As Sterling Marlin enters this weekend’s Nextel Cup event at Chicagoland Speedway, the Ginn Racing driver weighs in on the 2007 season and Sunday’s USG Sheetrock 400, where he will pilot the No. 14 Waste Management Chevrolet.
In his six starts at Chicago’s 1.5-mile track, Marlin has turned in two top-10 and three top-20 finishes, in addition to two top-10 starting spots.
Currently ranked 28th in Nextel Cup driver points, Marlin says he’s looking for top finishes in Chicago and beyond to help propel the team in the standings.
The following is a short question and answer with Marlin, who will compete in his 730th Cup race on Sunday. The event marks the beginning of the second half of the 2007 season.
Q: Evaluate your 2007 season.
Marlin: “This season’s been pretty up and down for us. We’ve had some really good runs and then some problems that we want to forget about. We wanted to be strong off the bat in Daytona and that looked like it was going to work out for us until we got wrecked on the last lap.
“We’ve had some good runs and thought we’d have some better finishes, but we just haven’t gotten everything going in the right direction at the same time yet. ”
“I think Slugger (Labbe, crew chief) has done a great job building this team and I think he makes everyone else perform at their highest level. ”
Q: What are your goals for the rest of the year?
Marlin: “This Waste Management team’s number one goal has always been to win races and that’s never going to change. But we also want to focus on getting solid finishes every week and moving up higher in the points. Last year we were 34th at the halfway mark of the season, so we’re in better shape now than we were then.
“We also want to have a car that consistently contends for top-10 finishes. If we can do that, we’ll be putting ourselves in a good position to win a race. ”
Q: What are your thoughts about this weekend’s race in Chicago?
Marlin: “I’ve had decent finishes each time I’ve been to Chicago. I lost an engine there once, but other than that I’ve done pretty well. Last year we missed the setup and got a lap down early, but I think we’ll get it figured out quickly this weekend. Hopefully we can grab a good result in our Waste Management Chevrolet on Sunday and follow the momentum from there. “
Q: What races are you looking forward to before the end of the season?
Marlin: “Even though we’ve had terrible luck at the restrictor-plate tracks, I always look forward to Daytona and Talladega so I’m ready to get there (Talladega) in the fall. Other than that I really like the short tracks. So Bristol, Martinsville and Richmond are on my list of places I’m ready for. “
Sunday’s Nextel Cup event will be broadcast live on TNT beginning at 2:30 p. m. ET
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