Click Here To Find Cool Nascar Items!

Filed under: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Mark Martin, Chevrolet, Daytona Int'l Speedway

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- It's too early to be too excited Junior Nation, but a front row starting spot in the Daytona 500 could go a long way toward setting Dale Earnhardt Jr. back on the right course.

He'll start alongside his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Mark Martin, who on Saturday won the pole position for the Feb. 14 Daytona 500. Martin's No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet turned a lap of 191.188 mph around the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway -- just edging Earnhardt's lap of 190.913 mph in the No. 88 Amp Energy Chevrolet.

Martin's lap is the fastest since Jeff Gordon posted a 195.067 mph speed in winning the 1999 Daytona 500 pole. Twelve drivers topped the 190-mph mark. Dale Jarrett's 2000 pole-winning speed was the last time any driver had gone 190 mph in qualifying.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Click Here To Find Cool Nascar Items!

Filed under: Mark Martin, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Hendrick Motorsports

HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- Mark Martin winces, then breaks into a grin every time he hears the introduction.

"Ladies and gentlemen ... Mark Martin, who is attempting to become the oldest champion in NASCAR history."

The difference between this week and years ago is that Martin grinned. He's been doing that a lot lately.

Martin trails his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson by 108 points entering Sunday's Ford 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup season finale at Homestead Miami Speedway. Johnson, 34, only needs to finish 25th or better to clinch a historic fourth consecutive title.

Martin, 50, is still looking for his first.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Click Here To Find Cool Nascar Items!

Filed under: Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin, Chase for the Sprint Cup

HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- The hard-core conspirators will think NASCAR scripted it. The reality is Jimmie Johnson was the fastest driver of the day.

Johnson will start his No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet from the pole position in Sunday's Ford 400 at Homestead Miami Speedway -- the ultimate beginning to the last chapter in his quest to become the first driver to win four consecutive championships.

Of all things Johnson knocked his Hendrick Motorsports teammate -- and only title challenger left -- Mark Martin off the top spot on the qualifying speed chart. Johnson leads Martin by 108 points and needs only to finish 25th or better to clinch his historic championship.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Click Here To Find Cool Nascar Items!

by FanHouse Newswire

Filed under: Mark Martin, Sprint Cup, Hendrick Motorsports

BROOKLYN, Mich. (AP) -- The most surprised person to find Mark Martin in Victory Lane at Michigan International Speedway was the driver himself.

The 50-year-old NASCAR star has run well but has had to deal with considerable bad luck this season. It looked like more of the same Sunday when the battery in his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet began to fail before the halfway mark in the LifeLock 400 Sprint Cup race.

Martin turned off everything in the car that he could, nursing it as best he could. Then he realized the race was going to be a fuel economy run.

Mark Martin Wins LifeLock 400 originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 14 Jun 2009 17:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments