MARK MARTIN FAST FACTS * Sirius at the Glen, August 15, 2004
WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL
(2.454 MILES, 90 LAPS)
MARTIN TAKES TO THE ROAD COURSE AT THE GLEN
Martin and the Viagra (sildenafil citrate) Team had one of the dominant cars in last week's Brickyard 400, only to fall victim to a flat tire on the last lap of the race. This week Martin and the team look to rebound with a strong run at Watkins Glen, in the season's second and final road course race.
Chassis Number: (RK-204) - The team will run RK-204 at Watkins Glen this weekend. RK-204 is the same car that Martin ran earlier this year at Sonoma where it finished eighth. The car finished 10th last year at Watkins Glen and fared well earlier this month at test sessions at Road Atlanta.
THE GLEN
Starts: 16
Wins: 3
Top 5's: 11
Top 10's: 14
Poles: 3
Highest finish: 1st (3 times)
First time: 8/14/88 (28th)
Last time: 8/10/03 (10th)
Worthy Note: Martin won three straight at the Glen from '93-95, all coming from the pole.
IN THE POINTS
In what looked to be a strong points run for most of the day, Martin dropped to 15th in the Nextel Cup point standings, 123 points outside of the top 10. Still Martin has picked up 69 points on 10th place in the last two races. Five races remain before the cut off for the chase to the championship.
DOMINANT AT THE GLEN
Martin is one of the most successful drivers in Watkins Glen history, having won three times from 1993-95. All three of Martin's wins at Watkins Glen came from the pole. All-in-all Martin has finished inside the top 10 in 14 of his 16 races at Watkins Glen and inside the top five 11 times.
ROAD COURSE MASTER MARTIN
Martin is one of the most accomplished road course racers on the Nextel Circuit. Martin's four wins at road courses are the ninth most all time and his four poles are the eighth most. Martin's 29 top-10 finishes on road courses are the most of any active driver.
QUOTING MARK AND PAT *ON THE GLEN
"I grew up racing on the dirt roads of Arkansas, and I've always enjoyed road course racing because it's a lot like that. It's a challenge for a driver and it's a lot different from what we do the rest of the year, but it can be a lot of fun as well. We've had a lot of success on the road courses, especially Watkins Glen and I always look forward to going back there each year. We tried to test at Watkins Glen but were rained out, but we were able to get a test at Road Atlanta a couple of weeks ago, and we are excited about what we have going into this weekend. We had a tough blow to us last week with the tire going down on the last lap, but all we can do is rebound and keep moving forward. We'll have that chance this week at Watkins Glen."
PAT TRYSON
"We are taking the same car that we used at Sonoma and we are hoping that we can get another strong run at Watkins Glen this weekend. Mark's an excellent road course racer and if we can give him a good enough car, there is no doubt he can take it to victory lane. We've been through a lot this year, but this race team has a lot of racing left in it."
Mark Martin Fast Facts * WATKINS GLEN
Martin has finished in the top 10 in 14 of his 16 races at The Glen, the most of any active driver.
Martin has finished in the top-five or better in 11 of his 16 races at The Glen, the most of any driver.
Martin's three poles are the most of any active driver at Watkins Glen. Martin is one of only three drivers with multiple poles at the Glen.
Martin won from the pole three straight races at the Glen from '93 to '95.
Martin's three wins at the Glen are the second most in the track's history.
Martin has led 204 laps at Watkins Glen more than any other driver.
Martin set a track record in the '95 win at the Glen, running 220.5 miles on the 2.4-mile track in 2 hours, 11 minutes and 54 seconds (100.303 mph).
Martin has a 6.375 average finish in 16 career races at The Glen, the best of all drivers with three or more races there.
Martin's 28 modern era top-10 finishes in road course races leads all active drivers.
Martin's four win at road courses tie for the ninth most in NASCAR history and his four poles tie for the eighth most.
LAST YEAR AT THE GLEN..
AUGUST 10, 2003 * Watkins Glen International
Sirius Satellite Radio at the Glen * Started 3rd, Finished 10th
The poor luck continued for Martin, but this time the No. 6 team was able to battle back for their second straight top-10 finish. An untimely caution on lap 52 allowed several cars to gain track position while dropping Martin all the way back to 30th place. However the veteran driver would fight to the end, breaking into the top-10 on the final lap, in a mad dash to the finish. Martin had one of, if not the fastest car all weekend at The Glen. His car was sixth fastest off the truck, he qualified third on Friday and by Saturday's final practice Martin's car was the strongest on the track. With nine laps to go Martin was running in 13th position. He moved into to 12th place on lap 83 and passed the No. 15 car for 11th place with just four laps to go, while continuing to battle for position. Martin would continue to fight for position, breaking back inside the top-10 on the race's final lap.
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 531 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 587 Cup races, finishing inside the top 10 on 333 occasions, inside the top five 208 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.
