NASCAR's Mark Martin
2010 Season Articles - May
MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 CARQUEST AUTO PARTS/GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET, FINISHED 4TH
"We had a good car in the second half. We messed up on a pit stop, we just stayed behind all day. We knew we had a good race car there at the end. We knew we didn't need tires. Yes, to run with the front two, we needed tires, but we were strong. We were getting ready to pass Kyle (Busch) back. Great effort CARQUEST, all our supporters, GoDaddy.com, Delphi, Chevrolet. This race team pulled a rabbit out of the hat."
Mark Martin Post Qualifying Notes and Quotes – Coca-Cola 600
MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 CARQUEST AUTO PARTS/GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET QUALIFIED 11TH
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT YOUR LAP?
"Well it's incredible that I had a car that fast. I want to thank that Carquest/Chevrolet team for a great race car. I usually don't let them get out at all in qualifying, but I got hung out in (Turn) 1 and in (Turn) 4 so that's just how fast the car was. It's just very special. I'd like to give a shout out to GoDaddy.com and Delphi and all our supporters. That was fun. You know the draw is not going to be good to us, but golly, that's a fast lap and it's fun to do it.
"It was a fast car and I'm just having a lot of fun. That's what it's all about. We had an early draw there and we laid a great lap down. I'm just thrilled to death to be here and be working with this No. 5 team, Carquest, and all out supporters."
Mark Martin Media Visit – Coca-Cola 600
MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 CARQUEST AUTO PARTS/GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET, met with members of the media at Charlotte Motor Speedway and discussed racing the Coca-Cola 600, Kyle Busch and other topics.
TALK ABOUT YOUR OUTLOOK GOING IN TO THE COCA-COLA 600
"I really liked how the car performed Saturday night. I was really pleased and encouraged and would've liked to have that car to fun in the 600 but that wasn't the plan anyhow. These guys, Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) and the guys feel like they had their best setback for the 600. Have a beautiful paint job on the CARQUEST Chevy this weekend and like to see that thing go to the front."
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE PRESTIGE OF THE COKE 600?
"Gosh, I don't know. I've said this before and I will say it again. You don't get to chose which races you win. If you are lucky, you just get to win some. So, I believe we have won it, but to me, I have always stayed focused on winning another one rather than what the one that we did in the past really meant. At some point, in my career, I'm sure I'll look back and remember that I won a couple of Southern 500s and the 600. Hopefully maybe a Brickyard and a Daytona 500 too. Right now at this time, I stay pretty much focused on how we are going to get the next one."
CONSIDERING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE FREE PASS, THE WAVE-AROUND AND THE MULTIPLE GREEN-WHITE-CHECKERED RULES OVER THE PAST YEAR OR SO, DO YOU STILL SEE THE 600 AS AN ENDURANCE RACE?
"It is an endurance race, but it is quite different than it was in the '80s. In the 80s, you paced your equipment and you paced yourself, you paced everything. You don't pace yourself or your equipment anymore based on the evolution of the equipment, the teams and everything else. It is still and endurance race, actually, much easier to conquer with today's stuff, much more durable stuff. Back in the day, it was a challenge to make it run that long."
WHEN THE CHECKERED FLAG FALLS ON THE COCA-COLA 600, NASCAR'S REGULAR SEASON WILL BE HALF OVER, CAN YOU GRADE YOURSELF AND YOUR TEAM ON YOUR FIRST HALF OF THE REGULAR SEASON?
"I don't know if I really want to do that. The effort is an A+. That is only grade I'll give you and the only one I care to grade."
TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ADJUSTMENTS IN THIS LONG RACE GOING FROM DAY TO NIGHT
"This race track is very very sensitive to temperature, to sunlight and everything else. You have to learn, one of the nice things about having the All Star race the week before at night, it gives you the opportunity to practice during the day and race at night and get a taste of what you are going to be dealing with. We do our practicing during the day, the race goes in to the night and you learn from experience really. Each time you run one of these races, you build that knowledge and it is a moving target because with the ever-changing cars, rules, setups, asphalt, tires and all the other things, competition, and everything else, all these things react and change a little bit differently into the night. You never can say 'it did this five years ago' because it is actually reacts some different now than it did say five years or ten years ago. It's a real team effort to make it competitive at the start and be a contender at the end."
WHAT IS YOUR APPROACH TO QUALIFYING HERE TONIGHT?
"It is the same as qualifying anywhere else. It is very prestigious. It is usually one day further out than most of our qualifying. I don't notice it as much now, back in the day when we qualified on Wednesday I believe, it was extremely prestigious to sit on the pole here. It still is, but I'm more used to it. Pole day was really a big deal back years ago when it was on Wednesday night or Wednesday evening or whatever it was. I may be all confused, but I think it was back then."
OTHER DRIVERS TALK ABOUT LEARNING TO RACE OTHER PEOPLE BY WATCHING THE WAY YOU RACE OTHER DRIVERS, THAT BEING THE CASE, DOES IT SURPRISE YOU WHEN YOU SEE SOMETHING LIKE WHAT HAPPENED BETWEEN DENNY AND KYLE?
"That was a racing incident. That doesn't surprise me. I think that two guys racing really, really hard for the big prize, winner take all, I didn't see anything really to be honest with you. I think if I had been in either car, I would have done the same thing that either of them did to be honest with you. I think that was just all out racing...All Star racing."
KYLE (BUSCH) SAID HE HAS LEARNED A LOT FROM YOU, CAN YOU TALK ABOUT ANY CONVERSATIONS YOU HAVE HAD WITH HIM AND DOES HE RESPECT PEOPLE ON THE TRACK A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN PEOPLE SEEM TO GIVE HIM CREDIT FOR?
“I don't know who is giving him short credit. Certainly not me. I don't have an ounce of problem and never have on the race track with Kyle. He is very aggressive, but he keeps it within his area. He is aggressive, but he keeps his stuff in his area. He's never breached my space on the race track. I haven't had a lot of conversation with Kyle, but he is incredibly respectful although he may have done some things and had some actions that may have turned some people off. He has also done some things and had some actions that are incredibly admirable. One of the things that comes to mind is what he did for Sam Ard, who he couldn't know and that is just a good example and many many more. There is a lot more to these guys than what meets the eye. I think Kyle has learned some things from experience and from watching and racing with me as Tony (Stewart) has said he has and some of the other guys. It's not something I preach. I live by a code and that code works for me. It has actually worked well for some others as well. I was taught that code partially by people I raced with too. We went to Wisconsin and raced Tuesday night, Wednesday night, Thursday night, Friday night, Saturday night and Sunday afternoon with the same car. No backup cars and they only paid about $400 to win each night. You didn't need to bend a ball joint or a tie rod or a wheel or fix a wreck. You know? You didn't need to. There was enough maintenance to be done as it was. The guys I raced with, we had a code that we raced with and it worked well and we tore very little up and we put on great shows and great racing. It is a little different now, obviously, but I still try to live by the same code. I try to race people extremely hard, but with respect and the way I want to be raced."
GOODYEAR CAME HERE WITH AN EXTREMELY HARD TIRE, WOULD YOU LIKE A SOFTER TIRE THAT GAVE UP A LITTLE MORE?
"I would but in defense of Goodyear, I don't think they really have a solution for that. I think a softer tire would blister and fail. We are not having tire failures. Kudos to Goodyear for that. Part of the problem we have is the composition of the asphalt. I am no chemist, but I can tell you it is different and it has different requirements for the tire. Goodyear, at this time, is doing the best that it can to make durable tires for it and you have what you have. If the asphalt was the same chemistry as the asphalt was laid 15 years ago, we would be back to soft tires and the tire would be wearing and giving up. But that would be because of the pavement and the way the pavement reacted to age. This pavement doesn't react to age the same way. Las Vegas, here, Darlington. I've been racing Darlington since 1981 was the first time I went there, was always the same and now this last batch is a different animal and will continue, it is not going to go back to the old Darlington any time soon."
ARE YOU SURPRISED THAT ROUSH-FENWAY CONTINUES TO STRUGGLE?
"They look like to me that they are running much better. I wouldn't consider struggling at this point in time by the performance they are getting on the race track. Their cars are pretty strong and it is just a matter of time when you run like they run to get a win. Then once they get one, if they can continue to perform on that level they'll get a few more. If they can up it another step, then they can get a bunch of them. Last year I was surprised, this year I am not surprised. They've stepped it up and are in the game."
