Mark Martin Articles 2007 - NASCAR Forum - NASCAR Space -Forums, Schedules, Race Results, News

mrsmopar12 · #1 (**permalink**) 01-16-2007, 08:50 AM

RacingOne Report
Posted Saturday, January 13, 2007

Mark Martin will start this year’s Budweiser Shootout in the No. 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet, marking the first time in 19 years he will drive a car other than the No. 6 in a Cup event.

However, what many may not realize is that while this will be Martin’s first race with Ginn Racing and his first race with the Army on board, it will not be his first Cup event in the No. 01 Chevrolet.

In fact, Martin’s history with the No. 01 goes back 24 years, even further back than Martin’s history in the No. 6 Roush car. Martin started 16 Cup races in 1983, the 10th of which was at Charlotte, where he ran the No. 01 Activision Chevrolet. A humble beginning in the car, Martin started the race 20th and finished 29th after getting caught up in an accident.

“The car was actually owned by Emanuel Zerakis,” said Martin. Emanuel was a great guy and I knew that he had a good car. Lowe’s has always been one of my favorite tracks, and I needed a ride. Humpy Wheeler and the guys from the Speedway actually helped get the sponsorship together with Emanuel and Activision, which was the sponsor. So we called them and were able to put it all together.

“As for the race, we started 20th, but we crashed Lap 270. We made around $1700, which was big money back in those days, especially for wrecking. I guess when you think about it, it’s kind of ironic that we’ll be going back to the 01 this year. Of course, we’ll be expecting to finish a lot better this time.”

More than 20 years later, Martin ironically returns to the No. 01 where he looks to forge a new legacy in the latest chapter of his storied career.

mrsmopar12 · #2 (**permalink**) 02-19-2007, 03:53 PM

GM Racing Communications, Press Release

MARK MARTIN, DRIVER OF THE NO. 01 U.S. ARMY MONTE CARLO SS, TALKED WITH MEDIA ABOUT PUSHING THE CURRENT RULES AND RULES FOR THE UPCOMING CAR OF TOMORROW

ON NASCAR CONSISTENCY WITH PENALTIES:

"If they continue to do what they are doing, they will be consistent. "

ON THE NEW RIGHT SIDE TIRE:

"It is not that difficult. It is more of a challenge to get your car handling properly, but racing is challenging. "

ON HOW CAR IS RUNNING AND HANDLING:

"We are going to use the about 2 ½ hours we have left of practice before the Daytona 500 to see if we can make any improvement on our U.S. Army Chevy."

ON THERE BEING MORE TEMPTATION TO PUSH RULES HERE THAN OTHER PLACES:

"There are 61 cars that NASCAR felt it necessary to make it fair. There are a lot of cars that went home before this race. They have busted people for things they haven't really looked at before. Certainly people are getting the message that the rules are going to be strictly enforced. With that many cars, it is for good reason."

ON CONSIDERING DOING MORE RACES WHEN BRISTOL GETS HERE:

"Why do ya'all keep saying that? (LAUGHS) I don't know, Matt Kenseth has $200 on it. We will see if he wins it or not. (LAUGHS) I have a plan that I am very happy with. If I wanted to run the full season, I certainly could. I don't want to, I haven't asked to, if fact I said no to that over and over again. Let's just not worry about whether or not I am fifth in the points going in to Bristol, and just let me do what I want to do, and that is what I have on the schedule. I just don't see any need to be worried about the what ifs."

ON HOW HARD IT WILL BE NOT TO PULL IN THE NO. 6 PITS DURING THE RACE:

"I hope it's not hard. If it is, I am in trouble. I don't know, I have had people around me speculate that I would do that. I don't know if I will or not. I have run two races so far and that car wasn't in those races. I knew where my pit was; I found my pit board ok. At the same time, I was in the 6 car for 19 years. But I have drove a lot of other things too. I have drove 60, I have drove the No. 9 and some other things. Obviously considering that the colors haven't changed much if at all from when I drove the car, there is a chance. I have done a lot more dumber things than that."

