Mark Martin
Homestead-Miami Speedway
1.5-mile oval located in Homestead, Fla.
NNCS: Ford 400
MARTIN CLOSES OUT 19 YEARS IN THE NO. 6 CAR THIS WEEKEND
Martin will take the steering wheel of the No. 6 Ford for the final time when the green flag drops this Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway. After 19 years behind the wheel of the Roush Ford, Martin will look for his 36th and final victory in the No. 6 this weekend in the 2006 season finale.
THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES
Martin's tenure in the No. 6 Roush Racing Ford dates back to Feb. 14, 1988 when he made his first Cup start with Jack Roush at Daytona International Speedway. Since then the two have built one of the most long running and successful relationships in sports history, accumulating 35 wins, 230 top-five finishes, 361 top-10 finishes, 39 poles and 16 top-10 Cup point finishes
Fast Facts
Mark Martin has four top-five finishes in seven starts at Homestead.
Martin's best finish at Homestead came last season when he finished second by inches to Roush teammate Greg Biffle.
Martin has led a total of 30 laps in seven races at Homestead.
Martin has competed in seven Busch races at Homestead, turning in six top fives in those starts.
Martin will make his 616 consecutive and final run in the Roush Racing No. 6 car this weekend at Homestead.
The No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion will run a special paint scheme this weekend to commemorate the final run of Martin behind the wheel of the car he has driven since 1988.
Mark Martin
Team: No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion
Crew Chief: Pat Tryson
Chassis: RK-315 Finished 22nd at Texas in its last run, after being pulled off the truck as the backup and starting the race with no practice.
The car has posted top-10 runs at Darlington, Fontana, Dover and Las Vegas this season, and it won last season at Kansas.
It finished second at Homestead last season.
Martin on racing at Homestead-Miami Speedway:
"Homestead has been a pretty good track for us over the years. They have changed the track a lot in the last couple of years, but it's still a fun place to race. We had a great race there a year ago when we came up just short of the win in a great duel with Biffle at the finish line. Hopefully we can go there and give them another run for their money and close this thing out strong.
"It's kind of hard to believe that this is the last weekend in the No. 6 car. We've fought hard in this thing for 19 years now, and we aren't going to change anything for this last race. We'll go out fighting just as hard for the win as we did in 1988 when we started this thing. I just want to make sure that I thank all of the guys that gave so much to the No. 6 car during that time. We had a great run and I'll always be thankful for the opportunity."
Crew Chief Pat Tryson on racing at Homestead-Miami Speedway:
"We've had some pretty good runs at Homestead and hopefully we'll be able to go there this weekend and close out the season with another strong run. It has been an honor to work with Mark, and we'd like nothing more than to send him out with a win."