Mark Martin – Team Chevy From The Driver’s Seat - Coca-Cola 600
MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 CARQUEST AUTO PARTS/GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET -- 11TH IN STANDINGS
"The All-Star Race can't prepare you for all 600 miles. There's just a completely different strategy and outlook for 600 miles compared to 100. But, the All-Star Race definitely gave us a chance to try out a few things as far as setup, where to run on the track, lane choices and those kind of things. We had a great All-Star Race. Not necessarily the finish, but the car was fast. The pit stops were great. We were in contention to win that thing, and that's what we wanted. So, we're all pretty optimistic heading into this weekend. Every race is demanding on your body. And, really, the weather outside plays a bigger role than the length of the race. If it's real hot and humid, that's a rough day on the body. So, this Sunday will really depend on what the weather is like. But I'll tell you, being in good shape physically is really important. It does help for sure. I'll give everything I possibly have to this race on Sunday, just like I do for every race. I don't really think about how I feel physically during a race. There's just too much going on and I'm too focused on all of that. It's when you get out of the car that you really feel anything. It's a long race, but it won't take anything away from what I'm doing inside that car."
Mark Martin NASCAR Sprint Cup Race Preview – Coca-Cola 600
HONORING OUR SOLDIERS: Martin's No. 5 Chevrolet will feature a patriotic theme this weekend in tribute to the United States military. Diecast and apparel featuring the No. 5 paint scheme will be available for purchase, and a portion of the proceeds benefits the Children of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund. Martin's Hendrick Motorsports teammates also will sport special patriotic paint schemes for the 600-mile event.
POINT STANDINGS: Martin and the No. 5 GoDaddy.com team rank 11th in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 12 points behind 10th place.
600 FOR 600: Gustafson has chosen Chassis No. 5-600 for Sunday's race at Charlotte. This is the same chassis that Martin drove to qualify third two weeks ago at Dover (Del.) International Speedway. He finished the race 15th.
MARK MARTIN, DRIVER, NO. 5 CARQUEST AUTO PARTS/GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET (ON HOW THE ALL-STAR RACE PREPARED HIM FOR THE 600.): "The All-Star Race can't prepare you for all 600 miles. There's just a completely different strategy and outlook for 600 miles compared to 100. But, the All-Star Race definitely gave us a chance to try out a few things as far as setup, where to run on the track, lane choices and those kind of things. We had a great All-Star Race. Not necessarily the finish, but the car was fast. The pit stops were great. We were in contention to win that thing, and that's what we wanted. So, we're all pretty optimistic heading into this weekend."
MARTIN (ON HOW PHYSICALLY DEMANDING 600 MILES CAN BE.): "Every race is demanding on your body. And, really, the weather outside plays a bigger role than the length of the race. If it's real hot and humid, that's a rough day on the body. So, this Sunday will really depend on what the weather is like. But I'll tell you, being in good shape physically is really important. It does help for sure. I'll give everything I possibly have to this race on Sunday, just like I do for every race. I don't really think about how I feel physically during a race. There's just too much going on and I'm too focused on all of that. It's when you get out of the car that you really feel anything. It's a long race, but it won't take anything away from what I'm doing inside that car."
Mark Martin Post Race Notes and Quotes – All Star Race
MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET -- Sidelined in multi-car crash on lap 91
WHAT HAPPENED OUT THERE?
"I'm not really sure. It just got kind of crazy out there on that restart. You can't win this thing until you get it started and we were trying to get it started. I didn't get the best start, but it was going to be okay. And then somehow or another, the No. 20 (Joey Logano) car kind of swerved up and the No. 1 (Jamie McMurray) car got in the back of me and we just started wadding up."
Mark Martin Media Visit - All-Star Race
MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 DELPHI/GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET, met with members of the media at Charlotte Motor Speedway and discussed the All Star, driver health and other topics.
TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE ALL-STAR RACE AND HOW SPECIAL IT IS TO RACE IN THAT RACE
"Well you know it all starts with the fans and the fan enthusiasm. To have something that is that much different than the format that we usually race week in and week out really brings a lot of excitement to the whole thing--to the race fans as well as the competitors. To have the opportunity to race a little bit more all for the win, and not have to worry so much about minimizing or back stopping your strategies or decisions; you can go out there and it's sort of winner-takes-all. That makes it really, really special. There are a lot of sparks that fly out there in these races, so it's pretty cool."
ANYTHING NEW IN YOUR FUTURE IN TERMS OF NEXT YEAR OR 2012? DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'LL BE DOING YET?
"No. Everything is still as planned. There are scenarios beginning to formulate, but I would expect it to be a long time until those boil down to real options. It could be as much as a year until those boil down to real options. Everything is pretty quiet; there is a little bit rumbling around out there. By the way, I heard you guys talk about the speedway and I've been around a long time. I came here the first time in 1981, and it's always been Charlotte Motor Speedway to me."
SO YOU WILL DEFINITELY BE IN THE 5 CAR IN 2011?
"Yes."
HOW CRAZY DO YOU THINK SOME COMPETITORS CAN GET WITH TRYING NEW THINGS AT THE ALL-STAR RACE SINCE IT ISN'T A POINTS COMPETITION RACE?
"Well, it does give you an opportunity to try some things that you're unsure of that might work, but in a points race you really do need to backstop yourself. You need to minimize your risks even at the compromise of some possible performance. This race gives you the opportunity to either refine what you plan on using in the 600, or look at a whole new package and decide if you want to try it in the 600."
YOU'RE ONE OF THE MOST HEALTH-CONSCIOUS GUYS IN THE GARAGE. LOOKING AT WHAT HAPPENED WITH BRIAN VICKERS, DID THAT SURPRISE YOU AND DOES IT MAKE YOU LOOK AT YOUR SITUATION AND YOUR HEALTH GOING FORWARD?
"I haven't reexamined my situation, but I truly, truly feel for Brian. It's just unbelievable to be in a situation where you can't drive a racecar--I can't imagine what that's like to deal with on top of being young, and a fit, young man. It's something that I don't understand yet. The condition, I really don't completely understand. Our coach, Mark Maldin, came down with the same thing over the winter. So we were already in tune with it at the 5 car and with Hendrick Motorsports with what he had been through, but he's not a young man by any means. It's a little bit of a strange condition, but my guys did say that if you have a twitch or shook your legs you wouldn't get it. So there is no chance in hell that I will get what he got because I shake my legs too much. I'm not worried about getting it myself! Seriously, my heart goes out to Brian. I'm glad that he's ok, but I can't imagine what it's like to be knocked out of your seat. It's our lives, guys, and it's got to be devastating for him on one hand. On the other hand, at least he's healthy to a good degree. He isn't completely disabled like something that might keep you from driving otherwise--something more traditional that might keep you from driving. I feel bad for him."
YOU HAVE HAD EXPERIENCE WITH SOMEONE ON YOUR CREW, HOW LONG HAVE THEY BEEN IN TREATMENT AND ON THE SIDELINES?
"I am not as close to the situation as Alan would be because he directly worked with Mark on a daily basis, I know that Mark hasn't been to the race track this year and it is a fairly serious condition that they don't want him sitting for long periods of time or anything like that. He is doing fine, that I know. I do see him, I saw him at the shop the day before yesterday. There are limitations on what the doctors want him to do right now. I just know bits and pieces of the story."
WHERE DO YOU WANT TO BE GOING IN TO THE LAST 10-LAP SEGMENT AND WHAT IS YOUR STRATEGY OVER THE FINAL 10 LAPS?
"I don't to get to exactly choose where I am. I hope to be able to see the front. Close enough that you can see the front. There is all different scenarios that puts you in position to win that thing like if you are running third and second place gets into first place and they slip up the race track. There is just a million different scenarios. Restarts, double-file...who knows what will happen. Obviously I would like to have the fastest car in the field and be leading, but I don't get to choose that. Hopefully I get that dropped in my lap. We've been in different situations at the end of the race and that is what makes it great for the fans, I would like to have the fastest car and be out front. But even if you have that, then you will have a restart and it is double-file and sparks will fly. Who knows how it turns out you know."
Mark Martin NASCAR Sprint Cup Race Preview – All-Star Race
MOST STARTS: The 2010 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race will be Martin's 21st start in the non-points exhibition, which is the most for any driver locked into this year's field. Martin missed the first five all-stars before making his first start in 1990. He has raced in every event since then, collecting two wins, seven top-five finishes and 10 top-10s. He has started from the front row twice and finished inside the top 10 in five of the last six races.
ALL-STAR REWIND: When Martin made his first career all-star start in the 1990 event, he lined up fourth and finished third, joining Dale Earnhardt Sr., Ken Schrader, Bill Elliott and Davey Allison in the top five. Of that group, Elliott is the only other driver who still races today.
