MARTIN AT MICHIGAN
This will be Martin’s 45th run at MIS, where he boasts four wins, 16 top fives, 27 top 10s and a pole. Martin has finished inside the top 10 in seven of his last 13 races at Michigan. He has four wins at MIS, where he first won on Aug. 19, 1990. Martin has won three more times at MIS, with the last trip to Victory Lane coming on June 14, 1998.
OFF SEASON AT MICHIGAN
Last season Martin finished 29th and 42nd at Michigan. The 42nd-place finish - due to engine issues - was Martin’s worst in 44 starts at the 2-mile track. In addition, the year’s 34.5 average finish at Michigan in 2007 is Martin’s worst ever in 25 years of racing at Michigan. Last season was only the second time since 1988 that Martin has failed to post a top-10 finish at MIS. The team will look to rebound from that with a strong run this weekend.
THE WINNER
Martin has taken seven trips to Victory Lane at MIS. In addition to his four wins in the Sprint Cup Series, he boasts two Nationwide wins and a win in the International Race of Champions Series.
AND CLOSING - NO. 8 JUST 22 POINTS OUTSIDE OF CHASE
With last Sunday’s 10th-place finish at Pocono, the No. 8 Dale Earnhardt Inc. Team moved to just 22 points outside of the top 12 and the cutoff point for the Chase for the Sprint Cup. The team has posted six top-10 finishes in 2008, more than 72 percent of the field in ‘08.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ARMY
This weekend will mark the 233rd Birthday of the United States Army. Martin will be a part of a special cake cutting ceremony on Sunday to commemorate the event.
QUOTING MARK…
“Michigan is one of my favorite tracks on the circuit. It’s big and wide and you can really pass there. If you are able to get your car set up right, you can do a lot of passing, which can make for a pretty fun day at the race track. I’ve had a lot of success there over the years, but we had an off year there last season, so we’ll be looking to rebound from that this weekend.
“(Crew Chief) Tony Gibson and the guys on the No. 8 Team continue to get the car better each week. We still have some work cut out for us on getting the car better over the entire run, as we’ve been dropping off for some reason. Still, I think that we’ll have a good car this weekend and hopefully we’ll be able to give the Army and all of the Soldiers watching something to cheer about as we celebrate the Army’s Birthday at Michigan.”
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