NASCAR's Mark Martin
2009 Season Articles - July
MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 CHEEZ-IT/CARQUEST IMPALA SS, met with members of the media at Pocono Raceway and discussed his thoughts on his teammate Jimmie Johnson, his success at Pocono, his season so far and much more.
WE'RE HALF WAY THROUGH THE RACE TO THE CHASE, YOU'VE BEEN THERE ABOUT THE WHOLE WAY, WHAT IS IT GOING TO TAKE TO GET THERE THE REST OF THE WAY? "Well it's really close. It's really a dog fight. I think that everyone that's in the running for a position there are performing well. For us we can't have any more stubbed toes. If we don't stub our toe we should be fine."
DO YOU THINK THERE SHOULD BE ANY CHANGES IN PIT ROAD SPEEDOMETERS IN THE CAR? "I have wondered why we don't have speedometers but the tach's work well. The pit road speed thing works well. It is what it is. It's electronic. The way they check them and the tach's are not quite as accurate as a speedometer might be but the system works. It's just really devastating when you have one of the races of your life slip through your fingers. I don't blame him (Juan Pablo Montoya) for being upset. I think there may be an explanation for it on their end. I don't know. I've heard some things but I don't know."
LAST WEEKEND YOU CALLED (JIMMIE) JOHNSON SUPERMAN, WAS THAT SPECIFIC TO WHAT HAPPENED SUNDAY OR WAS THAT A GENERAL COMMENT AND WHY DID YOU CALL HIM THAT? "No I have actually called him that several times this year. I think I said that before we got our first win. Trying to beat that guy is like trying to beat superman. You know why, look at the results they get. From the sheer number of successes they've had to the incredible comebacks that just are almost beyond belief. They certainly rebound consistently better than anybody in the series for several years now. It was a sheer compliment."
TALK ABOUT FINISHING IN THE RUNNER-UP POSITION HERE SIX TIMES AND WHAT YOU'VE LEARNED SINCE THE LAST TIME WE WERE HERE. "This has been a good race track for me. A really good race track performance wise. It's one of those that has been a bit of a surprise that we haven't won at because we've run so well so many times. Out of all those races that we've been here, we've only had a very few dominating cars. We just had a lot of really good cars. We were dominating here at this race last year with the No. 8 car and didn't manage to close the deal based on some trouble that we had I think on pit road and some other times too back through the years. The thing we learned last time we were here was that we weren't happy with our set-up of our car. We're doing a little bit of different set-up stuff now, things that we've learned and used at Michigan and Chicago and Indy. We're going to apply that logic to the car and I'm pretty optimistic we'll have a strong effort come Sunday. We've been good but we needed to take a step from where we were last time here. So we're going to use a different thought process. A little bit more like what has been working for us more recently."
HOW DOES THIS SEASON COMPARE WITH THE REST OF YOUR CAREER AS FAR AS EXCITEMENT, YOUR ENERGY LEVEL AND HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT THE GAME? "You have to understand I can't relive 1998 or 1990 or any of those and those are sort of distant memories. This is the best to me to answer your question, the best ever. But I'm living the moment too. I'm living it every day. Certainly loving it and I never imagined that I could be having this much fun or having this much success or be this happy out here racing every week. I've got to give a lot of credit to Alan Gustafson (crew chief) and our race team for that, making it fun."
WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO STAY ON TOP OF YOUR GAME AS YOUR CAREER GOES ON? "I'm exploiting every strength, all my strengths to the max. Obviously I can't do a whole lot more with my short comings. So rather than focusing on my short comings right now I'm really focusing on my strengths. My training has been huge and nutrition, health and fitness has played a huge part in it but that's not all of it. Somehow or another I have managed to stay hungry and have the fire and desire that I had from the very start if not more fueled by the knowing. I can see somewhere out there the end of this and I want to make the most of it while I can. I'm having a blast."
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT JUST HOW YOU AND ALAN (GUSTAFSON) HAVE GAINED TRUST IN EACH OTHER AND EACH WEEK IT JUST SEEMS YOU GUYS ARE GETTING BETTER AND BETTER? "We've just got to know each other. I think we did a great job in performing well and getting a lot out of our race cars, but we've just gotten more and more comfortable in figuring out how we can help one another be better and stronger and getting more out of our race cars from getting to know each other. Especially from me getting to know the Hendrick tools, tuning tools, getting to know their cars a little bit better. This team is incredible. Alan and the guys that back him up are so bright and we just keep figuring out how to apply all of that in just a little bit better and more efficient manner."
LOOKING BACK AT YOUR BEGINNINGS, DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU LOST TIME COMING INTO NASCAR A LITTLE LATER? "Well I wouldn't be the person that I am today had I not gone through all those things. It scares me to think about achieving instant success like I did to start with. The first five races I ran I had two poles, a third and a seventh-place finish. Had that continued for me I certainly wouldn't be the man that I am today. The hardship, heartbreak, the humility, a very, very humbling experience ever getting here and a character building experience. The 19 years I spent with Jack Roush were important years in my career and I have absolutely no regrets."
EARLIER WHEN YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT COMPARING THE SEASONS YOU SAID THERE'S UNFINISHED BUSINESS, YOU'RE TRYING TO MAKE THE MOST OF THIS YEAR SEEING THAT THE END IS IN SITE AS FAR AS YOUR CAREER GOES, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN IN TRYING TO MAKE THE MOST OF WHAT TIME YOU HAVE LEFT? "First of all I don't think I said there was any unfinished business. I don't think I said that and I'm sorry if I implied that. I certainly didn't mean to imply that. What I mean is that when I was 35 years old I thought this would never end. In 1990 when we turned up second in the points and missed the championship by 26 points and we got a 46-point penalty it was no big deal because I knew there were going to be more. I could see no end to all this. At this stage in my career I understand that the opportunity for me to win four races in half a season there's probably not 20 more years of that. Are you starting to get the picture of what I was trying to say there? That's really what I was getting at. I understand that this won't last forever and this is the best it's ever been for me. I'm at the best place in my life mentally, physically, emotionally that I've ever been and by the way I'm having the most fun and getting as good of a result as I ever have if not better. So why wouldn't I? I'm willing to work as hard as it takes to continue that and to stay at the level that I'm at. Whether it's training, nutrition, having your head in the game, meetings, you name it. Whatever it takes I'm willing to do. I'm not trying to skate along here and ride this thing out. I'm all in. Everything I've got is in."
YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT THE HUNGER, HOW MUCH DOES THAT COME FROM THE TIME OFF FROM FULL-TIME COMPETITION? "It did a lot because you know in 2005 and 2006 I was really, really burned out and I was in a position emotionally and physically where I was drained. Although I still had great passion for racing it wasn't like it is now. I had a chance for two years where I took 24 weekends off and had a chance to do all the things I wanted to do and get rested. Now there's no place in the world I rather be this weekend than at Pocono. Whereas maybe two or three years ago I might have been thinking boy I wish I was on the beach somewhere. I don't know. That's basically the idea. That's pretty much where I'm at. I'm mentally the toughest I've ever been in my career right now. I think that also makes a difference. And your attitude has a lot to do with whether or not you're having fun. You can do the same thing with a good attitude and have a blast or you can have a bad attitude and do those same things and be miserable. So all those things are really working in my favor right now. I've got a good attitude."
Mark Martin NASCAR Sprint Cup Race Preview - Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500
EVERYTHING BUT A WIN: In 45 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Pocono Raceway, Mark Martin has scored 19 top-five finishes, 31 top-10s and three pole positions. Pocono is one of only five tracks where Martin has yet to visit Victory Lane.
SO CLOSE: Martin has finished in the runner-up position at Pocono six times, which ties a personal record. He also has recorded six second-place finishes at Dover (Del.) International Speedway and Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.
MORE POCONO BESTS: Martin's 31 top-10 finishes and 37 lead-lap finishes at Pocono are the most for the NASCAR veteran at any active racetrack. Meanwhile, his 19 top-fives rank second for Martin just behind the 21 he has recorded at Dover. He has an average start of 8.7 and an average finish of 10.8 at the Long Pond, Pa., triangle.
LOOP STATISTICS: During the past four years at Pocono Raceway, Martin holds the third-best running position of 10.8 among all Sprint Cup drivers. He has raced inside the top 15 for 1,350 laps, just 12 less than points leader Tony Stewart. Martin also holds the sixth-highest driver rating at 98.1.
THE NO. 5 TEAM: Under the direction of crew chief Alan Gustafson, the Kellogg's/CARQUEST team has competed in nine races at Pocono Raceway, earning one top-five finish and two top-10s. In the team's first race under Gustafson at the track in 2005, it rebounded from a 38th-place starting spot to finish fourth -- the team's best finish to date there with Gustafson.
CHASE RACE: With his runner-up finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Martin advanced two positions to ninth in the Sprint Cup standings. Martin is now inside the Chase by 110 points. He trails fifth place by 85 points.
INDY CHASSIS: Gustafson has chosen Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-550 for Sunday's race at Pocono. This is the same chassis that Martin drove to his second-place finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway last Sunday.
THE BIG CHEESE: The No. 5 Chevy, which has visited Victory Lane more times than any other car in 2009, will sport the Cheez-It paint scheme this weekend at Pocono. The Cheez-It/CARQUEST Chevrolet has competed in three other races this season, including the team's second victory of the year at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway in May.
BABY, BABY: Dan Graves, tire specialist on the Cheez-It/CARQUEST Chevrolet, and wife Natasha welcomed identical twin boys -- Briggs and Wyatt -- to their family on Tuesday.
HENDRICK AT POCONO: In 50 Cup events (161 starts) at Pocono Raceway, Hendrick Motorsports has scored 11 wins, 48 top-five finishes and 82 top-10s. Hendrick drivers have led 2,510 laps during that time.
APPROACHING A MILESTONE: On Aug. 22 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, Martin will make his 1,000th career NASCAR start. That date will mark his 746th Sprint Cup race. Martin also has competed in 231 Nationwide Series and 23 Camping World Truck Series events. He is the third driver to achieve this mark, behind only Richard Petty and Michael Waltrip. Across all three series, Martin has won 93 points-paying events.
ONE-TWO FINISH(ES): Out of Hendrick Motorsports' eight Cup wins this season, five have involved one-two finishes with its drivers. Hendrick's drivers have scored the first and second spots at Chicagoland Speedway, Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Michigan International Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway. Overall, Hendrick Motorsports has tallied 27 one-two finishes since first fielding a multi-car team in 1986.
