Mark Martin To Make 800th Start In The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series - Goody's Fast Relief 500
March 30, 2011

Mark Martin will join an exclusive club this Sunday in the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway, becoming the eighth driver to start 800 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.

During a career that has spanned parts of four decades, Martin has tallied 40 victories, 264 top fives and 429 top 10s. His 40 wins rank 16th all-time. Coincidentally, Martinsville Speedway was the site of Martin’s first top-five finish, a third-place run on Sept. 27, 1981.

“I hate to say this isn’t a big deal, because it is. But, to me, the bigger deal is what you accomplished in those starts, not just the starts themselves,” Martin said.

“I’ve had a really good 799 starts. We’ve had a lot of wins, a lot of success and a lot of fun. I’ve made friends out here that will be friends forever, and I can’t imagine anything else I would have rather been doing than racing all of those days. Beyond the stat itself or the records or whatever, it’s the experiences of it all that are the most important to me.”

The others who have eclipsed the 800-start barrier: Richard Petty (1,185), Ricky Rudd (906), Dave Marcis (883), Terry Labonte (870), Kyle Petty (829), Bill Elliott (825), and Darrell Waltrip (809).

Martin finished second in the final championship point standings five times, most recently in 2009 – his first season with current team Hendrick Motorsports.

Below is a timeline of Martin’s career highlights on his way to 800 starts:

1 – On April 5, 1981, Martin made his first series start at North Wilkesboro Speedway, finishing 27th. Martin made five starts in 1981, scoring two top 10s and two poles.

6 – In his first Daytona 500, on Feb. 14, 1982, he finished 30th.

58 – On Feb. 14, 1988 in the Daytona 500, Martin made his first start with owner Jack Roush. Together, they started 617 races, winning 35 of them.

100 – On June 25, 1989, at Michigan International Speedway, Martin made milestone start No. 100. He finished 12th.

113 – On Oct. 22, 1989, at North Carolina Speedway (Rockingham), Martin led 101 laps en route to his first career win.

200 – On Oct. 25, 1992, at Rockingham, Martin made milestone start No. 200. He finished 30th.

223 – Martin reached double digits in wins with a victory at Bristol Motor Speedway on Aug. 28, 1993. The win was the third of four consecutive victories for Martin, the longest win streak of his career.

300 – On March 31, 1996, at Bristol, Martin made milestone start No. 300. He finished third.

326 – Finished seventh in the Daytona 500 on Feb. 16, 1997, his 16th-consecutive top-10 finish, dating back to the previous season. That is tied for the 16th-longest streak in series history.

383 – In a victory at Dover International Speedway on Sept. 20, 1998, Martin led 379 laps, the most of his career.

400 – On May 2, 1999, at Auto Club Speedway, Martin made milestone start No. 400. He finished 38th.

500 – Reached career milestone start No. 500 on March 24, 2002 at Bristol. He finished 11th.

506 – Won NASCAR’s longest race, the Coca-Cola 600 (then named the Coca-Cola Racing Family 600) at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 26, 2002.

600 – On Nov. 7, 2004, at Phoenix International Raceway, Martin made milestone start No. 600. He finished 15th.

700 – On Feb. 25, 2008, at Auto Club Speedway, Martin made milestone start No. 700. He finished 16th.

723 – On Feb. 15, 2009 at the Daytona 500, made his first start for Hendrick Motorsports, finishing 16th.

730 – At the age of 50 years, three months and nine days, Martin won at Phoenix on April 18, 2009, to join Harry Gant, Morgan Shepherd and Bobby Allison as the fourth over-50 driver to win a NASCAR Sprint Cup race.

733 – Won one of NASCAR’s crown jewels: the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on May 9, 2009.

Milestones For Biffle, McMurray: Greg Biffle and Jamie McMurray will also celebrate milestone starts this weekend. Both drivers will make start No. 300 in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Sunday at Martinsville. Over his first 299 starts, Biffle has 16 wins, 66 top fives and 114 top 10s. McMurray has six wins, 39 top fives and 92 top 10s.

Mark Martin - From The Driver's Seat - Goody's Fast Relief 500
Team Chevy
March 29, 2011

MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 QUAKER STATE/GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET - 14TH IN STANDINGS - WON AT MARTINSVILLE TWICE (’92, ’00)

“First, let me say that it’s cool that my 800th start is coming at a track like Martinsville. It’s one of those good old-school racetracks, and that’s pretty fitting, I guess. The biggest difference at Martinsville over other racetracks, competition wise, is that brakes are really, really important there. We don’t run into that a lot at other tracks, so that’s definitely the biggest component of a strong finish there. What makes it unique is straight fairly long straightaways and real sharp type corner. Not many race tracks are quite that extreme on the sharp corners and the long straighaways for the size of the track. Most race tracks are more round than that. So it’s extremely tough on brakes and it is also a race track where you can’t make up much as a driver. You’ve got to pretty much take what your car will give you. If you try to get more it will just hurt you. So from that respect it can be kind of frustrating. You really have to get your car working. From that standpoint it’s like all other race tracks, you make your car handle better than everybody’s you’re going to be the heat. It’s a unique challenge because the corners are so sharp and the straightaways are fairly long for a little race track.”

Mark Martin Press Conference Transcript - Autu Club 400
Team Chevy
March 25, 2011

MARK MARTIN, No. 5 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET, met with members of the media at Auto Club Speedway and discussed his record in the Nationwide Series, working out of the same shop with Jeff Gordon, what it takes to run well at Martinsville and more. Full Transcript.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT GILLIAN BEING HERE?

“I’m really excited. It’s fun to meet her. She’s got a lot of energy, Wow! It’s really cool. I’m not so much worried about the workout myself, I’m looking forward to the media members that are going to work out with us. That’s what is going to be really fun.”

ARE YOU HAVING A LITTLE FUN WITH THE NATIONWIDE RACING WITH KYLE BUSCH?

“The media is having fun with it. I’m a realist, I know that record is not going to stick. It will probably stand to mid-season this year and that’s it. But the media is having fun with it. So fine, may as well have some fun with it. You know Kyle is going to get it and he’s going to pass it this year probably by mid season the rate that they run. It’s all good. So it’s a lot of fun. I’m having fun with the Dollar General team and Trent and all those guys. We got lucky and won our first out together and that’s pretty cool. We’ll try to have a better race car and get up there and fight for another one.”

TALKING ABOUT THAT, THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT THINK KYLE IS COMING OVER AND KIND OF POACHING ON THE NATIONWIDE TALENT, IS IT THAT EASY TO SWAP BACK AND FORTH FROM A CUP CAR TO NATIONWIDE CAR?

“Well Kyle has to beat Carl (Edwards) and a bunch of other great veteran race car drivers, so people will say what they want to say. What can I say? “To me that’s nothing. It’s all about having great race cars. If you’ve got great race cars, you adapt going from one to another. It’s not like going from Indy cars to stock cars. It’s a different stock car, so it’s not that big of an adjustment and it never was a big deal to me.”

YOU’VE GAINED A LOT FROM LAST YEAR FROM WHERE YOU WERE IN POINTS, FROM THIS TIME LAST YEAR TO NOW, WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

“I don’t remember but I guess the biggest difference for us right now, I think we were up pretty far in the points last year. You’re thinking about ’09. In ’09 we broke an engine the second race out and it really hurt us and I think we broke one the third race as well, so that put us in the hole. This year the reason we are where we are is because the race team has done an incredible job. I’ve had accident damage in three of the four races and we still come back with our best finishes in those three events with tore up front ends so it’s pretty amazing what we’ve been able to do or what they’ve been able to do with the repairs they’ve been able to make and our good fortune and have good finishes.”

YOU’VE GOT A NEW ROOMMATE THIS YEAR IN JEFF GORDON, HOW HAS THAT WORKED OUT WITH HIM AND DO YOU SEE NEW FIRE IN HIM AND NEW ENERGY ESPECIALLY AFTER WINNING IN PHOENIX?

“He’s very, very energized right now and he’s with a race team that’s very energized. That very excited group that are fun to go to the race track with and I think he’s really enjoying life right now. It’s in the beginning. We’ve got four races down and a lot to go and we’re continuing to grow and work together and be stronger as we get more races under our belt.”

DO YOU THINK THE TWO TEAMS TOGETHER ARE STRONGER THAN THE TWO TEAMS LAST YEAR?

“I think that’s yet to be seen but it certainly is our goal. We made every effort possible last year to make it the super team and we didn’t succeed at that and we’ll make those same efforts this year to do it and hopefully we will do a better job of that.”

HOW DOES IT BEING A 400-MILE RACE AS OPPOSED TO 500 CHANGE THE CHALLENGE FOR THE TEAM?