TWO-TIME WINNER: Martin is a two-time all-star champion. Martin's first victory occurred in 1998 after he started fifth and led 31 laps. He also won in 2005 after starting from the outside pole position and leading 24 laps.
CHASSIS CHOICE: Gustafson has chosen Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-527 for Saturday's race. This is the same chassis that Martin drove to Victory Lane at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway last May and at Chicagoland Speedway last July. Martin drove 5-527 to a sixth-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway earlier this year.
MIDDLE SCHOOL VISIT: Dion Williams, rear-tire carrier for the No. 5 team, will visit Statesville (N.C.) Middle School on Friday from 10:30-11:30 a.m. ET. Williams, a former linebacker at Wake Forest, will speak with the students about the importance of education, teamwork and getting a college degree.
DOUGH-NATION: Crew members on the Nos. 5 and 88 Hendrick Motorsports teams will go head-to-head this Sunday in the Pit Crew Cookie Eating Challenge held by Cookies for Kids' Cancer at the zMAX Dragway in Concord, N.C. The challenge will begin at 4:30 p.m. ET. and will be part of Taylor's Finish Line Festival.
MARK MARTIN, DRIVER, NO. 5 DELPHI/GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET (ON THE ALL-STAR RACE.): "I love the All-Star Race. I think all of us drivers do. But I don't think anyone loves it as much as the fans. It's one of those in-your-face, just plain exciting deals that gets everyone fired up. No one worries about anything but the trophy and the paycheck. And having it at Charlotte Motor Speedway -- there's no better place for it. It's a perfect location. I don't think there are too many fans who leave the All-Star race disappointed."
MARTIN (ON POINTS NOT BEING A FACTOR.): "To me, on the winning side of things, I want to win this race just as much as I do any other race. I know that there's no points involved, but really that doesn't even enter my mind. If I don't win, I'm just as disappointed as I am when I don't win at Darlington (S.C.) or Talladega (Ala). Some guys go for the all or nothing route, but I don't. I ran third in 2007 and enjoyed that. It was right there. I was almost able to contend for the win. So I still take pride in racing for a position there and getting the most out of my effort."
MARTIN (ON HIS MINDSET ENTERING THE ALL-STAR RACE.): "The only thing that you have to change about yourself for this race is the way you approach it. This race has so many twists and turns with the different formats and pit stops and lap segments. It's crazy. So, yes, that is very different than a straight-up 500-mile race. There are different keys and moves you have to make to be in the best position at certain times in this race. And you have a lot less time to do it in. There's definitely a different approach."
ALAN GUSTAFSON, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 DELPHI/GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET (ON THE ALL-STAR RACE.): "I really, really like this race. It's fun. It's one of those races that you can be really aggressive in and there's no points penalty. Throw caution to the wind, so to speak. It's like a dress rehearsal for the 600 (600-mile event at Charlotte Motor Speedway). I don't like the schedule, though. Practice on Friday is pretty useless, which is frustrating because we practice during the day but race at night. As far as the race itself, it's great, exciting. If I had to choose one race a year to go to it would be on the top of my list."
GUSTAFSON (ON THE NEW REQUIREMENT OF A FOUR-TIRE PIT STOP BEFORE THE FINAL 10 LAPS.): "The four-tire pit stop is going to change some things, but it won't have a huge influence on the race overall. You're going to want to have the fastest pit stop as possible so you'll make some adjustments to the stop to have that happen. I think the biggest affect of it, really, is on the pit crew. It's a lot of pressure on them, and it makes the night even more so about them. Those guys are the ones that will be the most affected by the change."
GUSTAFSON (ON THE PIT CREW CHALLENGE.): "The pit crew challenge is fun. It's something everyone wants to win. It's not necessarily a real good correlation to the disciplines that we do on Saturday or Sunday in the race. It's a little specialized. But I think it's important to make the event fan friendly. The pit crew challenge splits up the different disciplines, with the car push and stuff like that just to generate some excitement. We all want to win, but at the same time I don't think it's a great barometer or measuring device for who has the best pit crew on pit road. Winning would be fun, but I'd much rather have better stops on race day."
GUSTAFSON (ON THE EMPHASIS PLACED ON PIT CREWS DURING THE ALL-STAR WEEK.): "I think it's nice these guys are getting some recognition. It's adding another variable of excitement to all of it. Really, qualifying for the All-Star Race is all about the pit stop. Obviously, you don't want to go out there and run a second slower than everybody else, but that pit stop is probably 60 to 70 percent of qualifying for the All-Star Race. And the pit crew challenge is what sets up drawing for pit stalls. The pit crew is a huge part of the week ahead. I'm glad the pit crews are getting some recognition for their hard work, but I think it's more about mixing up the competition than it is giving them praise."
MARK MAULDIN, NOS. 5/88 PIT CREW COACH (ON THE ADDITION OF A PIT STOP WITH 10 LAPS TO GO.): "That's a big deal. What it does is it just gives a pit stop more importance during the All-Star Race. Before, we had to pit under green in the first segment. There were three segments, and you had a 10-minute break in between to actually work on the car and get it the way you wanted for your last segment. Then it was pretty much out of our hands. I like it, that's why I continue to coach. I feel like we (the pit crew) are important. With the race on the line and the car coming down pit road, we want to make a difference. And I want people around me that feel the same way. We want it (the car) to come in, we want to pit it, we want to advance it. If we are just out there paddling around and not actually having an influence on the end of the race, then it's not too exciting for us."
MAULDIN (ON THE ALL-STAR RACE.): "The thing I enjoy about it is the pit crew only gets a couple chances during a short event like that. It really makes you focus, it really makes you be on your game because you're not at a Darlington (S.C.) that you're doing eight, nine pit stops, or somewhere that if you don't have a really super pit stop you can come in and do it again. We're going to have two or three chances, and we're going to make the best out of it. I enjoy that situation. I want our guys to feel like they're important and that they have a bearing on how things come out. We certainly do in this race."
WALT SMITH, NOS. 5/88 PIT CREW COORDINATOR (ON PREPARING FOR THE PIT CREW CHALLENGE.): "We don't overemphasize the pit crew challenge because if you get too caught up in it -- it's so different than anything we do normally -- you can get taken out of your mindset for your normal pit stops. We do practice for it. Here, we started about three weeks ago just going through choreography of the car push and where we wanted to place people and so forth. About two weeks ago we started implementing the positions. We had each position work with their partner to make sure they were best suited to go fast. The competition is all about going fast and not making mistakes -- just like a pit stop is. But you have to get comfortable with starting in a box, waiting for the buzzer to go 'three, two, one, beep.' We started that about two weeks ago. We've probably put eight to 10 hours in it. Nothing super elaborate, but we are prepared for it."
GM Racing Preview – From The Driver’s Seat - Mark Martin
MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET -- 11TH IN STANDINGS: "The All-Star is just incredible, especially for the fans. I think the competitors love it too, but the fans really love it. It's really exciting. There couldn't possibly be a better place to have it than Charlotte Motor Speedway. It's prefect. It's a weekend that I think everybody looks forward to and somebody comes out of there with a big trophy and a big check. Everybody walks out of the grandstands with a smile on their face. "The approach is different because the race is different because the length is different and the format is different. I don't approach it differently because of any other thing other than it takes different things to be in position there than it would a 600-mile race. You have a different mindset and a different way that you approach that kind of race. The only thing about this race, which it still matters to me the same, is that it doesn't have points. But if I don't do well in it, it bothers me the same as if I don't do well in a points race. But there is something to all that. At the end of the day you can tell yourself, well, it was all in or nothing. You might look at that race as all or nothing. I don't. I ran third there I think in the No. 8 car and enjoyed that. It was right there. I was almost able to contend for the win. So, I still take pride in racing for a position there and getting the most out of your effort. But a lot of drivers do have a little bit of that weighing in on them. It's a non-points event. It's sort of a winner take all. There is still pride left in being a contender if you don't take it all."
NASCAR Teleconference Transcript - Alan Gustafson
An interview with: ALAN GUSTAFSON
DENISE MALOOF: Thank you, and good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to this week's NASCAR Cam Video Teleconference in advance to Saturday night's 26th Annual NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. First, however, is Wednesday's Sixth Annual NASCAR Sprint Pit Crew Challenge presented by Craftsman at 7:00 p.m. at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Top 24 NASCAR Sprint Cup pit crews will compete for team and individual honors. And Wednesday's finishing order will determine the pit selection order for Saturday night's All-Star Race. Joining us today is Alan Gustafson, the crew chief of the No. 5 GoDaddy Chevrolet, driven by Mark Martin for Hendrick Motorsports. Mark is currently 11th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings. Alan, welcome.
