With his No. 14 team in the top 35 in owner points entering this weekend’s Nextel Cup event at Martinsville Speedway, driver Sterling Marlin says the next goal for the Ginn Racing crew is to remain there.
Below, Marlin answers questions about his place in owner point standings, the Car of Tomorrow and what he expects this weekend at Martinsville.
Q. How does it feel to be in the top 35 in owner points and not have to worry about racing your way in each week?
A. It’s a big weight lifted off everyone’s shoulders. When you enter race weekend the number one goal is to win on Sunday — that’s the only thing that’s natural to us. So to come to the track each week and have to think about Friday (qualifying session) before you can start thinking about Sunday is frustrating.
Our next goal is to remain in the top 35 by consistently being competitive each week. Now we can come out and start focusing on making the Panasonic Chevrolet fast for the race. It’s a big relief.
Q. Because of some bad luck at the end of the 2006 season, this is the first time you won’t have to qualify for a race on speed since Texas last November. What are your thoughts on that?
A. I’m thankful we made all the events we weren’t locked in to and that we can put it behind us now. We have to focus on being competitive and avoiding trouble so that we can climb through the point standings.
| 
|