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News & Notes
EVERYTHING BUT A WIN: In 49 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Pocono Raceway, Mark Martin has scored 19 top-five finishes, 33 top-10s and three pole positions. Pocono is one of only four tracks where Martin has yet to visit Victory Lane. Martin has an average start of 8.9 and average finish of 11.2 at the Tricky Triangle. He has scored a top-10 finish in six of the last nine races there.
SO CLOSE: Martin has taken runner-up honors at Pocono six times. Most recently, Martin finished second on Aug. 1, 2004. Martin’s 60 career Sprint Cup runner-up finishes are the most for any active driver.
MORE POCONO BESTS: Martin leads all Sprint Cup competitors at Pocono with 19 top-five finishes, 33 top-10s and 40 lead-lap finishes. His top-10s and lead-lap finishes also are the most for the NASCAR veteran at any racetrack on the Sprint Cup circuit. Meanwhile his 19 top-five finishes rank second—just behind the 23 he has recorded at Dover (Del.) International Speedway.
LOOP STATISTICS: According to NASCAR’s loop statistics, which were compiled during the last 13 races at Pocono, Martin ranks sixth in average finish – 12.3 – and seventh in average running position – 11.948. He’s ran the sixth-most laps – 1,797 – inside the top 15 and has the eighth-best average driver rating – 93.8 – of all Sprint Cup competitors.
CHASSIS CHOICE: Crew chief Lance McGrew has chosen Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-672 for Sunday’s race at Pocono. This car was most recently raced at Michigan International Speedway in June and Kentucky Speedway in July.
BACK IN A TRUCK: For the first time since 2007, Martin will compete in the Camping World Truck Series. Martin will drive the No. 32 Turner Motorsports Chevrolet with Hendrick Motorsports horsepower in Saturday’s race at Pocono. In his previous 23 truck starts, Martin has earned seven wins, 16 top-five and 19 top-10 finishes. He has a 7.1 average finish in the series.
RECENT VICTORY: Hendrick Motorsports visited Victory Lane during its most recent trip to Pocono’s Tricky Triangle in June. Jeff Gordon led 39 laps and picked up his fifth career victory at the 2.5-mile speedway. Gordon leads the current crop of Cup drivers in wins at Pocono, but he is tied on the all-time list with Bill Elliott.
HENDRICK AT POCONO: Hendrick Motorsports is the winningest organization at Pocono with 12 victories. In 55 Cup events (177 starts) at the 2.5-mile racetrack, Hendrick Motorsports also has gathered 51 top-five finishes and 91 top-10s at Pocono.
APPROACHING 200: With Gordon’s win at Pocono Raceway on June 12, Hendrick Motorsports has earned 197 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 POCONO RACEWAY.):
“This is one of the most challenging tracks we race on. It’s not an oval, but it’s not a road course either. So, it kind of doesn’t race like any other track we’re on. As a driver it’s hard out there, but the crew guys have an even bigger job trying to get the GoDaddy.com Chevy dialed in for all three turns. It’s tough. You have to give up a little in one corner to make another one better. It’s just something you’ll fight all day.”
MARTIN (ON NEVER WINNING AT POCONO.):
“Not winning at a track I’ve raced at so many times could be frustrating, but really I don’t think about it. I don’t carry around a list of where I haven’t won at, hoping to check them off. When I think of my career I guess I think more of the wins I do have, not the ones I don’t. And of course the people I’ve met and the good times we’ve had.”
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