NEWS & NOTES
RICHMOND RACING: Mark Martin, driver of the No. 5 Cheez-It/CARQUEST Chevrolet, earned his only NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway on Feb. 25, 1990. Martin started sixth and led 16 laps en route to the win.
TRACK STATS: In 46 career Sprint Cup starts at Richmond, Martin has earned one win, 15 top-five finishes and 25 top-10s. Martin scored the pole position in his first Cup start at the track on Sept. 13, 1981, and went on to earn two more (September 1996 and May 2001). Martin has led 417 laps at the short track.
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MOST RECENTLY: Martin, who competed part-time in the Cup Series during the 2007 and 2008 seasons, chose to race all four events at Richmond during that time. Last year, he scored two top-five finishes at the short track. The NASCAR veteran started from the outside pole and finished third last May. He scored a fifth-place finish there last September.
THE NO. 5 TEAM AT RICHMOND: In eight races under the leadership of crew chief Alan Gustafson, the No. 5 team has earned five top-five finishes at Richmond, including two runner-up showings in September 2006 and May 2007. Most recently, the team posted an 11th-place result there last September.
BRINGING BACK A WINNER: Gustafson has chosen Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-538 for Saturday’s Richmond race. Martin most recently drove Chassis No. 538 from the pole position to Victory Lane at Phoenix International Raceway. Prior to that race weekend, the chassis never had been raced or tested.
RICHMOND MENTOR: When Gustafson started as a shock specialist with the No. 5 team in 2000, Terry Labonte was driving the Hendrick Motorsports machine. Gustafson learned a lot from the two-time Cup Series champion, who scored a runner-up finish during Gustafson’s first trip to the track with the team on May 6, 2000. Overall, Labonte earned three wins, six top-five finishes and 10 top-10s and led 538 laps while driving the No. 5 Chevy at Richmond from 1994-2004.
HENDRICK AT RICHMOND: Hendrick Motorsports, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this season, has recorded at least one top-10 finish in 46 of the last 50 events held at Richmond. Overall, Hendrick Motorsports has recorded 10 wins, 42 top-five finishes and 74 top-10s there. Jimmie Johnson has won three of the last four events at the Virginia short track.
POINTS POSITION: Martin was the highest Hendrick Motorsports qualifier for last week’s race at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, lining up seventh for the 500-mile event. But misfortune struck early as Martin was wrapped up in an accident on Lap 7 and finished 43rd. He now ranks 18th in the Sprint Cup driver standings.
THE CLOSER: Martin has earned the title of Richmond’s “closer” during the track’s last eight races. Martin’s total of 31 positions gained in the final 10 percent of laps is the best of any driver in the Sprint Cup Series during that span.
SAY CHEEZ: Cheez-It, the world’s best-selling cheese cracker, again will adorn the hood of the No. 5 Chevrolet this weekend. Cheez-It was also on the hood at Texas Motor Speedway in April where the Cheez-It/CARQUEST Chevy finished sixth. Cheez-It has two more races with the No. 5 team this year: Darlington (S.C.) Raceway in May and Pocono Raceway in August.
DOUBLE DIP: Martin will participate in Friday evening’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race in the No. 5 JR Motorsports Chevrolet. The event is Martin’s only scheduled Nationwide appearance of the 2009 season. He is the winningest driver in Nationwide Series history with 48 victories.
QUOTES
MARK MARTIN, DRIVER, NO. 5 CHEEZ-IT/CARQUEST CHEVROLET (ON RACING IN THE NATIONWIDE RACE THIS WEEKEND.): “I have fun racing in the Nationwide races. It’s fun for me to collaborate with a new team for the weekend. It’s my only chance to run the (No.) 5 car for JR Motorsports this year, and I really want to do well for them. Richmond is a driver’s racetrack. Everyone likes running there. I’ve done pretty well in Nationwide races at Richmond in the past. I hope to make the most of the opportunity this weekend.”
MARTIN (ON IF RUNNING IN THE NATIONWIDE SERIES HELPS THE CUP SIDE.): “No. It really doesn’t help the Cup side at all. The cars are just too different now. There’s nothing that can transfer over setup wise. It’s just another opportunity to compete; to work with another team; to win a race. I like the competition.”
MARTIN (ON IF HE WORRIES ABOUT THE TOLL ON HIS BODY GIVEN HE WILL RACE 700 MILES IN 24 HOURS.): “I’m old, but I’m not that old! (LAUGHS.) Honestly, I wouldn’t do this if I had to do it on the same day. I remember doing 900 miles in one day a few years back at Lowe’s (Motor Speedway), and that was brutal. Getting some sleep in between there makes a big difference.”
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