HENDRICK ON FACEBOOK: Become a fan of Hendrick Motorsports on Facebook and keep up with Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the rest of Hendrick Motorsports. Visit www.facebook.com/HendrickMotorsports for more information.
QUOTES
MARK MARTIN, DRIVER, NO. 5 CHEEZ-IT/CARQUEST CHEVROLET (ON WHAT HE LEARNED FROM THE LAST POCONO RACE.): "We weren't real happy with the way our car handled at Pocono in June. We had a lot of ideas about what we would try going back there. We talked about all of that. But since then, we've learned a lot from Chicago and Indy that will relate to Pocono as well. I think, as a team, Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) and I, as well as Lee (Deese, engineer) and Chris (Heroy, engineer) are all growing. We're still growing. I feel more momentum now than I did in the first five races. I feel like we've really got some forward momentum in understanding what we need to do to get these cars from a top-10 team to a contender. It seems like we've been real successful at that over the past few weeks. Hopefully we can carry that in to Pocono."
MARTIN (ON HOW DOUBLE-FILE RESTARTS HAVE PROGRESSED FROM THEIR INCEPTION AT POCONO IN JUNE.): "The rule is still about the same as what I felt in the beginning. It's for the fans. From a competitor's standpoint, you win some and you lose some. Hopefully that will even out over the long haul. I think it's added excitement for the fans. I kind of dread Watkins Glen with it. Now that Indy is out of the way -- I thought that would be the biggest hurdle. Now I think the Glen will be even bigger. Indy had no big events. Who knows, maybe the Glen will be the same way."
MARTIN (ON HIS FOCUS OVER THE NEXT SIX RACES.): "I'm still trying to be 13th (in points) in my mind. It seemed to work at Chicago. And seemed to work at Indy. I'm trying not to think about it other than feeling on the outside looking in. We have a 100-point cushion right now. I'd like to see 200 with the amount of races left. That's not really possible to come out of Pocono like that. We're not safe yet. We're still one little stump of our toe, and we're going to be back there again. I don't feel comfortable about points, but I'm not thinking about them either. I just want to keep thinking that we're on the outside looking in. We race to win. And that's been working for us."
ALAN GUSTAFSON, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 CHEEZ-IT/CARQUEST CHEVROLET (ON WHAT HE LEARNED FROM THE LAST POCONO RACE.): "Pocono is such a specific track. It's very unique. After the June race we've learned a little more of what we're going to battle with our cars, what Mark (Martin, driver) needs and what we, as a team, can do better. We had a pretty decent car last time, but the race just didn't play into our hands. We've learned what areas we can improve, and I think that we can do that this Sunday. This team continues to improve each week, and hopefully what we've learned from last Pocono to now will really shine."
GUSTAFSON (ON WHAT IT TAKES TO TURN A CAR AROUND SO QUICKLY FROM INDIANAPOLIS FOR THIS WEEKEND'S RACE AT POCONO.): "Basically we replace all of the suspension components, the engine and the driveline. Fortunately for us, the car from Indy was in really good shape so we didn't have to do any body work or painting. The guys on this team work so hard, and they didn't let me down this week. Everything was like clockwork. It didn't feel any different from a normal week at the shop."
Martin finds fountain of youth at Hendrick
Mark Martin laughs often. He smiles and jokes with his competitors, seems genuinely in admiration of his teammates and thrilled to be back behind the wheel full time.
He's 50 years old but brings the enthusiasm of a 20-something to the sport. In some ways, it's hard to believe he's raced for more than 20 consecutive seasons. In others, it seems as if he's been around even longer.
Martin gained acclaim in the sport racing along side Dale Earnhardt, Rusty Wallace and Darrell Waltrip. He's battled Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart for titles. He helped build what is known as Roush Fenway Racing into a dynasty.
He's outlasted sponsors and a generation of competitors. He's competed in the Cup ranks through three name changes.
Yet, he's refreshed and recharged this season, his first with Hendrick Motorsports.
For much of his career, rightly or wrongly, Martin was viewed as somewhat of a pessimist. He would often candidly assert after a win that it could be his last and therefore, should be enjoyed. He refused to talk about championships and his potential legacy in NASCAR. He's lived in the land of high expectations before and, aware of the disappointment that it can craft, refused to return there.
So he simply did not.
That remains true today, but somehow it is viewed differently. Perhaps that's because Martin himself seems different these days.
He just seems happier.
Martin has, at times, seemed giddy this season and will tell anyone who will listen how much he is enjoying this season. Even his teammates, who have competed against his for years, have taken note.
"Look at Mark, the guy is non-stop." Jimmie Johnson, who tabbed him the Bionic Man Sunday, says. "... He is one unique individual. I think he's almost happy, too. He's getting there. Scary, right?"
Martin has fined-tuned that ability to enjoy the wins — he has four this season — and top performances and appears ready to roll with the punches when things go wrong. Certainly he's not immune to the harsh realities of those setbacks. He's lived much of the season outside of or near the cutoff for the Chase For The Sprint Cup and admits it would be heartbreaking to see his team miss that field since he respects crew chief Alan Gustafson and his group so much.
For years, Martin has honed the ability to manage working with younger talent while also competing at the Cup level.
Apparently, he still takes time to mentor other drivers.
"He's always been so big, and I keep asking him questions," Earnhardt Ganassi Racing's Juan Pablo Montoya said earlier this season. "He's been a big help. It's funny because he's been around so long that he understands this car, he understands the business and he's a cool guy to have around like that."
He's been around so long that drivers he's fostered since they were young are now the ones competing against him. Like 19-year-old Joey Logano, who Martin has touted for years as the next big thing for the Cup series.
"He's been an idol of mine since I was real little," Logano says.
Now, he's one that's back with a team that can showcase his talent. While he refuses to discuss any possibility of a championship — Martin has been a runner-up four times but has never won the title — he does speak well and insightfully about his season each week. Even when things aren't going his way. He has a series-leading four wins this season but is only ninth in the standings. Still, he's not publicly getting caught up in any will he-won't he talk.
Instead, he remains intently focused while also finding the lighter side of the sport.
And he seems to be enjoying every minute of it. Just look at how he's reacting to his season.
On being passed late and finishing second at Indy: "I'm actually just grateful that I had a chance to race for the win."
On sitting on the Chase bubble and heading into a restrictor-plate race: "You go out here and you race and we take our lumps and we take our good days. Some days we get more than we deserve, and some days we don't get what we deserve. We just go out here and do our thing and hope it turns out well."
On his up-and-down season: "I wouldn't trade much of what has been going on for anything. I'm just really elated to have the opportunity to experience three wins and the opportunity to work with Alan and my team with the five car and everybody at Hendrick Motorsports. And I am really, really, really proud of them and proud of what we have accomplished, and we'll just keep fighting every day. But I certainly wouldn't trade our season for a consistent one that hadn't won. That's for sure."
On whether he ever feels his age: "That adrenaline is something, there's nothing like it. When I'm pumped up driving fast racecars, I certainly don't feel 50. But I do on Monday mornings ... These guys have made me feel really, really good and really special. Even on the days when I stub my toe, they're the first ones to pat me on the back."
Those around him admire his physical fitness, his respectful style of racing, his attitude. Crew chief Alan Gustafson speaks of Martin showing his intelligence in how he manages races. Team owner Rick Hendrick points out the raw talent Martin brings to the sport. Others see him as a guy they want to be around on the track.
"Mark is very much a gentleman when it comes to giving and taking," Stewart-Haas Racing's Ryan Newman said.
But Martin just takes it all in — both the good and the bad.
This year, he's keeping it all in perspective.
How does he view things?
"It's been my day this year, all year," he says.
Mark Martin Post Race Interview – Allstate 400
An interview with: MARK MARTIN - 2nd
KERRY THARP: We're pleased to be joined now in the media center by our race runner up of today's Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, that's Mark Martin. His runner up finish today moves him up to ninth in the points standings.
Mark, just a good afternoon of racing for you. Your thoughts about how things unfolded.
MARK MARTIN: Well, you know, I'm grateful to my race team, Alan, all the guys on the 5 car, Rick Hendrick. You know, I was hoping to be in the fray, and we were definitely in that. Drove my heart out. Gave it everything I had.
I'm actually just grateful that I had a chance to race for the win. Would have liked to have won it, but got beat by Superman.
KERRY THARP: Questions for Mark Martin.
Q: We had a discussion yesterday about the fact that in your position in the points, worrying about getting into the Chase, had you to kind of temper things when you were going for a win. When Jimmie was on your outside, did you worry about that, or was it all out going for what you could?
MARK MARTIN: You can't win if you wreck. I was driving as fast as I could without wrecking, man.
Q: You got to think someday it's going to be your day in one of the these events.
MARK MARTIN: You can say what you want, but I've had some days this year. That's not the way to approach me. It's been my day this year, all year. I'd love to have won the race. But I'm very grateful to have had a chance at it. I got beat. I didn't get her done. But I gave it my heart. So did my race team. I'm grateful for it.
Q: Does it ever wear on you thinking of all these second place finishes in big events?
MARK MARTIN: It's better than 42nd, man.
Q: Could you compare Jimmie today to your first impression of him as a rookie driver on this series.
MARK MARTIN: Well, a rookie driver in the Nationwide Series or rookie season in the 48?
Q: 48.
MARK MARTIN: He's just got more experience. He was a fierce competitor the day he strapped in that 48 car. Didn't seem like a lot of learning curve for him. But, you know, they have gotten stronger and better. Their communication's really good, between him and Chad. His cape don't get tangled around his neck much. He gets her done.
Q: During your pole conference you mentioned the fact that you were happy to be just in the fray, you were expecting a dogfight today. Did you end up in the dogfight with the drivers you expected to be in with?
MARK MARTIN: Yeah. I expected it to be Montoya and Jimmie, yeah. And I also expected the 9. When I look up there, I didn't miss that by much. The 14, I knew he'd be strong, Tony. The guys that I expected to run good ran good today.
Those race teams, they're getting it done right now. Kasey Kahne, Montoya, all those guys. They're getting her done. It's pretty much what I expected. It was an awesome team effort by everybody at the 5 car. I'm just a lucky guy to get to drive it.
