Mark Martin Records 36th Career Victory...
             Just Hitting His Stride

April 21, 2009

By Allen Madding

Allen Madding

Mark Martin had already fired a shot across the bow of the competition in the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series by snagging three poles in qualifying so far this season. But various issues had kept him out of Victory Lane.

The race at Phoenix erased all that.

Martin qualified on the pole and then charged on to lead 157 of 312 laps before leading the most important lap of the event, the last one. When the checkered flag fell, Martin recorded his first win since 2005 and the third consecutive win by a Hendrick Motorsports team.

Saturday night’s win signifies the new team has come together and are just beginning to hit their stride, achieving the potential that many have noted since Martin signed on to drive the Hendrick No. 5 Chevrolet.

With the resources available to the Hendrick No. 5 team and the talent of Mark Martin, who brought a resume with four NASCAR Cup Series runner-up Championship title finishes, the competitiveness shown during the Subway Fresh Fit 500 clearly marks that Martin and company will be a force to reckon with before the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship is decided.

50 year old Mark Martin works out and is in as good physical shape as the 20-somethings in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. But to their dismay, he has 27 years experience of competing in Cup level competition and competing for the title. With Saturday night’s win, Martin established himself among the three oldest drivers to record a win in NASCAR Cup competition.

Morgan Shepherd recorded a win at 51, and Harry Gant recorded wins at 52 years old. Gant even recorded a pole at 54 years old, but neither of those drivers scored a NASCAR Cup Championship.

The oldest driver to clinch a championship was Bobby Allison at 45 years old. Mark Martin is positioned well to change that statistic.

The streak of bad luck Martin and the No. 5 team had dropped him to 34th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings, but they have mounted a recovery from that low. With the Phoenix win, Martin is now in 13th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship points a mere 9 points out of the final spot to qualify for the Chase for the Cup. Leading a single lap in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series yields 5 points as does leading the most laps.

Another showing like Martin and the Hendrick No. 5 team had at Phoenix would establish the team in the Chase for the Cup.

Everyone in the NASCAR Sprint Cup garage was happy to see Mark Martin win Saturday night but many of the competitors who congratulated him on his win probably secretly hope they do not have to compete against him in the Chase for the Cup -- as they all know he will not make it easy for them.

Do not count the old man out just yet folks, Mark Martin has his eyes focused on the big trophy and payout with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship.

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