Mark Martin News
See Also: Mark Martin Biography
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Martin wins pole, Earnhardt to start second in Daytona 500: Rick Hendrick, Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt Jr. spent the last month talking about how those in-house, off-season moves would make a difference. On Saturday, they may have convinced everyone else. Martin and Earnhardt posted the top qualifying runs and secured the front row for next week's Daytona 500. It might not mean as much as Hendrick Motorsports' 1-2-3 finish in last season's Sprint Cup standings, but the latest sweep provided some validation to those changes made in hopes of bolstering both teams and getting crew chiefs Alan Gustafson (Martin) and Lance McGrew (Earnhardt) on the same page."The challenge was we wanted one team with two cars," Hendrick said. "Then they unloaded two cars that ran almost identical times. I know this is just one race, but no one here and no one outside of our company will know the effort that Alan and Lance put into this team and these two cars, and I'm really proud of 'em." Martin, the only driver to top 191 m.p.h., earned his first Daytona 500 pole. At 51, he also became the oldest driver to earn the top spot for NASCAR's premier race. "I love getting records," Martin said. Earnhardt, meanwhile, will start second in his attempt to rebound from the worst season in his Sprint Cup career. (Canadian Press)
Friday, November 13, 2009
Carquest to return as sponsor on No. 5: Carquest Auto Parts has extended its relationship with Hendrick Motorsports and the No. 5 Chevy driven by Mark Martin through the 2011 NASCAR season. The two-year pact will showcase Carquest with primary sponsor placement in eight points races annually beginning in 2010. When its red, white and blue shield is not on the hood, Carquest will maintain a significant presence on the No. 5 Chevys as a major associate sponsor. "Carquest is pleased to be an eight-race primary sponsor of Mark Martin and the No. 5 team for the 2010 NASCAR season," said Temple Sloan III, president and CEO of General Parts/Carquest Auto Parts. "In our eight years as a partner of Hendrick Motorsports we have enjoyed many successes, and this year has been tremendous. As the Official Auto Parts supplier to Hendrick Motorsports we are proud to have Mark, Alan Gustafson (crew chief) and the team partnering with us. Winning is the goal our team strives for every day, both on the track and in our stores." For more information about Carquest, visit www.Carquest.com.(Hendrick Motorsports PR )
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Mark Martin named NASCAR Illustrated Person of the Year: Mark Martin is the NASCAR Illustrated Person of the Year presented by Old Spice for 2009. Martin will officially accept the award in a prerace ceremony at the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 22, 2009. NASCAR Illustrated chose to honor the 50-year-old Hendrick Motorsports driver because of his exceptional talent and extraordinary class. His return to a full schedule in 2009 underscored his ability and gave fans another chance to appreciate his humility and graciousness. This is the third time Martin has received a Person of Year honor but only the first that he has been the sole honoree. Martin is the cover subject of the December 2009 issue of NASCAR Illustrated, which will be available on newsstands across the country the week of Nov. 24.(SceneDaily)
Mark Martin praises Johnson's work ethic: Martin praised his teammate, Johnson, and his work ethic. "I was one of those like many others from the outside looking in, looking at Jimmie Johnson making it look easy thinking he was a lucky guy that drove for a great race team," Martin said. "I'm taking that back now. I've seen different and (am) one of the guys that is standing up saying, 'Hey, he's not getting enough credit.' " (USA Today)
Friday, November 6, 2009
Mark Martin likes testing ban: Even though he needs some help to win a championship, Mark Martin is happy to be back as a full-time competitor. "It would have been the biggest mistake of my career to have passed on this opportunity," he said. "I feel very good. I feel fresh and surprised that there's only three (races) left. The people at Hendrick Motorsports have made this a better year for me than I expected. The sponsors have been wonderful to work with, and it's beyond my wildest dreams. One thing is, the testing (ban) has helped enormously. I would not have re-signed for 2010 had the testing been brought back, much less 2011. That's huge. You know, when you're in a bad mood and something happens, it irritates the heck out of you and when you're in a good mood, and the same thing happens and it doesn't bother you. Have you noticed that? Well, that's where I've been there this year. I haven't been tired, burned out, frustrated and all those kinds of things. I'm fresh and enthusiastic and all those kinds of things."(USA Today)
Sunday, October 11, 2009
