Roush in 1988, if I recall correctly there was 31 races. The schedule has expanded to 38 and after doing that for 20 years, I'm ready for a break this year. That's not to say if 29 or 30 or 31 was the number; I could probably deal with that. I chased that Cup for nearly 20 years and at this point in time I've put chasing that thing behind me.
"I'm very comfortable with what I've got going on and I appreciate. I especially appreciate about October, at Talladega when we had that press conference I was pretty sure that none of you guys were ever going to talk to me again. I guess things are working out okay so I guess we're all good."
WILL THIS ALLOW YOU TO SPEND A LITTLE MORE TIME WITH YOUR SON'S RACING?
"You know, it's not about racing. Matt's been racing without me and there were times when that was agonizing for me but there's also times that are agonizing for me when he is going to a paintball tournament or anything else. It's more about claiming a portion of my life that I haven't been able to have since I was 15. I made a commitment to go racing and I haven't done much else outside of that along the way. I will get to go racing with Matt some and Ricky Carmichael, which is also exciting for me and part of my role with Ginn Racing. But it's not about his racing, because I don't know that we know if that's what he's going to do with his life. But I do think it's important for me to spend more time around him and around my wife; just a little bit more. It doesn't have to be 24-7 and I need to give some more there. I am very interested in spending a little extra time with the fans who have helped me build this career. That's become more important to me and do a few extra things, maybe for my sponsors and the people who support the sport so much and maybe take my focus off the scoring each and every point that I possible can and agonizing over if this part breaks or if this guy wrecks in front of me and I can't miss him or whatever.
"If you're not chasing for the points and that happens you can shake that off and go home. For me, when I had those kinds of things happen for the last 19 years, I went home and laid in bed all night awake going over it in my head. So you know what, my plan - going back to Monte's question - one of the things that I was going to say was I'm going to sit back this year and watch Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards get as many grey hairs as I have. Because they've got their work cut out for them and even thought they expanded the Chase it's still a competitive field and there's a lot of things that happen on the race track that you can't control."
SPEAKING OF RICKY CARMICHAEL, HOW IS HE COMING ALONG?
"Well, first of all, I want to speak on Regan (Smith). I am very, very excited about working with Regan and I think he's going to do a fabulous job; I think he's going to surprise some people and he's a really fine young man. Ricky has only tested once so far and in our late-model and he's tested in the Ginn late-model one time so far, but he was in the shop yesterday fitting his seat. His first race will be March 24th in one of my late-models and what we're going to do is graduate him through our program as quick as we can to the ARCA, Truck and Busch programs.
"You have to understand; this is going to take a little more time than someone with a race car background. He's incredibly talented, has a work ethic that's second to none, great attitude, humble young man. Fun to work with. He's gone fast in the car already, right away. I think it's going to be fun this first race. He's going to get to race against Matt. That's why I have such a hard time saying never say never, I think you all have asked me if I want to be a car owner, I've said 'no, never.' I guess I meant Nextel Cup. Surely I won't lose my mind and do that. I am going to be running a two-car team this year with Ricky Carmichael, Matt Bowers and Matt Martin running late-models in Florida."
I GUESS HAVING THE PROBLEM OF BEING ASKED TO RACE MORE IF YOU'RE DOING WELL IS A GOOD PROBLEM TO HAVE.
"It is. It's great that we've done so well. I was serious when I said I didn't know if we were going to be able to get any coverage or not with this limited schedule idea that we threw at you guys in October.
"It didn't seem like it was met with the warmest welcome. I'm very proud of this U.S. Army team and Ryan Pemberton and Jay Frye and the commitment that Bobby Ginn has made to this team and all the people who work there. Because they have done really well in the past and maybe not gotten noticed quite as much for it but certainly they have gotten the attention they deserve these last couple of weeks. I'm proud for them and proud to be a part of their organization."
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE RENOVATED LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY?
"The garage is beautiful. Really, really neat. The race track is going to be a challenge and the greatest thing that we can hope for is the brutal summers in Las Vegas will weather this asphalt really quickly and take some of this edge off it. It's a real challenge for the teams and Goodyear to handle the speed that it's producing and the loads that it's putting on the tires. It's going to make things difficult for the teams this weekend."
DID YOU WATCH THE BUSCH RACE AND IF SO, WHAT DID YOU THINK OF MONTOYA'S FIRST NASCAR WIN?