ON WHAT MAKES PEOPLE BEND THE RULES:

"I think most of the infractions that have been caught this week that are in things that have been commonly done in the past. It is competition and people pushing the limits. It is Daytona. Whether or not it gives you an advantage or not, it makes you think you are trying harder if you do that. A lot of the things that have come down this week are over things that probably give them a performance advantage that their intent was to do. I know for a fact, a lot of the things won't make the car run faster, but that was the intent. It made it bad because it was to gain an advantage even though it probably wasn't going to give them an advantage."

ON HAVING A CONVERSATION WITH CREW CHIEF ON THIS ISSUE:

"No Ryan (Pemberton) is more conservative than some of the other crew chiefs I have worked with in the past. I think we are good there. Ryan seems to be more conservative."

ON WHAT IS BEING SAID IN THE GARAGE:

"I don't think anything out of the ordinary whatsoever has happened so far. All the things that have happened are things that have been done in the past. The message from NASCAR is clear 'We are tightening up guys'. I applaud NASCAR for that cause I don't think 25 points got anybody's attention. People hated to lose them but stepping it up will get their attention. There is no amount of money that will get their attention because there is so much at stake in this business. When you starting taking 50 points, that really takes their attention. A 100 points sent the message home."

ON NASCAR ENTERING DIFFICULT WATERS TRYING TO DEFINE INTENT:

"Always in the past, it didn't matter if it was intentional or not. That is the unfortunate thing, we have had lower quality springs in the past that some would not hold their free height where your cars would be low after the race with no intent. You still go penalized even though you didn't intend for that to happen. I think the penalty is always going to be there, whether it was meant to happen or not. But, if you meant to cheat the competition, I think the penalty should be worse than if you cheated the competition by accident."

ON NASCAR TIGHTENING UP IN PREPARATION OF CAR OF TOMORROW DEBUT:

"I am not sure. I think one of things was there 61 cars for the Daytona 500. I think that is part of it. Certainly, the rules for the COT and the way that car is, it tightens the box up like I have never seen. It is incredible how the box has tightened there. Because the box is tightened, it is like a handful of spaghetti. I think they may be sending a message 'Hey, everything we lay out, you are going to have to follow and if you don't follow it, shame on you. You are going to get caught'. All these things are small things. I am unaware of the Michael Waltrip issue, I don't really know anything about that. But I will bet you anything in the world, whatever performance improvement that would have been gained by whatever might have been done there still would have been small. Like I say, the things that have happened here this week with the Evernham cars and the No. 17 car, are things that have been done forever, that's not knew. I am pretty sure that I know what they did on the 17 car and I am pretty sure there was no advantage by it but they were sure trying hard. You know what I mean, that is what racers do. So many of these things, you are just trying so hard. I think that this week will go a long way in corraling up those things. I think it is good. Certainly, I don't think the teams are going to want to lose 50 points and darn sure not 100. When you have the competition that we have today, people just need to be playing it straight. Racers is so different today because there really are no gray areas. It used to be so much more fun, you used to be able to be creative and bring things to table if you were smart and creative. There are just hardly any areas to work anymore. For me, I am not even smart, and I used to be able to bring things to the table. Man, you could put the world on pause and 10 years I still won't come up with anything. The box is really tight today. It is a different world."

ON TAKING THE FUN OUT OF IT:

"It takes it out for me but doesn't necessarily take it out for someone who doesn't know any different. Regan Smith, I don't know, not very long ago. I don't even know what year, maybe 1984 or something like that. That is just wrong (LAUGHS). But, he just doesn't know the difference. A lot of these guys they just don't know the difference. So I am not going to sit here and say it takes all the fun out of it. When I was coming along, I heard those old guys yapping about how good the good old days were. How wrong the kids were and all that stuff. I don't want to be one of those guys, because when they were saying it, it wasn't very attractive to me. I didn't care much for all that and I am not going to stand around saying all that now. I don't want to be a naysayer like that, sort of the old timers syndrome. I don't want to sign up for that. It is different and yes, it has taken the fun out of it for me because I don't feel like I have a way to contribute anymore. When we first started Roush Racing, I felt like I could pay attention, be a part of the team and thought of things we could do that gave us advantages. We saw and felt that advantage, and that was a blast for it, it was fun. I feel that window is a lot smaller now, it is a lot, lot smaller. But for guys coming along that don't know, they are just thrilled to be here and be doing this.

