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News & Notes
CARQUEST: CARQUEST Auto Parts, a major partner with the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet since 2005, will be back on the hood this weekend at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway for its seventh NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race of the season. CARQUEST’s final race of the 2011 season will be next Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway.
MARTIN’S VILLE: Mark Martin, driver of the No. 5 CARQUEST Auto Parts/GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, is a two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup race winner at Martinsville. In April 1992, he started 14th and led 33 laps on his way to Victory Lane. In 2000, he overcame a 21st-place starting position and led 64 laps to earn his second Martinsville win.
FIRST TOP-FIVE: Thirty years ago at the paper-clip oval, Martin earned his first career Sprint Cup top-five finish. Martin started fifth and finished third at Martinsville Speedway racing the No. 02 in September 1981, his first year of Cup competition. Martin followed Darrell Waltrip and Harry Gant across the finish line.
AT MARTINSVILLE: In 47 career Sprint Cup starts at Martinsville, the 52-year-old driver has earned two wins, 12 top-five finishes and 25 top-10s. Martin has led a total of 344 laps there.
LOOP STATISTICS: According to NASCAR’s loop data, Martin ranks seventh amongst competitors in average running position—13.935—and average finish—13.6—in the last 13 races at Martinsville. He has the ninth-best driver rating, with a score of 89.3, in those same events. Martin competed in nine of those 13 races.
ONE YEAR AGO: Last fall at Martinsville, Martin rallied back after being involved in an accident on Lap 225 and falling two laps down. The No. 5 team was able to get back on the lead lap, and Martin charged to a season-best second-place finish.
POLE SITTER: Martin is a three-time pole winner at Martinsville. He earned the pole position for three straight races from September 1990 through September 1991. Last weekend at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, Martin earned his 51st Cup pole position. He ranks second among active, full-time drivers in that category.
CHASSIS CHOICE: Crew chief Lance McGrew has chosen Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-651 for Sunday’s race at Martinsville. This is the same chassis Martin drove to a 10th-place finish at Martinsville in April.
HENDRICK AT MARTINSVILLE: Hendrick Motorsports has 18 wins at Martinsville, which ranks as the most for the organization at any racetrack on the Cup schedule. Hendrick also has 60 top-five finishes and 97 top-10s during those 55 races (170 starts) at the paper-clip oval.
APPROACHING 200: With Jimmie Johnson’s win on Oct. 9 at Kansas Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports has earned 199 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 MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY.):
“I love going back to these old-school tracks that NASCAR has been racing on forever. They just fit me. The atmosphere at Martinsville is a little more laid back and the short-track style of racing is a lot like a lot of us drivers grew up doing. Brakes are the most important component at Martinsville. You can burn them up fast and easy if you’re not careful. If you can keep your car clean, have a little bit of patience and be able to hug that bottom line, you’re going to have a pretty good day.”
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