MARK MARTIN FAST FACTS – Advance Auto Parts 500, April 10, 2005
RACE 6
MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY
(.526 - MILE) – 500 LAPS
NO. 6 VIAGRA TEAM LOOKS TO HIT MARK IN MARTINSVILLE
Mark Martin and the No. 6 Viagra (sildenafil citrate) Team will look to rebound from a disappointed weekend after literally running into trouble at Bristol. Martin will look for his first top-10 finish at Martinsivlle since the 2002 season.
Chassis Number: (RK-274) - The team will run RK-274 this week in Martinsville. RK-274 is a brand new car that will make its first run.
AT MARTINSVILLE
Starts: 38 (19)
Wins: 2 (2)
Top 5's: 10 (6)
Top 10's: 11 (19)
Poles: 3 (1)
Highest finish: 1st twice
First time: 9/27/81 (3rd)
Last time: 10/24/04 (12th)
4/18/04 (34th)
Worthy Note: Both of Martin's wins and 11 of his 19 top-10 finishes at Martinsville came in the spring race.
IN THE POINTS
After getting caught up in the accident, Martin dropped to 10th in the Nextel Cup standings. Martin is currently just two points behind eighth and 221 points out of first. He has now been inside the Nextel Cup Top-10 for 17 weeks dating back to September of last season.
MARTIN AT MARTINSVILLE
Though not a favorite of his, Martin has experienced success at Martinsville where he has won twice and boasts 19 top-10 finishes and three poles. Martin finished inside the top 10 in both races there in 2002, but has been unable to post a top 10 there since. Martin looked to be a solid contender to win last spring at Martinsville, before a defective oil line sent him behind the wall and dropped the team to a 34th-place finish.
SPRING FLING
Both of Martin's wins, six of his top-five and 10 of his 19 top-10 finishes at Martinsville have come in the spring race there. Martin won at Martinsville in the springs of both 1992 and 2000.
FIRST TIME'S A CHARM
Martin was strong at Martinsville off the bat, qualifying fifth and posting a third place finish in his first race there on September 27, 1981.
MARKMARTINSALUTE.COM
Mark Martin will make his final run at the Nextel Cup title in 2005. Martin has dubbed 2005 as his "Salute to You" tour, a year in which he hopes to take the time to thank each and everyone that he feels played a role in his success, including team members, fans, NASCAR and the media.
QUOTING MARK AND PAT …ON MARTINSVILLE
"Martinsville is a place that I've always hated with a passion, but we've won two or three times there. I"ve always loved Pocono, but I've never won there, so what does that tell you. It's always been a thorn in my side as far as short tracks. The people have always told me how well I run there, but it sure never feels that way. It can be physically demanding. Sometimes you leave there worn down, sometimes you feel fine. It's been a real challenge for me, because it really just doesn't fit my driving style.
"We had a tough week in Bristol and despite what I may or may not like, Martinsville is our next opportunity to go out and win a race and that is what we'll try to do this weekend."
PAT TRYSON
"Martinsville can be a tough place to race and we all know that it's not one of our favorite places to race. However we ran okay there both times last year and we had a really good race car there last spring, so we know that Mark can get it done if we give him the right tools to work with. We aren't happy with last weekend's results and so we are pretty anxious to get back out on the track and go to work on getting that first win for the No. 6 team. Hopefully that'll come this weekend."
Mark Martin Fast Facts – Martinsville
Martin has two victories at Martinsville (spring '92 and spring 2000).
Martin has 19 top-10 and 10 top-five finishes in 38 starts at Martinsville.
Martin posted both of his wins and 10 of his 19 top-10 finishes at Martinsville in the spring.
Martin has three poles at Martinsville.
*Martin finished third in his first ever attempt at Martinsville on 9/29/81. He started the race fifth.
LAST YEAR AT MARTINSVILLE...
APRIL 18, 2004 – Martinsville Speedway
ADVANCE AUTO PARTS 500 – Started 19th, Finished 34th
The race was a tale of different stories for Martin and the team. For the first 380 laps of the race, Martin had one of the cars to beat. After starting 19th, Martin quickly moved his way up the field with one of the race’s fastest cars. By lap 79 the veteran had moved his way inside the field’s top 10, where he would run for the next 300 laps before a failed fuel line would halt the team’s inevitable march to the front. In the strangest twist of the day the race was red-flagged for over an hour midway through the race to repair part of the asphalt that had been damaged, leaving a hole in the racing surface.
ALL-TIME ELITE, 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 550 straight Nextel Cup races, the third-longest current streak and the sixth-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 607 Cup races, finishing inside the top 10 on 343 occasions, inside the top five 216 times and visiting winner’s circle 34 times.
Martin’s 47 career wins in the Busch Series are a NASCAR record.
Martin’s 12 victories in IROC competition are the most ever.