“You know I don’t think it’s a big enough change in distance to really have that kind of impact. I’ve always said that after the first lap its only so many to go, so if it’s a shorter race or a longer race you start your strategy after you get the first one behind you. You start counting down from there and basing your strategy off of what’s left in the race. I think 400 miles is still a long enough race that it doesn’t really change things that much for us.”

WE SAW A MORE INTERESTING RACE LAST TIME WE WERE HERE, TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU THINK IS INTERESTING ABOUT THIS RACE TRACK, THIS RACE.

“It’s just a spectacular race track and it’s just got great ability to have multiple grooves. It’s wide like Michigan and usable. Sometimes race tracks are wide and not usable and every inch of this race track is usable and it makes for great racing.”

WHAT DO YOU THINK BURTON AND BIFFLE ARE THINKING RIGHT NOW AS FAR BACK AS THEY ARE?

“They’re disappointed. Everyone is that’s back there, whoever is back there is always disappointed. They’re disappointed and they’re going every week is a new week and they’re going to every race with the mindset of having a great race and hopefully getting a win. If so they will start to march back toward the front. That’s what you really focus on. That’s the down side to points racing. It’s just one day in a whole lifetime. A bad race, that’s all it is, just one day in a whole life time but when you’re points racing its everything. That’s why it’s fun to go racing when you are not racing for points because you can race hard and if you have a bad day you just prepare for the next week. If you are points racing, you do the same thing you just prepare for the next week but you carry that burden around of how bad it was to have a bad week last week for a long time until you dig yourself up out of that hole.”

SPEAKING OF NEXT WEEK, WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE SUCCESSFUL AT MARTINSVILLE?

“The same as everywhere else, good engine, good handling, good crew, good brakes, fast through the corners. The only difference is the brakes are a really important there and they are not at most places we race so that’s a big deal.”

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Mark Martin Media Visit - Jeff Byrd 500
March 18, 2011

MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET, met with members of the media at Bristol Motor Speedway and discussed racing at Bristol, difficult tracks on the circuit, working with new crew chief Lance McGrew and other topics.

TALK ABOUT BEING HERE AT BRISTOL THIS WEEKEND HAVING NINE POLES HERE ALREADY TIED WITH CALE YARBOROUGH FOR MOST AT THIS TRACK

"This is an exciting race for the fans as well as the competitors. Always has been. Bristol is so unique. It is the superspeedway of short tracks. There is a lot of thrills and excitement. Great races have gone down here. The fans have always supported the race incredibly. I’m excited to be here. Looking forward to going to work with my race team. I really am enjoying working with Lance (McGrew, crew chief) and all my new guys on the GoDaddy.com Chevrolet. Every day is a new challenge and we are looking forward to today."

IN TERMS OF DIFFICULTY, TALK ABOUT WHERE BRISTOL RANKS AND SOME OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES FOR THE DRIVER

"I think Bristol today in my ranking is average on the difficulty scale as far as getting the car to work; making it work, all of those kinds of things. The racing confines are tighter than average of the places we go and 500 laps at 16 seconds a lap are demanding in a sense over some of the other places. But, it’s physically demanding race track, a little bit less now than when it was so rough. A mentally demanding race track, up there starting to compete with the restrictor plate races as far as the mental aspect of it because you are just always…there is always stuff going on around you and you never get away from it. So, it’s a great challenge. It is the superspeedway of short track racing and I think we all really enjoy that variety. It is something that is unique to short track racing."

COMPARING THE NEW BRISTOL TO WHAT IT WAS LIKE SIX OR SEVEN YEARS AGO, WHICH DO YOU LIKE BETTER AND HOW IS IT DIFFERENT?

"I like the new Bristol better because you can race on this race track with other cars much easier. There is the possibility of multiple grooves here which you really never had except maybe way back when it was asphalt. At times there might have been multiple grooves, at times through the years. But, it is as good as it has ever been from that standpoint and you are slightly more in control of your destiny now than you were before the reconfiguration. So, from a racing standpoint, it is better. It is probably as good or better than it has ever been. At least as good as it was in the 80s and early 90s and maybe better. You need a race track that is more suitable like this when you are trying to put 43 cars on it. In the 80s, we were starting 36 here so don’t forget that. And many of those didn’t last very long. Now pretty much most all of the cars last the whole race, especially under this configuration. We have less tore up race cars than we had before."

WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGING TRACKS AND THE MORE DIFFICULT TRACKS OUT THERE ON THE CUP CIRCUIT FOR YOU OR HOW DO YOU JUDGE IT?

"Now you are starting to rate it and I see where you are going with that. Once I start doing that, then Bristol rises up toward the top of the list. Darlington is more difficult. That is the one that comes to mind. Then the mental demands that go along with restrictor plate racing. Physically, this is up there with Dover. It used to be more physical than Dover but smoothing it out actually, for me, made it a lot easier. You don’t man-handle the car and manipulate it as much over the bumps. You are more driving the car than jumping it. When you are jumping it, for me, it was more physical. So, it’s right up there. Like I said, in different ways, it is physically demanding because there is no rest here and can really work you with no break. You get 100 laps green here if your car is loose, it will take your breath away for that amount of time. It is difficult. It is mentally challenging. It can be a higher carbon monoxide race track although that hasn’t seemed to be an issue. It hasn’t been brutally hot anytime that I can remember since I have been coming back. I skipped, both of these races in ’07 and ’08. Since I have been coming back, it hasn’t been one of those that was a real challenge to physically make it to the end. But, I remember days before that back in the day when you had to pace yourself physically as well as pace your equipment. Now days we aren’t having to pace either one."

DANICA (PATRICK) HAS RUN DOVER SO SHE HAS DONE THE CONCRETE, HOW DIFFICULT IS THE CHALLENGE FOR HERE TO TRY AND GET A CAR COMFORTABLE UNDER HER HERE AT BRISTOL?

"With the progress that I have seen, I think that this is going to be not a major shocker. Just the fact that the mile-per-hour speeds are down are going to…it makes controlling and sliding the car a little…it delays that a little bit. It gives you more time. When you are doing 190 miles-an-hour and the car steps out, it snaps around pretty quick and a lot of time it will snap and try to get away from you here but being 120 miles-an-hour is a much more controllable slide. I think she’ll get along with it better than you expect. She is showing a lot of progress. Looks pretty good in practice. Things seem to be going well. They are headed in the right direction."

WHAT CHARACTERISTICS HAVE YOU SEEN IN LANCE (MCGREW) THAT ARE GOING TO BE BENEFICIAL TO YOUR TEAM GOING FORWARD AND ALSO, HAVING HAD TIME TO WORK WITH HIM AND BEING A BIG SUPPORTER OF DALE, JR., HAVE YOUR NOTICED ANYTHING DIFFERENT WITH JUNIOR, HE SEEMS TO HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF HIS CONFIDENCE BACK?

"Junior is well on his way to what I would call a recovery. It’s been a tough stretch for him. I think that he is incredibly committed this year and is feeling comfortable and confident, more confident. As far as Lance, Lane is fun. I enjoy working with him. I feel very comfortable working with him. We have some fun while we are doing it. He has a great bunch of guys working for him and they all seem to be comfortable and know what their role is and how to do it. How to get the job done and done well. It’s a very very strong race team and we are having fun at it. You know, that is one of the things. We want to get good results, but at the same time, we want to have fun while we are doing it."

WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE FIRST THREE RACES OF THE SEASON, IS IT ALMOST LIKE BRISTOL IS A FRESH START OR NEW START TO THE SEASON OR WHAT CAN YOU TAKE FROM THE FIRST THREE RACES THIS YEAR AND USE THROUGHOUT THE REMAINDER OF THE SEASON?

"It is just how it is. The last race is in November and the first race is in February and you race and you go to whatever race tracks are on the schedule and you just move forward. It doesn’t feel like a new start to the season to me, it feels like a continuation of the beginning of the season. Every race brings different circumstances and Bristol brings its own. We have three behind us and we have Bristol in front of us and we go from there to California, Martinsville and we start building our season. It all starts in February at Daytona. Bristol is Bristol. My view is even though we maybe went to a little bit different race track or race tracks here…or the order of the race tracks we go is not really…it is an accumulation of the season. This is the fourth race. We are here at Bristol. NASCAR, the sport itself, is on an upward swing. The fans are charged up and the competitors are ready to go. We are ready to go racing."

THE CREW CHIEF SWAP, THERE HAVE BEEN OTHER TEAMS THAT TRIED THAT AND IT HASN’T WORKED FOR WHATEVER REASON, WHY HAS IT WORKED SO WELL FOR HENDRICK WHERE THREE GUYS CAN SWAP CREW CHIEFS AND EVERYBODY SEEMS HAPPY. DID YOU GUYS DO ANY WORK ON THAT OR WAS THAT JUST A NATURAL THING?

