Hendrick Motorsports
NEWS & NOTES
POINTS LEADER: Mark Martin, driver of the No. 5 Kellogg’s/CARQUEST Chevrolet, remains the points leader after three races in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Martin has maintained the lead throughout the Chase thus far, a feat that no driver has accomplished in the five previous Chase seasons. He currently owns an 18-point advantage over Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson.
AVERAGE FINISH: Martin holds a 3.33 average finish in the 2009 Chase after scoring a top-10 result in each of the three races thus far. Martin won at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, finished second at Dover (Del.) International Speedway and took seventh last Sunday at Kansas Speedway. Johnson, the defending champion, holds the best average finish for a Chase contender, with a 5.0 finish during the last 10 races of 2007.
MARTIN AT AUTO CLUB: Martin is a previous winner at Auto Club Speedway. On May 3, 1998, Martin started third and led 165 laps en route to the victory. In 16 Cup starts there, he has earned one win, four top-five finishes and seven top-10s. Although the series leader in pole positions this season with seven, Martin has yet to earn a pole at the Fontana, Calif., racetrack.
OF THE CHASERS: Martin has led 273 laps at Auto Club Speedway, the fourth-most of any driver inside the Chase.
MOST RECENTLY: On Feb. 22, his last outing at Auto Club Speedway, Martin started 18th and steered his Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet into the top 10 before an engine issue ended the team’s day on Lap 167. He finished 40th.
GUSTAFSON AT AUTO CLUB: Crew chief Alan Gustafson earned his first career pole position at Auto Club Speedway in February 2005. On Sept. 4 of that same year, he returned to the track and earned his first career Sprint Cup victory.
NO. 5 TEAM AT FONTANA: Under the direction of Gustafson, the No. 5 Kellogg’s/CARQUEST team has earned one victory, two top-five finishes and five top-10s at Auto Club Speedway. The team has led 215 laps on the two-mile track.
INDY CHASSIS RETURNS: Gustafson has chosen Chassis No. 5-550 for Auto Club Speedway this Sunday. This car has been raced only at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July when Martin started the Brickyard 400 from the pole position and took runner-up honors.
POLE MAN: Martin earned his seventh pole of 2009—the most he’s ever earned in a single season—last Friday at Kansas Speedway. Martin’s 48th career pole ranks him ninth on the all-time Sprint Cup pole winner’s list.
HENDRICK AT FONTANA: In 18 Cup events (70 starts) at Auto Club Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports has earned seven wins, 22 top-five finishes and 31 top-10s and led 1,503 laps. The organization, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this season, has scored a top-five finish in 15 of those 18 events.
CHEVY CROWN: With seven races left in the 2009 Sprint Cup season, Chevrolet now has collected its record-extending 33rd manufacturers’ championship. Martin leads all Chevy drivers with five wins, and Hendrick Motorsports has contributed 10 of the 15 Chevrolet victories thus far this season.