ALAN GUSTAFSON: Thanks for having me.
DENISE MALOOF: No pressure now as your crew competes Wednesday night. That's a big carrot to hold out in front of everybody.
ALAN GUSTAFSON: Yeah, you know, there is some pressure involved there, but I think it's a really cool venue for the guys to go showcase their talents and have the fans so close to them in the stands. It's a lot of fun, a really fun event.
DENISE MALOOF: Thank you. Questions for Alan Gustafson.
Q: How do you approach this weekend? There's been a lot of talk about drivers, about working as much on 600 set-ups and so forth as getting their car ready to run Saturday night. Is that kind of a balancing act you go through this weekend?
ALAN GUSTAFSON: Yeah, I think, obviously, it is the same track, so really valuable information for when you're running the All-Star and stuff that you're going to use for the 600. Ultimately, I think everybody's trying to get their race cars as good as they can for the 600.
But the other side of that coin is it's a lot shorter of an event. The ten-lap, 15-lap run is going to be what you're more focused on than it is going to be in the 600 when you've obviously got to go full fuel runs.
That makes things different in the way the 600 starts the transitions through the night makes it difficult also. So we can use that practice for the All-Star help, and use that race as a dress rehearsal, so to speak.
But as far as I'm concerned, we're going to go there, trying to get the fastest, you know, Delphi Chevy we can on the racetrack and try to win it. I think that's the key. Winning it would give you a huge boost and a lot of momentum going into the 600 as much as it would trying to get your car right.
Q: What is the layman's version of how you set up a car differently for say 10 or 20 laps Saturday night as opposed to a fuel run next weekend?
ALAN GUSTAFSON: Well, I think the biggest difference is when you make a full fuel run, you've got to start out free. The car's really going to start turning well, because as you know as you burn off fuel and lose rear weight and gain front weight percentage and build up the tires, you typically just build tighter and tighter and tighter.
So you have to start pretty free to balance that out. So over the run you've got the fastest established time you can get. You give up a little bit in the beginning to get to the middle and the end.
In the All-Star Race, you can't wait. There is no time to wait for the car to kind of come in, so to speak. You've got to be able to go right away. So you run the car tighter, do a few more things that bias the car towards speed on short runs than you would at the 600 when you give up a little bit early in the run to get it at the end.
Q: Have you guys been testing some things the last few weeks, or has it just been a struggle?
ALAN GUSTAFSON: Yeah, I mean it's been a disappointment, to say the least. We haven't been very good. Unfortunately, we've struggled to get into this last weekend. So you're always evolving, always trying to improve, always implementing some new components.
But I can't sit there and tell you say, Hey, Bob, we're just trying to step out of left field and we can get back in a moment's notice. I wish that was the case. We seem to be off a little bit. We're searching for some things. We have been for the last four weeks or so.
So we're pushing hard. I think the All-Star Race is going to be a good chance for us to try to work through some of those things. But we just haven't had it. We don't know what it is that we're missing, but we're going to work hard on getting it.
Q: Is there any consolation to the fact that, you know, obviously, the 88 struggled a little bit and the 24 didn't run as well either in the sense of, okay, most of us were off, or is that a cause of more concern?
ALAN GUSTAFSON: Yeah, definitely more concern. I want those guys to run well. I'd feel a lot better if three of our cars were running good and one of them weren't.
Hey, 88 really struggled bad, and that was unfortunate. There's not much positive to take out of that, and we were similar. Jeff, I think, was a little better, but ultimately not where we need to be.
So Jimmie had a good car. I think he had the best car there and really had a good shot at winning the race. He stopped with that pit road penalty. So that's nice. We'll learn off of that a lot and look at how to get the same results out of our car, and lean on the team a bunch to try to do that.
But, ultimately, you know, to answer your question, I would much rather be the only guy running bad than have company running bad that wouldn't be good.
Q: Earnhardt Jr. stated the other day the car for him due to the introduction of the spoiler, and that may have some impact as well on Jimmie Johnson's team. Is that also the case with Mark and you? Have you seen any major differences in the style of driving and the impact on the car since the introduction of the spoiler?
ALAN GUSTAFSON: Yeah, I mean, it's hard to tell right now. We're working through it. It's always a little bit left up to interpretation, but it seems like the timeframes that we put the spoiler back on got us behind the competition.
In Martinsville, in the first race we ran really good and had a pit road penalty. But ever since then it seems to have been a struggle. It's hard for us to quantify. It's not a situation where the car's just really loose or we're really tight or we're struggling with the balance of the car. It's more a lack of speed.
It seems to correlate, although the information that we've gotten from the research we can do doesn't really show up in the wind tunnel or in any other areas.
But yeah, it seems to correlate with when our struggles started, and it may take a little bit something different with the spoiler. It may take a different driving style. It may take the 5 car set up a different way.
Those are the things that we've been trying to look through methodically. It's not something we can just throw out one week and say this is the magic fix. Just try to piece it week by week by week, just try to find solutions or get rid of potential answers.
So, I can't say that it is, but there seems to be some resulting information pointing in that direction.
Q: Could you give me your thought on the uniqueness, I guess, of qualifying for the All-Star Race and the emphasis put on the pit crew. Also, they had the pit stop at the All-Star Race, so there is a lot of emphasis on the pit crew this coming week?
ALAN GUSTAFSON: Yeah, it's a really neat way the way they've structured it. But like I said, the finishing order in the Pit Crew Challenge determines your pit stall selection, which is going to be really important. The importance is going to be a little higher than it has been in years past with the way the last pit stop structure on pit road. So you can get a good pit stall and work those timelines and do everything you can to get the track position you need.
Then that last pit stop, it will be a four-tire change, and they're going to let the teams do the adjustments beforehand, so it will be straight up pit crew against pit crew.
That may be between that and the pit stall, what decides the outcome of the race. If you can get a good pit stall and good pit stop and get track position for ten laps, you've got such good competitors, those guys are going to be hard to pass in ten laps. They'll really have to get after it if they get that clean air.
Ultimately, the pit crew is going to have a huge impact on it. I think it's great. All the pit crew guys are really excited about it. The more control they have for the outcome, the more motivation is for them. So I think it's a cool thing they're doing. I'm glad they're getting the pit crew guys involved and make it a potential for a real good reward for those pit crew guys.
Q: So needless to say, all the drivers are being extra nice to the pit crews this week?
ALAN GUSTAFSON: Yeah, definitely pumping them up, that's for sure.
Q: Obviously, there's a lot of talk about Hall of Fame with the induction ceremony coming up Sunday. A lot of people say Mark Martin is going to go down as one of the great drivers in NASCAR. Although he does not have a Sprint Cup Championship, he does have a lot of victories. I was just wondering, you've worked with him the last couple of years. Would you be able to make a case as far as down the road why Mark Martin should be in the Hall of Fame one day?
ALAN GUSTAFSON: Yeah, I mean, to me it's a no-brainer. I don't think there should even be a discussion about it if it was on my opinion alone. I think there are very few people, if any people, that I can think of definitely, since my generation or since I've been a fan of the sport, that have been able to stay and compete at the high level as Mark has over such a long period of time, to consistently be one of the best race car drivers on the racetrack.
You know, I think it's unfortunate or an injustice, or however you want to phrase it, that he hasn't won a Sprint Cup. I do think it's something that he deserves and he should have won, and hopefully he will win.
But as far as where he ranks, I definitely think he's one of the best all time. I don't think you know you really can argue that fact. I don't think he's, you know, Richard Petty -- I watched him as a kid, but he was a little bit before I really knew the ins and outs of the sport. There was Bobby Alison and some guys before.
But since I've been an adult, nobody has been able to maintain that high level in Sprint Cup competition as Mark Martin has year-in and year-out no matter what the car is, what the rules are, what the situation may be, you know. Old car, new car, this rule, that rule, Mark always seems to be able to overcome it. So he's a great competitor.
I don't know how many second place point finishes he has now, but he's got a stack of them.
Q: One of the big problems car dealers are having all over the United States is finding mechanics that have the know how to repair today's engines because of computer technology. Have the engines in NASCAR changed that much where you open up the hood and just scratch your head?
ALAN GUSTAFSON: Well, not in a direct way as you're stating. The typical car on the road with the fuel injection and computer management systems and the emphasis on efficiency to generate horsepower, they have changed tons, obviously, you know, in 20 years. Immensely five years, immensely.