"First of all, the first thought that come to mind, is the quality of people you are dealing with here. Lance McGrew, Alan Gustafson and Steve Letarte, Jeff Gordon, Dale, Jr. and myself, we all feel very committed to Hendrick Motorsports and all the people there are committed to doing the right thing. I don’t know, I can’t speak for anyone but myself, but if I was running that place, that is what I would have done. How could I not support it? If I was running that place, I would have made that call. I think it was a good move and everyone is very motivated right now. We are all working on a little bit different stuff. We’re going to be working on different stuff and the season progresses until we all settle on one group of hardware and logic and then we will all migrate toward that. But right now, all four teams are working, trying to find the newest combination of things to really set us on fire. It is my hope that we will gain momentum and strength as the season goes forward as we build on that and sort through some things and sort of migrate toward the best of all of that. But I don’t have a plan. I think as soon as possible but it takes time to evaluate hardware and setup logic and all these things. You can’t make that judgment on one race because I believe you can run good with anything one time. It has got to be consistent. For us, anytime we make a change, if it is better, we go with it. If it is not better, we don’t go with it and we keep an eye on it. It takes awhile to evaluate things and determine that things are better or that conditions just didn’t get better when you made those changes and the competition environment on that particular day and all of those things. It takes awhile to evaluate all of that and hopefully we will all run good now and all run better this summer."

A TUMS MOMENT: Mistake On Final Lap Costs Mark Martin A Win At Bristol
March 17, 2011

For each of the 36 races during the 2011 Sprint Cup season, TUMS will provide a glimpse of a previous event at that track, one that could easily be described as A TUMS Moment.

The date was April 9, 1994. Mark Martin started from the pole and was on cruise control most of the afternoon in the Goody’s 250 Nationwide Series (then Busch Series) race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Then the unthinkable happened.

The race was slowed by the 10thcaution with two laps remaining. The race ended under caution as that was before the era of the green-white-checkered finish. The white flag was displayed with Martin leading his 195thlap of the 250-lap event. When other drivers pulled alongside and waved to him along the backstretch, a normal gesture to the winner, Martin mistakenly thought the race was over and pulled off the track out of turn four and did not cross the start-finish line 300 yards away. The win went to David Green, who had already accepted what he thought was a second-place finish.

"I can't believe anyone could be that stupid," Martin said after the event. "I've been pulling for David Green to win really hard, but not like that. That's the stupidest thing I've ever done and there's nothing else I can say. I thought the race was over when the guys pulled up beside me waving. I thought it was over."

Now, that was a TUMS moment.

For the record, Martin has 49 career wins in 232 Nationwide Series starts, the most victories in the series, which started in 1982.

Mark Martin NASCAR Sprint Cup Race Preview - Jeff Byrd 500
Hendrick Motorsports
March 16, 2011

BRISTOL WINNER

Mark Martin is a two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup race winner at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. In August 1993, Martin started from the pole position and led 67 laps en route to his first victory at the short track. Five years later, he led 190 laps before scoring his second win at Bristol on Aug. 22, 1998.

POLE SITTER

Martin has earned nine pole positions at the Tennessee short track, which is more than any other active driver and ties legendary Cale Yarborough for first all-time. From Martin’s first Bristol pole in April 1989 to his most recent-August 2009-the pole speed has increased by more than 4 mph. Martin’s next Sprint Cup Series pole will be the 50th of his career and will tie him for eighth on the all-time pole winner's list.

MARTIN AT BRISTOL

In 44 Cup starts at Bristol, Martin has posted two wins, 16 top-five finishes and 23 top-10s. Martin has led 1,200 laps at Bristol, which ranks second for the NASCAR veteran only to the 1,720 laps he’s led at Dover (Del.) International Speedway.

POINT STANDINGS

Martin and the GoDaddy.com team are 11th in the Sprint Cup Series point standings, just 22 points behind the leader.

CHASSIS CHOICE

Crew chief Lance McGrew has chosen Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-625 for Sunday’s race in Bristol. This is a brand new chassis that never has been raced or tested.

ONE OF TWO

With Martin’s NASCAR Nationwide Series win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway two weeks ago, he became one of just two drivers to earn a NASCAR national touring series win in each of the last four decades. Martin joins Michael Waltrip, who won the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race earlier this year at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.

RUNNER-UP RECORD

Martin is tied with his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon for the most career runner-up Sprint Cup finishes-59-of any active driver. Both Martin and Gordon are tied with Cale Yarborough for the fifth-most runner-up finishes in the history of the sport.

HENDRICK AT BRISTOL

In 54 events (167 starts) at Bristol, Hendrick Motorsports has earned nine wins, 45 top-five finishes and 71 top-10s. The organization has 11 pole positions at the short track.

APPROACHING 200

With Gordon’s win last month at Phoenix International Raceway, Hendrick Motorsports now owns 195 victories. The organization ranks first in the modern era for wins and second all-time behind Petty Enterprises, which has 268 victories.

QUOTES

MARK MARTIN, DRIVER, NO. 5 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET (ON RACING AT BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY)

“Bristol is kind of like Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway in the fact that anything can really happen. Maybe not to the extreme that Talladega is, but it definitely has that capability. We saw that last March when we had an awesome race car, but got caught up in someone else’s accident. It just happens. And a lot of times there’s no way to avoid it. The best thing to do is be good right off the truck; qualify well; get a great pit box and a great starting position and just stay up front all night. Not only does that help during the race itself, but it also gets everyone’s confidence up and gets them pumped up for the race.”

MARTIN (ON HIS MUSIC CHOICES)

“I love music. I love finding new music. And when I work out, I love music that makes me work even harder. The reason I like rap music so much is that it tells a story. It’s not just words that rhyme, but words that tell a complex story. I think it’s amazing what rappers can do. Eminem is just incredible. And I love Dr. Dre so that’s why he’s in that mix. But I have a lot of admiration for old school rock, too. AC/DC has been one of my favorites for years. I’ve been to a lot of their concerts. And ‘Whole Lotta Love’ is just a classic with an awesome sound to it. I wanted something that has a good beat that not only represents me, but makes the fans get into it a little bit, too.”

Team Chevy From The Driver's Seat - Mark Martin - Jeff Byrd 500
Team Chevy
March 16, 2011

MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET - 11TH IN STANDINGS - HAS TWO (2) BMS VICTORIES - ’93 AND ’98

“Bristol is kind of like Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway in the fact that anything can really happen. Maybe not to the extreme that Talladega is, but it definitely has that capability. We saw that last March when we had an awesome race car, but got caught up in someone else’s accident. It just happens. And a lot of times there’s no way to avoid it. The best thing to do is be good right off the truck; qualify well; get a great pit box and a great starting position and just stay up front all night. Not only does that help during the race itself, but it also gets everyone’s confidence up and gets them pumped up for the race.”

James Buescher and Mark Martin will pilot the Exide Batteries machine during the 2011 season
March 14, 2011

MOORESVILLE, NC (March 14, 2011) - Turner Motorsports is pleased to announce the addition of longtime NASCAR partner, Exide Technologies, to their sponsorship line-up for the 2011 racing season. The Exide Batteries logo will adorn the hood and sides of the No. 31 and No. 32 Silverados in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS), and the No. 34 Impala in select NASCAR Nationwide Series races. Rising star James Buescher will see action behind the wheel of the Exide Batteries machine in eight NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races, as well as two NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) events, beginning with this weekend’s NNS race at the famed Bristol Motor Speedway. Mark Martin, who piloted the NCWTS Exide Batteries entry to victory lane in the late 90′s, will return to the cockpit for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series events at Pocono Raceway and Michigan International Speedway.

Exide Technologies, with operations in more than 80 countries, is one of the world’s largest producers and recyclers of lead-acid batteries. With a storied history in stock car racing, including team and race sponsorships, Exide is the Official Battery of NASCARR and has been affiliated with the sport since 1993.

“Exide is proud to be aligned with one of the premier teams in both the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and Nationwide Series. With the depth of Turner Motorsports’ capabilities and driver line-up, we look forward to winning both on and off the track.” said Bruce Cole, President - Exide Americas. “Not only does this sponsorship afford us additional opportunities to activate our Official Battery of NASCAR status, it also aligns our company’s premium-quality, track-proven portfolio of battery products with the brand-loyal NASCAR audience.”