"Did I watch it, absolutely. I practiced for my Bristol weekend this Sunday. I sure did. We had a big barbeque, big cookout, the friends all together and watched it on TV. I knew that Juan Montoya was one of the greatest drivers in the world but boy, did he show everybody on Sunday. In reference to the end of the race and the incident that he and (Scott) Pruett had, it was an unfortunate incident. It was not something that needed to take place for him to win the race. It certainly doesn't discredit the win, by any means. He certainly put on a driving clinic for everyone out there and that was awesome. I think in retrospect, Juan, with five laps to go, had him covered pretty good and got himself in a situation where he couldn't get out of. When Scott went wide to turn into the corner which is how you do, instead of protecting the line, because Juan was so far back, I know that Scott didn't think Juan would get down there inside of him. And Juan didn't thing that Scott wouldn't know he was coming. But he certainly could have made that pass clean next time by and I bet he will next time. It was one of those racing situations and I think the thing that was most important in that for Juan was that it didn't need to take place for him to get the win. He put a whuppin on him."
CAN YOU DETAIL ON THE TRACK WHERE YOU HAVE EXPERIENCED BUMPS?
"It's real bumpy in turn one. Real bumpy. I don't know that I've ever seen a new paved race track be that wavy and with the speeds that we are running and the setups that we run, it poses a challenge to us."
HOW IS IT WAVY?
"Well, it's wavy on the bottom and I'm scared to go up top but when I accidentally stumbled up there it seemed to be wavy for me there too. I certainly don't know. You'll need to check with Kasey Kahne and Michael Waltrip; they'll be riding up there as soon as the track opens and I'm sure they can tell you. But I'm not going up there unless I stumble."
IS THE REST OF THE TRACK PRETTY SMOOTH?
"Yes, the rest of it's okay. I think most of the troubles are with the entry of turn one and around turn two."
IS THERE ANY WAY YOU WOULD CONSIDER RUNNING RACES THAT YOU WERE PLANNING TO SKIP?
"The things that came up before was I was working with a group that might put pressure on me to do things that I might not want to do. I'm not working with a group that is going to do that. I had help in my indecision, number one. Number two, I could run the first 23 but the only problem is I don't want to run Bristol or Martinsville or Talladega or Loudon or the two road courses. That being said, that leaves 28 races and I'm at 23. Would I add to 28, yeah, but what purpose would that serve? Same is what purpose would it serve if I ran the first 23 and took the rest of the year off. I could do that but at 23 that's as far as I might want to go or 28 or whatever. So I don't see any real purpose in that. Because I don't want to run for the championship. I don't want to race for points. In 2007, I'm taking a break. I'll know more about what I want to do after Bristol. If I feel after Bristol how I feel after Mexico last week then I don't know.
"But if I feel sick that I missed the race or if I feel sick during the race that I wish I was there, which I doubt very seriously, then my life might change. I might change my mind. But right now, I've really spilled it. I've named exactly the races that I don't want to do. When I laid out my schedule, I left out some gravy races; some that I would like to do, off the schedule so that Regan could do some in hopes of preparing him for a full-time ride in Cup in 2008. Some races like. the California race I would love to do; I don't particularly like the time that they start that race - five o'clock or whatever it is on Sunday.
"There are a few other races, the Poconos and stuff like that I'd like to do but I just did that because I've come up with a limited number. I was asked by the ESPN guys earlier this week 'is there anything that anyone can do to get you to run a full schedule' and it's like, I don't want to. I don't know what to say. That's where I am on that right now and I don't expect that to change. We've had a little bit of fun going along here but I just don't see that changing. If we can win this race and we could win next week both, I think it would be the coolest thing to continue on with my plan. It think it would be cool. I don't expect to win both but I certainly would like to win one.
SINCE THE TRACK IS ROUGH, IS IT REALLY IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO QUALIFY UP FRONT TODAY TO GET AHEAD OF WHATEVER MAY HAPPEN IN THE FIRST FEW LAPS?
"It is pretty important but it doesn't mean everything. Some of the guys that won't qualify well will certainly not get caught in wrecks and will be able to pull some kind of out of the box pit strategy and get up front. But that's part of the whole frustration of this situation with the tire, with the track, with the fuel cell is that you're going to have that. You'll have people that will do gas only that aren't the best cars and are going to get up in the front. The cars that are really good are going to have to try and fight their way through those guys that are going to try not to give room on the race track. It gets kind of wild out there.
We have the same type of situation at Charlotte, at Lowe's and everybody will make the best of it. The ideal situation would be to qualify up front and never get behind very many cars but that certainly won't happen. Hopefully with these fuel cells, and NASCAR's made a tremendous effort to help us with the situation, and Goodyear has done far beyond. I think the only thing that they could have done is just make stainless steel tires. Tires out of stainless. Besides that I don't know what else they could do to help us. They've done everything that they could do."
