News & Notes
MARTIN AT KANSAS: Mark Martin, driver of the No. 5 CARQUEST Auto Parts/GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, has earned one victory, two top-five finishes and four top-10s in 10 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Kansas Speedway. Martin holds a 13.4 average finish at the intermediate track and has led 152 laps there.
LOOP STATISTICS: According to NASCAR’s loop statistics, which were compiled during the last seven races at Kansas, Martin ranks seventh or better in five categories. He owns the fifth-best average finish (10.9), sixth-most laps led (150 laps), seventh-best average running position (13.234) and seventh-best driver rating, with a score of 92.7. He also has posted the seventh-most laps run inside the top 15, tallying 1,124 laps.
MOVING UP: Martin has improved his starting spot by more positions at Kansas Speedway than any other track on the NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule. During his last 10 starts at the 1.5-mile racetrack, Martin has advanced by an average of 6.1 positions.
POLE SITTER: Martin has earned 50 Sprint Cup Series pole positions and ranks eighth on the all-time pole sitters list. He earned one of those 50 poles at Kansas Speedway in 2009.
CARQUEST GUESTS: As winners of the CARQUEST Auto Parts Professional Choice sweepstakes, Michael Zimmerman, owner of T7T Tire and Auto Center in Columbus, Ga., and his daughter Michelle will serve as honorary crew members on the No. 5 team this weekend. They will be joined by Tim Downey and Jason Barker who work at CARQUEST Auto Parts in Columbus, Zimmerman’s servicing store.
POINT STANDINGS: After the race at Dover (Del.) International Speedway, Martin and the GoDaddy.com team remain 16th in the series standings. 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. 5-679 for Sunday’s race at Kansas. Martin most recently finished ninth with this chassis at Chicagoland Speedway and also posted an eighth-place finish with it at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July.
HENDRICK AT KANSAS: In 11 Cup events (47 starts) at Kansas, Hendrick Motorsports has three wins, 14 top-five finishes and 23 top-10s. Jeff Gordon has two of those victories and ranks tied in that category, while he sits first among all drivers in top-five finishes (eight) and top-10s (nine).
CHEVROLET AT KANSAS: Chevrolet has reached Victory Lane in six of the 11 Cup events held at Kansas, and Hendrick Motorsports has accounted for half of those victories. Jimmie Johnson scored Hendrick Motorsports’ most recent win at the 1.5-mile speedway in 2008.
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 CARQUEST AUTO PARTS/GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET (ON RACING AT KANSAS SPEEDWAY.):
“The best thing to me about going to Kansas is that it’s real close to Batesville, Ark. I have a lot of fans that make the drive up there to support me and this team and that means a lot to me. I feel like our intermediate program is getting better and better. We’ve gotten top-10s in two of our last three intermediate races. Hopefully we can give them a show this weekend and get a good finish out of it.”
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