The premium NASCAR-branded products, distributed through Exide’s customer partnerships in North America, are available in 28 different automotive types and fit most cars, vans, sport utility vehicles and pick-up trucks on the road today. The ExideR NASCARR ExtremeT is backed by a full 40-month free replacement, 108-month limited warranty and includes 40 months of 24/7 roadside assistance protection.

Buescher is equally as excited to work with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series staple, on his trek towards his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship.

“I am thrilled to have the chance to represent Exide Batteries in 2011,” said James Buescher. “It is a very coveted partnership in the garage and I am honored to represent their brand and over 12,000 employees worldwide. We all have high expectations for the 2011 season after the successes we had in 2010. Hopefully this year we can take it to the next level and go out and contend for wins as well as the 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship. The Exide Batteries’ slogan is”start positive, stay positive” and we have incorporated that into everything we do at Turner Motorsports. We have a solid foundation and are looking to continue to build that momentum into the 2011 season and beyond.”

“This actually won’t be my first go round with Exide Batteries,” said NASCAR veteran Mark Martin. “I raced a truck with them on the hood at Richmond in the fall of 1996. We started fourth and finished third. Then we went to North Wilkesboro that same month, qualified second and won the race. I have a great history with Exide Batteries and I’m looking forward to building on that with Turner Motorsports. Pocono and Michigan are two of my most successful tracks, historically, and having Hendrick Motorsports horsepower under the hood at those tracks will really elevate the program. We’ll be awesome. I can’t wait.”

About Turner Motorsports:

Turner Motorsports, LLC, established in 1999, is in the midst of its sophomore season of NASCAR competition. Owned by Texas-native, Steve Turner, the organization has expanded in 2011 from a two-truck operation in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) to become the largest stand-alone multi-series team in NASCAR’s top-tier touring series. Turner Motorsports operates out of an 110,000 square-foot state-of-the art facility in Mooresville, N.C., and will house three entries in the Camping World Truck Series and four entries in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. The team boasts an all-star driver line-up that includes Kasey Kahne, Mark Martin, Jason Leffler, Reed Sorenson, Justin Allgaier, Ricky Carmichael, James Buescher and Brad Sweet. The Chevrolet-backed team has created alliances with General Motors’ powerhouse teams Hendrick Motorsports, which will provide engine support for both its NNS and NCWTS programs, Kevin Harvick Inc. for body and aero support, and Earnhardt Technology Group for drive train and suspension technology assistance. Turner Motorsports’ marketing partners include Dollar General, Great Clips, Monster Energy, BRANDT, Rexall, Exide, AccuDoc Solutions, Wolfpack Rentals, Fraternal Order of Eagles and ABF Freight. For more information on Turner Motorsports, visit Turner Motorsports

About Exide Technologies:

Exide Technologies, with operations in more than 80 countries, is one of the world’s largest producers and recyclers of lead-acid batteries. The Company’s four global business groups — Transportation Americas, Transportation Europe and Rest of World, Industrial Energy Americas and Industrial Energy Europe and Rest of World - provide a comprehensive range of stored electrical energy products and services for industrial and transportation applications.

Transportation markets include original-equipment and aftermarket automotive, heavy-duty truck, agricultural and marine applications, and new technologies for hybrid vehicles and automotive applications. Industrial markets include network power applications such as telecommunications systems, electric utilities, railroads, photovoltaic (solar-power related) and uninterruptible power supply (UPS), and motive-power applications including lift trucks, mining and other commercial vehicles.

Further information about Exide, including its financial results, are available at Exide.com

Quaker State to Sponsor Inaugural Kentucky Speedway Sprint Cup Series Race
March 6, 2011

LAS VEGAS – Quaker State, the racing oil that has enjoyed an unprecedented level of success under the hood of Hendrick Motorsports cars, announced today it will be the title sponsor of the first ever NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Kentucky Speedway. The Quaker State 400 will be held at the first new track on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule since 2001.

“The entire Quaker State team is very excited to be a part of this historic moment for NASCAR and Kentucky Speedway,” said Chris Hayek, Quaker State Global Brand Manager. “We are very happy to be involved with what is sure to be a great race.”

Quaker State will drop the green flag at the newly-expanded, 117,000-capacity Speedway Motorsports, Inc. (SMI) facility at 7:30 p.m., July 9. The 400-mile event will conclude a tripleheader NASCAR weekend that opens with a 225-mile Camping World Truck Series battle on July 7 and spotlights a 300-mile NASCAR Nationwide Series event on July 8.

“Our Quaker State sponsorship will ideally blend the brand’s Sprint Cup Series past and present. Quaker State is among the most recognizable brands in motorsports and we’re proud to be a new part of its rich NASCAR heritage,” Kentucky Speedway General Manager Mark Simendinger said.

Twenty-nine-year Sprint Cup Series veteran and 40-time race winner Mark Martin will pilot the Hendrick Motorsports No. 5 Quaker State Chevrolet during the historic weekend.

“I think it’s great that NASCAR continues to expand the tracks we race, and I am very proud to not only have Quaker State technology under the hood, but also the Quaker State logo on the hood of our car for the inaugural race at Kentucky Speedway,” said Martin. “I’m looking forward to, hopefully, piloting the No. 5 Quaker State Chevrolet to Victory Lane.”

The Kentucky Speedway sponsorship is another opportunity for Quaker State to expand its presence in NASCAR. The current Quaker State-Hendrick relationship has grown over its 15-year history into a championship-winning technical team. Since 1996, Quaker State engineers work diligently with Hendrick Motorsports throughout the season to analyze and adjust the motor oil formulations in order to maximize on-track success.

Quaker State racing oil has enjoyed an unprecedented level of success under the hood of Hendrick Motorsports cars, led by Jimmie Johnson, who locked up his fifth consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship. With more than seven million on-track miles, Quaker State’s technical relationship with Hendrick Motorsports has resulted in an unparalleled number of racing triumphs, including 146 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins and nine NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championships.

Fans can be a part of NASCAR and Kentucky Speedway history by reserving race tickets at http://www.kentuckyspeedway.com/ www.kentuckyspeedway.com, 888-652-7223 or through the Kentucky Speedway corporate offices at 1 Speedway Drive in Sparta, Ky., just off Interstate 71 Exit 57 and Ky. Hwy. 35 N.

For more information on Quaker State’s motorsports sponsorships and full line-up of products, please visit www.QuakerState.com http://www.quakerstate.com/

About Kentucky Speedway:

Kentucky Speedway became the eighth member of the Speedway Motorsports, Inc. (SMI) family in May 2008. The 117,000-capacity Sparta, Ky., facility was founded in 2000 and quickly established a reputation for generating ultra-tight and dramatic stock car and open-wheel race finishes. Just a short day trip from Cincinnati, Ohio, Louisville and Lexington, Ky., facility also is accessible from major markets such as Dayton, Ohio, Indianapolis, Ind., Pittsburgh, Pa., as well as Nashville and Knoxville, Tenn. The speedway offers fans excellent race views from all rows and extensive infield and reserved campsite options. Prominent Sprint Cup Series stars that have visited Kentucky Speedway’s Victory Lane include Greg Biffle (NASCAR Camping World Truck Series – 2000); Kyle Busch (NASCAR Nationwide Series – June 19, 2004; ARCA Racing Series – May 10,2003); Carl Edwards (NNS – ; NCWTS – July 12, 2003); Kevin Harvick (NNS – June 16, 2001); Joey Logano (NNS – June 12, 2010; June 13, 2009 and June 14, 2008) and Ryan Newman (ARCA Racing Series - August 26, 2000). Well-known open-wheel Kentucky Speedway race winners include Helio Castroneves (IZOD IndyCar Series – September 4, 2010); Ryan Briscoe (IICS – August 1, 2009); Scott Dixon (IICS – August 9, 2008); Sam Hornish, Jr. ( IICS – August 13, 2006; August 17, 2003); and Tony Kanaan (IICS – August 11, 2007). Follow us on twitter: http://www.twitter.com/KySpeedway http://www.twitter.com/KySpeedway. Find us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/KYSFB http://bit.ly/KYSFB

About Quaker State:

Quaker State motor oil has a 70-year history as a leader in consumer automotive products and vehicle care. Quaker State is among the industry’s most innovative motor oil brands and offers a full line of products to meet every type of vehicle engine need. Quaker State is the first motor oil brand to create a synthetic blend of motor oil, one of the first brands to develop High Mileage Engine motor oil, and the only brand to market its motor oil product in a clear bottle. For more information about Quaker State products, please visit www.quakerstate.com http://www.quakerstate.com/ . Quaker State is produced and marketed by Shell Lubricants.