Our sport, the general concept and package has stayed the same.
But where the technology really comes into play in our sport is the development, the instrumentation, the design, the manufacturing process, all of that stuff is very, very, very specialized, highly technical. It's amazing some of the things that we're able to do here at Hendrick Motorsports with these Chevrolet engines.
So you look at them, and these cars are still carbureted or push rod V-8 engines. There is a lot more production out there going into that.
But we use extreme high levels of technology to build and develop engines. They're sort of inputted in the design because that's regulated by NASCAR. But the manufacturing processes and the testing, and the design, it's all very, very highly technical, very highly skilled. So we have similar issues, just not as directly as auto manufacturers do.
Q: Have you considered going with scuffs for that final ten lap segment? And do you think anybody will try that?
ALAN GUSTAFSON: Yeah. You're laying the strategy right out there already, aren't you? But, yeah. I think the scuffs potentially could come in a little bit quicker. The right side tire that we run at Charlotte seems to like that, and we've had that tire a couple of times this year, and that's held true.
So depending on how your car is, I would not be surprised at all to see that. That is definitely something that we'll try to get our arms around earlier in the night.
Q: This race has had a number of format changes over the years with segments and different versions between segments and so forth. From your perspective, how would you like to see this race run? Is it set-up pretty good now or would you like to see some changes?
ALAN GUSTAFSON: Well, you're right. It's taken a lot of -- there's been a lot of changes, a lot of different formats, a lot of different situations. I haven't thought about your direct question.
If I was Bruton Smith, how would I run it? I don't know, I haven't thought about it. The two things I thought were really good were the mandatory green flag stop where everybody stops on the same lap. There are a couple years ago where you had to make one, and people try to adjust their strategy.
But I think that's going to put big emphasis on getting to pit road and that's going to be exciting for the fans. Everybody trying to get to pit road and falling down to three and four at the same time under green. So that will be neat.
You'll probably have some repercussions from all of that. Somebody will probably miss pit road or there is going to be an accident or something. But I think that's going to generate a lot of excitement for the fans. It's a little different discipline than you normally get to see. So I think that's really cool.
I like the pit stop at the end. I think the pressures are going to be on the pit crews' shoulders and it's going to be a great opportunity for those guys to shine during that four-tire stop. So that will be neat. That could potentially shuffle some of the order.
The good cars will probably work their way to the front by then. The fastest cars should be out in front unless something happens, you know, before that point in time. So that will be neat to shuffle around and get somebody else track position and see what they can do about it. I like those two things.
What would be the ultimate format? Ten laps I think is a good number because you just cut it loose for ten laps. And that is something that you can drive around a little bit with your car's imperfections for ten laps. You get to 20, 25 laps, you can't hide for that long, you can't hide your car's imperfections for that long. But if you get clean air for ten laps you can drive and make something happen. So that will generate a lot of excitement and that will be neat.
DENISE MALOOF: We appreciate your time today, and good luck Wednesday night and on Saturday night.
ALAN GUSTAFSON: Thank you. Looking forward to it.
Mark Martin Post Race Notes and Quotes - Autism Speaks 400 presented by Hershey’s Milk & Milkshakes
MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET, FINISHED 15TH
"We definitely got better as the race continued. We weren't getting all we could out of the car there in the beginning and middle of the race. We were crazy tight early and Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) kept loosening me up and loosening me up. We're not where we want to be, but I feel like we're going to get there. These guys fight like dogs. I'm really proud of all of them."
Mark Martin Post Qualifying Interview
MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET -- QUALIFIED 3RD
TELL US ABOUT YOUR LAP
"We weren't that good in practice; 17th quickest. We weren't expecting to be a pole contender, for sure. But you know, you never know. There are times when you think you're going to be a pole contender you're not and you wind up sorely disappointed, and today we really got a great lap; Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) and I, though our experience here, made a judgment on some changes to the car. We hit it just right and I really got a great lap. It was a little eventful up off of (Turn) 2. The car started spinning the tires and got loose, where I've not had a car do that before in qualifying. I actually had to lift out of the gas there for a just a split second. It was fixing to get big there for just a second. So I was real happy to be that fast. I certainly was on a pole run up until that point."
ON THE TRACK CONDITIONS
"Well it was really hot this afternoon. It surprised me how warm it got. The track's in the same old condition; typical good condition. It feels like that Goodyear has brought just an absolutely incredible race tire. In race trim, the car almost feels like you're in qualifying trim; so much stick. The cars really drive well. They're fast. They really drive well. We'll learn more tomorrow but we're very pleased with our car in race trim today."
YOU'VE STRUGGLED RECENTLY AT PLACES LIKE RICHMOND AND DARLINGTON, WHICH ARE NORMALLY VERY GOOD FOR YOU. IS THERE SOMETHING DIFFERENT GOING ON WITH THE TEAM OR IS IT JUST A MATTER OF HAVING A BAD WEEK OR TWO?
"No, it's been more than just those two races. We've been a little off on speed in another couple of races as well, but we got really good finishes. And so it kind of covered that up. But we've been off a little bit. Things change in the garage. Little things change. The tires have changed. We've got a spoiler instead of a wing. There are a number of things that change and then the competition steps their game up. And we just don't feel like that if we put everything exactly like we had it last year, that we would be competitive right now. There's enough changes in the tire and the aero and in the competition. We're working to find some of our speed back that has gotten away from us. We started off the year pretty good, but it seems like some of it has slipped away. And to be real honest with you, we got some of it back last week at Darlington. We just didn't look like it. But we got a portion of it back last week and it looks to us like we may have another portion of it back this week and we will continue to work until we find the magic combination."
DO YOU FEEL THE CHANGE FROM THE WING TO THE SPOILER HAS HELPED YOUR PROGRAM OR IS THERE SOMETHING ELSE TO WORK ON TO GET IT WHERE YOU WANT IT?
"It just made the change. Some guys have benefited and fell into the right combination and some haven't. It's a great rule. It looks like a traditional race car. For me, I'm glad to see it. And there are all kinds of things. Things change. They always change. Competition is always a moving target. It doesn't matter. The tires are different, the aero is different, and the competition is moving forward. You have to move forward."
Mark Martin Post Qualifying Notes and Quotes
MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 3RD
"Usually if it spins, it ain't no big thing. You just leave it wide open and you chase it. But the motor started to rev up and it got aimed and it was like oh, I'm crashing. So even when I let off and caught up, it was aimed down the race track. We weren't very fast. But that sure was fast. I want to thank the GoDaddy.com crew and Chevrolet and everybody for all their support. That's the line when you do better than you should and somehow or another, we did. That was sheer stupidity."
Mark Martin Friday Media Visit
MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET, met with members of the media at Dover International Speedway and discussed racing at Dover, All Star race, different on-track strategies for different drivers and other topics.
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON DOVER? "I love it. Debatably my favorite race track on the circuit. I like it, I like racing on it. I always have from the first time I came here. The banking, you can drive it very aggressively. It fits my style."
IS THIS A VERY PHYSICAL RACE TRACK? "I think you can drive it really aggressively. The concrete makes it a little trickier. Always a concrete service is a little bit higher grip. When the tire starts to slip, it really breaks away which makes it more physical for the driver because he has to react sooner and can't slide the car as much."
WHAT ARE THE KEYS TO VICTORY HERE AT DOVER? "It is like everywhere else, everything is the key. Really, to be honest with you, same thing as everywhere else, you have to beat everybody through the corners to have the best car you have to have good everything, gas mileage, pit stops, everything. In that way, it's not different than any other oval track that we race on."
DOES THE NEW PIT ROAD ADD ANYTHING TO YOUR RACE HERE? "I really guess it doesn't, because I had forgotten it was here. It must have not a major impact. It certainly better, safer, greatly needed improvement. I don't think it really has a huge effect other than maybe hopefully fewer cars will get torn up coming in and out pit road."
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON BRIAN VICKERS AND THE BLOOD CLOT PROBLEM HE HAS? "Our pit crew coach, Mark Mullen, has had something we think is sort of similar, so we have had experience with that this year. I was somewhat familiar with what we think Brian's situation is."
DO YOU HAVE ANY CONCERNS ABOUT HAVING A SITUATION LIKE THAT? "No, they say if you have a nervous fidget, you are fine. So there is no humanly possible way I could have that problem with the way I shake my legs. (LAUGHS)
WHAT ARE SOME THINGS THAT DRIVERS CAN DO ON THE TRACK TO MESS EACH OTHER UP? "You have to talk to the masters at that, they would be much better than I would to answer those kinds of questions."