IS IT THE LOAD?
"I think it's a load. I think in the old days it was heat, a temperature issue. I think it's just the incredible load. the load that's produced by the weight of the car and the amount of the banking and the amount of grip that you can get puts enormous load on the tires, much more so than if you had less grip. I couldn't get over it. They told me the minimum recommended air pressure - and I was laughing - was qualifying air pressure. What are we going to do for qualifying? It's incredible. 62 pounds of air. We used to run 42, 38 pounds of air on the old race track in the old days, in '98. We probably ran 37 or 38 pounds of air in the right-front tire here. Now we've got 62. And it still has enormous grip so it's incredible the amount of load that's being produced there."
DO YOU HAVE MIXED EMOTIONS WHEN YOU RACE AGAINST THE NO. 6 CAR?
"Well, I haven't yet, but Jeff Burton told me to expect to. No. You know, from behind the wheel, I almost don't know the difference because the view is all the same. And the guys with the U.S. Army team have really given me great cars this year, certainly cars that were comparable to the No. 6 car really in its best days. But where David Reagan and the No. 6 car is concerned, I certainly feel that I'm a piece of that car and that car's a piece of me. I couldn't be more proud of David Reagan as a person and as a driver representing the No. 6 car and he will do that well. I think a lot about Jack Roush. I woke up at three o'clock this morning because that's what time I was supposed to get up on the east coast and I laid there and thought of a lot of things. Jack Roush was one of those that I thought about. About his airplane and his flying and stuff. We're still very close but we've kind of moved on to another chapter."
Points Leader Martin Aims to Expand on Impressive Las Vegas Record With 01 Army Team
Ginn RacingMOORESVILLE, N.C. (March 7, 2007) - If Mark Martin had a choice of tracks he would like to take his Nextel Cup points lead to, Las Vegas Motor Speedway would be high on the list.
In the first nine Cup races at the 1.5-mile oval, the U.S. Army driver has garnered one win (the inaugural race in 1998), four top fives and seven top 10s. Only engine failures in 2003 and 2005 managed to keep him out of the top 10.
Other Las Vegas highlights for Martin include: leading 243 career laps in a Cup car and capturing two poles and two wins in four Busch Series races, with the last victory coming in 2005.
Though Martin is not one to waste time reveling in past accomplishments or even the moment for that matter, his 1998 Las Vegas win still shines bright in his memory.
"I can remember that evening leaving the track on the helicopter following the traditional Victory Lane photos and interviews," recalled Martin, who will make his 620th consecutive start in Vegas. "When I looked down, it occurred to me that this wasn't some dirt track in who knows where. It was a big deal to win at Las Vegas. It was a big deal to win that race that day and we did it. That was something I was very proud of. It still stands out today."
That post-victory emotion was an uncharacteristic feeling for Martin, who admits he remembers little about the majority of his 35 Nextel Cup wins. Throw in 47 Busch wins, 13 IROC wins (both series records) and seven truck wins and it's easy to see how it can all get lost in the mix. Especially when Martin's immediate focus was always to the next town and the next race.
"As soon as one race was over, I was always immediately concerned about the next race," said Martin, driver of the No. 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet. "I took little time to enjoy the moment or ever really think much about it. I was always so worried about how we would do the next time out -- if we had a good car, the right setup or whatever else. But following the victory in Las Vegas, it occurred to me that we had accomplished something special on that day."
The odds of continued success for Martin at Las Vegas stack up even better when considering the trend of "Change" that he has experienced over the years.
His win in 1998 came during the first year with Jimmy Fennig as crew chief when the new team relocated to Mooresville, N.C. Martin finished third in his first year (2002) with Ben Leslie at the helm and fifth in his first year (2004) with Pat Tryson as crew chief. In 2006 Martin carried a new sponsor on the car and finished sixth. When the green flag drops for Sunday's 400-mile event, Martin will not only have a new crew chief in Ryan Pemberton, but a new sponsor (U.S. Army) and a new team (Ginn Racing).
"We're not banking on the odds, but it would be nice to see the trend continue," said Martin, who has posted finishes of second and fifth in the first two races of the current season -- his best start ever in his 20-plus year in Nextel Cup career.
Mark Martin Preview - NASCAR Nextel Cup - UAW-Daimler Chrysler 400
Atop Standings, Martin On A Roll Heading To Vegas
Ginn RacingMark Martin heads to Vegas atop the Nextel Cup point standings for the first time since 2002. Martin is off to the best start of his 20 year NASCAR career and he'll look to build on that this weekend at LVMS.