About Shell Lubricants:

The term ‘Shell Lubricants’ collectively refers to the companies of Royal Dutch Shell plc that are engaged in the lubricants business. Shell Lubricants companies lead the lubricants industry, supplying 13.4% of global lubricants volume.* The companies manufacture and blend products for use in consumer, heavy industrial and commercial transport applications. The Shell Lubricants portfolio of top-quality brands includes Pennzoil, Quaker State, FormulaShell, Shell TELLUS, Shell RIMULAR, Shell ROTELLAR, Shell SPIRAX and Jiffy Lube.

*Kline & Company, “Global Lubricants Industry 2009: Market Analysis and Assessment, 2009-2019.”

Mark Martin closing in on Petty's record for career starts
NASCAR - Sporting News
March 5, 2011

LAS VEGAS - When Mark Martin takes the green flag for Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, he will have started the 1,052nd NASCAR race of his career.

Though that total is nearly four full seasons short of Richard Petty’s record 1,199 starts, it puts Martin in the conversation.

Whether he breaks Petty’s record, Martin is justifiably proud of his performances.

“When I look back on it, I probably will be proud that there were quite a few quality starts in there, and I’ll probably be proud of the quality of the level of competition that I brought to all those starts,” said Martin, who started his first Cup race in 1981. “(I’m) not proud so much of the number of starts but proud of the level I managed to bring to it.

“At this point, I’m just happy that I can do what I love and still do it well.”

Almost all of Petty’s starts came in the Cup series. He made 15 starts in NASCAR’s short-lived Convertible Division in the late ’50s. Petty’s career ran from 1958 to 1992. He did not race in the Nationwide Series, and the truck series didn’t begin until 1995, three years after his retirement.

Martin has started 796 Cup races, eighth-most all time; 231 in the Nationwide Series and 23 in the Camping World Truck Series. Martin is also in Saturday’s Sam’s Town 300 Nationwide race at Las Vegas.

Martin is in the last year of his contract with Hendrick Motorsports. At the end of the season, he will cede the seat of the No. 5 Chevrolet to Kasey Kahne. Martin has vowed to drive beyond the 2011 season but hasn’t announced specific plans.

Whether he’ll surpass Petty’s record is an open question, given that Martin will need 150 starts to do so.

“That’s quite a lot of starts,” Martin said. “I’d say it’s possible, but I haven’t even thought about it. That’s four more years of nearly full-time of some kind of NASCAR competition, so I don’t know.”

Mark Martin Post Qualifying Notes and Quotes - Kobalt Tools 400
Team Chevy
March 4, 2011

MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET - QUALIFIED 10TH

WAS THAT ONE OF THE WILDEST LAPS YOU’VE TAKEN IN A WHILE?

“Well, it wasn’t the wildest but it was pretty exciting. Just kudos to Lance McGrew and the GoDaddy.com team. We were really off and they were slinging wrenches and getting in there and doing it in practice. They made the car better every time and that was a big pickup. Obviously it won’t be a top five. It probably won’t be a top 10 but it will be close to it and that’s much better than we were in practice. We’re proud of the gains that we made and I’m proud of them and I like seeing them work and I like seeing them with such great attitudes and we’re having a little fun.”

CAN YOU DRIVE IT LIKE THAT FOR 400 MILES HERE ON SUNDAY?

“Yeah, I’ll slow down just a little bit but I can do it (laughs)!”

Mark Martin Press Conference Transcript - Kobalt Tool 500
March 4, 2011

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES KOBALT TOOLS 400 LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT

MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET, met with members of the media at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and discussed the first two races of the season, what it feels like to win after a drought, his goals in his final season with Hendrick Motorsports and more.

TALK ABOUT TWO RACES IN, BEING IN THE TOP-10, AM SURE THAT IS A GOAL YOU WANT FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR AND TALK ABOUT RACING HERE AT LAS VEGAS

“First of all, we’ve had good and not-so-good. We’ve had good results in the first two races. Certainly at Daytona, we had a great car, we got caught in a wreck, I think it was about lap 26 and got, what I would call, some pretty serious damage. Our team did a outstanding job of patching the car up and we managed to be very competitive and rebound with a great finish at Daytona. We were pleased with that. We were also caught up in a fairly early accident at Phoenix as well and got damage that would usually be a major setback and the guys did a good job with the quick repairs there that we could make. We were able to be more competitive than we would have expected based on the damage we had. So, we have two real respectable finishes where it could have been a disaster for us on both races. The team is working well together. I am looking forward to this weekend. This is a really good race track for me. Love being here. Very excited about being here and anxious to get to work with my team.”

YOU WERE THE FIRST ONE IN VICTORY LANE TO CONGRATULATE JEFF (GORDON) LAST WEEKEND, AS SOMEONE WHO HAS GONE A LONG TIME WITHOUT WINNING AT TIMES IN YOUR CAREER, DID YOU REALLY RELATE TO HOW HE MUST HAVE FELT? ALSO, AS SOMEONE WHO HAS WORKED WITH ALAN, DID YOU FORSEE GETTING SOME VICTORIES?

“Yes on all accounts. I certainly identify. I know he was elated. I know the feeling. It was just two years ago that race that I experienced the same thing. I was real happy for Jeff. He’s one of the most incredible race car drivers in my lifetime. We don’t realize how incredible he is because we are used to it. He’s been here for quite some time. You finally get sort of numb to the fact, and every once in a while I’m reminded of what an incredible race car driver he is. He’s been great to me all the years prior to being a teammate and great to me since I’ve been at Hendrick Motorsports as well. I have a super soft spot in my heart for Alan and the guys that work on the No. 5 and was thrilled for them as well. To see their excitement and enthusiasm gives me more joy than I can describe. And yes, I expected Alan and Jeff to be world leaders. I do. I expect an enormous amount from them this year.”

WHAT KIND OF FEEL DO YOU HAVE FOR THE SEASON RIGHT NOW?

“You’ve seen some abnormal stuff. You’ve seen accidents, big ones at Phoenix, you’ve seen plenty of accidents at Daytona so you don’t get the full long-term lay of the competition right now. But it’s obvious that Carl (Edwards) and that bunch is going to be incredible and it looks like in my estimation it’s pretty much where the season left off last year. At the end of the season I see that pretty much carrying forward into this season. It’s still going to be a while. You know Daytona doesn’t count when you start stacking up the meat of the season because it’s different kinds of cars and different kind of logic in racing. So we only have Phoenix to judge from. And I got back to the last two or three races of last year and then going forward into this year and see it pretty much carrying forward from that. It’s interesting to see things kind of shook up here at the beginning of the year, but when you only have two races things can shake up and then over the long haul the cream sort of rises.”

YOU HAVE ALWAYS BEEN THE FIRST TO SAY CELEBRATE WHEN YOU ARE IN VICTORY LANE BECAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN THE NEXT ONE IS GOING TO COME, IN THAT REGARD WHEN YOU GO THROUGH A SKID HOW DO YOU NOT GET TO THE POINT WHERE YOU THINK DID I LOOSE IT, CAN I STILL DO THIS, DOES ALL THAT GO THROUGH YOUR MIND AT ANY POINT WHEN YOU ARE DEALING WITH A WINLESS SKID LIKE THAT?

“Yes, it does. It all goes through my mind it may not someone else. I can’t speak for other people but in my mind it does. I went through a spell I think it was around ’96 where I could run second and it seemed like I ran second often, very often but I couldn’t get a win. I wondered about it a little bit then. When it comes later in your career then you wonder if you’re somehow not managing to be as effective. You know there’s all different things. Fear of failing, doubt, those things are what fuel me. That’s part of my fuel. That’s what makes me as effective as I am. So you just have to be sure and manage all those kinds of things so they don’t bring negative. You really have enough to fight with without allowing negatives to creep in and effect how you deal with situations, how you deal with people. Because if you let those things weigh on you and then you deal with these situations in not in as good of a way, not as a positive way, then you are going to be less effective because of it. That’s the biggest thing is trying to keep that in check and try to work hard and try to keep a good attitude. When I was young it was all about winning and that was it. For me now, it’s about the passion to do what I love and to do it well. It’s sort of a different grade and that helps me manage all the stuff and manage how I deal with situations much better if it isn’t all about the intensity of winning, it’s about the passion of doing what I love and doing it well and trying to find the positives in the good days. The things that you do and you did well even though you didn’t get the trophy, the things that you did do well.”

WHERE DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOUR TEAM IS AT RIGHT NOW AND HAVE YOU GOT ANY SENSE OF WHAT THE NEW NOSE OF THE CARS ARE DOING OR WILL THAT COME THIS WEEK?