KERRY THARP: This is Mark's 10th top 10 this year, 2009. It's your 10th top 10 here at Indianapolis, too. Congratulations.
Q: It seemed like the cars that were fast at the beginning of the race were the same cars that were fast at the end. Would you say that had to do with the race starting early in the day? Why is that?
MARK MARTIN: That's a good point. I guess it's just circumstances. This tire, the way it reacted, was very consistent through the run. The track was very consistent today. The balance didn't change on the cars very much. So pretty much what you had when you started, if you were good, you were gonna be good. And if you were not good, it was probably going to be a challenge to get real good on the pit stop.
Q: Last couple laps you had some runs on Jimmie. Was there anywhere on the track you thought you could get around him the last two laps?
MARK MARTIN: Yes, absolutely. I was beating Jimmie pretty bad off of turn two. I knew that for the last 15 laps for sure. But he was beating me pretty bad off of four. I was gonna have to make it happen off of two. I made some great runs. But I really thought several of the times I was gonna hit the wall over there. I absolutely could not go any faster. In fact, I can't believe I didn't. The third to the last lap, the last lap both, I went through there beyond my good judgment to get those runs. It just wasn't enough.
Q: Your view of the side by side start and how you made your choice which side to be on.
MARK MARTIN: You know, I think the restarts did their job again today. They changed the outcome. I think the only way you're gonna make it exciting at the end of the day is change the outcome, that way you have to watch. You don't know what's gonna happen. You never know when there's gonna be a caution or a 'green white checkered'. When you have that, it doesn't matter which lane you choose, when you stack the other driver next to you, anything can happen anywhere back in there, as you saw at Chicago.
That rule is for the fans. You're gonna win some and lose some on it.
Q: You mentioned you were so much better off of two and Jimmie was good off of four. It would seem to be similar corners. Why would it be different on each end?
MARK MARTIN: You know, you can ask any driver, Tony will tell you, they are the same, but they are not anywhere like the same. They're four completely different corners. I don't know how that can be when they visually appear to be the same.
TONY STEWART: I know, but I'm not telling you (laughter).
MARK MARTIN: He knows, but he's not telling me. I'm pretty dumb. All I can tell you, when I drive it, I know they look alike, but they're not alike.
Q: Can you talk about Montoya. Talk about his race, what happened to him.
MARK MARTIN: I feel really bad. If I or my teammates couldn't have won this race, I was absolutely pulling for Juan. They sure had the car today.
But, you know, they'll keep doing that. Their day will come. But it's tough. It's happened to every one of us, those days you'll have. The great days are still coming for them.
Q: Can you go through the last restart for us, what happened there.
MARK MARTIN: Well, I got a reasonable start there. Was really looking optimistic. But I never got quite clear him on the straightaway, then he got the side draft, just pulled him completely up beside me. I just didn't manage to get a good enough jump. I tried to get a good one, and it was good, but I needed another three feet to clear him. If I'd have done that, you know, then the race would have been on. I still might not have been able to stay in front of him for a few laps. His car was better early, and mine was better later in runs.
Anyway, side draft pulled him back up there beside me. Going into that corner side by side, I went as fast as I could go without wrecking. Wasn't sure. I wasn't sure I wasn't gonna wreck anyway. I knew it was for the win. I did everything I could.
KERRY THARP: Mark, thank you very much. Great job out there today. Good luck at Pocono.
MARK MARTIN: Thank you, guys.
Mark Martin Post Race Notes and Quotes – Allstate 400
MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 CARQUEST/KELLOGG'S IMPALA SS -- FINISHED 2ND:
HECK OF A POINTS RUN AND HECK OF A POINTS DAY FOR YOU TOO, TALK ABOUT THAT BATTLE WITH JIMMIE JOHNSON.
"He's the best man. That guy is superman. It was a great race. I want to thank Kellogg's, Carquest, Chevrolet and everybody at Hendrick Motorsports, all our teammates especially Alan Gustafson and the No. 5 team."
YOU HAD A COUPLE OF RUNS AT JIMMIE DID YOU JUST NOT HAVE ENOUGH TO GET BY?
"He was better than I was off of (turn) four and I was better than he was off of (turn) two so I knew I had to make it happen off of two but wadding it up wasn't a great idea either. Both of us are driving for all we are worth and I couldn't get him."
YOU ANTICIPATED A BATTLE TO THE VERY END, CAN YOU GIVE US AN IDEA OF HOW THE RACING WAS OVER THE COURSE OF THE 160 LAPS?
"I asked for a chance and Alan (Gustafson) and all our No. 5 team, Kellogg's, Carquest and all the guys that support us, everybody at Hendrick Motorsports gave me a chance and that's all I ask for."
Mark Martin Post Qualifying Interview – Allstate 400
Allstate 400 at the Brickyard Post-Qualifying Transcript
An interview with: MARK MARTIN - Pole winner
KERRY THARP: Our polesitter for tomorrow's Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, none other than Mark Martin, driver of the No. 5 Carquest/Kellogg's Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. His fourth pole of the 2009 season, his first pole here at Indianapolis. I'm told that at the age of 50, you've become the oldest pole winner in any major event in the hundred year history of this racetrack. Congratulations, Mark. Your thoughts about sitting on the pole for tomorrow's race.
MARK MARTIN: I like making history. That's cool (laughter).
You know what, yesterday was a lot of fun for me. We struggled through race trim practice and then we went into Q trim and we made improvements. We made three qualifying runs. The last one was about 10 minutes left of practice. We went to the top of the board. You should have seen the light in all my guys' faces. I mean it, that's the most, the very most fun of the whole thing that we're doing here, is to see their faces. It's just really, really cool.
So we got to do it again today. It feels really cool. I love those guys. I'm a pretty tough unit. I've had a lot of disappointments. But I feel toward them like you do toward your children. I don't want them to have to suffer through disappointment. So I put a lot of pressure on myself to get a good lap today so that I wouldn't let them down. So that long, drawn out wait to go qualify, it felt like a long time to me. I was sure glad when I got the lap over with and the lap time was so good.
KERRY THARP: Questions for Mark Martin.
Q: I don't know how much of a golf fan you are, but did you have a chance to check in on what Tom Watson was doing last week? What's going on? Is there hope for the 49 year olds like myself?
MARK MARTIN: There's hope, buddy. Did you see Bill Elliott out there today? Believe me, there's hope (smiling). The guy's still got it. He's still pushing the button.
Yeah, it's pretty cool. Like I said, you know, before, heck, if you can make any kind of history, it's usually a good thing. I don't know. I'm sure loving it.
I can promise you one thing: no matter what, there is nobody in NASCAR having more fun than me (laughter). I'm sure about that. Ultimately, that's really what it's about.
Q: Did you watch any of Watson?
MARK MARTIN: I did hear peripherally. It's not on my radar screen. I did hear about it, and do watch the news and check the news. I knew a little bit about what's going on.
But if it doesn't have wheels on it, I don't know much (smiling).
Q: What do you see as the difference between this year's car and last year's car?
MARK MARTIN: You know, I had an awesome car last year. We set on the outside pole last year. The 8 car was awesome, spectacular. But we couldn't keep a right rear tire on it as long as most of them. I didn't get to race Jimmie and Jeff. Don't know that I could have anyway, but I didn't get a chance to.
This car is just really special. It is big horsepower, great handling. The men that make this car are the real stars and the real heroes behind the scenes, starting with Alan Gustafson, working down to guys that work in the shop that don't get nearly the kind of credit that even Alan does. They're the ones that make the car special, all the guys in the engine shop and in the chassis shop.
Q: Dale Jr. said a few minutes ago he said what makes the difference later in a driver's career still being competitive is the fact you're staying in shape, you're healthy. Obviously that's what you think is a big part of your success. Do you feel at a later age you become a better driver, thanks to maturity and things you've seen?
MARK MARTIN: You know, there's no question that there are some elements that deteriorate. On the other hand there are some elements that you can use as your strengths: experience and judgment, you've seen situations before. In my case, I've made the wrong decision and learned from it, or whatever, like that. All I can do is use my strengths. That's all I can do. I can't do anything about my weaknesses. You know, I can't help it that I got to have reading glasses to read a menu. There's not much I can do about that, or whatever.
So what I do is I focus on my strengths. I'm trying to make the very most out of my career. And physical fitness, health and fitness is a part of that. My quality of life from here going forward is very dependent on that. That's something that I just don't think you can afford to let go.
I look back and 30 years ago I moved to Indiana. I didn't come out to race here. I was up the road. I could tell you every pothole and crack that was in the roads, the beltway around Indy here, the road that goes up to North Liberty, all that stuff. When I look back on that, I can't relive those days. The only ones I can live are the ones going forward.
I happen to have the same fire and desire that I had 30 years ago. Not everyone, you know, has that. Maybe three years ago I didn't have as much either. I had a chance to look at it and say, What I want in life, what do I want out of life, and can I still do this. I think that's a very important question that I asked myself.
The 8 car was really the one that answered the question. You know, we ran so good in the 8 car that it gave me the confidence that I could probably still do it. I don't want to race to make laps, even though this is where my the people at the racetrack are my family and have been my family for a long time.
Q: Last year at Pocono you said, I'm going to come to Indy and win. That didn't happen. Do you have any predictions for tomorrow?
MARK MARTIN: No, I'm not even thinking about it. We've got a lot of work today. I'm going to stay focused on that. I prefer not to think about what possible result could be tomorrow.
I can tell you I think it's gonna be a dogfight for this race. I really do. I'd like to be in the fray. That's about as far as I'll go thinking about it.
Q: In your younger days the expectations on you were very high. When you get up to this age, expectations go down from the media, from the fans. Does that take pressure from you that you don't feel now?
MARK MARTIN: It's such a great question, and it is so true. The media still had greater expectations than I wish they would have coming into the season. They scared me a little bit because they had such high expectations.
But really to answer your question, my expectations were what eventually just ground me into the ground and took the fun out of racing for me. That, along with burnout, being burned out, tired, frustrated, what have you, pretty much took the fun out of it.
So to be able to be rejuvenated after a couple years of catching my breath, then to have some crazy surge of success that we're experiencing, is beyond my dreams. It's meeting anyone who even had the highest of expectations, we're meeting right now. So that's pretty good, too.
Q: Mark, obviously you're one of the older drivers in the series. You're constantly the oldest to do this, to do that. Do you ever get tired of hearing about your age with your successes?
