EA Sports 500 * Talladega SuperSpeedway * Sunday, September 28, 2003
Mark Martin
Team: No. (6) Roush Racing Ford Taurus
Sponsors: Viagra
Owner: Jack Roush
Driver: Mark Martin
Crew Chief: Ben Leslie
Chassis: RRC-100 - It is the same car that Martin ran at the spring
Talladega race where He finished 26th despite getting caught up in an
early accident. The car posted a 14th-place finish at the Daytona Twin
125's but was severely damaged in a late accident and did not run in
the Daytona 500.
Martin on racing at Talladega:
"It's a really exciting race for the fans. I know if I was a fan at
home watching I'd be glued to the TV, but for the drivers it's tough
because so much is out of your control. I've said before, it's like
driving down a busy interstate with construction going on. There
aren't any lines painted on the road and traffic shifts pretty
quickly around the construction. You just have to hope everyone around
you does the right thing. If they do, you will be okay, but if they
don't then who knows what will happen. We've had some really good
runs there over the years and we've gotten caught up in a lot of
wrecks, so it's a lot like rolling the dice."
Crew Chief Ben Leslie on racing at Talladega:
"We are taking the same car that we ran there in the spring, and
despite the fact it got torn up a bit in the big accident, it was still
pretty fast. We qualified well with it and were happy with what it did
in practice and during the race. Hopefully we can build on that this
weekend and move forward with a good finish."
ROUSH RACING FAST FACTS:
Mark Martin's pace in the 1997 Winston 500 at Talladega set an
all-time NASCAR WC record for the fastest race ever run, as Martin won
the caution-free race with an average speed of 188.354 mph. He covered
the 500-mile distance in two hours, 38 minutes and 18 seconds.
Martin's two victories at Talladega ties him with several
other drivers as the second most by an active driver.
Despite a recent rash of bad luck at Talladega, Martin has
scored top 10 finishes in four of his last seven races at Talladega.
Martin's 31 top-10 finishes in restrictor-plate races are the
second most ever.
Martin's 22 superspeedway poles are the seventh most ever and
the third most of any active driver.
Martin's 22 wins at superspeedways is the 11th most ever and
the fifth most of any active driver.
Matt Kenseth now has 22 top-10 finishes in 28 starts, a
league-leading statistic. He also has ten top-five finishes; only Ryan
Newman has more, with 11.
Kenseth's 2003 Winston Cup point lead is now 436 points over
second place Kevin Harvick with just eight races to go.
If Kenseth wins the Aaron's 500 event, his Winston-leader
bonus payout would be a record $290,000.
Kenseth has completed all but two laps of competition in the
2003 season.
Kurt Busch's No. 97 will feature a special paint scheme
honoring Irwin Industrial Tools.
Busch's crew chief Jimmy Fennig is tied for winningest active
crew chief in the Winston Cup Series with 24 wins.
The No. 99 CITGO Ford was involved in a 27 car pile up on lap
five that caused severe damage to the right side and front of the car.
The CITGO team repaired the damages and returned to the track to finish
35th, running.
Since 1996, Jeff Burton's average starting position at
Talladega is 20.8 while his average finishing position is 15.0.
Jeff Burton is one of 16 active Winston Cup drivers to have won
at least one restrictor plate race (July 2000 at Daytona).
Jon Wood and Carl Edwards will compete in Saturday's Craftsman
Truck Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Combined the two drivers
have four wins, two poles, 18 top-five and 26 top-10 finishes.