ON MORE TALENTED YOUNGER DRIVERS IN THE MARKET NOW:

"Yes, ok and here is why. There has always been that talent but it wasn't in NASCAR because there was no room for it, no one interested in it. But it was still out there not given the opportunity that is obviously being given today that Jeff Gordon brought here and then grow - the sponsorship, the money, the backing and all that. If you were Regan then, you were lucky if you were driving a dirt track car, and winning races. If you were doing that and did that for another five years, you might get luck and be given an opportunity to drive a back marker car here for another five to six years. And if you made that back marker car run better than everybody thought it should, then you might get a chance when one of the old guys retired, to move up to a good enough car that you might be able to win in. That is how it used to be, it is different now."

ON THOUGHTS OF IT THERE WILL BE MORE INFRACTIONS FOUND:

"I think you will continue to see some more infractions pop up because they are cracking tighter. Certainly there will be less intentional and more accidental infractions and there are accidental infractions believe me. Things happen. The quality of springs are better today but there is a thing out there that isn't right they have got to fix. These guys are building these cars that when you hit them in the back, it bends the frame down and takes the quarters down. Then you are that much low after the race. And they say well we got hit in the back, well that is bull. That is not right and I know that happened yesterday. Same deal as Jeff Gordon except his deal was different, his frame wasn't bent, it was another thing, it was another thing, but if your frame is bent, then what are you supposed to do. That is what the teams say, what are you supposed to do. Well if you are smart, you make you car so it bends and you get your teammate to run into. We bump draft out there right. That is the next thing that has to be fixed on this deal. It is not fair for somebody to race with the quarter panels an inch low. And if you are smart and agressive and they are, it has happened already and it will happen in the 500. I am not going to say nothing to NASCAR, they ought to know what is going on. They measure the cars, they ought to see it. They should have known about this a long time before I do. I heard about it after the two Talladega races last year. This has been going on and if you are smart, and you are agressive and build a frame where it will bend easy and have your buddy hit ya. Boom, you now have a giant, I am talking about a giant, advantage if you can get it down an inch.

ON NASCAR AND FANS READINESS FOR INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR:

"I think so. I don't feel awkward or uncomfortable. I think Juan Pablo Montoya is one of the greatest things that has happened to NASCAR in my time. He is a world-class champion driver that is coming in here and really make his mark. That is huge for us. That makes everyone of us drivers more recognized for what we have done and our successes. It is great.

ON THE FOREIGN MANUFACTURER COMING IN:

"I'm not as comfortable with that one but I'm not against it. Yeah, those words you used to explain, I'll try not to use them. I am one of those traditionalists. I'm not the most comfortable with that but let me tell you what the other side of the coin is. That's creating jobs and giving opportunity to young people who want to be in this sport to do and realizes their dreams. It will open up jobs and opportunities and it will also force the other manufacturers to step up their game which can only be good for the successful individuals in this sport. There are two sides. I'm riding the fence on it. I'm not on either side but I did want to point out, not only put out the negatives because there are positives to it that I named."

ANY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES WITH DRAFTING NOW THAT YOU ARE WITH A NEW MANUFACTURER:

"I feel good about our car. I've been blessed with great cars and great engines over the past few years. Certainly stepping into Hendrick power and the Monte Carlo has not been a dramatic change based on the great stuff that I've been in the last few years. I do feel really good about the power that I have here and the speed that we have in our car. We just still need to get our arms around the handling just a little bit better to be able to reach its full potential. I feel that my car has the potential to be a contender to win this race but we don't have that harnessed yet and we only have two and half hours left. We're going to work on that but the potential is there. We just haven't got our arms around it yet."

HOW COMPETITIVE CAN YOU BE WITH THIS TEAM THIS YEAR?:

"I think that we can have some flashes of brilliance. I don't think that we can post the kind of consistent level that we all are working toward. I think that this is a long term commitment from Bobby (Ginn) and all the guys here. They finally have the tools that they need to build a team that can be a contender, I mean a heavy hitter kind of contender in this business. That's comforting to me because number one, it's a great challenge and number two, I feel that they have a use for me and need me here for a long time because we know it's going to take a long time. It makes me feel good to be needed. It makes me feel really good to be a part of it so I'm real excited about that. We're all hopeful that we can have our flashes of brilliance but we also realize that we are not yet on the level of Hendrick or Gibbs or Childress at this time."