MARK MARTIN: No. You know, in other words, it's not offensive to me at all. It's just fine to be recognized for doing something. A lot of my career I felt like there were times when I wasn't, so I'll take it right now (laughter).
It's okay. It's okay. At least we are having fun and we're having success. It's always fun to beat the odds. I believe that we are beating the odds.
Q: You talked about hoping to be in the fray tomorrow. You've been a part of NASCAR's venture to Indy since its inception. I know you didn't want to make predictions, but where does this race rank in the scheme of things? Would you consider it a big accomplishment if it were to happen?
MARK MARTIN: It would be a great accomplishment. It is really the number two crown jewel of stock car racing, I think. But, like I've always said, you don't get to choose where you win. If you're lucky, you get to win.
You know, for me, if I get to win, and it don't happen to be Indy, I'll take it. But, you know, if we could win Indy, I'll certainly take that as well. It would be a big win for my race team and it would be a big win for me, for my career, especially at this point in time.
Q: Rick Hendrick has a way of making dreams come true. He did it for Terry Labonte in '96 when people thought Terry might have been past his prime. What is it about this man? He makes dreams come true for people, especially racers.
MARK MARTIN: He does. And don't forget Tim Richman, when he came back from being sick. That's got to be one of the biggest overlooked stories. It is a big deal to me anyway. I don't know.
He's a special guy, and I think he takes a little extra pride in that. I think he and Jeff Gordon both are enjoying our success because they were the biggest believers in this. Jeff was a huge supporter of Rick persuading me to do this, as well. I think doing something that some people thought couldn't be done, I think they enjoy it. I think they're enjoying it.
Q: Juan Pablo was in here earlier talking about the position he's in in points. As much as he would love to win this race, he can't afford to risk a bad points day to do it. You're in a comparable position. How do you approach tomorrow?
MARK MARTIN: For me it's fairly much the same as my entire career. Frickel taught me in 1977 in order to finish first, first you must finish. If you watched Chicago, you saw an example of that. There was a point inside of a dozen laps to go that it looked like I might not win that race. Because I led the most laps and was fixing to not win the race, wrecking wasn't going to fix that. So I kept racing, fighting, and it turned out to happen for me.
I understand what Juan Pablo is saying. It reflects in his racing. He's one of the best racecar drivers I've ever seen in my lifetime. I'm really, really excited to see him having the success that he's having, really getting his arms around such a different form of racing than what he grew up doing and experiencing.
Q: You're having a lot of success now. Going back to the North Liberty days, you had a lot of success then as a young driver. Are you having more fun now than you did then?
MARK MARTIN: That was pretty much fun (laughter). That was pretty much fun. My first winter in that shop in North Liberty, it had a tin roof with no insulation, and we heated it with a space heater, kerosene. I was a teenager. Out on my own making it, without parental supervision, so to speak. It was the first chance to be out there in the world doing it on your own. It was really fun.
We had tremendous success. But there's been a lot of days since then. A lot of the fun finally either dwindled away or was taken for granted. Some of it was taking for granted how much this sport means to me, how little I want to do. What do I want to do? I had enough time off to figure out, Okay, I think I'd like to be at the racetrack driving the fastest car at the track. I think I'd rather be doing that than anything else. So that's what we're doing now.
But those days were very, very fun. Adventurous, very adventurous. To me, this adventure with Hendrick Motorsports is a little bit adventurous, as well, if you can understand. It's all new. We're doing probably what many people thought couldn't be done.
You know, I questioned myself whether or not I could do the job. I certainly didn't expect to have this kind of success. I just hoped to have some success. I had no idea it would be so spectacular.
Q: Mark, you made the comment after your lap that you left a little bit out there, probably could have run a flat if you had been a little bit younger. The guys on TV mentioned that may not have been the case; if you were younger, you may have pushed it too hard and hurt yourself. Do you think you got the most you could?
MARK MARTIN: Let me kind of take you through that lap. 49 seconds is actually quite a long lap, a long time. When I left the pits and went into turn three, the car got loose right away. Wasn't really at a hundred percent speed yet. That concerned me. It was free off of four coming to the green. I went into one, I knew I was going to be loose. It was pretty free, pretty eventful. I did two, and it was pretty eventful. I thought about it for quite a long time going down the backstretch.
I went into three, like in my phrase, 'young and dumb,' and it was pretty eventful. When I got off of that one, I had this quick flash in my head of the 5 car on the wrecker, and therefore turn four wasn't eventful (smiling). I had that quick flash. That's all I can tell you. That sums my lap up. That's what I had. When I came off of turn four, not a tire on the car slipped. I was like, That's disgusting. You know, now I hadn't drove it hard enough (smiling).
The lap time was spectacular. I thought it was maybe a 50.40, not a 49.40. When he told me the lap time, I was like, Well, okay. I guess that's acceptable. But it was not really what I was looking for. The lap I made at the end of practice yesterday was all of it, all of it. The lap today, the car could have been better, and therefore I could have maybe done a better job with my judgment on the turns.
But that's what happened.
KERRY THARP: Mark, we certainly appreciate it. Congratulations. All the best tomorrow.
MARK MARTIN: Thank you.
Mark Martin Post Qualifying Notes and Quotes – Allstate 400
MARK MARTIN (No. 5 CARQUEST/Kellogg's Chevrolet):
"I like the time. I told them off of (Turn) 4 it wasn't going to be good. I was sliding a lot. It takes so long to get around here, that by the time I got to 4, I had gotten scared. I probably didn't go as fast through that turn as I might've. I was just trying to get back to the line. It was not what I expected out of our race car for handling. It was definitely fast. It's going to be good. I would be shocked if that was the pole based on how much I left out there. You never know."
(How difficult was it waiting this morning?): "It was pretty difficult for me. We posted the quickest time in practice yesterday, so expectations were high. I hate to disappoint. I can handle the disappointment, because I've had a lot. I love my team so much; I'd hate to disappoint them. I've been wanting to get out there and do the thing and see how we do. It was a good time. Certainly, I will take it."
Mark Martin Post Qualifying Notes and Quotes – Allstate 400
MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 CARQUEST/KELLOGG'S IMPALA SS:
WILL THAT LAP STICK?
"It was a solid, fast lap we turned. The car just slid a lot more than yesterday. I got an optimum lap yesterday. That lap was far from optimum. The car was capable of more. The track takes so long to get around, by the time I got to turn three, I was scared. By the time I got to three, I had barely survived three corners and that fourth corner I just drew back a little bit. We'll take it. It was a good lap and surely will get us a good starting spot.
"It was sliding a lot more than expected. We'll take the time. I was certainly disappointed with the driver of the car. We were really good at the end of practice yesterday and thought that we might really role. I'll take it, it is a pretty good lap time and we will go racing."
POST QUALIFYING COMMENTS:
WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE TO SIT ON THE POLE AT INDIANAPOLIS?
"It just feels so good for this race team; to be driving their car, CARQUEST, Kellogg's and Chevrolet and everybody at Hendrick Motorsports, all my teammates. Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon have been really supportive. Alan Gustafson (crew chief) and this team are just incredible. It is just a privilege to do this. It is really special.
WHAT WOULD IT MEAN TO ADD A VICTORY AT THE BRICKYARD TO YOUR POLE?
"I am not thinking much about it. Let's talk about that after it is done. It is cool; really, really awesome to drive a race car like this. Work with such professional people. Alan and all these guys that work with this car have the biggest hearts in the world. It is a long time between now and then. We have plenty to do. We have a lot of work to do on race setup yet today to get the car good. It wasn't where we needed it yesterday in race trim. It will be good to get it on the race track. We learned some things in Q (qualifying) trim that will translate in to race trim. So we have a little work to do."
"I was miserable all morning knowing that we were at the top of the sheet yesterday and I didn't, I can take it. Okay. I can take the disappointment but I didn't want to break their hearts man. I really wanted to go out and lay a lap down. I wasn't that thrilled. I was happy with the lap time, don't get me wrong! I just didn't think that was my best lap by any means. The car was sliding quite a bit. I guess it was sliding 'cause I was going too fast! (laughs)."
Martin, driving the No. 5 CARQUEST/Kellogg's Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, turned a fast lap of 180.643 mph on the 2.5-mile IMS oval. – July 24, 2009 - IMS
Still in the Race
When Mark Martin was growing up in the 1970s in Batesville, Ark. (pop. 9,445), he tried all the usual team sports-football, baseball and basketball—without success. It wasn't until he got behind the wheel of a fast car at age 15 that he found his true calling.
"When I started driving race cars, I found something I was good at," says the clean-cut, gray-headed Martin, 50, the oldest full-time driver in NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series.
Now after 35 years of racing cars and trucks on dirt and pavement, Martin finds himself in the desirable position of driving for one of NASCAR's elite teams—Hendrick Motorsports—alongside superstar teammates Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr., and he remains a contender in a sport in which the average driver's age is 32.
Yet despite his decades of racing experience and recent good fortune, Martin still measures his self-worth by his triumphs on the track. "I'm embarrassed about that," he concedes. "It's pretty immature, but I can't help it. When it doesn't go good on the racetrack, I struggle with things. When I don't go to the racetrack at all, I feel lost."
Long-time friends and associates hail the wiry 5-foot-6-inch, 135-pound Martin for his humble demeanor and rock-solid work ethic.
"He's like a 50-year-old guy in a 35-year-old body, a fitness fanatic," said racing team owner Rick Hendrick last summer when announcing Martin's signing to a two-year contract. "When you mention his name, it's immediate respect and admiration. He'll make us all better."
For his part, Martin didn't want to miss the opportunity to drive for Hendrick. "I was very concerned about regretting that decision for the rest of my life," he said about accepting the offer to drive the No. 5 Kellogg's/CARQUEST Chevrolet. "I'm pretty sure that the last breath I took on my death bed would have been, 'I should have drove Rick's car when I had the chance.' I didn't want to regret that."
Hometown hero
Martin, who owns a Ford-Mercury dealership in Batesville, has been a local celebrity since winning the Arkansas State Championship on a dirt track in Benton (pop. 21,906) in 1974. Recently, when Batesville boosters solicited donations to renovate a "Welcome to Batesville" sign, many residents insisted that the sign mention the town's most famous native son.
"Most people weren't interested in contributing if it didn't say something about 'Home of Mark Martin' on it," says Ernie Pectol, 56, business manager of Mark Martin Ford-Mercury. "He put Batesville on the map."
