MARK MARTIN FAST FACTS - RACE: 22
Sirius at the Glen, August 14, 2005
WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL
(2.45 - MILE) - 90 LAPS
MARTIN READY TO TAKE ON THE GLEN
Mark Martin heads into the second and final road course race of the season fresh off a seventh-place run at Indy. Martin moves into the race having scored top 10 finishes in seven of the last nine and three of the last four races. Martin will be looking for his fourth win at the 2.45-mile road course where he finished third last year.
Chassis Number: (RK-204) - The team will run RK-204 at Watkins Glen. RK-204 is the same car the team used to finish third there a year ago. The car also qualified third and finished 15th earlier this year at Sonoma.
WATKINS GLEN
Starts: 17
Wins: 3
Top 5's: 12
Top 10's: 15
Poles: 3
Highest finish: 1st (3 times)
First time: 8/14/88 (28th)
Last time: 8/15/04 (3rd)
Worthy Note: Martin has finished inside the top 10 in nine of his last 10 at The Glen.
IN THE POINTS
Martin's seventh-place finish at Indy moved him up to sixth place in the Nextel Cup point’s race. With only five races remaining before the cutoff point, Martin is 149 points ahead of 10th place. He trails fifth by only 10 points and is currently 209 points out of first.
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 30 top-10 finishes on NASCAR road courses are the most of any active driver.
DOMINATING 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. Overall, Martin has finished inside the top 10 in 15 of his 17 races at Watkins Glen and inside the top five on 12 occasions, including a third-place run last year.
MARKMARTINSALUTE.COM
Mark Martin has dubbed 2005 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 THE GLEN
MARK MARTIN
"I've always liked road course racing. It's a little different than what we do on a normal weekend, but it presents a challenge and it's something that we've done pretty well at over the years. We've had a lot of success at Watkins Glen in the past and we ran really well there last year. We were a bit off at Sonoma earlier this year, so we'll have our work cut out for us this weekend to make sure we get back to our road racing form and hopefully have a shot at the victory.
"We have a little bit of breathing room over 10th, but you can't ever let up in this business. Pat Tryson and the team have done an outstanding job this year and if we can keep moving in the right direction, then I think we can contend for that championship down the line.”
PAT TRYSON
"We are looking forward to going back to Watkins Glen. Mark has a very strong history at that track and he's one of the best road racers in the business, so we always like our chances in those events. We are taking the same car that we finished third with there last year so it will just be up to us to work with the car enough on Friday and Saturday and hopefully give Mark what he needs to get the win on Sunday."
MARK MARTIN FAST FACTS – THE GLEN
Martin has finished in the top 10 in 15 of his 17 races at The Glen, the most of any driver.
Martin has finished in the top-five or better in 12 of 17 races at The Glen, the most of any driver.
Martin's three poles are the most of any driver, he is one of only three drivers with multiple poles there.
Martin won from the pole in three straight races at the Glen from '93 to '95.
Martin's 204 laps led at Watkins Glen are the most of any driver.
Martin set a track record in '95 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 6.18 average finish in 17 career races at The Glen, the best of all drivers with three or more races there.
Martin's 31 modern era top-10 finishes in road course races leads all active drivers and ties for the most ever.
Martin's four wins 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 15, 2004 – Watkins Glen International
SIRIUS AT THE GLEN – Started 15th, Finished 3rd
Martin showed off his mastery of road course racing, passing four cars in the final eight laps to grab a third place finish at Watkins Glen International. Martin was running in 10th when the race went green for the final time with 16 laps to go. By lap 78 he had powered his way to eighth, before breaking into the top five with six to go. Martin drove his Ford past the No. 8 and No. 41 cars in the race’s final two laps to move up to third. Fog and rain forced both practice and qualifying on Friday to be cancelled and Martin started 15th based on his ranking in the points. The team worked to get the car where they wanted during both of Saturday’s practice sessions and Martin was one of the strongest cars heading into Sunday’s race.
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 566 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 622 Cup races, finishing inside the top 10 on 351 occasions, inside the top five 220 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. Martin has won four championships in the IROC series, including a record three straight.
