WINNING CHASSIS: Gustafson has chosen Chassis No. 5-523 for Saturday night’s race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. This is the same chassis that Martin drove to victory at Michigan International Speedway in June and a second-place finish at Dover (Del.) International Speedway in September. Chassis 5-523 also has been raced at Las Vegas, Atlanta, Texas and Lowe’s Motor Speedways this year.
ONE-TWO FINISH(ES): Out of Hendrick Motorsports’ 11 Cup wins this season, seven have involved one-two finishes with its Chevrolets. Hendrick drivers have scored the first and second spots at Auto Club Speedway, Chicagoland Speedway, Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, Dover (Del.) International Speedway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Michigan International Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway. Overall, Hendrick Motorsports has tallied 29 one-two finishes since first fielding a multi-car team in 1986.
QUOTES
MARK MARTIN, DRIVER, NO. 5 POP-TARTS/CARQUEST CHEVROLET (ON THE TEAM’S CONTINUED CONSISTENCY.): “Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) told me that we would have to have an average finish inside the top five to win the championship. I thought he was crazy, that no one could do that. But now, if you look at the points, there are three drivers doing that. That just shows how competitive this Chase is. It’s going to be a dog fight. All I can ask of this team is to keep bringing great race cars to the track, and they have done that week in and week out. This team has a lot of heart. And it’s showing right now. We are getting the best finishes we can possibly get each week. That’s all we can do, and where that leaves us, we’ll see.”
MARTIN (ON WHEN THE TIDE WILL TURN FROM RACING TO A CHASE OUTLOOK.): “I think after Martinsville (Va.) we’ll have a clearer picture of who this Chase is going to come down to. With Lowe’s this weekend, we’ll have three intermediate races in a row. Then we jump to the shortest track on the schedule, and that’s a different kind of beast. The teams will have to have a different outlook for that race. I think the teams that can be consistently good on all of these types of tracks will shine at Martinsville. Then we’ll really know going into those last four races.”
MARTIN (ON RETURNING TO LOWE’S MOTOR SPEEDWAY.): “I really like this racetrack. From the first time I raced on it, it just was a natural fit. Lowe’s reminds me a lot of the banked dirt tracks I would run back home, only a lot bigger of course. Plus, with it being right by Hendrick Motorsports, I’d love to win this one for Rick (Hendrick, owner) and Alan and the guys.”
ALAN GUSTAFSON, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 POP-TARTS/CARQUEST CHEVROLET (ON RACING AT LOWE’S MOTOR SPEEDWAY.): “Lowe’s is a fun track to race on but it’s also very challenging. You have to be the best at everything—qualifying, pit stops, handling, etc.—to get a good finish there. Everyone gets really geared up for this race with it being in our hometown. We want to win with all of our friends and family watching.”
GUSTAFSON (ON THE TEAM’S CHANCES OF WINNING THIS SATURDAY.): “We have a great opportunity to win at Lowe’s this weekend. This team is peaking at the right time. We are hitting our stride in all areas, with the cars, the engines, the pit stops—all have been good. I feel like winning may be the only way to gain points so that is what we’re going to focus on doing.”
GUSTAFSON (ON THE NO. 5 TEAM’S RECORD-SETTING SEASON.): “I’m really proud of this team and what these guys have been able to accomplish this year. All of those stats are great, and they’re something that we have worked really hard to achieve. But we know there is a lot of work still left in front of us to get to where we want to be. We want to win that championship. So, no records that we’ve set for ourselves are enough yet.”
| 
|