Martin planted his racing roots on the dirt tracks of rural Arkansas in a car built by his late father, Julian, who owned a Batesville-based trucking company.
"Dirt-track racing was really the only racing that was local to us where I grew up," Martin recalls. "We had four or five race tracks within a 100-mile radius of Batesville that we could go to and get a variety of racing and competition."
Before graduating from Batesville High School in 1977, Martin began traveling outside Arkansas to race on paved tracks and pursue his dream. "When I was 17, I wanted to be a NASCAR driver someday, and I knew that NASCAR wasn't run on dirt," he says. "I didn't particularly prefer one surface over the other; it was a means of getting where I wanted to go."
That route took him to the American Speed Association (ASA) circuit, where Martin claimed three consecutive championships between 1978 and 1980, and traded paint with future NASCAR notables Alan Kulwicki and Rusty Wallace on tracks across the Midwest and Southeast.
Wallace, the 1989 Winston Cup champion, recalls his favorite story about Martin as a racing innovator. "Mark showed up at a short track in the early 1980s with a car so advanced, it only had three springs," says Wallace, 52. "He showed up with a right front spring, left front spring, and one big left rear spring, with no spring in the right rear. That developed a lot of left side weight. The car was incredibly fast. When he showed up and kicked everybody's butt, the ASA immediately put a rule in that you had to have four springs. I said, 'This guy is so far ahead in his thinking, he's in a different century.' Who would ever think to come to the racetrack with three springs instead of four? But he did it."
Martin's enduring competitiveness and career has earned him respect on the racetrack. As the senior driver in NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series, Martin is following in the path of legends such as Bobby Allison, Harry Gant and Richard Petty, who raced competitively into their 50s.
"I don't know of any NASCAR driver that has as much respect among his peers as Mark Martin," says Larry Cothren, 48, a veteran sports writer in Harrisburg, N.C. "This is a guy that's out there mixing it up with guys who could almost be his grandchildren."
NASCAR quest:
Martin began his NASCAR quest in 1981, debuting on the Winston Cup circuit and performing well for a rookie on a limited schedule. But after a personally disappointing 1982 season, followed by his firing the following year, Martin hit a crossroads.
"I didn't expect to ever come back to NASCAR," he says of his three-year hiatus from the stock car racing's premier division. "I didn't leave saying 'I'll be back.' I left saying, 'I've got to rebuild my career.'"
After returning to ASA racing and winning his fourth title, Martin's fortune took a turn for the better in 1987. At the invitation of NASCAR team owner Jack Roush, he raced in the Busch Series, NASCAR's junior division. The Roush-Martin union prospered for the next two decades, during which Martin logged 35 Winston Cup/Nextel Cup victories, plus an all-time Busch/Nationwide Series record 48 wins. In all, the sport has yielded Martin four runner-up Cup titles, and some 125 paved-track victories in 2,600 career starts.
Normally that would earn a racecar driver some well-deserved down time with his wife of 25 years, Arlene, and five children at their Daytona Beach, Fla., home. But retirement is on hold, and the road ahead is not without pressure. Burdened by media expectations that this might be his best and perhaps final chance to capture an elusive championship, Martin instead focuses on being a contender every time he crawls behind the wheel, pitting his skills against drivers half his age.
"For right now, I don't want to come to a race that I am not driving in," he says.
Mark Martin's Teammates:
Although NASCAR drivers are primarily solo competitors, most drivers count themselves as part of a larger organization. Mark Martin drives the No. 5 car for Hendrick Motorsports, which is owned by Warrenton, N.C., native Rick Hendrick and boasts superstars Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. on its team.
NASCAR teammates share equipment, resources and technical know-how. They also look out for each other where it counts-on the track.
Dale Earnhardt Jr., 35
"Dale Jr." became NASCAR's only third-generation champion (following grandfather Ralph Earnhardt and father Dale Earnhardt) when he won the 1998 and 1999 Nationwide Series titles. The six-time winner of NASCAR'S Most Popular Driver award has 18 Sprint Cup victories under his belt, including his 2004 Daytona 500 win.
Jeff Gordon, 38
Gordon was born in Vallejo, Calif., and started racing quarter midget cars at age 6. His family moved to Pittsboro, Ind., the heart of sprint car country, when Jeff was 13. Today, after 17 years with Hendrick Motorsports, Gordon is sixth on the all-time NASCAR wins list, with 82 Sprint Cup victories.
Jimmie Johnson, 34
Last year, Johnson won his third consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship, an incredible feat for any driver but especially impressive for a competitor who has raced for just seven full seasons. Johnson is only the second driver in NASCAR's 60-year history to win three in a row (Cale Yarborough won in 1976, '77 and '78).
GM Racing Preview – Mark Martin
MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 CARQUEST/KELLOGG'S IMPALA SS - ON THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WINNING AT IMS VERSUS OTHER TRACKS:
"This race does mean more to me. Definitely. I usually don't feel that way. I usually say a win at Martinsville (Va.) is equal to a win in the Southern 500 (Darlington, S.C.). And it really is. But the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard are definitely separate of that. The rest, well, a win is a win to be honest. But those two are separate. We feel good about where we're at as a team right now and how our cars are performing and how our communication is going. We're ready for Indy. It's going to be fun for sure. I would definitely kiss the bricks. I hope to. I don't know about the fence climbing though. That and back flips are things I would think twice about. I think I could climb the fence, I just don't think that I should."
Mark Martin NASCAR Sprint Cup Race Preview – Allstate 400 at the Brickyard
MOST WINS: Mark Martin leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with four wins this year. Martin, who is in his 27th season of Cup competition, has recorded four or more wins in four previous campaigns-- 1993, 1995, 1997 and 1998. In each of those campaigns, Martin finished inside the top four in the championship standings.
39 AND COUNTING: After earning his 39th Sprint Cup victory recently at Chicagoland Speedway, Martin improved to 17th on the Sprint Cup all-time winners list. He now ranks third among current full-time drivers. Only two other drivers -- Junior Johnson and Fireball Roberts -- have earned more than 30 wins in NASCAR's Cup history and never won a championship.
TEAM RECORD: With the victory at Chicagoland Speedway, Martin eclipses the single-season win total for Hendrick Motorsports' No. 5 team. Four wins in a season is a record for the organization's original Chevrolet.
DOWN TO FIVE: With his win two weeks ago at Chicagoland Speedway, Martin has only five tracks remaining on the Sprint Cup schedule where he has yet to earn a win. Indianapolis Motor Speedway is one of those five, along with Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, Pocono Raceway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway.
FOUR OVER 50: Only two drivers have posted multiple Sprint Cup wins over the age of 50. Harry Gant earned eight victories after his 50th birthday, while Martin now has four.
MARTIN AT THE BRICKYARD: Martin narrowly missed earning a Brickyard trophy in 1998 when he scored his career-best second-place finish to now-teammate Jeff Gordon. Martin has posted five top-five finishes and nine top-10s in 15 Cup starts at the famed track. His last four starts at Indy have resulted in one top-five finish and three top-10s, with his worst finish of 11th occurring in 2008.
THE NO. 5 TEAM: Crew chief Alan Gustafson has guided the No. 5 team to one top-five finish and three top-10s in four starts at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The team scored its career-best finish of fourth in 2007 with Gustafson at the helm.
CHASE RACE: With his win at Chicagoland Speedway, Martin advanced two positions to 11th in the Sprint Cup standings. He trails 10th place by just two points.
FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH THE TEAM: It was at Indianapolis Motor Speedway where Martin first sat in the No. 5 Chevrolet. Last October, he participated in a Goodyear tire test at the speedway with the team.
NEW CHASSIS: Gustafson has chosen Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-550 for Sunday's race at Indianapolis. It is a new chassis that never has been raced or tested.
PIT CREW AWARD: The No. 5 Kellogg's/CARQUEST over-the-wall pit crew has been named the Second Quarter Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew. The winning crew is voted upon each quarter by the Sprint Cup crew chiefs. The four quarterly winners are eligible for the overall Most Valuable Pit Crew Award and the $100,000 prize, which is presented at the end of the season.
HENDRICK AT INDY: Hendrick Motorsports, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this season, has six wins, 15 top-five finishes and 23 top-10s at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. A Hendrick driver has scored a top-10 or better in each of the last 15 Cup events at the racetrack.
ON TOP: Hendrick Motorsports has the most wins (six) of any Cup team at the Brickyard and has led the most laps (623) at the 2.5-mile speedway. Jeff Gordon, the winningest NASCAR driver at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with four victories, scored the inaugural win at the Brickyard in 1994. Jimmie Johnson won in 2007 and last year.
APPROACHING A MILESTONE: On Aug. 22 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, Martin will make his 1,000th career NASCAR start. That date will mark his 746th Sprint Cup race. Martin also has competed in 231 Nationwide Series and 23 Camping World Truck Series events. He is the third driver to achieve this mark, behind only Richard Petty and Michael Waltrip. Across all three series, Martin has won 93 points-paying events.
LifeLock.com 400 Post-Race Transcript
An interview with:
MARK MARTIN
KERRY THARP: We're going to roll into our post race press conference. Tonight's race winner is Mark Martin. He drives the No. 5 Carquest/Kellogg's Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. This is his series leading fourth win of 2009. This is his 39th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory. Moves up to 11th in the points.
Mark, congratulations. Just another exemplary performance by you and your race team. You got to feel good about how things turned out there tonight.
MARK MARTIN: Thanks, man, I do. But this guy's birthday is going to be in a few minutes, so a slightly early birthday present. They have wore him out with champagne and Gatorade and everything else. I kind of feel sorry for him. I know he's going to be sticky and stinking going home, but that's how it goes.
KERRY THARP: Congratulations, Rick. In fact, it's past midnight, so happy birthday to you. This has got to be a good present for you tonight to see how this No. 5 team continues to show its determination.
RICK HENDRICK: Yeah, you know, I'll tell you, Mark put on an unbelievable performance tonight. To see him get four wins this year is pretty phenomenal. He's just an awesome talent, he and Alan, a great combination. They just get better and better every week. If we could just take out three or four of those real the two plate races and the three failures, we wouldn't be sweating this top 12 so much.
KERRY THARP: We'll open it up for questions.
Q: Talk me through the last restart. Why did you go with the high line?
