Martin Gets Martinsvilled

By:
On:
In: NASCAR Cup Series News

Mark Martin, driving in place of the injured Tony Stewart, was poised for a strong finish in the Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race Sunday at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.

Behind the wheel of the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), Martin started 21st in the 43-car field and rallied his way to 14th before lap 200 of the 500-lap race. But on lap 204 when Kurt Busch spun in turn four of the tight, .526-mile oval, Martin had nowhere to go as Busch’s Chevrolet careened into his path. The right front of Martin’s Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevy made hard contact with Busch, enough to send it to the garage for repairs.

Crew chief Steve Addington, acting as a field general in coordinating the chaos of the garage, got Martin back onto the racetrack, avoiding a dreaded DNF (Did Not Finish). Martin returned to the track 44 laps down in a racecar missing it fenders and hood. But the car was still fast, and Martin nursed it to a 36th-place finish.

“Man, that was a shame,” Martin said. “We had a good car, and we were making it better. It was a top-10 car, maybe even a top-five car. There was a lot of racing still to go when we got caught up in that wreck. Nothing we could do there, but this team worked really hard to fix our Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevy quickly and get it back onto the track. They never quit.”

The Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500 was Martin’s 50th Sprint Cup race at Martinsville. His first start at the paperclip-shaped track came Sept. 27, 1981 driving a Pontiac for Bud Reeder. Martin started fifth and finished third while leading 40 laps. It was the first of his 271 top-five finishes in a career that stands at 879 Sprint Cup starts.

Danica Patrick, driver of the No. 10 GoDaddy Chevrolet SS, led the way for SHR at Martinsville by finishing 17th. It was her eighth top-20 of the season. Patrick, who is competing for Rookie of the Year honors against Ricky Stenhouse Jr., finished 14 spots ahead of Stenhouse, who placed 31st.

Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 State Water Heaters Chevrolet SS for SHR, finished 38th. Newman ran as high as third before being tagged by Kevin Harvick on lap 319. The contact sent Newman backward into the turn one wall, causing extensive damage that sent Newman to the garage for lengthy repairs. He eventually returned to the track, 68 laps down.

Newman is representing SHR in this year’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup and entered the seventh race of the 10-race Chase 11th among the 13 Chase drivers, 72 points behind Chase leader Jimmie Johnson. Newman leaves Martinsville in 12th, 106 points behind Chase leaders Matt Kenseth and Johnson, who are tied for the point lead.

TSC PR

Speedway Digest Staff
Follow Me
Latest posts by Speedway Digest Staff (see all)
Post Views: 52