WITH ALL THE SCRUTINY ON THE CUP CARS, HOW DO YOU THINK THIS HAS AFFECTED THE BUSCH RACE? WILL THEY BE MORE CAREFUL?

"Boy, I couldn't answer that question. I am so busy over here that I barely get there and I dodge straight in the car. I don't know what's going on down there. I never even hardly saw my crew before I jumped in to go out and practice."

HOW HARD DOES THAT MAKE IT TO COMPETE?

"It is. I am definitely not involved and immersed in that program. I'm piling up in their car and whatever they are giving me is what is and that's it. My real focus here has been the Daytona 500 and the U.S. Army Chevy."

HOW DO YOU LIKE YOUR CAR?

"I like my car. My car has the potential in it to be a contender to win. We don't have that furnished yet. Our car is good. It has great potential."

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mrsmopar12 · #3 (**permalink**) 02-26-2007, 10:06 AM

Martin Scores Top-Five Finish; Leaves California with Nextel Cup Driver Points Lead
DMF Communications For Ginn Racing, Press Release

FONTANA, Calif. (Feb. 25, 2007) -- U.S. Army driver Mark Martin left California Speedway leading the Nextel Cup driver point standings after posting a fifth-place finish in Sunday's Auto Club 500.
It was the second consecutive top-five result for Martin, who finished runner-up by a few feet in last week's season-opening Daytona 500. The last time the racing icon led the point standings was Sept. 22, 2002. It is also the first time a Ginn Racing driver (formerly MB2 Motorsports) has led the NASCAR Cup driver point standings.

Running in ninth place, Martin and crew chief Ryan Pemberton took a gamble when they decided not to pit when the caution flew with eight laps remaining in the 250-lap event. When the race was restarted after being red flagged for approximately 15 minutes, Martin's No. 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet charged to the checkered flag with a top-five finish.

"I'm just proud to represent the United States Army and to work with this team -- man, this is just awesome," said Martin. "We had a really fast car and I'm very encouraged. The pit stops were excellent."

It's nice to lead the points, but it's even better to be competitive," added Martin. "All in all, we have potential to get up there and win a race. I think we've shown that the last two weeks."

Martin started the race third and at times exhibited a car strong enough to win. However, the team would be forced to overcome an untimely caution that put Martin a lap down early.

"That was a bad break, but Mark hung in there until we got our lap back," said Pemberton. "We made the decision to stay out at the end and it turned out to be the right call. We're off to a good start and it's been a total team effort."

The Nextel Cup Series is off this weekend and will resume competition March 11 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

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mrsmopar12 · #4 (**permalink**) 03-13-2007, 07:00 PM

DMF Communications For Ginn Racing, Press Release

MARK MARTIN, NO. 01 U.S. ARMY MONTE CARLO SS – Finished 5th:

“I was just telling Ryan Pemberton that he is one of the best I have ever worked with -- what a strong crew chief. The U.S. Army Chevy was fantastic. We were looking like a third place car but then on the (final) restart the car picked up a real bad push. It was a great run -- I am so proud of this team -- I am having the time of my life driving this car. It's going to be hard to get out of it.”

AS LONG AS YOU KEEP COLLECTING THESE POINTS WE'RE GOING TO ASK YOU ABOUT BRISTOL -- ANY CHANGE OF MIND?

“You keep asking -- no change yet.” DESCRIBE HOW THIS SEASON HAS UNFOLDED FOR YOU SO FAR

A dream, just a dream. I was telling Ryan he's one of the strongest crew chiefs I ever worked with. So proud of this U. S. Army team. We had a better car than fifth; it was a third. I couldn't run with those first two -- Gordon and Johnson. On the (final) restart it just picked up a real bad push. I don't know if we had a tire going down or what. I just had to stop going into the corners. I'm thrilled to get a top five when we weren't at our best at the end. It's really a privilege to work with these guys. I am just loving life.”

