Mark Martin In a Zone All His Own in Arizona

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In: NASCAR Cup Series News

Since the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series first began racing at Phoenix International Raceway on Nov. 6, 1988, Mark Martin has been there.

Martin was there for Alan Kulwicki’s breakthrough victory 25 years ago, where the pioneering driver/owner scored his first victory in NASCAR’s elite series. Martin competed on the track’s old layout that included a unique dogleg on the backstretch. And he continues to compete on the reconfigured layout that debuted in late 2011. Martin leads the series with 33 starts at Phoenix, four more than any other driver. Only Jeff Gordon and Bobby Labonte are closest with 29 starts apiece.

Martin’s 34th Sprint Cup start at Phoenix and the 881st of his illustrious Sprint Cup career will come Sunday in the AdvoCare 500k. He will again pilot the No. 14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet SS as he continues to sub for the injured Tony Stewart, who broke his right leg in a sprint car crash Aug. 5.

The last time Martin raced at Phoenix was when the Sprint Cup Series visited the desert mile in March, where he won the pole and led 75 laps. It was Martin’s third pole at Phoenix, and the 75 laps led boosted his Phoenix tally to 911 laps led. It was an example of Martin’s prowess at Phoenix, one that in addition to those poles includes two victories among other notable anecdotes:

  • Martin is one of eight Sprint Cup drivers who have more than one win at Phoenix. The others are Jimmie Johnson (4), Kevin Harvick (3), Davey Allison (2), Jeff Burton (2), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2), Gordon (2) and Carl Edwards (2). Martin, however, is the only driver to win at Phoenix with two different manufacturers: Ford (1993) and Chevrolet (2009).
  • Johnson leads the Sprint Cup Series in average finish at Phoenix (6.4). The only other driver with an average finish inside the top-10 is Martin (9.4)
  • Martin leads the Sprint Cup Series in runner-up finishes at Phoenix with five. Johnson and Stewart follow with three runner-up finishes apiece.
  • Martin and Johnson lead the Sprint Cup Series in top-fives at Phoenix with 12 apiece.

Martin claims his success at Phoenix is due simply to having good racecars. In his 33 starts at Phoenix, he’s driven for five different team owners: Jack Roush (21 starts), Bobby Ginn (1 start), Dale Earnhardt (2 starts), Rick Hendrick (6 starts) and Michael Waltrip (3 starts). That’s a lot of good racecars across a lot of teams. The one constant has been Martin.

That continuity is what drew Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) to Martin when it was clear that Stewart’s injuries would keep him out of the No. 14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet for the remainder of the 2013 season. Martin’s 40 victories, 56 poles, 271 top-fives, 453 top-10s and 12,879 laps led dating back to his Sprint Cup debut on April 5, 1981 at North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway provided stability to SHR in a time of unrest.

Now Martin prepares to race at Phoenix for his sixth different team, but one that has a pedigree of winning, just like Martin. With the penultimate race of the 2013 season set to go down this Sunday at one of Martin’s most productive racetracks, the veteran racer eyes opportunity in the AdvoCare 500k.

TSC PR

Speedway Digest Staff
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