“We weren’t as strong at Phoenix as we would have likes to have been. We made some adjustments and had two short runs before I was in the accident and I was more pleased with the car but I’m very slow to pass judgment so I’m going to look back on Phoenix and say that we needed to be better than we were and certainly will. You have to race to give the final evaluation anyway so we had that race and now we give that the final evaluation and then we decide what kind of hardware we want to try to work with next week. I’m excited about this weekend. This is a good one for us. Lance and our engineers and everyone feel really good. We’re excited about it. We’re in a building process right now of sort of building a foundation of what we like and what we want to use. All the Hendrick cars were on a little bit different stuff at Phoenix and we will continue to be on different stuff as we go forward for quite a while until we sort of all migrate toward what seems to be working best. That’s kind of where we are right now. We feel like we’ll gain momentum as the season goes on as we sort through the different stuff that we’re doing that we’re using for set up stuff. You know all I can tell you is I’ve been extremely pleased. The damage I got and the ability to still compete. I don’t know if that’s the new nose or if its luck coupled with a really tremendous job by the GoDaddy.com team and their repairs. The nose looks good and like you say we had damage and managed to do well with that damage which is a good thing.”

WITH THE NEW FUELING SYSTEM, SOME TIMES YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO GO AT THE DROP OF THE JACK, SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE FUELER TO GO, HOW DO YOU FIGURE OUT WHICH IS WHICH AND CAN YOU SEE THE FUELER AND DO YOU KNOW WHEN HE IS DONE OR ARE YOU LISTENING TO YOUR CREW CHIEF?

“Lance makes the decision on whether I’m going to go on the jack or go on him and he tells me before I get in the box which one I’m going to go on. That might be a dangerous thing because sometimes I get things on my mind and could mess that up but for right now that seems to be working. He tells me we’re going on the jack or wait on me. It is awkward and a year from now it won’t be but for right now it is a little bit awkward, the whole fueling deal itself. It’s not working smooth as silk you know and there are some concerns. Getting it full or not, this that and the other. But as we move forward on it we will get better and better with it. I cannot see the fueler so I don’t have a clue from that standpoint. When we do right side tire changes and we’re leaving on the jack that I just basically pretty much run over my front tire changer because he’s the last guy around and I dump the clutch about the right time when I know it’s gonna kind of brush him and he’s going to be okay. Beyond that I wait for a cue, if it’s a left side jack drop or the crew chief calling it.”

CAN YOU DEFINE FOR US WHY PEOPLE ARE RACING SO HARD EARLY, IS THAT THE POINTS DEAL?

“I don’t know. I feel like I need to take a breath myself. I feel very fortunate that I’ve managed to be in accidents and still be able to repair or continue and have good finishes. But you know it has caused me to reflect on that and to think about how maybe I address this week. Even myself, I’ve been up on it. That’s okay but when you’re up on it every second you’re bound to make a mistake sooner or later and for me when I make those mistakes I kick myself pretty hard more than once. I’m not looking forward to doing that. These are long races. They are very important all the way through. From the green flag, the start you fight for every position all the time, all the way through these races now a days, still I think it would do us all a little good to take a breath before the flag comes out and think about what we’re trying to really accomplish.”

DO YOU KNOW WHY WE’RE SEEING THAT SO EARLY?

“I don’t know. I don’t know why. I don’t. I couldn’t tell you. I know I’ve been a part of it. I’ve been one of them too. I’ve been just like the rest of them. So I don’t know why that is.”

YOU’VE GOT TWO WINS AT MARTINSVILLE, EXPLAIN WHAT IT IS ABOUTTHAT TRACK THAT MAKES IT UNIQUE AND GIVES IT ITS OWN CHARACTERISTICS

“What makes it unique is straight fairly long straightaways and real sharp type corner. Not many race tracks are quite that extreme on the sharp corners and the long straighaways for the size of the track. Most race tracks are more round than that. So it’s extremely tough on brakes and it is also a race track where you can’t make up much as a driver. You’ve got to pretty much take what your car will give you. If you try to get more it will just hurt you. So from that respect it can be kind of frustrating. You really have to get your car working. From that standpoint it’s like all other race tracks, you make your car handle better than everybody’s you’re going to be the heat. It’s a unique challenge because the corners are so sharp and the straightaways are fairly long for a little race track.”

THIS IS GOING TO BE YOUR 1052ND NASCAR START ON SUNDAY WHICH IS 133 SHORT OF RICHARD PETTY, DO YOU THINK THAT 133 IS OBTAINABLE AND WOULD THAT MEAN ANYTHING?

“To give you my first response, no that doesn’t mean anything to me but that’s kind of shallow. When I look back on it I probably will be proud that there were quite a few quality starts in there and I’ll probably be proud of the quality of the level of competition that I brought to all those starts. The longevity is special especially since I didn’t get an early start. I did get an early start of course I had my major setback that cost me about eight years so I really didn’t get started in this thing until I was nearly 30 even though I had my first pole when I was 21 or 22. That’s kind of what I am. Not proud of so much of the number of starts but proud of the level I managed to bring to it. That’s the intensity. At this point and time I’m just happy that I can do what I love and still do it well.”

DO YOU THINK YOU WILL GET IN 133 MORE?

“That’s a good question. That’s quite a lot of starts. I say it’s possible but I haven’t even thought about it. That’s four more years of nearly full-time of some kind of NASCAR competition so I don’t know. I can’t answer that question. That wouldn’t be one that I would go after as much as Kyle is coming after the all-time wins in Nationwide. A number like that would be something that would drive me more. I’m doing all I can do on that front now.”

THE NEW FACES COMING INTO THIS SPORT SEEM TO BE GETTING MORE INTENSE COACHING FROM VETERANS, DO YOU THINK THAT DYNAMIC HAS CHANGED FROM WHEN YOU CAME UP?

“It hasn’t changed in my career. I see it the same. I was being asked lots of questions in 1980 when I was short-track racing in late models. I was asked more questions then than I am now so what does that tell you? I’m not sure. I don’t see it much different. It’s just maybe covered more. It just used to be something that was private and nobody said anything about it and now this sport has all these eyes on it so its news.”

OBVIOUSLY YOU WOULD LIKE TO GO OUT WITH A CHAMPIONSHIP BUT IS THERE ANY OTHER ONE THING, ONE RACE, ANDY PARTICULAR ACCOMPLISHMENT YOU WOULD LIKE TO DO THIS YEAR AT HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS THAT WOULD CAP OFF YOUR COUPLE OF YEARS THERE?

“I like to have goals that are obtainable. What I would like to do rather than pinning a ribbon on something as movable as a race or something like that would be, I want to leave Hendrick Motorsports where the drivers and the crew chiefs and the management there say they were glad that I was there, that I made a contribution. That was number one when I came there and it will be number one with me as I exit. I hope I can achieve that.”

About Chevrolet:Founded in Detroit in 1911, Chevrolet celebrates its centennial as a global automotive brand with annual sales of about 4.25 million vehicles in more than 140 countries. Chevrolet provides consumers with fuel-efficient, safe and reliable vehicles that deliver high quality, expressive design, spirited performance and value. The Chevrolet portfolio includes iconic performance cars such as Corvette and Camaro; dependable, long-lasting pickups and SUVs such as Silverado and Suburban; and award-winning passenger cars and crossovers such as Spark, Cruze, Malibu, Equinox and Traverse. Chevrolet also offers “gas-friendly to gas-free” solutions including Cruze Eco and Volt. Cruze Eco offers 42 mpg highway while Volt offers 35 miles of electric, gasoline-free driving and an additional 344 miles of extended range. Most new Chevrolet models offer OnStar safety, security and convenience technologies including OnStar Hands-Free Calling, Automatic Crash Response and Stolen Vehicle Slowdown. More information regarding Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

Mark Martin - Team Chevy From The Driver's Seat
March 2, 2011

MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET - 6TH IN STANDINGS - WON AT LVMS IN ‘98

"This will be a busy weekend for sure for me. It’s been awhile since I’ve run both races, and I’ll have to quickly get used to the running between both garages and the debriefs and all the notes and stuff. I just hope I can transition from car to car pretty easily. I know that some guys have had issues with that before, but hopefully that will come pretty naturally. I look at it this way, it will be busy, but it’s also double the chance at getting a win. If I can score two-out-of-two, now that’s a great weekend. If we ever get a race where our nose stays on, we’ll definitely see how good this team is. (LAUGHS) These guys have really impressed me. We made a lot of changes to the car during the practice sessions at Phoenix, and they worked hard. I worked them hard. And we got better and better. For the second straight week then, they had to completely rebuild a section of our car on pit road. They’re good. And they’re quick. I’m anxious to keep this season going and see what we’ve got for everyone out there."

Double Duty For Mark Martin
By Tom Jensen
SPEEDTV.com
March 2, 2011

Mark Martin will make his debut with Turner Motorsports this weekend.