No. 48 and No. 5 taken by NASCAR for further inspection: For the third consecutive week, NASCAR officials will take Jimmie Johnson's and Mark Martin's cars to the Research & Development Center in Concord, N.C., for further inspection. The Hendrick Motorsports teammates hold down the top two spots in the Chase standings, with Johnson leading Martin by 12 points. Johnson's No. 48 Chevy cleared a post-race inspection after winning the Pepsi 500 Sunday at Auto Club Speedway. The winning car and the engines of the top two finishing cars always are taken to the R&D Center. Johnson won at Dover two weeks ago and Martin was second. After closer inspection at Concord, both teams were warned about being too close to the edge of the allowed tolerances at several places on the car bodies. Martin finished seventh last week at Kansas and Johnson was ninth, but both cars again were taken the R&D Center. Both cars were cleared after inspections in Concord. Martin finished fourth Sunday, but NASCAR officials again elected to take the No. 5 Chevy back to the R&D Center for additional tests.(ESPN.com)
Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2009
Mark Martin to make 750th Cup start: At Dover International Speedway on Sept. 27, Mark Martin will make his 750th career Sprint Cup start. Martin will become only the ninth driver to reach this mark in Sprint Cup's 61-year history. In his 747 Cup starts, he has earned 39 victories, 251 top-five finishes and 409 top-10s. He has driven 274,181.4 miles during his 27-year career. Martin was honored during pre-race ceremonies at Bristol Motor Speedway for making his 1,000th career NASCAR start.(HMS)
Friday, Sept. 18, 2009
Mark Martin signs extension with Hendrick Motorsports: GoDaddy.com has signed an agreement to be the primary sponsor of Hendrick Motorsports' No. 5 Chevys in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The world's leading registrar of Internet domain names will adorn the hood for 20 races annually, including the season-opening Daytona 500, beginning in 2010. Terms will remain private. Driving the No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevys will be current Sprint Cup Series championship points leader Mark Martin, who has agreed to a contract extension that will keep him with Hendrick Motorsports fulltime through the 2011 NASCAR season. "Mark Martin is the consummate professional and a very exciting driver, to say the least," said GoDaddy.com CEO and founder Bob Parsons. "He's the sentimental favorite for this year's Sprint Cup championship, and we're stoked to have him driving for Go Daddy next year." Additional sponsorship for the No. 5 Chevys will be announced at a later date.(HMS PR)
Thursday, Aug. 6, 2009
Martin: Gordon persuaded me to Hendrick Motorsports: Veteran Mark Martin, who leads Sprint Cup drivers with four victories in 2009 and is 10th in the points standings, credits Jeff Gordon for his role in bringing him aboard Hendrick Motorsports after Martin ran a limited schedule the past two years. "Jeff was a huge supporter of Rick persuading me to do this," Martin said.(Star Gazette)
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Martin sees room for improvement: Mark Martin called car owner Rick Hendrick and asked for clemency after qualifying 32nd Friday at Michigan International Speedway. Hendrick laughed it off, but his driver claimed he wasn't joking. "Everybody can act like that's stupid, but it isn't," Martin said. "I'm serious. If I can't do better than that in the stuff they're giving me, they're going to need to get somebody else." Given the team signed him to a contract extension through 2010 two months ago, Hendrick Motorsports isn't seeking a replacement to fill the seat of its No. 5 Chevrolet, and Martin showed why he deserved the job security in Sunday's LifeLock 400 win. (USA Today)
Monday, June 15, 2009
Did you Know? Mark Martin is one of only four drivers to win a Cup Series race after turning 50, but he is not the oldest driver to win one at MIS. Harry Gant won in 1992 at MIS at age 52 and holds the record as the oldest driver to win a Cup race.(Booth Newspapers)
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Martin: Winning Sprint Cup title could happen: Can Mark Martin win his first Sprint Cup title? That's a question Martin isn't ready to tackle yet. "It could happen. But if not, at least we got two (wins) instead of one," he said. "That's the way I look at it. Don't take those kind of answers from me as pessimistic or a lack of confidence. All I want to do is be happy and have fun doing this." (Chattanooga Times Free Press)
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Mark Martin back full-time in 2010: Mark Martin will return as a fulltime driver in the Sprint Cup Series next season to drive the No. 5 Chevrolet at Hendrick Motorsports at least one more season, HMS officials announced on Wednesday. Last July, Martin signed a two-year contract with HMS covering one full Cup season in 2009 and one part-time season in 2010. The two sides amended the agreement this week to make 2010 another fulltime season. "Week in and week out, Mark continues to be one of the best race car drivers in the world," Hendrick said. "He's already made an incredible contribution to Hendrick Motorsports and our entire company is excited about running another full season and winning races with him in 2010." (ThatsRacin.com)
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Rick Hendrick considered swapping Eury and Gustafson? Sources within Hendrick Motorsports confirmed to Captain Thunder that discussions were held over the Easter break regarding the possible switching of crew chiefs between the #5 and #88 teams. Mark Martin's crew chief Alan Gustafson was said to be on the block and was willing to move to the #88 team and Martin was willing to support the move. The discussions over Easter ended with an agreement between the two teams and Mr. Hendrick to keep their current teams in tact for at least three more weeks to see if both teams could improve on the slow start they have endured through the first part of the 2009 Sprint Cup season. Sources said Eury Jr., Dale Earnhardt Jr., Martin, and Gustafson all agreed that if Mr. Hendrick wanted a change, they would be willing to swap Gustafson for Eury Jr. However, with Martin's win Saturday night in the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix, any switch is now out of the question for the foreseeable future. (CaptainThunderRacing.com)
