MARK MARTIN FAST FACTS * UAW-GM Quality 500, Oct. 16,
RACE 31 * 5 OF 10 IN THE CHASE
MARTIN READY TO ROLL AT CHARLOTTE
The team had a disappointing 20th-place finish at Kansas, where the car was one of the fastest on long runs, but struggled on restarts in a caution filled race. This week Martin and the Viagra Team will look to rebound with a solid finish at Lowe's Motor Speedway, a track widely considered Martin's favorite and a place where the veteran driver has won on four occasions.
Chassis Number: (RK-231) - The team will run RK-231 at Lowes. RK-231 is considered the fastest car in the stable. It ran to a second-place finish three weeks ago at Dover and boasts top-five runs at California, Michigan and Las Vegas, as well as strong runs at Pocono, Indy and Chicago.
Worthy Note: Three of Martin's four wins at Lowe's came in the fall.
THE CHASE FOR THE NEXTEL CUP - MARTIN IN FIFTH WITH SIX TO GO
Martin dropped to fifth in the points after Kansas. With six laps to go, he is currently only seven points out of fourth and 150 points behind the points leader.
BREAKING DOWN THE CHASE
Martin has won on seven of the 10 tracks that will decide the winner of the Nextel Cup. In fact Martin has a combined 10 wins at the remaining six tracks, including four wins at Lowe's. Martin has combined for 10 wins, 59 top-fives, 93 top-10's and eight poles in 171 starts at the remaining six tracks. Martin has finished in the top 10 in 54 percent of his starts at those tracks.
MARTIN AT LOWE'S
Martin has four wins at Lowe's with three of the wins coming in the fall. His 15 top-five finishes are the most of any active driver at the 1.5-mile track. The four wins tie Jeff Gordon for the most of any active driver and the for the third most ever. In addition, Martin won the 1998 Winston All-Star race and six races in the Busch Series at Lowe's.
STRONG DOWN THE STRETCH
The Viagra Team has been strong when it counts, having finished in the top-15 in seven of the last eight races. Furthermore, Martin has posted top-five runs in six of the last 11 and five of the last nine races. In fact, Martin has scored nine of his 13 top-10 and all but one of his eight top-five finishes in 2004 after June 6.
QUOTING MARK AND PAT *ON LOWE'S
"I can't wait to get out on the track at Lowe's. I think that just about everybody knows it is one of - and just maybe - my favorite track to race. It's a real driver's kind of track, where handling is key and you better find a way to go fast in the corners. Hopefully we'll be able get a grip on it and make a solid run at the win. We've been to victory lane four times there in the past and I'd love to get back in the 'Chase' with a win there this Saturday night."
"We just didn't have the type of day we were looking for at Kansas. The car really struggled on the restarts and we just didn't have the type of gas milage that we needed to stay up front. We also cut both right side tires when I ran over some debris from another car, and all of that just became a little too much to make up for. If we could have gotten one more long green-flag run, we could have gotten back inside the top 10, but things just didn't work out for us. We'll just have to rebound this week with a good finish and get back in this thing."
PAT TRYSON
"I know the team is excited about Saturday. Mark loves racing at Charlotte and everyone knows that if we can give him a good enough car that we can go back to victory lane on Saturday night. We haven't ran great the past two races, so we really need a strong run this weekend. We are taking our favorite car again this weekend and that car has had several great runs. It's been a great race car and hopefully it will get the win it deserves on Saturday."
Mark Martin Fast Facts * LOWE'S
Martin has four wins at Lowe's Motor Speedway, with three coming in the fall.
Martin's four wins at Lowe's tie for the most of any active driver.
Martin last won at Lowe's in the 2002 Coca-Cola 600.
Martin has 19-top 10 and 15 top-five finishes at Lowe's Motor Speedway.
Martin has led 1,116 laps at Lowe's, the most of any active driver.
Martin won six Busch races at Lowe's and the Winston All-Star event in 1998.
LAST YEAR AT LOWE'S...
OCTOBER 11, 2003 * Lowe's Motor Speedway - UAW-GM Quality 500 * Started 27th, Finished 11th
In a solid effort, the team was excellent in the pits, posting several quick stops and the car handled well as Martin moved through the field throughout the course of the race. Martin started the race 27th, but was running inside the top 20 by the 35th lap of the race. Martin was running in 11th position when the field went green with just under 100 laps remaining. Martin broke into the top 10 on lap 268, but again the car's handling became tight. The team came into the pits on lap 296 and took two more rounds of bite out of the left rear. Martin returned to the field in 12th place when all the green-flag stops had cycled through. The car's handling became neutral and Martin was able to move into 11th place on lap 300.
ONE OF NASCAR'S ALL-TIME ELITE, MARK MARTIN
Martin's 34 Nextel Cup wins put him fourth on the win list among active drivers and 17th on the all-time list.
Martin has currently started 538 straight Nextel Cup races, the third-longest current streak and the seventh-longest streak in Cup history.
Martin's 41 Nextel Cup poles are the fifth most in Cup history.
Martin ranks fifth all-time in the Nextel Cup point standings.
Martin has started 595 Cup races, finishing inside the top 10 on 338 occasions, inside the top five 213 times and visiting winner's circle 34 times.
Martin's 45 career wins in the Busch Series are a NASCAR record.
Martin's 11 victories in IROC competition ties Dale Earnhardt for the most ever. In addition Martin has won four championships in the IROC series, including a record three straight.
