News And Notes
DESERT WINNER: Mark Martin, driver of the No.5 CARQUEST/Kellogg’s Chevrolet, earned his sole NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win at Phoenix International Raceway on Oct. 31, 1993. Martin , then age 34, started third and led 212 laps of the 312-lap event en route to his fifth and final win of the season.
TRACK STATS:
In 24 career Cup starts at PIR, Martin has earned one victory, nine top-five finishes, 15 top-10s and led 676 laps. He has an average finish of 9.4 at the one-mile track, his best at any oval, and has scored five runner-up finishes there. The only active track where Martin has a better average finish is the Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International road course. Just one other driver, Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson, has an average Phoenix finish in the single digits.
LOOP STATISTICS:
Martin’s average finishing position during his last seven races at Phoenix is 11.1. This season, he ranks ninth in the Sprint Cup Series with a driver rating of 91.4 and is joined by his Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jeff Gordon (first) and Jimmie Johnson (second) in the top 10.
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THE NO. 5 TEAM AT PHOENIX:
Phoenix International Raceway is a special one for the No.5 team, which earned Hendrick Motorsports’ first win at the track on Oct. 30, 1994, with Terry Labonte behind the wheel. Under the direction of crew chief Alan Gustafson, the No. 5 team earned its second victory there on Nov. 13, 2005. Overall, Gustafson and the team have recorded one win, one pole position and three top-10 finishes at the one-mile track.
CHASSIS CHOICE:
Gustafson has chosen Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-538 for Saturday’s race at Phoenix International Raceway. The chassis never has been raced or tested.
TO THE POINT:
Martin and the No.5 team have advanced 16 positions in the Sprint Cup point standings during the past three weeks—the biggest jump by any team. Martin, who was 189 points outside of making the Chase for the Sprint Cup following last month’s race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, is now just 93 points behind 12th-place Jeff Burton.
HENDRICK AT PHOENIX:
Hendrick Motorsports, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, has six wins, 21 top-five finishes and 42 top-10s in 25 races at Phoenix International Raceway. Hendrick Motorsports has earned at least one top-five finish in 15 events and at least one top-10 finish in 23 races at the track.
ON A ROLL:
Hendrick Motorsports drivers have won four straight races at Phoenix International Raceway, with Jimmie Johnson visiting Victory Lane during the last three events. Jeff Gordon won the April 21, 2007, contest after starting from the pole position. During the last eight races at the track, Hendrick Motorsports drivers have claimed five victories and five pole positions.
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MISSING HARDWARE:
Gustafson’s office at Hendrick Motorsports features trophies from his four career poles and three of his four career Sprint Cup Series victories. The missing trophy is the one the team received in November 2005 after its win at PIR. The trophy—an Arizona-state shape cut out of stone—was given to the driver, but the company that produced it was unable to make a replica for Gustafson or team owner Rick Hendrick.
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