MARK MARTIN: Well, I'm racing for my job. He tells me I got it, but he's gonna I've also told him he's in the clear to set me down, you know, when the day comes that I'm not getting the job done.
I feel the heat every day. I know the opportunity that I have driving Alan Gustafson's car and with this team. I feel good we're making the most of it.
The last restart, on cold tires if someone could get to your outside, you know, they would suck you around pretty bad. I think you saw that with the 83. You might not have saw it that much with me, the 48. He managed to slip me enough that I had you know, I couldn't beat him around there the first time. So the second time we went through there, I wasn't going to let that happen again. I almost wiped us both out.
I thought I had me a handful of wheel and was going to race him hard for it, and about slipped and wiped. With Jeff Gordon, new tires, put him on my outside, it was a risky move. Restarting and putting me on the outside of him was also a risky move because it wasn't my favorite place to be. But I thought, you know, I'd rather put him in that vulnerable position rather than me be in it. That was it.
Man, I don't even remember all the things that happened toward the end of the race. But with 15 to go, I thought we were gonna win the race if nothing else happened, but I knew it was going to be a long way. And, boy, it was. It was a lot longer than I thought it was gonna be, and eventful.
But, anyway, it was really cool to make a fan a millionaire tonight. It was really special. I'm glad Jeff got second.
Q: Going into 2007 you were starting to go into the part time rides. Where do you see your career heading? Did you kind of see it going away? What did you see from your career at that point in your career?
MARK MARTIN: Well, I felt my like performance was already slipping in '05. In '06, I thought my performance was slipping. I didn't want to hang on my downward slide. I was really burned out and I needed a break and a chance to reevaluate things and a change of scenery. I got that break and I got that change of scenery in '07. Then I got another change of scenery in '08, and got some breaks. I drove a really fast car. That was the No. 8 car. Really fast. Had a chance to win a couple of races. Sat on the outside pole six times. Rick Hendrick, he wouldn't quit. Between the confidence that I gained driving the 8 car and Rick, I was persuaded to do it. And I can't believe what an idiot I would have been had I not. I had no idea it could be like that. Had no idea it could be this much fun.
And Alan and the team are a huge part of that. But Mr. Hendrick is a huge part of that, as well, his organization, the professionalism, the people, the way that they have treated me and my teammates, you know. The whole thing has been beyond my dreams.
KERRY THARP: Let's hear from Alan Gustafson. Four wins this season. You guys are just getting it done.
ALAN GUSTAFSON: Yeah, it's really special. We're really fortunate. We had a really, really good Carquest Chevy tonight. Mark drove his tail off. The race was really perfect for us about 200 laps in or so. Then Jimmie, being the fierce competitor he is, there's a reason he's three time champion, he knows how to drive that car and put it in places it needs to be. On the restart, I think he knew our Achilles' heel was going to be that we were going to be free to start. He exploited that, got on our right rear quarter and got by us.
From them on it was about a blur until three to go and we won. I couldn't tell you what happened on all the restarts, what we did. We were just working as hard as we could to get back up front. Mark's intelligence and patience showed through again when those guys got to racing really hard, I think he could have been right in the middle of that if he chose to. But he's really, really smart, knows what's gonna happen. He kind of backed out and drove on by 'em.
Q: Mark, you said on the radio, Tell me we won. It was so humble. You really sound surprised. With every position you went back and forth, it was like one spot out of the Chase, one spot in. Did you ever ask on the radio where you were on points all night long?
MARK MARTIN: Thank you. It is very humbling. I can't believe we won.
Q: Almost sounded like you were crying when you told him you loved him.
MARK MARTIN: I mean that, from the heart.
Let me tell you about the points. Tonight I leave the track in 13th. That's fine with me. It's just weird, okay? I'm not gonna let myself get sucked into all that. We were 13th coming here. What we needed to do was lead the most laps and win. No matter what happens going forward, I may change my mind later, but right now I'm leaving the track the same points position I was last week, 'cause it's just a rollercoaster.
I feel more solid and better about the effort that we've made. I can't do anything more about how the points have fallen. You know, we have had a horrendous number of, you know, really unfortunate situations. I will only be disappointed for these guys if we were to manage to not make it. It's very, very tight. It's very, very close. For me to get four wins halfway in was beyond my dreams. These guys deserve it, and I hope we do.
I think my attitude coming here was just fine. We're 13th. The only way we'll ever have a shot at it's to go lead the most laps and win. I think I'll go to the next race, don't even know where we're going, Indy, that's what we need to do at Indy as well.
For now, that's how I'm managing my head, you know, 'cause I really thought when we jumped up to wherever we were, eighth or ninth, wherever we were, several weeks ago, that maybe, just maybe, we would be able to breathe. And that was a mistake. Two horrendous races.
I'm not worried about it. You know, had we not won a race and we were sitting here right now, I'd be worried about it because we need to do something good. But we have done a whole lot of good.
I just couldn't believe it. Jeff Gordon flew up beside me like we were still racing. Damn, have I pulled off on the white flag again? What the hell is going on? I can mess up anything, you know. I don't know what I was thinking. I couldn't believe we won. I mean, it's incredible. It's hard to win these things. And I don't know how we won one, much less four. I don't know how we've done it. I know how these guys have done it, but I don't know how they did it with me.
Q: Mark, despite what you just said, your reputation for being a smart driver was on display the last 20 laps or so. With all the whacky stuff suddenly going on after a relatively calm race, did you feel like you were more or less in control of your own destiny there or not?
MARK MARTIN: You know, no. We were in control of our own destiny till they started wrecking. And you know they're gonna do it. They do it every race. I shouldn't complain because more often than not recently they've run the first two thirds of the races nearly caution free, and I should take that and be happy, because that's a lot better than it used to be a few years ago where it was just 15 laps at a time the whole race. So we get the long greens now, but you don't get 'em at the end, you just don't.
My forte is long runs. We had a spectacular car. The double file restarts, and I don't mean this coy, but seriously when you think about double file restart, what's exciting about that? What's exciting about it is you take the guy that probably earned a spot and you mess him up. That's kind of what it is a little bit, right? It kind of happened tonight. You know, you took the car that was gonna win the race for sure and you had a double file restart and you took the car that was second and put him out front, and then you had another one, and I wound up in fourth or something.
So that's kind of what that whole thing is all about. So when the cautions start coming, you know, I cringe because I got the superior car on the long run and who knows what happens on the short runs. We didn't have very many restarts. I got great restarts every restart all night except for that one or two.
So I've got to be thankful for that. I've come out better on the double file restarts this year, more pluses than minuses. So that's a good thing. But there's seven more races or something like that before the Chase starts. All that means to me is I'm likely to lose out more than I gain going forward. So that's why I'm just gonna keep the mindset. I'm gonna still think I'm 13th like I did here, because it seemed to work pretty good. I'm going to go to Indy and drive the fool out of that thing, just like I did this week. Hopefully we can do something the same.
Q: Rick, I think many of the pundits would have expected this organization would have won at least one race this year, maybe two. I think that's fair to say. We're at four now. What were your real expectations at the beginning of this season to what this team could really do?
RICK HENDRICK: Well, Alan and I got a glimpse of Mark Martin's talent in a Busch car, and we talked about it. I've said this many times. I don't want to repeat myself to all these folks that have heard it. But when you ask Jeff Gordon what he thought, you ask Jimmie Johnson, Can you get Mark to drive all the races? I said, I think so. He's awesome. And Alan and I, again, witnessed it, just knew you can tell when a guy is so smart on a chassis that he knows how to run a fuel run. I'll put him up against anybody I've had on a car, planning a full fuel run and tire run.
I just knew the two of these guys would be good. Mark's dedication and determination, the way he takes care of himself, you look at him after he got out of the car when he won Michigan, he was probably dryer than our other drivers, and he had no air conditioning two thirds of the race.
When you saw raw talent, you know if you put him in the right equipment, they can get the job done. I'm not surprised. I legitimately, Alan as a witness, he and I talked about it, Mark doesn't want to hear this, but I'm going to say it anyway, Alan and I said we can win a championship with Mark Martin this year. We said that before we started. We were confident we could win races. He's so smart and takes care of his stuff. The Darlington car didn't have a scratch on it. The only car in that race that came out of that race without the right side tore off of it. So he's a little bit more modest than we are about him. I think we felt that way early on.
Q: Rick, when we look at your organization, how dominant it's been, whether with your homeboys or the satellite organization at Stewart Haas, the one thing is you choose your generals very carefully. Very little leaves your company as opposed to a lot of the back and forth that goes between the middle range organizations out there. Can you talk about your philosophy, how you choose people like Alan, like Stevie, get them young and train them, Chad coming back into Hendrick Motorsports. It seems like the information doesn't leave the building, which is why you keep getting stronger rather than depleting your resources by everybody finding out what your secrets are.
RICK HENDRICK: Our secret is people. It's pure and simple. It's talent. We've got a lot of young guys. We've got a lot of guys that have been there, like myself, for 25 years. You've got a guy like Alan that is as smart as anybody that I've ever worked with, that loves the company, and Stevie, and they've worked together and been together for a lot of years, and Chad. About five races to go, the end of the year, I'll start thinking about how to keep it all together for the next year, keep the momentum going, keep the guys building on the momentum we have. If you have a bunch of crack soldiers that go into battle, you got the best training, you got a plan on how to win, you know, the fit factor of trying to plug people in is one of the most critical things that we have to do in our organization. It's no different than Mark. Will they add to our company? Will it be a positive move for all the teams?
Alan stuck with us. He had tremendous offers. He never flinched. It's all about the human capital. It's not about money. It's not about anything else. It's about the folks that are working together, getting smarter together, getting a little bit better each week, and believing, like Jeff Gordon coming over to congratulate Mark. The 24 team got beat by the 5 team. The 24 team was out there congratulating these guys.
It's a sharing of information. It's working and not letting someone drive a wedge between 'em. I'm real proud of the longevity of our guys, guys like Alan that have built the company. They've been there. They've never worked anywhere else. I hope it stays that way.
Q: Rick, since Charlotte, either your cars or the Stewart Haas cars, you have a lot of people scratching their heads how to keep up with you guys. Is there a way to define how dominant your organization has been the last six to eight weeks? Is there a way to compare it to something? Do you feel you're as dominant as the records might show?