No. 5's Alan Gustafson Named Wypall Wipers Crew Chief of the Race: Alan Gustafson, crew chief for the No. 5 CARQUEST/Kelloggs Chevy driven by Mark Martin, has been named the Wypall Wipers Crew Chief of the Race in Saturday's Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. Martin led 104 laps of the 312-lap event and went on to win his first race in more than three years. The Gustafson-led team had consistent and precise pit stops throughout the race, after starting from the pole position. "We had a great race car, great pit stops, and great strategy [by crew chief, Gustafson]" said Martin. In addition to the $1,000 check, the winning crew chief will receive signage to announce the win on their pit box the following week. The crew chief with the most weekly wins will be honored as the Wypall Wipers Crew Chief of the Year and will be presented a $20,000 check at the season finale in Homestead.(Wypall PR)
Monday, April 20, 2009
Mark Martin: It's probably my third chance: Change the metaphor to baseball. Martin still has a third strike. "Technically, it's probably my third chance," he said. "I got a second chance when I got with Jack Roush. Most people don't get a second chance. "You don't really get a chance to resurrect. I'm not as smart as I look. I'm lucky I've stumbled and tripped and fell into ... things that have worked out for me. ... I didn't plan all this out. It's been an incredible ride ... having a chance to re-energize myself and realize how much I love it. ... I feel really lucky." (Gaston Gazette)
Friday, March 27, 2009
Hendrick wants Martin decision on next season by July: Rick Hendrick hopes to know by July whether 50-year-old Mark Martin will drive full-time again in 2010. He also reiterated that he's convinced there's no better person than Martin, whose original deal called for him to drive a partial schedule next season, for the No. 5. "He's got so much talent. I think the sport needs him. The sport would miss him," Hendrick said. Before a decision can be made Hendrick must first settle the sponsorship on Martin's car. Kellogg's is up for a renewal, and with the current economic climate there is no guarantee the company will come back. Hendrick said he also doesn't want to push Martin into a quick decision. "The worst thing in the world would be if I say let's do a deal and then him get burned out and the end of the year and not want to do it," Hendrick said. "I don't see that happening." (ESPN.com)
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Hendrick would like Martin to race full-time in 2010: Hendrick said that he would like to have Mark Martin drive again fulltime next year. Martin has a contract for next season, although one plan was for him to drive part-time. Martin suggested last weekend at Bristol that he would like to drive fulltime but said he hadn't discussed any plans with team officials. Hendrick says he'd like to have something finalized by the summer. (Roanoke Times)
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Martin hasn't talked about 2010 season with Hendrick: Mark Martin says he loves being a full-time driver but he’s not ready to decide if he wants to convince team owner Rick Hendrick that he wants to drive the No. 5 car full time in 2010. After completing the pole-winning lap Friday for the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway, Martin said he has a part-time contract with Hendrick Motorsports for 2010 and he’s not ready to talk about trying to change that. “I love what I’m doing and I don’t want to quit racing, but I have not had a conversation with my wife, with Hendrick Motorsports, with anybody about that,” Martin said. “It’s way too premature to talk about that. I have a [part-time] contract for next year. … I don’t want to talk about next year.” (SceneDaily.com)
Friday, July 4, 2008
Hendrick Motorsports announces Mark Martin in the #5 in 2009: Mark Martin, a 35-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race winner and the all-time leader in NASCAR Nationwide Series victories, has signed a two-year agreement to drive for Hendrick Motorsports beginning in 2009. Martin will race the full 2009 Sprint Cup schedule in the No. 5 Kellogg's/CARQUEST Chevrolets, becoming teammates with Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. It will mark his first full season of Cup competition since 2006, when he finished ninth in points. A Batesville, Ark., native, Martin also is slated to run a partial Sprint Cup schedule for Hendrick Motorsports in 2010, sharing the No. 5 Chevys with a to-be-determined second driver. Martin will enter 26 events, including the non-points Budweiser Shootout and NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. "Mark is an incredible racer and one of the classiest guys around," said Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick, whose organization will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2009. "He is a driver who makes everyone around him better, and our entire company is going to benefit from his presence." (HMS PR)