MARTIN OFF TO CAREER-BEST START
Martin has started the 2007 with back-to-back top five finishes for the first time of his Nextel Cup career.
NUMBER ONE
Despite plans to run a limited schedule in 2007, Martin left California Speedway atop the Nextel Cup points standings for the first time since Sept. 22, 2002. Martin last took the lead in the points standings at the fall Loudon race that season. He held the lead the following week at Dover, and lost it the next week at Kansas when his engine gave late in the race.
AT VEGAS
Martin has been hot in Vegas, collecting seven top-10 and four top-five finishes, including a win in the inaugural event in 1998. Martin finished sixth at Las Vegas last season. He also has two wins and two poles in the Busch race at LVMS, including a Busch win in 2005.
GINN ON THE GO
Martin's number one ranking in the points also marks the first time a car from Ginn Racing has led the points. Martin is also joined in the Nextel Cup top-10 by teammate Joe Nemechek.
SHOULD HE STAY OR SHOULD HE GO NOW
Despite plans for the limited schedule, many speculate that Martin's strong start in 2007 will keep him behind the wheel of the No. 01 U.S. Army Chevy, and while Martin maintains no intention to do so, team owner Bobby Ginn has left the door open if Martin should change his mind.
QUOTING MARK MARTIN ON LAS VEGAS
"I've always enjoyed Las Vegas, and we've had a lot of success there over the years. The win there in 1998 really stands out for a number of reasons. We had a new team and it was the first race there, and I can remember leaving the track that night and looking down from the helicopter on the track and thinking 'wow,' this wasn't some dirt track win. Very rarely in my career have I allowed myself to stop for a second and think about a win or anything, but for a few minutes I did that night. It was a big deal to win at Vegas and we had done that. It's still a special win for me."
ON THE NEW SURFACE AT VEGAS
"They have redone the track surface there since last year and repaved surfaces aren't exactly my strong point. We did have a good test there with the U.S. Army team in January so we are looking forward to going back to Vegas and building on that. From where we were at the test and with the time we have to work with the car this weekend, I think we should be pretty good."
ON LEADING THE POINTS
"I think it's really awesome. We were able to contend for the win in each of the first two races and that says a great deal about Ginn Racing and the U.S. Army Team. We've had fast cars and the guys have been stellar on pit road. Ryan (Pemberton) has done an excellent job with the pit strategies and things are really coming together for this U.S. Army Race Team. We still have a ways to go at Ginn Racing, but we are sure headed in the right direction."
FAST FACTS - LAS VEGAS
Martin has seven top-10 finishes in nine races at LVMS, including four top-fives and a win.
Martin won the inaugural Cup race at Las Vegas in 1998.
Martin has led 243 laps at Las Vegas, including 57 last season.
Martin has finished in the top six of six of his nine races at Las Vegas.
Martin has two poles and two wins in four Busch races at Las Vegas, including a win in the 2005 Busch race.
Martin leads the Nextel Cup point standings for the first time since Sept. 22, 2002.
The Principal Financial Group Expands Sponsorship of Ginn Racing for 2007 NASCAR Season
Package includes two-race primary sponsorship on 01 ChevroletDES MOINES, Iowa--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Principal Financial Group, the nation’s 401(k) leader (see number 1 below) and premiere benefits provider, announced today that its expanded relationship with Ginn Racing will include a two-race primary sponsorship of the No. 01 Chevrolet, co-driven by Mark Martin and Regan Smith during the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup season.
The sponsorship calls for Mark Martin to race the Principal Financial Group Chevrolet at Daytona International Speedway on July 7, and for Regan Smith to race in the Principal Financial Group colors on Sept. 16 at New Hampshire International Speedway.
The Principal will serve as a season-long associate sponsor on Martin and Smith’s No. 01, and on Joe Nemechek’s No. 13 and Sterling Marlin’s No. 14 Ginn Racing Chevrolets.
“Following the excitement of Mark Martin’s close second place finish in the Daytona 500, the Principal Financial Group is thrilled to support his return to Daytona International Speedway,” said Mary O’Keefe, senior vice president and chief marketing officer for the Principal Financial Group. “With Mark mentoring Regan Smith, The Principal is also proud to provide an edge to the next generation of NASCAR.”
The Principal first joined Ginn Racing in August 2006 as an associate sponsor on Marlin’s Waste Management Chevrolet. The company increased its sponsorship in November when The Principal served as primary sponsor of Marlin’s No. 14 and Nemechek’s No. 01 Chevys during the Nextel Cup race at Phoenix International Raceway.