DID YOU EVER IMAGINE IT WOULD BE GOING THIS WELL?

“When we made the announcement in Talladega in October I saw a lot of headlines like Why Mark, Why? I believed this was the place for me and I am really happy I made the move. This is a fantastic organization. It isn't as good as it's going to get. We're going to keep working. I think they want me to hang around for a long time and I like that because I love racing and I love the fans and I'm having the time of my life.”

IF YOU'RE STILL THE POINT LEADER GOING INTO BRISTOL WILL YOU STILL STEP ASIDE?

“This was an awful good car today...I was out there having fun. I don't want this to get away as far as having a great team and a great opportunity. We made this deal, they made the deal and Bobby Ginn told me a deal was a deal. I am still happy with the decision I made. But I will tell you with cars like I had at the last three races -- especially today because this was a race I was dreading with this tire and racetrack -- but it was just a dream.”

HAS THE THOUGHT AT ALL ENTERED YOUR MIND THAT YOU NEED TO ALTER YOUR PLANS A LITTLE BIT AND CHALLENGE FOR THIS CHAMPIONSHIP?

Let's just worry about that later. I was happy with the run; I'm happy with the team and happy with what I laid out. We don't need to be talking about that right now.

WHAT WERE THE CONDITIONS LIKE TODAY?

“Not as bad as I expected. Maybe I had a better car. I am just tickled with this U.S. Army Chevy. I expected it to be one of the most painful days on the racetrack that we've had. All the drivers did a fabulous job. They were very careful around each other. I'm not a good driver on this kind of tire...it's not my specialty. I love this car, but we can't take it next week (to Atlanta). And what Ryan (Pemberton) is saying right now, I'm believing. Whatever he says I am taking it to the bank. He's on it.”

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Curves24 · #5 (**permalink**) 03-17-2007, 08:16 AM

HAMPTON, Ga. – No matter how much his loyal fans stomped their feet wanting him to continue racing full-time, Mark Martin on Friday made it crystal clear: once Sunday's Kobalt Tools 500 here at Atlanta Motor Speedway is over, he will intentionally be MIA the next two weeks when Nextel Cup heads to Bristol and Martinsville.

Forget that he continues to hold the top spot in the Cup standings or that he could be in the best position of his career to potentially win the championship.

With a simple yet succinct announcement, Martin's mind now and forever is made up.

"I need a break," he said.

While many of his fans would have liked to see Martin run the entire season in hopes of finally taking home that elusive title, his decision was forthright: he didn't want to again go through the heartbreak of past seasons when he came close to the title but fell short each time.

Plus, he wants to spend some long overdue time with his family, which is the most important reason of all. And really, how can you fault a guy for valuing family over racing?

After a couple of years of indecisiveness, Martin committed to bowing out this season. And now he's proving that he is a man of his word.

It wasn't easy, though.

Short of kidnapping Martin, good friend and former Roush Racing teammate Matt Kenseth has done everything he can to convince him to stay behind the wheel of the No. 01 Chevrolet.

"We were hanging out at his hauler last week [in Las Vegas] and he just kept at me," Martin said. "He's relentless. I finally just had to get up and leave."

Another former teammate, Jeff Burton, also publicly said he'd bet Martin would race at Bristol next week.

Rookie Regan Smith, for whom Martin has been keeping the No. 01 seat warm, was willing to step aside to let his longtime racing hero-turned-teammate go out and give it his all. After all, at 23 years old, Smith has plenty of racing time left. At 48, meanwhile, Martin is the oldest driver in NASCAR history to hold the points lead for more than one week.

And following my column earlier this week urging fans to let Ginn Racing know how much they wanted Martin to continue on, the team's switchboard and Web site were inundated.

But in the end, Martin simply wanted something we all take for granted: time off.

Consider this: Martin has not had a long spring or summer vacation for over 20 years. While the rest of us are planning week-long family jaunts to Disney World or the beach, it's been a constant week-after-week grind for Martin and his family, going from one town to another.

Pretty much all work and little, if any, play.

Even with in-season off-weekends, he's never been able to put together more than a few days of R&R.

Now he can.

