Mark and the Viagra Racing Team officially kick off the 2005 "Salute To You" Tour at Daytona Speedweeks, where Mark will be looking for strong showings in the Budweiser Shootout and the IROC Series. Here are a few facts to ponder as the 2005 racing season gets under way.
Chassis Number: (RK-235, Daytona 500) (RK-286, Budweiser Shootout) - The team will run RK-235 in the Daytona 500. RK-235 ran to a sixth-place finish last July at Daytona and it finished fourth in the Shootout last season. RK-286, a new car that the team tested in Feb., will run in this year's Bud Shootout.
THE 500:
Starts: 20
Top 5's: 4
Top 10's: 7
Highest finish: 3rd ('95)
First time: 2-14-82 (31st)
Last time: 2-16-03 (5th)
Worthy Note: Mark has finished top six in two of his last three Daytona 500's.
MARTIN AND THE DAYTONA 500
A resident of Daytona Beach, Florida, this will be Mark's 21st start in the famed Daytona 500. Mark made his first start at Daytona International Speedway in 1982. He has finished in the top-six in two of the past three Daytona 500's, but suffered a 43rd-place finish last season after losing his engine only eight laps into the event, despite posting one of his strongest Speedweeks in recent memory. This will be Mark's 40th Cup start at Daytona.
MARK AND THE SHOOTOUT
Mark will also run his record 17th-consecutive Budweiser Shootout, an event he won in 1999. Mark finished fourth in the event last year, his best finish in the Shootout since the win in '99.
RETURN TO IROC
Mark will make a return to the International Race of Champions Series in 2005, where he'll be looking for a record-breaking fifth championship. In addition Mark needs just one more win in the series to break a tie for the most wins ever in the series. Mark won the last IROC race he took part in at Daytona in 2003.
THE SALUTE TO YOU TOUR
Mark Mark will make his final run at the Nextel Cup title in 2005. Mark has dubbed 2005 as his "Salute to You" tour, a year in which he hopes to take the time to thank each and everyone that he feels played a role in his success, including team members, fans, NASCAR and the media.
QUOTING MARK AND PAT …ON DAYTONA
MARK MARTIN "We are really excited about getting this season started. Pat Tryson and all the guys on this Viagra Team have worked very hard over the last couple of months to get us ready for this and it's going to be great to get the season started up. We've had a great month of testing and we just can't wait to get it going. We have a lot of racing to do over Speedweeks with the Shootout, the IROC race, the Gatorade 150's and the 500 and I'd like nothing better than to kick off the "Salute To You" tour with some strong runs and maybe a couple of wins in there.
"We've got a great race team in place. A lot of these guys passed on some good opportunities to come back and make one more run with me and I don't plan on letting these guys down. Our plan is to come out strong and that all starts with Speedweeks here at Daytona."
PAT TRYSON
"We're excited and we're ready. We didn't get the finish down here last year that we wanted or that we felt we deserved and we are going to do all we can to get this thing started with a strong run at Daytona. We've put a lot of work into the off-season and at this point we just can't wait to go racing. Mark's the best driver in the business and it's our job to make sure that he has what he needs to go out and win races. We'd like nothing more than to start that off with a big win in Daytona."
Mark's Fast Facts – DAYTONA
* Mark will make his 21st start in the 500 and his 40th overall Cup start at Daytona.
* This season will mark the final for Mark as a regular on the Nextel Cup circuit.
* Mark will make his record 17th consecutive start in the Budweiser Shootout.
* Mark will make his return to the IROC series in 2005, where he will look to set records for both championships and victories.
* Mark has currenlty started 545 consecuitve Cup races, the third longest active streak.
THE NO. 6 TEAM
RACE DUTY / HOMETOWN / SHOP DUTY
PAT TRYSON Crew Chief / Malvern, Pa. / Crew Chief
TODD ZEIGLER Car Chief/F. / Tire Changer / Ft. Wayne, Ind. / Car Chief
MIKE JANOW Team Engineer / Howell, Mich. / Team Engineer
JIM DAVIS Tire Specialist/Windshield / New Philadelphia, Ohio / Mechanic
RICK MACHCINSKI Motor Man/Gas Man / Toledo, Ohio / Engine Tuner
EDDIE PARDUE Shock Specialist/Spotter / Hampton, Va. / Shock Specialist
ANDY RUEGER Jack Man / Seymour, Ind. / Mechanic
WILL SMITH Rear Tire Carrier / Seymour, Ind. / Mechanic
DREW BLICKENSDERFER Rear Tire Changer / Mt. Zion, Ill. / Mechanic/Set up
SCOTT BOWEN Front Tire Carrier / Winston Salem, N.C. / Purchasing
EMMIT CLAY NICHOLS Fuel Runner / Detroit, Texas / Parts Runner
DANNY EKLUND Catch Can / Green Bay, Wis. / Fabricator
TREVOR FALLS Pit Support / Hampton, Va. / Paint Shop
GENE HOPKINS Pit Support / Elmira, N.Y. / Suspension
DALE MERWIN Second Gas Can / Allen Park, Mich. / Parts Shop
LEE MALONE Pit Support / Easley, S.C. / Chassis Shop
MIKE SENYITKO Pit Support / Cleveland, Ohio / Wiring/Setup
ADAM TAYLOR Fuel Runner / Ontario, N.Y. / Fabricator
Roster Breakdown: Indiana 3, Ohio 3, Michigan 2, New Y ork 2, Virginia 2, Wisconsin 1, West Virginia 1, Illinois 1, Texas 1, North Carolina 1, South Carolina 1, Pennsylvania 11
LAST YEAR AT THE DAYTONA 500...
FEBRUARY 15, 2004 –
Daytona International Speedway
DAYTONA 500 – Started 8th, Finished 43rd
The day started off with a much-anticipated visit by President George Bush. Unfortunately for the No. 6 team the pre-race festivities would prove to be the highlight of the day. Mark started the race in eighth place, his fifth best starting position in 20 races at Daytona and his best since 1997, based on his strong finish in Thursday’s Twin-125. However, Mark’s day would come to an end just seven laps into the race when he lost his engine. The finish was a disappointing ending to one of the team’s strongest speedweeks.
ONE OF NASCAR’S ALL-TIME ELITE, MARK MARTIN
* Mark’s 34 Nextel Cup wins put him fourth on the win list among active drivers and 17th on the all-time list.
* Mark has currently started 545 straight Nextel Cup races, the third-longest current streak and the sixth-longest streak in Cup history.
* Mark’s 41 Nextel Cup poles are the fifth most in Cup history.
* Mark ranks fifth all-time in the Nextel Cup point standings.
* Mark has started 602 Cup races, finishing inside the top 10 on 340 occasions, inside the top five 215 times and visiting winner’s circle 34 times.
* Mark’s 45 career wins in the Busch Series are a NASCAR record.
* Mark’s 11 victories in IROC competition ties Dale Earnhardt for the most ever. In addition Mark has won four championships in the IROC series, including a record three straight.