RICK HENDRICK: I really don't. I really don't feel that way. The 18 car and the 11 car were awesome at Daytona. The 11 car got up there tonight. I watched his lap times there toward about the 50 to go, 75 to go. He was really, really quick. You know, I hate to say we've been lucky in a lot of ways, but we have been lucky.
Alan, you might jump in here, but I don't think we're that dominant.
ALAN GUSTAFSON: I don't either. There's a lot of guys who have picked their performance up. The 9 comes to mind. He was really, really fast. He was fast again tonight. Juan. The 42. We lapped him when he was 26th. He was running really good at the end of the race. He finished 10th, it looks like. He's battling really hard and running good. It's tough.
If you take a break for a minute, these guys are going to jump all over you. I've never seen anybody dominate this sport since I've been here. You may have some things go your way and it looks like it on paper, but in reality I don't think you're dominating. I don't think we have that. I think if we have that, we're going to be real sad at Indy because they'll whip us. We have to stay focused on what we do. I definitely don't underestimate the talent we've got to race, the people they've got, the drivers they've got. I feel like we've got the best, but they're not far behind us. We've just got to keep pushing.
Q: Mark, do you feel 50? Does any part of you feel 50?
MARK MARTIN: I will in the morning. I don't right now.
Q: Do you feel it more the next day, the days after?
MARK MARTIN: Oh, I'm going to feel like hell tomorrow because I ain't gonna sleep much tonight (laughter). But that adrenaline is something, there's nothing like it. When I'm pumped up driving fast racecars, I certainly don't feel 50. But I do on Monday mornings, or tomorrow Sunday morning. It's going to be nearly daylight by the time I get home. I don't care. But that is certainly past my bedtime.
That adrenaline is something really, really special. These guys have made me feel really, really good and really special, even on the days when I stub my toe, they're the first ones to pat me on the back.
KERRY THARP: Gentlemen, congratulations. Great show out there tonight. We'll see you at Indy.
Mark Martin Post Race Notes and Quotes – LifeLock 400
MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 CARQUEST/ KELLOGG'S IMPALA SS – Winner
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THIS NIGHT FOR YOU?
"I've been watching Hornaday. I just knew this double-file restart was going to cost us. But I want to thank CARQUEST/Kellogg's and Chevrolet, Sprint, Rick Hendrick and his race team. That was fun! That's what life's all about right there. These guys deserve to win. We could have parked the car yesterday with an hour left in practice. But you know the best car doesn't usually win. The double-file restarts are to mess the best car up so he doesn't win to make it good for the fans and it did but we luckily pulled it off anyway."
Mark Martin NASCAR Sprint Cup Race Preview – LifeLock.com 400
ONE OF SIX: In eight NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Chicagoland Speedway, Mark Martin has earned three top-10 finishes. He has finished outside of the top 20 just once in those eight starts and has completed 99 percent of all the laps he's attempted at the track (2,136 of 2,139 total). Chicagoland is one of just six remaining active tracks where Martin has yet to reach Victory Lane.
INTERIM REPORT: At the midway point of the season, Martin owns the eighth-highest driver rating of all Sprint Cup competitors. The driver rating is based on a formula combining the following categories: wins, finishes, top-15 finishes, average running position while on the lead lap, average speed under green, fastest lap, laps led and lead-lap finish.
LAP STATS: Martin has spent 73.8 percent of the green-flag laps this season running in the top 15 (3,831 laps of 5,194 total). That ranks Martin sixth among his Cup competitors. He also has led 219 laps, which is the eighth-best. This season, Martin has maintained the ninth-best average running position (14.962).
FAST CHEVY: The CARQUEST/Kellogg's Chevrolet ranks inside the top-10 in four categories based on the car's speed. The No. 5 Chevy is the second only to points leader Tony Stewart among the fastest cars late in green-flag runs. It is also the third-fastest car in traffic and the fourth-fastest overall during green flags. Martin has scored 234 of the fastest laps run so far this season, which places him sixth overall in the Sprint Cup Series.
IF HISTORY REPEATS: After 18 races this season, Martin has earned three wins, three pole positions, four top-five finishes and eight top-10s. In the three seasons that Martin qualified for the Chase -- 2004, 2005 and 2006 -- Martin had not earned this many wins or poles by the season's midway point. Only in 2005 did he have more top-five finishes (five) and more top-10s (nine) than he does at this point in the season. In 2005, he finished fourth in the Sprint Cup standings.
THE NO. 5 TEAM: Crew chief Alan Gustafson has guided the No. 5 team in four Sprint Cup races at Chicagoland Speedway. The team earned a best finish of third in July 2006 with Gustafson at the helm.
APPROACHING MILESTONE: On Aug. 22 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, Martin will make his 1,000th career NASCAR start. That date will mark his 746th Sprint Cup start. Martin also will have competed in 231 Nationwide Series and 23 Camping World Truck Series events. He will become the third driver to achieve this mark, behind only Richard Petty and Michael Waltrip. Over all three series, Martin has won 93 points-paying events.
NOTHING BUT A NUMBER: Four drivers have earned Sprint Cup victories over the age of 50, however, only two have earned multiples. Martin's three wins rank second only to Harry Gant, who earned eight victories after his 50th birthday.
CHASE RACE: Martin and the No. 5 team are currently 13th in the Sprint Cup standings, 65 points behind 12th. WINNING CHASSIS: Gustafson has chosen Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-527 for Saturday's race at Chicagoland. Martin has driven this car twice already this season, notably reaching Victory Lane at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway in May. He also raced Chassis No. 5-527 at Auto Club Speedway in February.
HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS ON FACEBOOK: Become a fan of Hendrick Motorsports on Facebook. Visit www.facebook.com/HendrickMotorsports for information on Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the rest of the organization.
MARK MARTIN, DRIVER, NO. 5 CARQUEST/KELLOGG'S CHEVROLET (ON HOW THIS SEASON COMPARES TO PAST SEASONS.): "This is the best one. Our on-track performance has been really spectacular. And that, combined with the fact that I am really, really happy just makes this an awesome year. I'm in a great frame of mind. Even though we've had an unusual amount of trouble and disappointments, I still am having a great time. The team's performance has exceeded even my expectations."
MARTIN (ON HOW HE IS HANDLING THE FULL CUP SCHEDULE.): "I'm doing OK. I am, though, looking forward to the weekend off. I'm doing well this year managing everything. The weekends off have been helpful, and I've really enjoyed them. Everyone on this team is so good to work with -- the sponsors, the crew members, everyone. It's just a great race team to be with. All of that has made the transition back to full time easy to manage. If I had any idea that it would be like this, I wouldn't have resisted at all. I had no idea it could be this fun. I wouldn't trade this for anything right now."
MARTIN (ON THE BEST SEASON OF HIS CAREER.): "The best season, statistically, was definitely 1998. We won seven races that season and won the all-star race. But even so, we still finished second in points. Jeff (Gordon) beat us by nearly 400 points. So, even though it was the best season of my career, it still wasn't enough. I had a lot of fun that year, too. I was working with a new group of guys. Everyone was pretty charged up. That season was almost as fun as this one has been."
MARTIN (ON RICK HENDRICK BEING NOMINATED TO THE NASCAR HALL OF FAME.): "Rick (Hendrick) being nominated is great. The fact that he's being acknowledged as part of the first 25 is just really incredible. There are 24 other NASCAR greats on that list with him, too. It's impressive."
ALAN GUSTAFSON, DRIVER, NO. 5 CARQUEST/KELLOGG'S CHEVROLET (ON THE TEAM'S SEASON SO FAR.): "I would probably grade this team a B-plus right now. If we could get a few races back where we had engine issues or missed opportunities, we would be in a much better points position, and I would probably give us an A-plus. But this team is as good as any team out there. I think our strength is just being solid in every aspect of racing. Whether it's handling or coming back from adversity or pit stops or having just a mechanically sound car, this team gets it done. We are sound on every one of those fronts. We may not be the best in each individual category, but I do believe we are one of the best over all the categories."
GUSTAFSON (ON THE RACE FOR THE CHASE.): "The main goal is just to secure the maximum amount of points possible. We have to look at every race as 'situational.' Every one of them will be evaluated on the fly. Sure, we're going to look at having good points days, but we can't become complacent either. We can't risk a win when the outcome could be a 32nd-place finish. But if the risk could have a fifth-place finish as the worst possible outcome, that's different. We aren't approaching races really any differently now than we were in February. There's always pressure. The main concern is the Chase right now."
GUSTAFSON (ON RICK HENDRICK BEING NOMINATED TO THE NASCAR HALL OF FAME.): "For me, he really deserves to be a first-ballot inductee. I don't think anyone would argue him being in the Hall of Fame. He's an obvious choice. Over the last 25 years, he has consistently fielded the best organization in NASCAR. Drivers have come and gone. Teams have changed. The cars have changed. But his organization has been solid through all of that. Of all the owners in the sport, he's the pinnacle. I think he really deserves it."
Mark Martin Post Race Notes and Quotes - Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola
MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 CARQUEST/KELLOGG'S IMPALA SS - Involved in crash with No. 17 Kenseth and No. 42 (Montoya)
"Matt (Kenseth) ran the top side there and got a run up off the corner, and I was trying to keep it down and leave us room and I just pinched him; front wheels were cut and it just didn't turn quite enough. It's really slick out there. It's my fault."
Mark Martin Media Visit – July 2, 2009
MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 CARQUEST/KELLOGG'S IMPALA SS met with media and discussed Jeremy Mayfield and the drug situation, his season to date, and more.
MARK, EVERY DRIVER SO FAR TODAY HAS BEEN ASKED ABOUT JEREMY MAYFIELD AND HIS SITUATION. IT SEEMS AS IF IT'S AN UNCOMFORTABLE QUESTION FOR A DRIVER TO ANSWER. DO YOU FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE?
"I'm comfortable with being on the racetrack with Jeremy Mayfield. One-hundred percent.
I feel that NASCAR needs to have the authority to say whether or not that you drive. I don't know anything about judges. I don't know anything about laws and I don't know anything about anything else, but I do believe that NASCAR needs to have the authority to make that call. And they need to be responsible with it and careful with it. I think that somebody is wrong. Either Jeremy or NASCAR is wrong, and I don't know which one, but whichever one is wrong is really hurting the other. I don't know. That is about all my thoughts on that matter."
IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU THINK JEREMY IS RIGHT IF YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE RACING WITH HIM. DO YOU HAVE A REASON TO FEEL THAT WAY?