Monday, June 23, 2008
DEI wants to re-sign Martin; may cut back to three teams in '09: Dale Earnhardt Inc.’s Vice President of Motorsports Operations John Story said Sunday morning at Infineon Raceway that the team wants to re-sign Mark Martin for 2009, who is rumored to be on his way out, and is still looking for a sponsor for the No. 01 Chevrolet driven by Regan Smith. If no sponsor is found, Story said, the team will cut back to three cars. (SPEEDtv.com)
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Mark Martin to replace Casey Mears in 2009? Casey Mears and Mark Martin look to be on the move, and their futures might be linked. Mears' future with Hendrick Motorsports appears in jeopardy, ESPN.com has learned. Although Mears has one year left on his contract, team owner Rick Hendrick would not commit to the driver of the #5 car beyond this season. "I'm committed to him right now," Hendrick said on Sunday at Infineon Raceway. "I'm committed to him making that car run better right now." Earlier on Sunday, sources told ESPN.com that Martin would leave Dale Earnhardt Inc. Later, ESPN.com learned that he would replace Mears, making one last full-time run at a championship.(ESPN.com)
Aric Almriola full-time in the #8 in 2009: Mark Martin will have a new racing home in 2009, ESPN.com has learned. Martin was unavailable for comment Sunday. Officials for Martin's current team, Dale Earnhardt Inc., would neither confirm nor deny the speculation, but did confirm that young Aric Almirola would run a full-time schedule in 2009. "Aric is ready for a full-time ride," said John Story, DEI vice president of motorsports operations. Almirola has shared the #8 U.S. Army Chevy with Martin for the past two seasons. "Were talking to Mark about what his objectives for the future are, and trying to marry that with our own, with Aric Almirola, to make sure Aric has an opportunity to run full time next year. We're going through the process right now of trying to make sure that we get something for Aric that provides him a 36-race schedule, and at the same time that Mark is in a good situation."(ESPN.com)
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Army considering leaving DEI? The U.S. Army is examining it options for 2009 and beyond, and could leave Dale Earnhardt, Inc., for another team. The Army sponsorship is a year-by-year affair, and is renegotiated at the end of each season for the next year. Sources close to the situation tell Sirius Speedway that while the Army could still return to the DEI camp next season, officials are talking to at least one other Sprint Cup Series team, including one from the Toyota camp. Mark Martin has steered the US Army Chevrolet to a pair of Top-5 and five Top-10 finishes this season, and stands 24th in points despite running only 12 of the 15 races to date. Aric Almirola has made the other three starts in the car, with one Top-10 finish.(Motorsports Soapbox)
June 26, 2007
Martin visits the Pentagon and Walter Reed: Mark Martin spent two days last week in the nation’s capital as a guest of the United States Army, his primary sponsor in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. The Washington D.C. trip included stops at Walter Reed Army Medical Center to meet with wounded soldiers, a tour of the Pentagon and a visit to Arlington National Cemetery, where he, his wife Arlene and son Matt had the honor of placing a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. “It was just an awesome experience all around,” said Martin. “I’ve been involved in a lot of sponsorships in my career, but this one with the U.S. Army is very special. It’s an honor to drive the car for the Soldiers and it’s an honor to get to do things like this." “Visiting the wounded soldiers at Walter Reed was an experience that I’ll never forget,” added Martin. “They are truly an inspiration to me. They have given so much and yet are so positive and upbeat. They have the best attitudes that you can imagine and when you see it you have a new found respect for everyone involved in the fight for freedom. I was there to visit them, but it was those guys who inspired me.” Martin and his family were also inspired following a private tour of the Pentagon. (Ginn Racing)
June 15, 2007
Martin has no intentions running full-time: Still, Martin said even if he could make the Chase, NASCAR's playoff format that determines the series champion, he will not change his schedule. "Nah, I'm good, I'm set," Martin said. "I don't even want to (run for the title). So if I was leading (the points), like I was when I missed my first race, I still wouldn't. I don't want to." Martin was asked what he likes most about his part-time schedule. "Being off," said Martin, who drives for Ginn Racing. (Detroit News)
June 14, 2007
Mark Martin likeability among the top in motorsports: According to the research firm Marketing Evaluations, Mark Martin received the third highest Q score in Motorsports. The scale that rates likeability had Martin behind only Dale Earnhardt Jr and Jeff Gordon in NASCAR and tied with Danica Patrick in all of motorsports. According to the firm, hundreds of millions in advertising decisions are based on the Q score franchise. (Ginn Racing PR)
Martin Honoring the Army: The Army will celebrate its 232nd Birthday this weekend at Michigan. Martin will take part in a pre-race ceremony to honor the event.(Ginn Racing PR)
Martin Martin Page 2 News
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Birthdate: Jan. 9, 1959