So Martin will skip Bristol and Martinsville, enjoy a third straight weekend off (NASCAR's annual Easter off-weekend), return to race at Texas and Phoenix, and then skip what has always been one of the biggest thorns in his side: Talladega.

As somewhat of a consolation to his loyal fans, Martin said he may add some races to his part-time schedule later in the season – although he may also remove others already scheduled.

But the end result will remain the same: he's still sticking to his plan to compete in somewhere between 20 and 26 races, not nearly a big enough workload to contend for the Chase.

Martin's iron man-like streak of 621 consecutive starts ends after Sunday's race. After that, there'll be an "on vacation" sign hanging on his hauler.

So what will Martin do on his time off? He'll oversee former motocross racer Ricky Carmichael in a late-model race, as well as watch young son Matt race.

Martin also talks fondly about having backyard barbeques with family and friends while watching the races on TV. Just like regular folks, like you and me.

Given how most Cup drivers' lives are nothing but NASCAR day-in and day-out – with testing, sponsor commitments, etc. – most rarely get a chance to step away from the pressure and live life out of the spotlight for a while. But Martin will start to do both once the checkered flag falls Sunday afternoon.

He's taught us a valuable lesson that there's more to life than just NASCAR. It's a lesson that some of us could learn a great deal from – no matter how much we want him to win that championship.

Veteran motorsports writer Jerry Bonkowski is Yahoo! Sports' NASCAR columnist. Send Jerry a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.

mrsmopar12 · #6 (**permalink**) 05-23-2007, 10:24 AM

U.S. Army driver will be aiming for second Coca-Cola 600 victory
DMF Communications For Ginn Racing, Press Release

CONCORD, N.C. (May 22, 2007) – When Mark Martin takes the green flag to start Sunday's Coca-Cola 600, he will have an extra incentive to succeed in NASCAR's longest race of the season. It will be the first time he will be representing the U.S. Army in the Memorial Day weekend classic.
“The Coca-Cola 600 has always been a big race, but this year it has even more meaning for me,” said Martin, who is in his first season driving for the U.S. Army/Ginn Racing team. “It’s such an honor to represent these soldiers each week, especially on Memorial Day weekend. I’d like nothing more than to take this U.S. Army Chevy to Victory Lane and dedicate that effort to all the soldiers who have paid the ultimate price for freedom, and to our men and women in uniform who are fighting every day to protect us."

Martin’s No. 01 Army Chevrolet will carry a special American Hero’s decal on the hood, as part of a multicar program to honor the fallen heroes.

Based on his strong third-place finish in last week's Nextel All-Star Challenge, along with his past performances at Lowe's, Martin is rightfully considered one of the prerace favorites.

He won the Coca-Cola race in 2002 and finished in the top five in two of his last three 600s, including a fourth-place result last year. His impressive record at Lowe's also includes three wins in the fall Cup race, two victories in the All-Star Challenge, six wins in the Busch Series and two IROC wins.

“It’s just a great race track,” said Martin of the 1.5-mile oval located on the outskirts of Charlotte. “It’s been the site of some of my greatest racing memories. I can still remember that Coke 600 win like it was yesterday. We really went after that race and there was a great sense of accomplishment once it was over."

Martin plans to attack this weekend's 600 with the same type of passion and determination.

“I am really hungry for another Coke 600 victory," noted Martin. "We had a great car last week, and should have an even better one for this weekend. The guys on this 01 team came really close to winning this race a couple of years ago, so I know they are just as hungry. One thing you can always count on is that we will never give up. We're like our soldiers, who inspire us every weekend."

Martin enters the Coca-Cola 600 15th in driver points, despite missing three races as part of his limited 2007 schedule with Ginn Racing. He and 01 co-driver Regan Smith have the Ginn Racing team ranked sixth in owner points.

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mrsmopar12 · #7 (**permalink**) 06-02-2007, 11:24 PM

This thread is for the news articles and press releases regarding Mark Martin in the 2007 season.

mrsmopar12 · #8 (**permalink**) 06-02-2007, 11:31 PM

Veteran lists Dover as one of favorites on NASCAR circuit
DMF Communications For Ginn Racing, Press Release

DOVER, Del. (May 29, 2007) – They call it the Monster Mile for its ferocity as a race track, but U.S. Army driver Mark Martin had his fingers on the pulse of Dover International Speedway from the very beginning.
“You attack it,” said the 25-year veteran. “It’s just a race track where you don’t have to finesse that much, you just drive like an animal. The very first time I went there in 1982, I loved it. We actually ran top five in our first race there. It's an awesome track and there is no cooler place in the world to race at.”