"I'm just not concerned with being on the racetrack with Jeremy. None whatsoever. I'm not concerned with that. I feel one-hundred percent confident being on the racetrack side-by-side with Jeremy. That doesn't mean that he didn't fail. I don't know what happened. Okay? I'm just saying that if he races, I have no problem.
"I do however have a problem with NASCAR not being able to say you can't. That is a problem for our sport. They need to be the authority. They need to be able to say if you do or if you don't. They need to be responsible with it, and careful with it, but they need to have the say."
HOW HARD IS IT FOR A GUY THAT IS SITTING ON THE BUBBLE OF THE CHASE TO COME TO A PLACE LIKE DAYTONA AND WORRY ABOUT THE UNKNOWNS AND RACE SMART AND BASICALLY POINTS RACE?
"It's tough, but Daytona is not as tough as Talladega when it comes to that. You do what you do. You know, you go out here and you race and we take our lumps and we take our good days. Some days we get more than we deserve and some days we don't get what we deserve. We just go out here and do our thing and hope it turns out well."
THE FIRST HALF OF THIS SEASON HAS BEEN A DREAM RIDE SO FAR FOR YOU. YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN SO SOLID THAT YOU HAVE BUILT THIS TO WHERE YOU EXPECT TO BE A TOP-FIVE CAR OR RACE WINNING CAR EVERY WEEK. BUT YOU HAVE BEEN IN THIS SPORT SO LONG THAT YOU KNOW HOW QUICK SOMETHING LIKE THAT CAN UNRAVEL. WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL RIGHT NOW THAT YOU ARE IN THE BEST SITUATION THAT YOU HAVE EVER BEEN IN?
"Number one I think that Alan Gustafson is the one thing that makes me feel good. The car has been spectacular at all but a couple of races this year, but you know for me, I'm living a dream to be able to be a part of this team and to be a part of an elite group at Hendrick Motorsports and to be able to work with Alan and our sponsors Kellogg's and CARQUEST, Chevy and all the folks from Hendrick Motorsports. I'm just living a dream."
Mark Martin NASCAR Sprint Cup Race Preview - Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola
ROUND TWO: This Saturday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway marks the first return race of the season. The last time Mark Martin raced at the superspeedway, he was making his first Cup start with Hendrick Motorsports, crew chief Alan Gustafson and the No. 5 Chevrolet. Since then, the team has run 17 races together, earning three victories, three pole positions, four top-five finishes and eight top-10s.
LAST TIME AT DAYTONA: In February, Martin scored the outside pole position for the Daytona 500 and finished second in his Gatorade Duel qualifying race after leading 36 laps. In the Daytona 500, Martin led one lap, ran inside the top 15 for the majority of the race and finished 16th in the rain-shortened event.
LOOP STATISTICS: In his last nine races at Daytona, Martin has an average running position of 15.768, which ranks him 10th amongst all competitors. Martin also has the 10th-highest driver rating of 85.7.
MORE LOOP DATA: Martin has spent 62.6 percent of laps run in the past nine Daytona races inside the top 15, ranking him ninth. He has led 46 of those laps, which is the eighth-most of any competitor.
ONE OF SIX: Daytona International Speedway is one of just six remaining active tracks where Martin has yet to reach Victory Lane. In 48 starts, the NASCAR veteran has scored one pole position (July 1, 1989), nine top-five finishes and 17 top-10s at the historic track.
THE NO. 5 TEAM: Crew chief Alan Gustafson and the No. 5 team earned the runner-up finish in both the 2006 and 2007 July events. The team has led a total of 29 laps in eight races at the superspeedway.
HENDRICK AT DAYTONA: Hendrick Motorsports, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, has tallied 10 wins, 39 top-five finishes, 72 top-10s and led 1,315 laps in 50 Cup events (158 starts) at Daytona International Speedway.
HOMETOWN CREW CHIEF: Gustafson grew up in Ormond Beach, Fla., just seven miles north of Daytona International Speedway. After graduating from Seabreeze High School, he enrolled at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, which is located less than one mile east of the track. Gustafson has earned one victory at Daytona: the Nationwide Series event in July 2007.
NOTHING BUT A NUMBER: Four drivers have earned Sprint Cup victories over the age of 50, however, only two have earned multiples. Martin's three wins rank second only to Harry Gant, who earned eight victories after his 50th birthday.
IN THE TOP 12: Martin and the No. 5 team remain 11th in the Sprint Cup Series championship standings, trailing 10th place by just two points.
CHASSIS CHOICE: Gustafson has chosen Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-548 for Saturday's race at Daytona. It is a brand new chassis that never has been raced or tested.
AUTOGRAPHS: Mark Martin, driver of the No. 5 CARQUEST/Kellogg's Chevrolet, will sign autographs at the Port Orange, Fla., Wal-Mart Supercenter on Dunlawton Avenue on Wednesday at 5 p.m. local time.
SPRINT STAGE: On Friday, Martin will be a guest at the Sprint Experience outside of Turn 4 at Daytona International Speedway. Martin's question-and-answer session will begin at 3 p.m. local time.
QUOTES
MARK MARTIN, DRIVER, NO. 5 CARQUEST/KELLOGG'S CHEVROLET (ON HOW THE TEAM HAS CHANGED FROM THE SEASON OPENER AT DAYTONA UNTIL NOW.): "This race team is a lot more confident in itself than it was last time we were at Daytona. I feel like we all know each other a lot better now, having had half of a race season together. Those 17 races or so have really helped us to jell as a team. We are better prepared for situations now than we were in February. Alan (Gustafson) and I know what each other are thinking a lot better now. The way we respond to conditions and situations with the car and on track is better now having had races together. We're just an overall better prepared and more confident race team. We know what we are capable of now, and that's a good thing."
MARTIN (ON HOW HE FEELS ABOUT TRACKS WHERE HE HASN'T WON.): "I don't get frustrated with any of the tracks that I haven't won at. I look at it more on the other hand. I'm grateful for the tracks I have managed to win at. Rather than expecting to win, like I'm owed that, I feel more fortunate to have the success I have had in my career."
MARTIN (ON IF DAYTONA IS AS UNPREDICTABLE AS TALLEDEGA (ALA.) SUPERSPEEDWAY.): "Not this race. The July race at Daytona is so much different than the 500. Unlike Talladega, and more so than the 500, this race is really dependent on the car's handling. A team's ability to get its car handling well for this race can really set it apart from the competition. In this race, you're not as reliant on drafting. You have the ability to put yourself in the right place at the right time if your car is handling well. The 400, in my opinion, is better than the 500, although the 500 is the one you want to win so badly. This race really comes down to the actual racing. There's not as much pressure, and you can actually have fun and enjoy it."
ALAN GUSTAFSON, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 CARQUEST/KELLOGG'S CHEVROLET (ON IF HIS APPROACH TO DAYTONA IS DIFFERENT IN JULY.): "In July, the speedway never has as much grip as it does when we first go there in February. It's hotter outside, which makes the track slicker. Handling will be at even more of a premium for this race. We're not as concerned with speed for the July race as we are for the 500. In February, we get concerned with how to maintain speed and not sacrifice that for a better-handling car. In July we're way more concerned with the handling itself."
GUSTAFSON (ON HOW HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH MARK MARTIN HAS CHANGED SINCE THE LAST DAYTONA RACE.): "There's no replacement for on-track time when you're trying to get to know your driver. Mark and I have had that now, and we've had the chance to add more depth to our relationship. This team has gone through both successes and failures since February and I think that makes you stronger. This team, as a whole, is much stronger than it was in February."
GUSTAFSON (ON WHY THE TEAM PERFORMS BETTER IN JULY.): "The car's handling and the driver's racing ability tends to shine a little more in the July race. We have used both of those to our advantage in the past few years. Kyle (Busch) did a great job racing for this team and scored runner-up finishes twice for us. Mark is an extremely talented driver, and I don't doubt that will show Saturday night."
GUSTAFSON (ON FINISHING SECOND TWICE AT DAYTONA.): "Of course it's frustrating. This is a racetrack that I really want to win on. In 2007, we won the Nationwide race Saturday morning. We had the opportunity to be the first team to win two NASCAR races on the same day. And on the white-flag lap, we were leading. We lost that race by about four inches, if that. It was so disappointing."
Mark Martin Friday Media Visit - Pocono
GM Racing
July 31, 2009
Pocono Raceway
July 29, 2009
NASCAR News - FOX Sports on MSN
By Rea White, NASCAR Scene, Special to FOXSports.com
July 29, 2009
NASCAR.com
July 26, 2009
GM Racing
July 26, 2009
NASCAR.com
July 25, 2009
IMS
July 25, 2009
GM Racing
July 25, 2009
Veteran driver Mark Martin remains a NASCAR contender
By Alan Ross - American Profile
July 23, 2009
Hometown: Kannapolis, N.C.
Hometown: Pittsboro, Ind.
A four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion
Hometown: El Cajon, Calif.
GM Racing
July 21, 2009
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
July 21, 2009
Mark Martin holds the trophy after winning the NASCAR LifeLock.com 400 auto race at the Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill., Saturday, July 11, 2009 (AP Photo)
NASCAR
July 11, 2009
ALAN GUSTAFSON
RICK HENDRICK
JOLIET, IL - JULY 11: Mark Martin, driver of the #5 CARQUEST/Kellogg's Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series LifeLock.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway on July 11, 2009 in Joliet, Illinois. (Photo by Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)
JOLIET, IL - JULY 11: Mark Martin, driving the #5 CARQUEST/Kellogg's Chevrolet, holds the checkered flag after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series LifeLock.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway on July 11, 2009 in Joliet, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
JOLIET, IL - JULY 11: Mark Martin, driver of the #5 CARQUEST/Kellogg's Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series LifeLock.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway on July 11, 2009 in Joliet, Illinois. (Photo by John Harrelson/Getty Images)
GM Racing
July 11, 2009
JOLIET, IL - JULY 11: Mark Martin, driver of the #5 Kelloggs/Carquest Chevrolet, celebrates with the checkered flag after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series LifeLock.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway on July 11, 2009 in Joliet, Illinois. (Photo by Todd Warshaw/Getty Images)
Chicagoland Speedway
Mark Qualifies 14th
Mark finishes 38th
GM Racing
Daytona International Speedway
July 1, 2009
