MARK MARTIN FAST FACTS * LAS VEGAS
MARTIN, NO. 6 TEAM LOOK TO HIT JACKPOT IN VEGAS
This week the team rolls into Vegas where the odds have clearly been in Martin's favor over the years. In six races at Las Vegas Motorspeedway, Martin has posted five top 10 finishes and three finishes of third or better, including a victory in the inaugural event in '98.
AT VEGAS:
Starts: 6
Wins: 1
Top 5's: 3
Top 10's: 5
Poles: 0
Highest finish: 1st (3-'98)
First time: 3-1-98 (1st)
Last time: 3-2-03 (43rd)
Worthy Note: Martin won the first ever Cup race at Vegas on March 1, 1998.
MARTIN ON THE INAGURUAL WIN AT VEGAS IN '98
"It was a special thing," said Martin of the win. "I can remember flying out that night on the helicpoter and looking down and thinking 'wow, we really did something.' It wasn't just a win at some dirt track in Arkansas, but a big thing. It'll always be one of my fondest memories in racing. We went there and it was a brand new track and we had a brand new team and it just all came together for us that day and when that happens it's special."
VEGAS RICH IN HISTORY FOR MARTIN, NO. 6 TEAM
No driver has been more consistent at Las Vegas than Martin. In addition to winning the inaugural race in 1998, Martin posted top 10 finsihes in all of his first five races at the track. In fact, despite a 43rd-place finish at Vegas last year, Martin still averages an 11th place finish at Vegas, the second best among the 21 drivers who have ran in all six Vegas races. Martin also won two poles and one race in only three starts in the Busch car at Vegas.
IN THE POINTS
Martin's 12th place run last week Rockingham moved him up 15 places to 28th in the Nextel Cup points standings.
QUOTING MARK
ON LAS VEGAS:
"It's been a great track for this team over the years. We won the first race at Vegas in 1998 and it really stands out as a great win. We've been consistent there and that's the key. We lost an engine early in the race last year and finished last, but we've been in the top 10 in all of the other race and we've ran up front a lot at Vegas. It's one of the 1.5-mile tracks on the circuit that suits my driving style really well. It's a race that is orientated towards how the car handles and that is what I like. You can pass on the track and a great deal of the result is in the hands of the guys driving the car and that's the way it should be.
"We had a tough time last week, but we had a great car. Everything kept going wrong for us, but Pat (Tryson) and the guys kept fighting and although we didn't get the finish we wanted, we still hung in there for a descent (12th) finish. If we keep fighting like that all year, we'll be just fine.
CREW CHIEF PAT TRYSON ON LAS VEGAS:
"Vegas is a fun place to race. We tested there in January and we are taking back the car that we used then. It's a new car and we can't wait to get it out on the track for the real thing. We've got a great car, a great team and a great driver and we will look to make some things happen in Vegas. We had out share of bad breaks at Rockingham, but we still came out standing in the end. Hopefully we'll keep moving forward with a strong run and finish at Vegas."
Mark Martin Fast Facts
Martin's five top-10 finishes in six races ties for the most with teammate Jeff Burtion.
Martin won the inaugural race at Vegas on March 1, 1998. It would be his first of a career-high eight wins that season.
Martin Martin also won two poles and one victory in three Busch series races at the LVMS. He finished second and sixth in the other two.
Martin has finished every lap in five of his six races at Vegas.
Martin has finished third or better in three of six races at Vegas, and he an Burton are the only drivers with three top-five finishes at Vegas.
Martin has an 8.83 starting average in his 35 races at Rockingham, the best of active drivers with more than 10 starts there.
