News & Notes
SEASON’S BEST: In his last appearance at Dover (Del.) International Speedway, Mark Martin finished second, earning his best result thus far in the 2011 season. The driver of the No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet started 25th and raced his way into the top 10 in the May race. During the final pit stop, Martin remained on the track while the rest of the field pitted for fresh tires. Martin held on to finish second despite running on old tires in the final 35 laps.
FOUR-TIME WINNER: Martin has four wins at Dover and that is tied with Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway as his second-most victories at any track. Martin picked up a trio of wins at the concrete oval from 1997-1999. He started from the pole position in those first two wins—September 1997 and September 1998. In September 1999, Martin led a race-high 161 laps to take the win. Most recently, Martin led just 19 laps in June 2004 en route to the victory.
DOVER DOMINATION: Martin ranks first in several categories among all-time drivers at the one-mile concrete oval. His 23 top-five finishes are the most ever recorded there, while his 31 top-10s also rank first. He also owns 27 lead-lap finishes, best among drivers all-time at Dover.
MONSTER MARTIN: Martin’s 23 top-five finishes aren’t just a track-best; they’re also a personal career best for the 52-year-old. His 31 top-10s stack up second for him behind Pocono Raceway, where he has 33. During his 50 career Cup starts at Dover, Martin also has led a career-best 1,726 laps.
LOOP STATISTICS: Martin has the fourth-best average finish—8.4—of all Sprint Cup competitors in the last 13 races at Dover and the sixth-best average running position – 10.686. Martin also has the sixth-best average driver rating – 97.8 of a possible 150—in those same races. His 3,885 laps inside the top 15 rank as the sixth-most of any driver.
POLE SITTER: Martin has earned four of his 50 career Sprint Cup pole positions at Dover, and that ties Richmond (Va.) International Raceway as his second-most at any active track. Martin’s four poles at Dover tie Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman as the most among active drivers at the track.
RIGHT DIRECTION: Martin scored his first consecutive top-10 finishes of the season earlier this month at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway and Chicagoland Speedway. The driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet followed that by leading 46 laps at New Hampshire Motor Speedway last week and was on his way to a third straight top-10 result when he experienced a cut right-front tire.
POINT STANDINGS: Following the race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Martin and the GoDaddy.com team gained six points on 13th place Clint Bowyer, and currently trail him by 21 points in 16th-place. As a non-qualifier, the best Martin can finish is 13th in the postseason Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
CHASSIS CHOICE: Crew chief Lance McGrew has chosen Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-672 for Sunday’s race at Dover. This is the same chassis that Martin has driven four times this season to an average 12th-place finish. Notably, Martin piloted the car twice at Michigan International Speedway, finishing ninth in June and fourth in August.
HENDRICK AT DOVER: In 55 Cup events (171 starts) at Dover, Hendrick Motorsports has 13 wins, 42 top-five finishes and 73 top-10s. Jimmie Johnson has reached Victory Lane at the one-mile concrete oval twice from the pole position and leads drivers all-time at Dover with six wins. Gordon has contributed another four wins to Hendrick’s total.
APPROACHING 200: With Gordon’s win on Sept. 6 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports has earned 198 Cup victories. The organization ranks first in NASCAR’s modern era for wins and second all-time behind Petty Enterprises, which has 268 victories.
Quotes
MARK MARTIN, DRIVER, NO. 5 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET (ON THE TEAM’S RECENT PERFORMANCE.):
“We’re definitely heading in the right direction. It was a shame that we had that right-front tire go down at New Hampshire. The guys did everything right that day. Great pit calls. Great pit stops. We led a lot of laps. There’s just nothing you can do about a tire going down. Our cars are faster. We’re running in the front more. This is exactly the way we need to be racing.”
MARTIN (ON DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY.):
“I love this racetrack. And, honestly, I’m not a big fan of concrete tracks, but there’s not much they could do to make me not like Dover. The racing is always tight, and I think you’ll see even more of that this Sunday. The fans are so close to the track, and they really get excited. It’s a great atmosphere. A great racetrack and definitely a race that all NASCAR fans should go to.”
LANCE McGREW, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET (ON CONCRETE SURFACES VERSUS ASPHALT.):
“We really don’t notice much difference between the concrete and the asphalt as far as setup goes. Dover presents some challenges due to the amount of load that the tires see and the way that the car travels in the corner. But, it’s not altogether different from what we would experience on an asphalt surface.”
McGREW (ON HOW IMPORTANT PIT SELECTION IS AT DOVER.):
“Pit road is so narrow at Dover, but they have improved that some. It’s always nice to get an opening when you go somewhere with smaller pit boxes, so qualifying well is going to be really important. When the driver has to drive around someone to get into his pit stall or around another driver to exit, it can really slow down your pit stop. Other than that, the spotter has to be on his toes at Dover. It’s not uncommon to get run into while leaving the pits there.”
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