WHO ARE THE MASTERS? "I don't know, you would probably know. You are doing more research on this than I am. One of the masters is gone unfortunately, that would be (Dale, Sr.) Earnhardt. He's the one that would come to my mind, but I don't know currently who might. I guess I am oblivious to those kinds of things."
SO DOES THAT NOT GO ON AS MUCH AS IT DID? "I'm not saying that is doesn't, I'm saying I don't pay a lot of attention to that. I'm focused on other things so I don't pay a lot of attention to that. But, that just means I am kind of a simple person, my mind is not that complex and I'm focusing on some different things rather than being tripped up by the competition or tripping up the competition. I'm focused on trying to outrun them instead."
IF SOMEONE CATCHES YOU, DO YOU WORRY ABOUT TEACHING THEM SOMETHING YOU ARE DOING TO BE FAST? "If someone is catching me, I hope they run my life because they are doing something better than me. If they are catching me, I don't think I'll be teaching them anything. If they are catching me, I might try and take their line away from them, but I certainly wouldn't be concerned about teaching them anything. I'm a simple guy. I'm not saying there are aspects of this deal that I am overlooking. (LAUGHS) I'm not making that claim. I'm sure there are aspects of this deal that I overlook. I focus on the things that serve me well. Probably there are some things that would serve me well that I don't focus on but I'm too thick headed to realize it."
IS THAT SOMETHING YOU HAVE DONE IN THE CAR IS FOCUS ON THE THINGS THAT SERVE YOU WELL? "I've always done that, outside the race car as well. I used to build my own race cars and used to be my own chassis man coming up through the years. I always did that. You can't do everything. You can only do, for me as stupid as I am (SMILES), I can only do so much so I pick the things that really matter. That really worked for me and those are the things that I focused on and I really tried to not even see the things that didn't. That is how I did things all through the years. It served me well, I am a simple-minded guy. I know I can only handle so much information well, so, I try to keep it narrowed down to the stuff that really works for me."
WHAT IS IT ABOUT THE ALL STAR RACE THAT MAKES IT SO APPEALING TO DRIVERS? "I don't know, the event is just an incredible event. It is so much fun, the adrenaline, excitement, the fans-their support of it and enthusiasm. I think it is that, the electricity of the whole thing."
DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE ALL STAR RACE MEMORY? "I have a lot of great memories. We won twice and both of them were very exciting and rewarding."
Mark Martin NASCAR Sprint Cup Race Preview - Autism Speaks 400 presented by Hershey’s Milk & Milkshakes
FOUR-TIME WINNER: Martin’s four Sprint Cup wins at Dover International Speedway tie it with Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway for his second-most at any racetrack and trail Michigan International Speedway, where he owns five victories. Martin picked up his first three wins at the Dover concrete oval from 1997-1999. He started from the pole position in the first two - September 1997 and September 1998 - and led the most laps in each event on his way to Victory Lane. In September 1999, Martin led a race-high 161 laps to earn his third victory. In his most recent win, Martin led 19 laps in June 2004 before taking the checkered flag.
DOVER DOMINATION: Martin’s 22 top-five finishes at Dover are a personal career best at any track for the 51-year-old veteran. His 30 Dover top-10s rank second only to Pocono Raceway, where he has 32. During his 47 starts at Dover, Martin has led a career-best 1,720 laps.
MONSTER MARTIN: Martin’s 22 top-five finishes and 30 top-10s at Dover lead all active Sprint Cup drivers. His 25 lead-lap finishes are the most all-time at the Monster Mile.
MOST RECENTLY AT DOVER: Martin posted top-10 finishes in both Sprint Cup races at Dover in 2009. He finished 10th last June and then drove the No. 5 Chevrolet to a runner-up finish in the second race of the 2009 Chase for the Sprint Cup in September.
POLE SITTER: Martin’s next Sprint Cup Series pole position will be the 50th of his career and will place him eighth on the all-time pole winner’s list. He has earned four career poles at Dover, which ties it with Richmond (Va.) International Raceway as the second-most of any active track for Martin. He has earned nine pole positions at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.
POINT STANDINGS: Martin and the No. 5 GoDaddy.com team remain 10th in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 37 points behind ninth place and 265 behind the leader after finishing 16th last weekend at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.
LOOP STATS: In the last 10 Dover races, Martin ranks fourth in average running position (9.5) and fourth in average finish (eighth place). He has the fifth-best driver rating of all competitors with a score of 101.9 and has spent the fifth-most amount of laps—3,144 total—running in the top 15.
THE NO. 5 AT DOVER: Under the direction of crew chief Alan Gustafson, the No. 5 GoDaddy.com team has competed in 10 Sprint Cup races at Dover International Speedway, earning five top-five finishes. In 2005, Gustafson’s first year as crew chief, the team scored back-to-back runner-up finishes at Dover and led 90 laps in the spring event. Gustafson again led the team to a runner-up finish last September.
DOVER CHASSIS: Gustafson has chosen Chassis No. 5-600 for Sunday’s race at Dover. This is a brand new chassis that never has been raced or tested.
HENDRICK AT DOVER: In 52 races (159 starts) at Dover, Hendrick Motorsports has tallied 12 wins, 40 top-five finishes, 70 top-10s and has led 4,349 laps. The organization’s 12 victories lead all-time, and nine of those wins were scored by current drivers Jimmie Johnson (five) and Jeff Gordon (four).
MARK MARTIN, DRIVER, NO. 5 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET (ON DOVER.): “I love this place. I get excited when I know we’re coming to Dover. This is just one of those places that, man, it’s just so much fun to drive on. It’s one of those tracks that just instantly clicked with me. I loved it from the first time I saw it. And it helps that I’ve always run well here, too. It’s just a really cool racetrack. This is definitely one every NASCAR fan should go see live.”
MARTIN (ON THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN RACING ON CONCRETE AND ASPHALT.): “Well, let me first say that they’re incredibly different. Concrete is much more consistent. We don’t worry as much about the change in weather when we’re racing at Dover, because it really doesn’t affect the track at all, which is great. But when you lose grip on a concrete surface, you feel like you just got cut loose from a rope. It’s amazing. It’s like losing half of your grip, rather than about 20 or 30 percent that you lose on asphalt. That’s probably another reason they call this track the ‘Monster.’ As a driver, you have to man-handle the car so much more on concrete. I would normally say that I like asphalt better, but I absolutely love Dover. Even with it being concrete, it doesn’t take anything away from how great this place is.”
MARTIN (ON LAST YEAR AT DOVER.): “Oh, man. When we went to Dover in June, our practices were just awful. I remember Alan and I being on SPEED channel that Friday night and it was like we were both almost embarrassed to be on there. We were that bad. But, like this No. 5 team always does, they made some changes before the race and we got a not great but solid top-10 finish out of it. When we went back in the fall, we were ready. Our car was a rocket ship all through Saturday’s practice sessions. When we got into the race, though, we were just a tick, and I mean a tick, off on the start of runs. We were great still in the long run, but just slightly off at the start. That’s what put us in second, rather than winning the race.”
ALAN GUSTAFSON, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET (ON SETTING UP A CAR FOR CONCRETE VERSUS ASPHALT.): “The concrete surface is usually more bumpy of a surface than asphalt is due to the expansion joints where the concrete blocks meet up. The concrete also seems to be more consistent throughout the weekend, because it doesn’t change as much with rubber build-up and temperature. The way we set up the car is not based on the track surface, but on the track configuration. So the concrete surface plays no real role in setup.”
GUSTAFSON (ON HOW PIT ROAD PLAYS A ROLE AT DOVER.): “Pit road is all about the ability to gain track position. That’s the key, and Dover is no different. The pit road is much better since they have redone it last year, but still can be very treacherous. The difficulty still lies in getting onto pit road, kind of like Darlington, because of the way the driver has to enter into Turn 3 really early. The banking is steep, and the quick transition onto the flat surface - it’s hard to get out of people’s way. But again, Dover’s pit road is a lot better than it used to be.”