Mark Martin isn’t gathering any moss these days.

At age 52, the Batesville, Ark., native has a busy year on tap. Already, he’s bounced back from crashes at both Daytona and Phoenix to post two top-15 finishes and be ranked sixth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup points standings.

This week, Martin will race his familiar No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where he won the inaugural Sprint Cup race back in 1998. On top of that, he’ll make his debut with Turner Motorsports in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, driving the Dollar General-sponsored No. 32 Chevrolet.

“This will be a busy weekend for sure for me,” said Martin, who is in his third and final season with Hendrick Motorsports. “It’s been awhile since I’ve run both races, and I’ll have to quickly get used to the running between both garages and the debriefs and all the notes and stuff. I just hope I can transition from car to car pretty easily. I know that some guys have had issues with that before, but hopefully that will come pretty naturally.”

Martin is the career leader in victories in the Nationwide Series, although Kyle Busch is fast closing in on him, something Martin is keenly aware of, especially after Busch went wire to wire to win at Phoenix International Raceway last week.

“I’ve got to get my wins total up before Kyle gets up there and takes it away from me,” said Martin, who has 48 career NNS wins to Busch’s 44. “That’s a record that I’m really proud of and would love to keep for as long as I can.”

Martin has not driven in the NASCAR Nationwide Series since 2008, but will make four starts with Turner this season. Turner has seven full-time NASCAR entries, four in the Nationwide Series and three more in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Two races into the season, Turner driver Reed Sorenson leads the Nationwide points standings.

“I’m very impressed with what Turner Motorsports has already accomplished in such a short time,” said Martin. “To see Reed on top of the standings is a big accomplishment for this team. We’ll do what we can to keep them on top and keep those guys motivated.”

On the Cup side of the ledger, Martin is just hoping to get through the Las Vegas race without someone wrecking him.

“I look at it this way: It will be busy, but it’s also double the chance at getting a win,” said Martin. “If I can score two-out-of-two, now that’s a great weekend. If we ever get a race where our nose stays on, we’ll definitely see how good this team is.”

Interestingly, Martin’s last Nationwide victory came at LVMS, with crew chief Lance McGrew, who now leads his Hendrick Motorsports Sprint Cup team.

“These guys have really impressed me,” Martin said. “We made a lot of changes to the car during the practice sessions at Phoenix, and they worked hard. I worked them hard. And we got better and better. For the second straight week then, they had to completely rebuild a section of our car on pit road. They’re good. And they’re quick. I’m anxious to keep this season going and see what we’ve got for everyone out there.”

Mark Martin crosses the finish line to win the NASCAR Nationwide Series auto race Saturday, March 5, 2011, in Las Vegas.
(AP Photo/Todd Warshaw, Pool)

Gambling in Vegas: Mark Martin Wins the Sam’s Town 300
By Ashley McCubbin
SpeedwayMedia.com
March 5, 2011

Most people on the street are worried about saving gas so they do not spend a lot of money, considering the price of fuel. During today’s Sam Town’s 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Mark Martin saved his fuel the best to get his 49th career Nationwide Series win.

“Well, Trent Owens deserves that one - all the credit for it,” Martin said in victory lane. “He made the right calls and the only chance we had was to save, save and I just decided that I wasn’t going to run out of gas. With 2 to go, I decided to step on it as I figured I was close enough to be able to do it.

“I can’t believe it. I don’t care how hard you try, you can’t win this things.Then when its time, it just happens.”

Coming the white flag, it looked as if Brad Keselowski would be able to make on fuel. However, he had a flat tire and ended up in the wall.

“He was slowling quite a bit so I knew he was having fuel trouble or something so I stepped on it and tried to catch him.” Martin said.

The win marked the first ever win for Steve Turner and Turner Motorsports, as Turner bought Braun Racing from Todd Braun last year. They were able to play the strategy card after they pitted with 62 to go to check the tires after being in the middle of a wreck.

“We know we got in the wall so we needed to pit and look at our tires,” crew chief Trent Owen said. “Mark did a great job saving the fuel there.”

Mark Martin’s teammate Justin Allgaier finished second.

“I can’t say enough about everybody at Turner Motorsports and the Hendrick power under the hood,” Allgaier said. “These Chevys are running strong. I can’t say enough for what these guys are building. This is the most fun series that I’ve ever been around. Congratulations to Mark. That guy has got a lot of knowledge and is really helping our team.”

Brad Keselowski, after getting into the wall, finished third.

“We were about four to five laps good for fuel and he came on the radio and asked if he needed to save and I said he was good,” Todd Gordon, crew chief for Keselowski. “We must have just run something over as we’d run two fuel runs in the right sides before. He came on the radio and said he had a flat as we came across the finish line.”

Finishing fourth was Danica Patrick, becoming the highest finishing women in NASCAR Nationwide Series history. She topped her best career finish of 17th that she got last week at Phoenix.

“Just we worked so hard on the car this weekend,” Patrick said. “Went from loose to tight to loose to tight with the same set-up at times. We had a lot of practice time, which was good, but kind of confused us along the way. Missed those lucky dogs and finally got one. I asked Tony Jr to take a big swing at it to make it tight, not a small one but a swing at it, and it wasn’t good at the beginning, but it was good at the end.”

After starting 17th, she worked her way to just outside the top 10, and then into the top 10, before employing the fuel strategy to seal a top five finish.

“Qualifying wasn’t perfect, practice was up and down,” she said. “I was like, okay, we got a new car. Hopefully we can learn something so that way me and Aric (Almirola) can run up front at the next mile and a half.”

“I mean, we’ve been really consistant - the finishes haven’t shown it,” crew chief Tony Eury Jr. said. “Its really easy for her to run in the top 15. If we can get everything right, we can run in the top 10 with this girl. Luckily we got luck with fuel milage and got a top five out of this.”

Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne finished fifth using the same strategy, after finding trouble earlier. Bayne’s teammate and pole sitter Carl Edwards finished sixth after running in the top five most of the day.

“For Mark to win on fuel milage, its real frustrating for Mike Beam and I,” Edwards said. “It’s just frustrating as we’re trying to find marketing partners for all three cars.”

Denny Hamlin finished seventh, after also running up front all day.

“Its tough,” Hamlin said. “Once I saw we weren’t going to win the race, I backed off incase a caution came to save the tires. We were so equal in the long run, but thats part of racing. You have the right fuel milage, the right everything to be able to win.”

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Jason Leftler and Kenny Wallace rounded out the top 10.

It looked to be another Kyle Busch show at the beginning as he led the majorty of the first half, though wrecked on lap 71 after getting stuck back in traffic.

“I had a really big run off the top,” Busch said. “I didn’t want to go to the outside. I came down to the white line as I wanted to be there going into turn 1 and never got there. The 22 came down to block and I went down to the grass to try to avoid hitting him and I looked pretty stupid going down there. I made a mistake. That’s why I run these races. I take what I learn here and carry it forward.”

Mark Martin Lucky in Vegas While Danica Patrick Makes History
By Mary Jo Buchanan
SpeedwayMedia.com
March 5, 2011

Mark Martin, driving the No. 32 Dollar General for Turner Motorsports for the first time, not only was lucky with his fuel mileage but also took advantage of the bad luck of Brad Keselowski to win the 15th Annual Sam’s Town 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

This was Martin’s 49th Nationwide win Series win, making him the seventh oldest driver to win a Nationwide race.

“We only had one chance to win the race and that was to win it on fuel,” Martin said in the media center after celebrating his win in Victory Lane. “When I caught Brad, I realized that it was going to take all the gas I had to get past him.”

“Trent (Owens) gave me great information,” Martin said of his crew chief, who scored his first win ever. “I managed to back off the throttle and wait to see if Brad (Keselowski) would make it or not.”

“It worked out for us today,” Martin continued. “It was a great team effort. Turner Motorsports is doing such good work and I wanted to get in there and be a part of it.”

“It was a real special win for us,” Martin said. “We got us another trophy and that’s all I care about.”

Martin’s Turner Motorsports teammate Justin Allgaier also had good luck in Vegas, scoring a second place win in the No. 31. This was Allgaier’s third top-10 finish in three races at Las Vegas and his second top-10 finish in 2011.

“This was a really good finish for us because we battled through a lot of adversity,” Allgaier said. “To be able to come out of here one, two and to be able to be beat by Mark Martin, as much as I wanted to win the race there is only one person in the garage that I’d rather have beat me and it would be Mark.”

“Mark is really cool.”

While luck was on the side of Martin and Allgaier, Brad Keselowski had some of the worst luck of the Vegas Nationwide race weekend. According to Keselowski, the weekend started bad and ended even worse.

