After a 97 race winless streak, Mark “The Kid” Martin proves he still has plenty of race left in his treads.

At the tender age of 50. Mark Martin became the second oldest active driver to win at NASCAR’s top series. In nearly two years racing at DEI in the 8 car for a partial season in 2008 and he couldn’t quite get it done though he ran very well and I won’t even bring up the 2007 Daytona 500. It has only taken Mark 8 races under the banner of Hendrick Motorsports to win in that number 5 car. And he did it in style.

Mark led 157 of 312 laps, including the first one in the Subway Fresh Fit 500 on Saturday night. He also became only the third driver in NASCAR history to win from the pole at Phoenix International Raceway. Jeff Gordon did it first in the Spring race in 2007 followed by HMS teammate, Jimmie Johnson in the Fall race of 2008. Add yet another Hendrick driver to the winning from the pole list with Mark Martin.

Mark Martin’s last points win came in 2005 at Kansas. He’s been in the hunt for that elusive win ever since and has come very close several times but always came up short.

Mark- You are a total class act and earned a well deserved win tonight. Congrats from MM Nation!

The opinions expressed in this article are solely that of the author and not this website.

Mark Martin wins from the Pole at Phoenix

RACE RECAP | PHOENIX
10 Carl Edwards
9 Sam Hornish Jr.
8 David Reutimann
7 Martin Truex Jr.
6 Denny Hamlin
5 Greg Biffle
4 Jimmie Johnson
3 Kurt Busch 3rd top 5 this season
2 Tony Stewart 3rd straight top 5

VICTORY LANE

1 Mark Martin the pole sitter grabs his first win of the season, his first for Hendrick Motorsports breaking a 97 race winless streak. It’s also Mark’s 400th career top 10 finish. This make the 5th Hendrick Motorsports win in a row at Phoenix.

OTHER STORIES ON THE DAY

-Dale Earnhardt Jr. had pit problems early, lead 63 laps on a gamble call, wrecked and finished 31st…and there were some post race activity with Casey Mears

-Kyle Busch came out the pits 2nd in the last pit stop, but that’s because he was speeding he ends up 17th

-Points leader Jeff Gordon had several tire rubs that sent him to a 25th place finish

Continue reading “Phoenix Cup Series Recap”

1 5 Mark Martin
2 18 Kyle Busch
3 2 Kurt Busch
4 24 Jeff Gordon
5 83 Brian Vickers
6 14 Tony Stewart
7 98 Paul Menard
8 00 David Reutimann
9 78 Regan Smith
10 48 Jimmie Johnson
11 99 Carl Edwards
12 11 Denny Hamlin
13 16 Greg Biffle
14 6 David Ragan
15 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr.
16 31 Jeff Burton
17 17 Matt Kenseth
18 82 Scott Speed #
19 12 David Stremme
20 42 Juan Pablo Montoya

Continue reading “Cup Series Phoenix Starting Lineup”

Kerry chats with the driver of the #96 ask.com Ford at Phoenix International Raceway…Bobby Labonte.  The 2000 Cup Series Champion and I discuss the following topics: Practice setup, Qualifying, Is Phoenix a short track or superspeedway?, His participation on Twitter, manufacturers financial issues, ASK.COM TV commercials, Safe Search Schools Program, internet safety, The Bobby Labonte Foundation, and more!

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | Subscribe to our PODCAST

Running Time 10:20 | File size 4.7mb

RELATED LINKS: bobbylabonte.com
ask.com
Twitter: @bobby_labonte
Twitter The Final Lap: @thefinallap

Richard Childress Racing Another Team To Watch At Phoenix

While Hendrick Motorsports has claimed four consecutive victories at Phoenix International Raceway — three for Jimmie Johnson and one for Jeff Gordon — Richard Childress Racing shouldn’t be ignored.

Two RCR drivers, Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton, have won back-to-back races there, and teammate Clint Bowyer (No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet) has challenged for victories.

Harvick, who heads into Saturday in 14th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings, is looking to vault back into the top 12, and Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup eligibility.

Phoenix is a good place for a boost. Harvick has two wins, three top fives and six top 10s in 12 series starts there. According to pre-race NASCAR Loop Data statistics for Phoenix, he also owns the second-best Driver Rating (105.4), Average Running Position (7.9) and Laps in the Top 15 (2,113 or 84.6%).

Continue reading “Look for a strong Richard Childress Racing”