“I look forward to driving the 01 Chevrolet at Daytona with the Principal Financial Group colors,” said Martin. “This is a race we know we can win -- we proved that last month when we came up a few feet short of winning the Daytona 500. Hopefully we can make up the difference at the summer event and put the Principal Financial Group Chevy in Victory Lane. This is an exciting time for our team and we are thrilled about the expanded partnership role that The Principal has undertaken with Ginn Racing.”
The U.S. Army, Martin’s and Smith’s primary sponsor for the balance of the 2007 Nextel Cup season, will have associate sponsor status on the 01 car in both Daytona and New Hampshire.
About the Principal Financial Group:
The Principal Financial Group (The Principal)(see number 2 below) is a leader in offering businesses, individuals and institutional clients a wide range of financial products and services, including retirement and investment services, life and health insurance, and banking through its diverse family of financial services companies and national network of financial professionals. A member of the Fortune 500, the Principal Financial Group has $256.9 billion in assets under management (see number 3 below) and serves some 17.6 million customers worldwide from offices in Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America and the United States. Principal Financial Group, Inc. is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol PFG. For more information, visit www.principal.com.
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 CertainTeed Chevrolet, driven by Joe Nemechek; and the No. 14 Waste Management/Panasonic Broadcast 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 www.ginnracing.com.
1. The Principal ranks number one in plans among companies that provide both administrative and investment services – 2006 Spectrem Group analysis of fully bundled 401(k) providers.
2. "The Principal Financial Group" and “The Principal” are registered service marks of Principal Financial Services, Inc., a member of the Principal Financial Group.
3. As of December 31, 2006
Contacts:
Principal Financial Group
Sonja Sorrel, 515-362-2431
sorrel.sonja@principal.comor
Ginn Racing
David Ferroni, 612-805-8718
davidferroni@aol.com
NASCAR Veteran Mark Martin Taps the Brakes on Long Career at Atlanta Motor Speedway
Atlanta Motor Speedway
HAMPTON, Ga. (March 2, 2007) -- Mark Martin streak of competing in 621 consecutive NEXTEL Cup races is scheduled to come to a screeching halt after the March 18 Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Martin, who is racing a partial NEXTEL Cup Series schedule for Ginn Racing, will run the first four races in 2007 before handing over the reigns of the No. 01 Chevrolet to rookie and teammate Regan Smith for the next two events.
Starting on Feb. 14, 1988 in the Daytona 500, Martin's current streak of NEXTEL Cup starts includes 35 wins and 376 top-10 finishes. Martin is in elite company, sitting fifth on the all-time consecutive start list, behind Ricky Rudd (789), Rusty Wallace (697), Terry Labonte (655) and Dale Earnhardt (648).
Martin plans to attack the Kobalt Tools 500 with the same ferocity and tenacity that he had when he started his first NEXTEL Cup race at the now defunct North Wilkesboro Speedway in 1981.
"I'm going to go out there and give it all I've got, just like I do every weekend," Martin said. "To end the streak with a win at a history-rich track like Atlanta would be incredible and fitting."
Many drivers would have a hard time walking away willingly from such a feat, but Martin takes it in stride and is thankful to have had the opportunity to put the accomplishment together.
"The streak tells you that I was lucky enough to never have taken a sick day and that is something I'm glad for and proud of," said Martin who adheres to a rigorous work-out routine. "There was a lot that went into that streak and a lot of hard work. There were great highs and many lows, but I am proud of it.
"As far as it ending, stuff like that always ends. It would be a lot harder if it were ending with us walking away from NEXTEL Cup altogether, but I'm still able to do what I want to do and we are still running so well, that's really a great thing."
Despite his storied career in NASCAR's elite divisions, Martin is looking forward to sitting on the couch, remote control in hand taking his first day of work off in nearly 20 years.
"I can sit there on my couch and watch those guys run into each other. It's going to be a lot of fun to watch at home, Martin said. "I TIVO all of the races and watch just about all of them after the race is over, but as for the last time I went and watched an entire race, I'm not sure. It's been a long time."
Martin will trade his aluminum racing seat for a recliner following the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway with no regrets.
"I'm and old guy and it's been a long time," Martin said. "I think I'll be pretty relieved not to be racing 38 times a year and not to be running the type of schedule that we have been used to for so long. I know that sitting home on a weekend and spending good quality time with my family will be a great thing."
Great seats are still available to the entire Kobalt Tools 500 race weekend and can be obtained by calling 877-9-AMS-TIX or by visiting www.atlantamotorspeedway.com.
