NOTES
DARLINGTON WINNER: Mark Martin, driver of the No. 5 Cheez-It/CARQUEST Chevrolet, won the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on Sept. 5, 1993. Martin started fourth and led 178 laps before taking the checkered flag that day. He has claimed the runner-up position at Darlington six times, which ties Dover (Del.) International Speedway and Pocono Raceway as the most second-place finishes for Martin at any one track.
DARLINGTON STATS: In 42 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Darlington, Martin has recorded one win, 16 top-five finishes and 25 top-10s. He has led a total of 755 laps at the historic track. Last year, Martin started 27th and finished 16th.
LOOP STATISTICS: Martin has made the fourth-most green-flag passes (228) at Darlington during the last four races there, with 95 of them happening on the frontstretch. Martin’s average finish at the track during those four races is 10.5—the fourth best of any driver.
THE NO. 5 TEAM AT DARLINGTON: Crew chief Alan Gustafson has led the No. 5 team through four races at Darlington Raceway. Under his direction, the team earned its best finish—seventh place—there in May 2006.
THE BIG CHEEZ: For the second consecutive week, Cheez-It, the world’s best-selling cheese cracker, will adorn the hood of the No. 5 Chevrolet. Cheez-it was also on the hood at Texas Motor Speedway in April where the Cheez-It/CARQUEST team finished sixth. Cheez-It’s final race with the No. 5 team will be at Pocono Raceway in August.
CHASING POINTS: Martin and the No. 5 team have rebounded once again to climb three spots in the championship standings. After scoring a fifth-place finish last weekend at Richmond, Martin ranks 15th and trails 12th-place Matt Kenseth by 61 points.
MEMORABLE WIN: Gustafson counts the 2003 Southern 500 victory the No. 5 team earned with Terry Labonte as one of his most memorable wins. Labonte led 33 laps en route to the sentimental victory in the last Labor Day weekend Southern 500 held at the track. Gustafson was the No. 5 team’s lead engineer at the time, and seven of his crew members today were a part of that winning No. 5 team.
FIRST COLLABORATION: On May 11, 2007, Martin and Gustafson joined forces for the first time, competing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Darlington. The duo scored a runner-up finish, and unknowingly laid the groundwork for Martin to become a Hendrick Motorsports’ driver in the Sprint Cup Series. Gustafson and Martin competed in one more Nationwide race that season, earning a 14th-place finish at Michigan International Speedway in August 2007.
CHASSIS CHOICE: Gustafson has chosen Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-527 for Saturday’s race. Martin most recently, drove Chassis No. 527 at Auto Club Speedway in February. The team started 18th and ran inside the top 10 for the majority of the race before the Chevrolet’s engine expired.
HENDRICK AT DARLINGTON: Hendrick Motorsports, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, has 12 wins, 35 top-five finishes and 58 top-10s in 48 events (137 starts) at Darlington Raceway. Hendrick’s drivers have led 2,781 laps at the racetrack.
700 CLUB: Hendrick Motorsports’ next top-five finish will be the organization’s 700th in Sprint Cup competition. Since 1984, Hendrick drivers have scored 178 wins, 699 top-five finishes and 1,154 top-10s. Hendrick has the most top-five finishes among active teams.
QUOTES
MARK MARTIN, DRIVER, NO. 5 CHEEZ-IT/CARQUEST CHEVROLET (ON HIS FIRST RACE WITH HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS IN 2007.): “That race was so much fun. What stands out to me the most, more than the race itself, is working with Alan (Gustafson, crew chief). That was my first experience with how bright he is. It was the first time I got a taste of just how incredible these race cars are at Hendrick. It was an exciting race. We started pretty far back, but we had a strong car and battled our way into contention. It was definitely a great experience for me.”
MARTIN (ON IF HE EVER THOUGHT HE WOULD RACE FOR HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS FULL TIME IN A SPRINT CUP CAR.): “Never. (LAUGHS.) That thought never crossed my mind back then. Me driving this No. 5 car was definitely a process of evolution. A lot of things had to happen and evolve in just right the way over a period of time for us to get where we are.”
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