“We started off this weekend and we were atrociously bad,” Keselowski said. “My team worked all weekend long and found speed in my car.”

“From there we used great strategy and smarts to get in position to win the race,” Keselowski said. “I was trying to conserve my stuff and felt we had it, but obviously didn’t.”

“I just ran over something because it went down pretty quick,” Keselowski said of his blown tire. “It was just one of those days where you do everything right and don’t win. That’s why they call it racing.”

“I just feel bad for my guys,” Keselowski continued. “We’ve had three great cars in the last three races and something has happened. It just has to come back around. We’re on the down side of the roller coaster and I’m ready for it to come back up.”

While Martin took the checkered flag, Danica Patrick, driver of the No. 7 GoDaddy.com for JR Motorsports crossed the finish line in the fourth position, making her own brand of history as the highest finishing female ever in a NASCAR national series. With Patrick’s fourth place finish, she topped the record of Sara Christian, who finished fifth in 1949.

“I guess that’s something I don’t think about,” Patrick said when asked about her history-making run. “I don’t think about trying to be the highest finishing female. I just think about trying to win the race.”

“It was a good day,” Patrick, running in just her 16th race, said. “We just had a good car. I knew it from the beginning of the race.”

“We worked so hard on the car this weekend and we did have a lot of practice time, which was good,” Patrick said. “I missed those lucky dogs like three more times and we finally got it.”

“It allowed me to be consistent at the end, cautious and not over drive,” Patrick said. “It was a good day for GoDaddy and JR Motorsports.”

Trevor Bayne, the Daytona 500 winner, rounded out the top five for the Sam’s Town 300. After a fairly chaotic run last weekend at Phoenix, Bayne felt most fortunate to have been so close to the front of the field.

“It was cool to get a top-five out of that,” Bayne said. “You take them how you get them.”

“It is awesome for these guys to get a top-five and we probably didn’t deserve it,” Bayne continued. “But we saved gas and put ourselves in that position. I can’t wait to watch the tape on this one.”

Carl Edwards, who had been so dominant in the early part of the race, finished in the sixth position. Denny Hamlin, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Jason Leffler and Kenny Wallace rounded out the top ten.

Reed Sorenson maintains the Nationwide Series points lead, with Ricky Stenhouse and Jason Leffler following closely behind in second and third respectively. Danica Patrick and Justin Allgaier round out the top five in the point standings.

Mark Martin wins Sam's Town 300, Danica Patrick takes fourth
By Case Keefer
Las Vegas Sun
March 5, 2011

Mark Martin led for exactly one lap during the Sam’s Town 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race Saturday.

Luckily for Martin, it was the only one that mattered. The 52-year old Martin capitalized on a day full of momentum swings at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to win his fifth NASCAR event on the track.

“I don’t remember the circumstances of the other wins, but we ran really strong,” Martin said. “Today was a culmination of strategy and experience. It was a lot of things.”

Martin took advantage of every opportunity placed in front of him, with the most notable one coming on the final lap of the day. Brad Keselowski had led the previous 11 laps and looked poised to win his 13th career race on the Nationwide Series.

But Keselowski blew a tire around the first turn of the final lap and hit the wall, which allowed Martin to pass him.

“I must have run over something because the tire went down quick,” Keselowski said. “I’m sure I ran over something. It’s just one of those days where you do everything right and don’t win. That’s the way it goes sometimes.”

Justin Allgaier also passed Keselowski to finish in second and 1.221 seconds behind Martin. The driver behind Keselowski provided the day’s most notable finish - Danica Patrick.

Patrick’s fourth-place finish was her career best in 16 NASCAR races. It was also the highest finish ever by a female in NASCAR, surpassing a record that stood for 61 years by Sara Christian.

“I don’t think about the highest position for a female,” Patrick said. “I think about winning the race. If I make history, then so be it.”

Patrick spent less time on pit road than any driver. She gradually improved her starting position of 22nd throughout the afternoon before making a push for the win late.

She managed to overtake Daytona 500 champion Trevor Bayne and pole-sitter Carl Edwards, who finished in fifth and sixth, respectively.

“It was a good day,” Patrick said. “We had a good car. I knew it from the beginning of the race once we settled in for a couple of laps.”

It was the third impressive performance from Patrick in three races this year. She came in 14th at Daytona and 17th last week in Phoenix.

Martin said Patrick’s improvement of late was “fantastic.” Then again, he had his own accomplishment to be proud of.

“I’ve lost a lot of races the same way this one turned out good for us,” Martin said. “I can’t gloat. If Brad hadn’t had a tire problem, it looked to me that he was going to win.”

Keselowski’s stroke of misfortune was the final in a race that contained plenty of them. Las Vegas native Kyle Busch, who won last week’s Nationwide race at Phoenix, spent the most time at the front of the pack.

He led most of the beginning of the race and 84 laps in total. But after falling behind, Busch went for an aggressive move to go underneath Keselowski on lap 132.

Keselowski blocked it off, which sent Busch crashing into the infield grass and eventually the wall.

“Unfortunately, I screwed up,” Busch said. “That’s why I run these races, so I can learn and not do it tomorrow.”

Martin will attempt to become the first driver since Jeff Burton in 2000 to win both Las Vegas’ annual races on NASCAR weekend when the Kobalt Tools 400 runs Sunday.

He won Las Vegas’ inaugural Sprint Cup race in 1998 and took the Nationwide title here in 1999, 2005 and 2008. Friday’s victory was Martin’s 49th in the Nationwide Series and 96th overall in NASCAR.

“It worked out for us today,” Martin said. “It was a great team effort. It was a real special win.”

Mark Martin poses with the trophy after winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series auto race Saturday, March 5, 2011, in Las Vegas.
(AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

No. 32 Dollar General Chevrolet News and Notes
March 2011

Never Forget the First Time - Mark Martin will make his first start for both Turner Motorsports and Dollar General this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Martin will make three other starts for the No. 32 team in 2011 including races at Auto Club Speedway, Michigan International Speedway and Kentucky Speedway. This is also Martin’s first competitive laps in the Nationwide Series "new car".

Last Time In Las Vegas - While Martin hasn’t been behind the wheel of a Nationwide Series car since 2008, his last two starts at the track have resulted in wins. His 2008 victory came while working with current Cup Series crew chief Lance McGrew, and the attempt before that was in 2005.

Setting the Standard at Las Vegas - Martin’s stats are beyond comparison at the 1.5-mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In five starts, the veteran has finished no worse than sixth with three wins, four top-fives, five top-10s and two pole awards with 332 of 1002 laps led. Martin’s average starting position is 9.2 with an average finishing spot of 2.2.

Just Look at the Record Books - Even though a recent challenger has come on strong, Martin is still the record-holder of wins in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. With 48 victories throughout his 21-year career in NASCAR’s second-tier series, the only competitor within striking distance is Kyle Busch, who has 44 wins.

Dollar General Leading the Way - After last weekend’s top-five finish in the No. 32 Dollar General Chevy, Reed Sorenson is currently atop the driver’s point standings with a five-point lead over second-place Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Sorenson will continue his quest for a Nationwide Series title this weekend in the No. 30 Rexall Chevrolet.

Start of a new era for Turner Motorsports - The 2011 season marks the start of a new era for Turner Motorsports. The team has expanded in 2011 from a two-truck operation in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) to become the largest stand-alone multi-series team in NASCAR’s top-tier touring series, fielding three entries in the NCWTS and four entries in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS). Three of the team’s regular NNS drivers (Jason Leffler, Reed Sorenson and Justin Allgaier) have been pegged as viable contenders to win the 2011 NNS driver championship.

This Week’s Impala - Martin will pilot TMS-118 in this weekend’s Sam’s Town 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This is a brand new chassis and has yet to see any competitive laps.

Martin on racing at Las Vegas and for Turner Motorsports this weekend

"I’ve been looking forward to this weekend since I signed up for these races with Turner Motorsports and Dollar General. Running this race at Las Vegas was a given, really, when we were making the schedule. My last Nationwide win was at Las Vegas with Lance (Sprint Cup crew chief) and the last one before that was at Vegas too, so I’m really, really hoping for everyone involved that we get three in a row this weekend. With Hendrick Motorsports horsepower under the hood we should definitely have something for them.

"Plus, I’ve got to get my wins total up before Kyle (Busch) gets up there and takes it away from me. That’s a record that I’m really proud of and would love to keep for as long as I can.

"I’m very impressed with what Turner Motorsports has already accomplished in such a short time. To see Reed (Sorenson) on top of the standings is a big accomplishment for this team. We’ll do what we can to keep them on top and keep those guys motivated."