Since that first race at Dover 25 years ago, Martin has tamed the “Monster” on every level. Last year he won there in the Craftsman Truck Series to become the only driver to win at Dover in all three of NASCAR’s major series.

His first career Busch Series win came at Dover in 1987; a win that was also the first of his 89 career NASCAR victories.

Ten years later he would win the first of four Cup races there, starting a span of three consecutive years he would take the checkered flag in the fall race at Dover.

He returned to Dover's Victory Lane in 2004 for his fourth Cup victory and his win in last season’s Craftsman Truck Series race there put the icing on the cake for Martin’s monstrous Dover career.

This weekend Martin will roll into Dover for the first time driving 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet and for the first time in the Car of Tomorrow. A scenario that Martin knows may put the monster back into Dover for himself and his Ginn Racing crew.

“I’ve had a lot of success at Dover over the years,” said Martin. “And I’d love to expand on that success with the U.S. Army Team. This is such a great race team to work with and it’s such an honor to drive for our soldiers."

“We know that we have our work cut out for us with this COT,” added Martin. “But we’ve gotten better with it in each race. I can’t think of a better place than Dover to try and have a breakout week with the COT.”

Despite all the success at Dover, Martin admits the track came by its nickname honestly.

“Actually, it (Dover) was a thorn in my side for years,” explained Martin. “I always loved to race there and we were always really good. But, we should have won there so many times in the Cup car before we did. I don’t know how many times I blew out tires or crashed leading and dominating the race. Finally it just all came together for us and we’ve had a lot of success ever since."

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mrsmopar12 · #9 (**permalink**) 06-07-2007, 05:52 PM

Mark Martin Looks To Break Through At Pocono
DMF Communications For Ginn Racing, Press Release

After their strongest Car of Tomorrow run of the season at Dover, Mark Martin and the U.S. Army Team head to Pocono where they will return to the 'old' style of cars. Martin has six second place finishes at the 2.5-mile tri-oval, but no wins. He and Ginn Racing will look to change that this weekend.
AT POCONO...
Starts: 40 (20)
Wins: -
Top 5's: 19 (12)
Top 10's: 27 (13)
Poles: 3 (1)
Highest finish: 2 (6 times)
First time: 6/6/82 (26th)
Last year: 6/11/06 (17th)
Last time: 7/23/06 (19th)

Worthy Note: Martin has six second-place runs at Pocono.

MAKING HIS POINT

Martin continues to defy the odds. Last week's seventh place finish at Dover moved Martin into 12th position in the Nextel point standings and back into the 'Chase' cutoff, despite Martin having run three less races than the majority of the field. Martin has six top-10 finishes in 2007 and he has finished inside the top 15 in nine of his 10 starts.

MARTIN AT POCONO

This will be Martin's 40th race at Pocono, where he has finished inside the top 10 on 27 occasions. He boasts 19 top-five finishes at Pocono, the most of any driver.

LOOKING FOR NUMBER 'WON'

Martin has never won at Pocono, but he has come close on numerous occasions. The veteran has posted second-place finishes on six different occasions. In fact Martin has finished second at Pocono in three of his last nine starts. In addition, he has finished third there on four more occasions. Martin has finished second or third in 25 percent of his starts and top five in almost 50 percent of the starts.

GETTING STARTED

Martin has posted 27 top-10 starts in 40 races at Pocono.

OFF SEASON AT POCONO

Last season was one of Martin's worst at Pocono Raceway. He failed to get a top 10 finish at Pocono for only the second time in his career and his starts of 20th and 30th were the worst in his 40 races at the track. Martin will look to get back on track at the 2.5-mile tri-oval with his new team at Ginn Racing.

