Sylvania 300 - Mark Martin Notes

MARTIN TO MAKE 500th CONSECUTIVE START IN LOUDON
Martin and the Viagra Racing Team move to Loudon this week where Martin will make his 500th consecutive Winston Cup start. The streak is the third longest current streak and the seventh longest ever. Martin's run dates back to the Daytona 500 on Feb. 14, 1988.

THE CAR
The Viagra Racing Team will take RRC-99 to Loudon. RRC-99 made its first and only run early this season at Martinsville where it finished 17th.

SPECIAL PAINT SCHEME
In honor of Martin's 500th consecutive start, the No. 6 Viagra Racing Team will run a special gold paint scheme this weekend. The scheme will also honor Major League Baseball star Rafael Palmeiro's feat of 500 home runs.

IN THE POINTS
Martin moved up one place to 14th in the Winston Cup point standings. He is currently 218 points outside of 10th place.

ON LOUDON
This will be Martin's 18th race at the 1.058-mile track. Martin finished inside the top 10 in 10 of his first 12 races at Loudon, but has finished 16th or worse in four of the last five. Overall, Martin has scored 11 top-10 and seven top-five finishes there. He has finished second on three separate occasions. Martin has two poles there, including the first ever Winston Cup pole at Loudon. Last year Martin left Loudon with the Winston Cup points lead, after finishing 16th in a rain-shortened event.

DID YOU KNOW?
Martin's streak is currently the third longest in Winston Cup racing, behind only Ricky Rudd and Rusty Wallace. Martin's streak is also currently the seventh longest in NASCAR history.

FAST FACTS
· Martin won the first NASCAR Winston Cup Bud Pole at New Hampshire in July 1993.
· Martin has 11 top-10 finishes at New Hampshire.
· Martin has finished second at New Hampshire on three different occasions.
· Martin has four top-10 finishes in the past eight races at Loudon, despite finishing 16th or worse in four of the past five races.
· Martin has finished inside the top 10 in eight of the last 13 races at Loudon.
· Martin took the Winston Cup points lead a year ago, after finishing 16th in this race.
· Martin will start his 500th consecutive Winston Cup race this week at Loudon.

QUOTING MARK AND BEN

MARK MARTIN ON LOUDON: "I can't think of a more challenging track that we race at, but like anywhere else you just have to be able to handle there. There will be all kinds of issues that might come up, but handling will overcome most of them. We've run well there over the years, but we've struggled the last few times. We need a good run and I can't think of a better time to have one."

MARK MARTIN ON 500th START: "I remember growing up in Arkansas and thinking that NASCAR was the coolest thing in the world and it was my dream to get there. I've been able to live out my dreams and that means a lot to me. We've had a lot of highs and a lot of lows over the years, but I'll always be thankful for having had the opportunity to live out those dreams."

CREW CHIEF BEN LESLIE ON LOUDON: "Mark is making his 500th consecutive start, and hopefully we can bring him home a top finish. Loudon's a tough track and we've struggled there at times, but I'm confident that we'll be competitive there this weekend. The guys on the team have continued to do a great job and they deserve a solid finish for all of their work."

LAST SEASON AT THE NEW HAMPSHIRE 300
SEPTEMBER 15, 2002 - New Hampshire International Speedway
New Hampshire 300 - Started 7th, Finished 16th

Rain was a factor all weekend, delaying qualifying by three hours on Sunday, and forcing the race's premature end on lap 207. 1tus Purse PoRain also forced the race to be red flagged after only 22 laps. Martin's car was good off the truck and in qualifying. The car was top-10 all day and was running in seventh place when the right-rear tire went flat on lap 146. Martin managed to keep the car out of the wall and was able to come in and change the tire. He returned to the field in 33rd place, but was able to work his way back up to 16th when rain began to fall again, forcing the races early end. With the finish, Martin assumed the points lead for the first time since the 2000 season.

©Copyright 2003 Race 2 Win