Chevrolet NASCAR Sprint Cup Race Preview – Mark Martin
TEAM CHEVY FROM THE DRIVER’S SEAT – DOVER
MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET – 10TH IN STANDINGS: I love this place. I get excited when I know we’re coming to Dover. This is just one of those places that, man, it’s just so much fun to drive on. It’s one of those tracks that just instantly clicked with me. I loved it from the first time I saw it. And it helps that I’ve always run well here, too. It’s just a really cool racetrack. This is definitely one every NASCAR fan should go see live. When we went to Dover last June, our practices were just awful. I remember Alan and I being on SPEED channel that Friday night and it was like we were both almost embarrassed to be on there -- we were that bad. But, like this No. 5 team always does, they made some changes before the race and we got a, not great, but solid top 10 finish out of it. When we went back in the fall, we were ready. Our car was a rocket ship all through Saturday’s practice sessions. When we got into the race, though, we were just a tick, and I mean a tick off on the start of runs. We were great still in the long run, but just slightly off at the start. That’s what put us in second, rather than winning the race.”
Dover Specifics Statistics – Mark Martin
Mark Martin (No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet)
M6M note: Did not find post race comments by Mark Martin.
Mark Martin Post Qualifying Notes and Quotes - Showtime Southern 500
MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED FIFTH
"I didn't wreck and that was really a main goal of mine. I almost wrecked it three or four times in practice. We really weren't as fast as we wanted to be in race trim and I almost wrecked it several times and in qualifying trim, I just didn't want, you are going to do worse. You are going to start worse, you are going a race car that you haven't practiced and all that stuff. But I am competitive and I reached pretty deep and I thought what I did was pretty stupid but I didn't even have a close call so, I didn't wreck. I don't know how much I left, if any. I'm proud of that. I don't care how many people beat that, that is still good and still probably better than we were going to be in practice."
Mark Martin Friday Media Visit - Showtime Southern 500
MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET, met with the media at Darlington Raceway on Friday to discuss racing for championship, the new surface at Darlington, winning at the South Carolina raceway, and much more.
ON WINNING THIS RACE LAST YEAR AND THE EXCITEMENT AND CHALLENGE OF RACING AT DARLINGTON... "This place has always been a challenge, and the challenge is quite a bit different after the most recent repave. It keeps you working all the time. This repave and the composition of this asphalt is greatly different than anything they had put down before. The handling challenges are greatly different than anything we've dealt with here before. You never know where these wins are going to come from. Last year in practice, I didn't think we were very good at all; last year in qualifying we were disappointed. When the race started, the car was better than I thought it was, and it just got better the longer the race went. The car was just supreme at the end of the race. Just like I told you last year, I felt like somebody was going to wake me up. It was really exciting to see my team and their enthusiasm in victory circle. It was a real special night."
AS FAR AS CHAMPIONS GO, WHAT DO YOU THINK CHAMPIONS NEED TO SUCCEED AND WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU AND YOUR TEAM WILL NEED THE MOST TO PULL OFF A CHAMPIONSHIP THIS YEAR? "I'm a simple person and my easiest answer for that is to score more points than anyone else. You can do that in every different way. There is all different of ways that you can score more points. You can go out and blister everybody, or you can go out and be more consistent than your next best guy that's blistering everybody. It's racing, man. You have to score more points if you want to win."
WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS FOR THE RACE THIS YEAR VERSUS LAST YEAR AS FAR AS THE HANDLING, AND WHAT ABOUT THE ABRASIVENESS? WILL IT EVER BE LIKE IT WAS? "I'm no chemist. I can tell you that this is different. This is a different mix than they ever used here or at Rockingham before. Charlotte is the same way. I have heard that the track is the same from the tire test, basically. That's what we still see at Charlotte; Charlotte has gotten a little slicker but it doesn't show the rocks and it doesn't cut the rubber off the tires. It makes the tires really hot so you have to run a really hard compound, which makes the tire not have the forgiveness in the slip--it doesn't slide. It either sticks and it's real fast, or it breaks loose and you lose a big majority of your grip. Charlotte is the same way. They get lighter in color, but they don't seem to age. They figured something out--the asphalt company. I'm not the guy; you need to talk to the guy that mixes the stuff and he can tell you what they did. I can tell you that it lasts ten times longer than the way they used to do it. I'm not educated enough to give you the specifics on that."
THIS IS THE KIND OF ASPHALT THAT YOU'LL HAVE AT DAYTONA. THIS IS A FAST TRACK AND A NARROW TRACK; DAYTONA IS A FAST, NARROW TRACK. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT DAYTONA LOOKING AHEAD? "First of all, Daytona will be just like Talladega only narrower. [Daytona is] going to race like it [Talladega], it will feel like it, but it will feel like it's half as wide as Talladega. That's what we'll deal with in February."
WHAT ABOUT THE DOUBLE-FILE RESTARTS--TRACK POSITION, NEW TIRES, WHICH DO YOU GO WITH? "Double-file restarts? I wish you hadn't brought that up; I had not even thought about that. I'm going to try not to think about it until the time comes. We did double-file restarts before, but they were lapped cars. I'll be honest with you, those lapped cars raced just as hard. They raced their brains out for their own reasons. It will be an additional challenge, but it won't be like we were having single-file restarts before and suddenly went to double-file restarts. It will just be a little more intense. Track position is going to be real important here because the tires don't give up as much as they used to and handling doesn't fall off as much as it used to. The speeds are up from where it used to, so the aero is more. Any time you run faster, they're always more critical. It will be a very similar race to last year."
IN TALKING ABOUT HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES, THE TERM "OLD SCHOOL DRIVER" HAS BEEN USED A LOT. WHAT DO YOU TAKE THAT TO BE? WHAT IS YOUR DEFINITION OF AN OLD SCHOOL DRIVER? "I hadn't thought about it a whole lot, but the first thoughts that come to my mind are that they drove back in the old school; back when racing was a little bit different and a little bit simpler. It was more hands-on. You know what I mean; just old school. I don't think anybody would--I'll use an example--I wouldn't call Kyle Busch old school. Although he is a hell of a racer, he's probably not quite old school, but he's got some in him. He does get his hands involved in the ownership-side and he drives all the time in anything he can. I think the more old-school racers would be the guys from my generation and back. I think that's more generational than anything."
HAMLIN HAS TALKED RECENTLY ABOUT WANTING TO FINISH RACES BECAUSE HE WANTS TO BE A PART OF THE TEAM AND WANTS HIS GUYS TO KNOW THAT HE'S NOT GIVING UP ON THEM. HOW IMPORTANT IS THAT FACTOR FROM THE TEAM PERSPECTIVE TO HAVE THEIR DRIVER FINISH THE RACE? "I think it's hard to answer your question directly. I will tell you this; competition is really, really fierce in this business. Anything you can do to build team morale and team unity will--whether you say it does benefit you or not, if you don't have it you're in less standing. Denny Hamlin made some really great choices and gutted it out, and did some really team unity building stuff--that was good stuff. That's what you hope to do. If he couldn't have physically done it then it would have been understood. It wasn't expected of him; it was the extra mile that he went. Those are the kinds of things that you do to try to get ahead or stay ahead, and to build unity and respect and all those kinds of things."
LOOKING AHEAD TO CHARLOTTE IN A FEW WEEKS, THE ALL-STAR WEEK IS A GOOD CHANCE TO HIGHLIGHT THE CREWS AS WELL AS THE DRIVERS. IT SEEMS LIKE THE EXCITEMENT IS ALWAYS ONE NOTCH HIGHER. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON WHAT THAT EVENT MEANS? "That event is just incredible, especially for the fans. I think the competitors love it too, but the fans really love it. It's really exciting. There couldn't possibly be a better place to have it than Charlotte Motor Speedway. It's prefect. It's a weekend that I think everybody looks forward to and somebody comes out of there with a big trophy and a big check. Everybody walks out of the grandstands with a smile on their face."
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE BEING HIGHER UP IN POINTS THIS YEAR VERSUS LAST YEAR, AND HOW MUCH MORE RELAXED IT HAS YOUR MINDSET THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO MAKE UP GROUND? "Well, it's still really competitive. We were sixth last week, we're tenth this week. We're right there and it's early in the season. Things are really different. A year ago, we were still trying to figure out if I could really do this and how it was going to work. This year, we're more focused on the competition, it's a moving target. A lot of our competition has upped their game. We're in the process of trying to up our game as well and that's been kind of hit-or-miss. We had great performances, incredible performances at Bristol and Martinsville, but we didn't get the finishes for it. Then we didn't have such great performances and we got good finishes. It's just racing every week and working every week. We're still just as intense as we were a year ago, but last year it was more answering questions and this year it's more focused on the details of making our race cars better and giving better performances."