QUOTING MARK

"Pocono is one of my favorite race tracks. It's really hard to believe that we've never won there, but we've run really well and we've finished second a whole bunch of times. We've had some really good cars there over the years and we've been really fast the last several times that we've raced there. Hopefully with my No. 01 U.S. Army Team we can get over that hump this weekend.

"We had a great run last weekend at Dover. It was really the first time that I've had fun driving the Car of Tomorrow. We didn't have the car to win, but we had a really good car and we've made great strides in our COT program. I'm actually looking forward to getting back in the COT and continuing to make that better.

"Being back in the top 12 is crazy. I guess it will give people something to talk about, but it really speaks volumes about how strong Ryan (Pemberton), this U.S. Army Team and Ginn Racing is altogether. To have missed three races and still be up there is a tremendous feat by these guys."

MARTIN FAST FACTS

· Martin has finished second at Pocono on six different occasions.
· Martin has finished second or third in over 25 percent of his 39 starts at Pocono.

· Martin's 19 top-five finishes at Pocono are the most of any driver.

· Martin's 27-top 10 finishes at Pocono leads all drivers.

· Martin has posted 27 top-10 starts in 36 races at Pocono.

· Martin has finished second in three of his last eight at Pocono.

· Martin is 12th in the Nextel Point rankings. He is currently inside the Chase cutoff, despite running a limited schedule and having missed three races to date.

LAST YEAR AT DOVER...

June 11, 2006 – Pocono Raceway
Started 10th, Finished 17th
Martin ran to a 17th-place finish at the Pocono 500. Martin and crew chief Pat Tryson had maneuvered up the field and were sitting in eighth place when the race restarted for the final time with only six laps to go on lap 194. However Martin’s car had become uncontrollably loose over the previous long run and he struggled to keep the No. 6 Ford Fusion in the top 20 for the final six laps, eventually hanging on to the 17th -place finish as the checkered flag fell.

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mrsmopar12 · #10 (**permalink**) 06-15-2007, 02:53 PM

DMF Communications For Ginn Racing, Press Release

BROOKLYN, Mich. (June 13, 2007) -- Mark Martin says there is no need to shop for a gift. He knows exactly what he wants to give to his main sponsor -- the U.S. Army, which will celebrate its 232nd birthday at this weekend's Nextel Cup race at Michigan International Speedway.

"The best birthday present for our soldiers would be to drive the U.S. Army Chevrolet to Victory Lane," said Martin. "When you stop and think what the Army has meant to our nation and to the world for the past 232 years it is truly a privilege to wear the Army racing uniform and represent our brave men and women in uniform."

The U.S. Army officially turns 232 on June 14, which is also Flag Day.

When Martin talks about a win at Michigan, he is basing it on first-hand knowledge. The veteran driver has an impressive record at the two-mile oval with four victories, 16 top fives and 27 top 10s.

"I'm excited about this weekend," said Martin. "Michigan has always been a good track for me and it has also been a good track for the 01 team."

Michigan is a sister track to California Speedway where Martin finished fifth in February.

“That's another reason I am encouraged about going to Michigan,” added Martin.

Martin, 48, has every right to feel encouraged. His 2007 Nextel Cup record with the 01 Army team speaks for itself.

Despite missing three races as part of his part-time schedule with Ginn Racing, Martin is 12th in Nextel Cup driver points. In owner points, Martin and co-driver Regan Smith have the 01 team ranked fifth.

In the 11 races in which he has competed this season, Martin has three top fives, seven top 10s and 10 top 15s. His worst finish was 17th.

"It's been an incredible year so far and I don't see it changing," offered Martin, who is coming off back-to-back seventh-place finishes in Dover and Pocono. "For me, it's been a dream-come-true season. I have the best deal -- the opportunity to be involved with a very talented race team and to drive in selected races. I couldn't ask for more, except for maybe three more feet at Daytona."

The three feet reference is approximately what Martin lost by to Kevin Harvick at the season-opening Daytona 500.

"This is a very difficult sport to win in, but our U.S. Army team has the potential to visit Victory Lane on any given Sunday," offered Martin. "That's why I am excited about going to the track when I am scheduled to drive. And this weekend is even more special with the celebration of the Army's birthday."

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are used with permission. Do not duplicate or
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