PREVIEW: MARK MARTIN (NO. 5 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET)
VENUE: DARLINGTON RACEWAY (1.366-MILE OVAL)
CIRCUIT: NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES (RACE 12 OF 35)
DATE: MAY 9, 2008 (147 LAPS, 200 MILES)
MARTIN AT DARLINGTON: In 28 NASCAR Nationwide Series career starts at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, Mark Martin has recorded eight wins, eight pole positions, 14 top-five finishes (50 percent of the time) and 18 top-10s (64.3 percent). He has led a total of 575 laps and has an average start of 8.1 and an average finish of 14.3.
DARLINGTON SUCCESS: Martin, driver of the No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet for JR Motorsports, has won three of his last five Nationwide Series races at the 1.366-mile South Carolina oval, including two victories from the pole in 2000. Most recently, he started 26th and finished second at Darlington in May 2007 driving the No. 5 Chevy.
IN THE SERIES: Martin, who ran his first full season in 1987, is the winningest driver in the Nationwide Series with 48 wins. In 226 races, Martin also has recorded 30 poles, 108 top-five finishes and 145 top-10s. His average start is 10.2, and his average finish is 12.3. In a 2006 NASCAR poll of both fans and media, Martin ranked No. 1 among the "25 Greatest NASCAR Nationwide Series Drivers." Martin made his debut in the series on Aug. 13, 1982.
JR MOTORSPORTS' FIRST WIN: Martin won during his last outing in the No. 5 Chevrolet, which was March 1 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He led 81 laps en route to giving JR Motorsports its first win.
NATIONWIDE LINEUP: This weekend marks the second of five times this season that Martin will pilot the No. 5 JR Motorsports Chevrolet. Martin's next race will be Aug. 16 in the No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet at Michigan International Speedway. Martin also will drive the No. 5 Chevy at Kansas Speedway on Sept. 27 and at Texas Motor Speedway on Nov. 1.
JR MOTORSPORTS CHASSIS: Crew chief Chad Walter has chosen JR Motorsports Chassis No. 473 for this weekend's Nationwide Series race at Darlington. This is the same Chevrolet that Martin won with in early March at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Martin led 81 of 202 laps at the 1.5-mile oval. Dale Earnhardt Jr. also drove this car at Texas Motor Speedway on April 5. Earnhardt finished the race seventh.
UP NEXT FOR THE NO. 5: Jimmie Johnson will pilot the No. 5 Lowe's Chevrolet on May 24 at Lowe's Motor Speedway, and rookie Landon Cassill will be behind the wheel of the No. 5 National Guard Chevrolet on May 31 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway.
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MARK MARTIN, DRIVER OF THE NO. 5 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET (ON HIS NATIONWIDE SERIES SUCCESS AT DARLINGTON.): "We've had a great deal of success at Darlington over the years and a whole lot in the Nationwide Series. It's a place where you have to figure out how to go fast into the corner, and it's all about who can stay on the gas and hang on the longest. Managing your tires has also been important, and that is something that I've been pretty good at there as well."
MARTIN (ON DARLINGTON'S NEW TRACK SURFACE.): "As far as the new pavement, I think it will still make for great racing. It probably won't be the same old Darlington that we are used to, but it will have shades of the old Darlington. I can remember when we had new pavement there before sometime in the mid '90s and it was different then as well. It's better with the worn out pavement in a lot of ways. It's easier to pass, and I think a lot of fun, but it was ready for a new dress and it got it."
MARTIN (ON DRIVING THE NO. 5 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET FOR JR MOTORSPORTS AT DARLINGTON.): "We had a blast in that last race and winning at Las Vegas in that No. 5 meant a lot to me. We'll have the same outlook this weekend, to win. We almost pulled if off last year at Darlington and we'll look to finish the deal this time around."