With only three laps remaining in Sunday’s LifeLock 400 at
Michigan International Speedway, Mark Martin and the No. 8 U.S. Army Team looked to be on their
way to another top-five finish.
Mark was running in fifth place on Lap 197, but the race's sixth caution put an end to crew
chief Tony Gibson’s fuel-mileage strategy, and ultimately, Mark’s bid for a strong result in the
Sprint Cup race.
While positioned in 10th place, the No. 8 team gambled by pitting on Lap 155 to top off with
fuel and to take four fresh tires. The move would have worked had the race remained green for
the final 45 laps. But when Sam Hornish Jr. spun out on Lap 197 and forced the race into overtime,
the additional laps drained the fuel tank on the No. 8 Chevy.
When the race restarted with a green-white-checkered finish, Mark was in third place. But his
Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet Impala SS ran out of fuel just after the green flag fell. Mark was
able to limp around the track, finishing 25th.
“It was looking good there for a minute, but we just didn’t have enough left in the tank,"
said Mark. “We almost pulled off the top-five finish, but I guess it just wasn’t meant to be. It
was a great effort by Tony (Gibson) and this Army team, and one they can sure be proud of on
the Army's 233rd Birthday.”
Persistent rains forced the cancellation of Friday’s qualifying session, and Mark started
the race 15th based on the No. 8 team’s standing in the Sprint Cup owner points.
The veteran driver began the event strong, but as with much of the race he struggled with the
car’s handling on the long run. Mark hovered between 17th and 13th positions for the majority of
the first half of the race. The team used a two-tire stop to move inside the top 10 for the
first time in the race on lap 102.
The No. 8 U.S. Army Team will return to action next weekend in Sonoma, Calif. for the circuit’s
first of two road course races. Rookie co-driver Aric Almirola will pilot the No. 8 at Infineon
Raceway and also the following week at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Mark returns to the car
at Daytona in July.
|
