MARTIN LOOKS FOR FIFTH CUP WIN AT MICHIGAN
On the heels of back-to-back top 10 finishes, Mark Martin rolls into Michigan looking for his fifth win at the 2-mile track and his first with the No. 01 U.S. Army Team at Ginn Racing. Martin has scored seven top 10 finishes and 10 top 15's on his 11 starts this season.
AT MICHIGAN...
Starts: 42 (21)
Wins: 4 (1)
Top 5's: 16 (6)
Top 10's: 27 (13)
Poles: 1 (1)
Highest finish: 1 (4 times)
First time: 6/20/82 (33rd)
Last year: 6/18/06 (27th)
Last time: 8/20/06 (5th)
Worthy Note: Martin has four wins at Michigan in the Cup car, two wins in the Busch Series and an IROC win in 1996.
MAKING HIS POINT
Martin remains 12th in the Nextel Cup point standings, despite having competed in only 11 of 14 races this season. Martin has finished inside the top 17 in all of his starts, and is only 27 points out of tenth. The No. 01 Team is currently fifth in owner points.
MARTIN AT MICHIGAN
This will be Martin's 43rd run at MIS, where he boasts four wins, 16 top fives, 27 top 10's and a pole. Martin has finished inside the top 10 in seven of his last 10 at Michigan, including a fifth place run there last fall. He boasts four wins at MIS, where he first won on August 19, 1990. Martin has won three more times at MIS, with the last trip to victory lane coming on June 14, 1998.
POPULAR GUY
According to the research firm Marketing Evaluations, Mark Martin received the third highest Q score in Motorsports. The scale that rates likeability had Martin behind only Dale Earnhardt Jr and Jeff Gordon in NASCAR and tied with Danica Patrick in all of motorsports. According to the firm, hundreds of millions in advertising decisions are based on the Q score franchise.
DOUBLE DUTY
Martin will compete in both the Nextel Cup race on Sunday and the Craftsman Truck Series race on Saturday at Michigan. It will be Martin's second start at Michigan in the truck and his first in the No. 21 Wood Brothers entry. Martin finished second in the truck last season at Michigan. It will be Martin's 52nd NASCAR start at MIS (42 Cup, 8 Busch, 1 Truck). He has two wins in the Busch car there.
ARMY CELEBRATES 232nd BIRTHDAY
The Army will celebrate its 232nd Birthday this weekend at Michigan. Martin will take part in a pre-race ceremony to honor the event.
QUOTING MARK
"Typically Michigan is one of my best tracks on the circuit and we've had some really strong runs there over the past few years. It's actually a great track and if you have your car set up right, you can really pass. It really can be a lot of fun to get around there. We just have to work to get the car dialed in, and there is no reason that we should not be pretty strong this weekend.
"We had a good run last week at Pocono and we had good strategy. The car handled really well and we were able to get another top 10 finish out of it. We just have to keep working to get these cars a little better and we'll be right there up front. Ryan Pemberton and this U.S. Army Team do such an outstanding job with these cars and it's just an honor to work with them each week.
"It's also a big weekend for the Army as they celebrate their Birthday this weekend. It's the first time that I've been a part of that and I'm looking forward to helping with that celebration. As always, it's an honor to represent the soldiers and to drive their car each week, and it’s really special to be able to be a part of their birthday celebration. Hopefully we can get them a win for the special occasion. “
MARK FAST FACTS
Martin's 27 top-10 finishes at Michigan are the most of any active driver.
Martin has four wins at Michigan in the Cup car, the third most of any active driver.
Martin has led 22 races at Michigan for a total of 851 laps.
Martin has finished in the top 10 in seven of his last 12 at Michigan, including a fifth-place finish there last fall.
Martin has finished top five in four of his last seven Cup starts at MIS.
Martin boasts two Busch wins at MIS and will take part in the Truck race there this weekend.
Martin won in the IROC car at Michigan in 1996.
Martin is ranked 12th in the Nextel Cup points - 27 out of 10th, despite having taken off three races.
LAST YEAR AT MICHIGAN...
June 18, 2006 – Michigan International Speedway
Started 8th, Finished 27th
Heavy rains forced an early end at Michigan International Speedway, on a day when little went right for Martin and the No. 6 Team. Martin was running in 14th position when the field went green after the eighth caution of the race on lap 115, but he was forced to fight a loose-handling racecar on the restart and dropped back to 20th position by lap 122. The ninth and final caution was called just one lap later as light rainfall set on the race. Uncertain of the race’s future the team opted to four tires and a wedge adjustment, with Martin coming out in 27th place. However moments later the rain would pick up, ultimately forcing NASCAR to call the race after just 129 of the scheduled 200 laps.