HOW MUCH DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE SPOILER, AND HOW MUCH ARE YOU MENTALLY DEALING WITH IT OR THINKING ABOUT IT? "I don't think about it, but that is one thing that has changed. We saw signs of being off on our performance before we switched, let's say at Atlanta with the wing, we have seen more since we switched; although, we also saw our two best performances. We ran as good at Bristol as we ran anywhere last year, and we ran as good at Martinsville as I ever have in my life. We've had some really good runs and we've been off a few weeks, and part of that is just the competition and part of that is us trying to up our game. It may be the difference in the spoiler; we don't see it in the numbers. That is the one thing that has changed, and that may or may not be it. The competition is always a moving target and you always have to be working to get better because your competition is too. That's what we're doing; we're working to get better."
AS AN OLD SCHOOL DRIVER, WHICH ONE OF YOUR DARLINGTON WINS MEANS THE MOST? THE ONE ON THE OLD TRACK, OR THE ONE LAST YEAR? "I'm such an old school driver that I can't hardly remember winning in '93. I would have to say that the win last year was really special. 1993 was a different time; I don't sink back into those times very much. When I think about the people I was racing with, it is very heart-warming to think about all the greats that I was racing with then and that I managed to get a win back then as well."
Mark Martin NASCAR Sprint Cup Race Preview - Showtime Southern 500
DEFENDING WINNER: Martin is the returning winner of the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Last May, he led the final 46 laps of the prestigious event to earn his second career Darlington victory. His first win at the historic racetrack occurred Sept. 5, 1993, when he led 178 laps.
MARTIN AT DARLINGTON: Along with his two career victories, Martin has earned 17 top-five finishes and 26 top-10s in 43 Sprint Cup starts at Darlington. He has led 801 laps and finished all but three Cup events there during his career.
POLE SITTER: Martin's next Sprint Cup Series pole position will be the 50th of his career and will place him eighth on the all-time pole winner's list. He has earned two career poles at Darlington -- the first on April 2, 1989, and the most recent on March 22, 1998.
POINT STANDINGS: Martin and the GoDaddy.com team currently rank 10th in the Sprint Cup championship standings, five points behind ninth place and 220 markers behind the points leader.
LOOP STATS: Martin scored the third-best driver rating in the 2009 Southern 500 at Darlington, with a score of 116.3. He spent 360 laps -- 98.1 percent -- inside the top 15, which ranks as the second-most among all drivers.
THE NO. 5 AT DARLINGTON: Under the leadership of crew chief Alan Gustafson, the No. 5 GoDaddy.com team has earned one win and two top-10 finishes in five starts at Darlington.
GUSTAFSON EXTENDS CONTRACT: It was confirmed last week that Gustafson signed a multi-year contract extension with Hendrick Motorsports. Gustafson, 34, is in his sixth season as crew chief of the No. 5 Chevrolet and has nine wins, 49 top-five finishes, 83 top-10s and 10 pole positions heading into Saturday's race at Darlington.
MEMORABLE WIN: Along with his Darlington victory last season, Gustafson counts the 2003 Southern 500 win he earned with Terry Labonte as one of his most memorable. Labonte led 33 laps en route to Victory Lane in the last Labor Day weekend Southern 500 held at the track. Gustafson was the No. 5 Chevy's lead engineer at the time, and six of his current crew members were a part of that winning team.
FIRST COLLABORATION: On May 11, 2007, Martin and Gustafson joined forces for the first time, competing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Darlington. The duo scored a runner-up finish, and unknowingly laid the groundwork for Martin to become a Hendrick Motorsports driver in the Sprint Cup Series. Gustafson and Martin competed in one more Nationwide race that season, earning a 14th-place finish at Michigan International Speedway in August 2007.
DARLINGTON CHASSIS: Gustafson has chosen Chassis No. 5-582 for Saturday night's race at Darlington. This is a brand new chassis that never has been raced, but was tested at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway in March.
HENDRICK AT DARLINGTON: Hendrick Motorsports has 13 wins, seven pole positions, 38 top-five finishes, 62 top-10s and 2,835 laps led in 47 races (142 starts) at Darlington. The organization's 13 victories have come courtesy of six different drivers: Jeff Gordon (7), Jimmie Johnson (2), Terry Labonte, Martin, Tim Richmond and Ricky Rudd.
GODADDY.COM FAVORITES: Visitors to www.GoDaddy.com/Contest can help determine the winners of Go Daddy's recent commercial contest by voting for their favorite and sharing it with friends. Hendrick Motorsports teammates Martin and Dale Earnhardt Jr. also will be picking their favorites on the site.
CHAT WITH GUSTAFSON: Gustafson, crew chief of the No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, will participate in a live online chat session Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. ET. The chat will take place at www.ampupthe88.com.
MARK MARTIN, DRIVER, NO. 5 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET (ON LAST YEAR'S SOUTHERN 500 WIN.): "Last year's win, well, it came pretty quickly after our first win, so it was exciting for us. It was a momentum boost. Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) made a gutsy call and really locked the win in for us. The Southern 500 is a pretty big deal, and it had been so long since I won the first one that it was like I hadn't ever won it at all. So to get that win, and to do it with these guys on the (No.) 5 team, that was really special to me."
MARTIN (ON HOW DARLINGTON RACEWAY HAS EVOLVED OVER THE YEARS.): "Darlington was repaved many years ago and the first couple of years it was similar to how it is now. The difference with paving now, compared to then, is that the result will hang on and last a little longer. Eventually, though, it will get back to the way it was before with tires playing such a key role. Darlington is tough because I like sliding my race car around the track, and you just can't do that there. If you slip, you're going to be in the wall. So, last year, Alan was just brilliant. He set me up where I could race how I wanted to in one end and defend my position in the other. It was a perfect strategy, and that's the stuff you have to figure out for Darlington."
ALAN GUSTAFSON, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET (ON LAST YEAR'S SOUTHERN 500 WIN.): "That's definitely the toughest race I've ever won; one of the toughest races I can remember ever running. We weren't very good on Friday during practice. Mark went out there and got us a good qualifying lap, salvaged a starting spot for us. But we knew we had a lot of work to do on the car. We made a lot of adjustments race morning. Probably four or five times more than we would normally make. It was a total team effort. I was physically and mentally exhausted after that race, as I'm sure all the guys on the team were. It was a race that took us all weekend to win. Mark never gave up on the track and kept fighting all night. It was really just an incredible night for us."
GUSTAFSON (ON THE KEYS TO WINNING AT DARLINGTON RACEWAY.): "Darlington used to be all about how your car handled in the long run because of the way the tires would fall off. Now, it's more like a typical racetrack. It's still about the handling of the car, but the tire wear really doesn't play a role like it used to at all. Darlington's a demanding racetrack, though. The driver is always on the edge. If you go about one inch past where you're supposed to be, you'll end up in the wall. It's a crazy race. Lots of action, and so much can happen through the course of it. You have to stay on your toes all night."
GM Racing Preview – Mark Martin - Showtime Southern 500
MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET -- 10TH IN STANDINGS: "It (winning at Darlington last year) didn't mean to me in particular about Darlington, I just like winning. I don't care if it is one of the toughest race tracks or races or whatever. Man, you don't get to choose these things, you just go take the ones you can get and be happy. That's kind of how I felt about it. I don't feel particularly more proud of winning Darlington than I did Michigan or Phoenix or Chicago or any of the others. I mean if it was the only race I won in my career and I only got to win one, Darlington might be kind of up on top of the list but I would still feel the same way. I don't care where it is as long as I get to win one. That is how I feel about it. It was cool to win there. It had been so long since we'd won the Southern 500 that most people didn't know I had won one. It is kind of cool. That was our second win in a short span so it was really, really nice. It was a great team effort by (crew chief) Alan (Gustafson) and everybody on the No. 5 team and it was cool. It was good."
Mark Martin Post Race Notes & Quotes – Coca-Cola 600
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May 30, 2010
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GM Racing Preview
May 25, 2010
Hendrick Motorsports
May 25, 2010
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May 21, 2010
Hendrick Motorsports.com
May 18, 2010
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NASCAR.com
May 18, 2010
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May 16, 2010
Autism Speaks 400 presented by Hershey’s Milk & Milkshakes
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May 14, 2010
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May 14, 2010
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May 12, 2010
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May 11, 2010
May 11, 2010
Four wins, 22 top fives, 30 top 10s; four poles
Average finish of 12.5
Average Running Position of 9.5, fourth-best
Driver Rating of 101.9, fifth-best
270 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
349 Green Flag Passes, 13th-most
Average Green Flag Speed of 141.818 mph, fourth-fastest
3,144 Laps in the Top 15 (78.5%), fifth-most
220 Quality Passes, fifth-most
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May 7, 2010
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Hendrick Motorsports
May 5, 2010
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