Driver Stats: Mark Martin

Bittersweet, that my last post should come during an off week. Yes, I'm looking forward to Phoenix (and the end of this long, long semester.) But I have enjoyed my mandated foray into blogging and thinking up racing things to discuss has deepened my appreciation for the sport. That's why I picked another driver currently not in the top 10 rankings to profile this week, because of his staying power. That and the fact that he is riding a three-race top-ten finish streak with two poles in a row and he led a lot of laps last year in Phoenix (I saw it from the stands) and almost won it--maybe this year. The old guy is hot. 

Mark Martin ran his first Cup race in 1981 as an owner-driver, but raced only sporadically for himself and other teams until 1988 when he joined Rousch Racing and got his first career win in 1989. That means a lot of stats, so I'll just summarize--35 career wins, 44 poles, 243 top 5's, and 399 top 10's. He ran the last two seasons part time, and just joined Hendrick Motorsports this year to run again full-time, for how long no one knows. He currently drives the Kellogg's #5 Chevrolet and sits 18th in the standings. 

What is so remarkable about Mark Martin? Not only his longevity (in racing--he's really not that old in people years) but also his success. He has finished in the top 10 season rankings 16 times, and came in second four times--behind names like Earnhardt (twice), Gordon and Stewart. Twelve of those top-ten years were consecutive. The man is always a threat to win--a pole, a race, a championship. The NASCAR world sees him as the best driver never to win a championship. And now I melodramatically feel a little of what he must feel, although my success or longevity aren't even close to his. If it's fun and rewarding, it's hard to say goodbye. 

Track Trivia: Phoenix International Raceway

No, there is no race this weekend. NASCAR does espouse (Christian) family values, and sponsoring a race that would infringe on Easter just won't happen. So, we're actually peering into the future about a week and a half for the running of the Subway Fit Fresh in Phoenix. I was at this race last year, and the weather this time of year is gorgeous. The desert does actually bloom in the spring. 

Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale is really very close to the city, and easy to get to since it's so flat. It's a one-mile tri-oval, with 11 degrees of banking in turns 1 and 2, 9 degrees in turns 3 and 4 and the frontstretch, and 3 degrees in the backstretch. The grandstands hold 76,800 fans, and people sit up on the scrubby hills under tarps too. The race is 312 miles, and Jimmie Johnson pretty much ran away with it last year.  

The track was completed in 1964, but NASCAR Cup racing didn't start until 1988. So far, I haven't been to a track with fan amenities to challenge Las Vegas, but there have been some additions to PIR since I was there. Under that beautiful turquoise sky, buffeted by the roar of 43 cars going fast, all that really matters (aside from choosing your bathroom breaks so you don't have to stand in a long line) is having a sufficient supply of the appropriate beverage so you can keep your eyes glued to the track for the long green-flag runs. 

Driver Stats: Kasey Kahne

Finally, Jeff Gordon won again. I'm glad--I'm tired of hearing about how possibly the best active driver in the modern era has lost the ability to drive into victory lane. Yes, his marriage to a supermodel and his very adorable little daughter and his aching back are distractions, but Jeff Gordon is a huge talent and he hasn't decided he's done yet. Of course he realizes he's human now, and thinks about the consequences more--like the wreck last year when he hit the wall where there was no SAFER barrier. He has a family to consider, as opposed to when he was just starting all of his winning as a cocky young guy who thought he was indestructible. But he may be more of a threat to win now because he has matured and is very crafty in his race planning. Don't be surprised to see him win more since the pressure of the "losing streak" is off his back, and he can glimpse another championship title from his perch atop the points standings. 

Kasey Kahne, on the other hand, didn't come close to winning at Texas. But he still does sit tenth in points, which earns him the driver profile this week. (Everyone else above him has been glowingly or grudgingly covered in earlier posts.) Kasey drives the #9 Budweiser Dodge for the recently-formed Richard Petty Motorsports, which was Gillette-Evernham last year. He was an open-wheel racer for most of his career, until he spent two years in the then-Busch series. He started in Cup racing in 2004, and has 9 wins, 16 poles, 36 top 5's, 65 top 10's, and has been in the top-ten final standings once, in 2006 when he made the Chase. Although his performance didn't qualify him for last year's All-Star Race, the fans voted him in and as a thank-you he went out and won it--and used the momentum to carry him to a win at the Coca-Cola 600 the next week as well.

Kasey's been a little inconsistent this season, and the stability of the RPM teams, of which he is the highest-performing, seems to be in doubt. Although some of the commercials he appears in for his sponsors are hysterical, Kasey himself is a quiet, unassuming kid who is nonetheless a female fan favorite. His first career win came at Richmond, which I will be attending for the first time this year. If Kasey can focus on doing his best with what RPM gives him, maybe we'll see him win again in the coming weeks. I of course would be happiest if Tony found his way to victory lane first, but I'll consider it a good trip if I see Kasey in the Richmond winner's circle again too. 

Track Trivia: Texas Motor Speedway

Because cars are bunched up on the smaller tracks, wrecks and the attendant yellow flags tend to happen more frequently. That's one reason the short track races are not usually my favorite to watch, because I think it just slows down the action too much. But the last two races may have changed my mind a little, and now I'm hoping we don't go to the bigger tracks and have races where there's less contact but way too much single-lane, follow-the-leader racing. 

Texas Motor Speedway, north of Fort Worth, is a 1.5 mile quad-oval with 24 degrees of banking in the turns and 5 degrees on the straightaways. It's a newer track, completed in 1996, and holds 159,585 screaming fans in the stands. (Counts vary by who you ask and how you define "seat". I think this number means available tickets to sell for a permanently-positioned place to put your butt.)

The race Sunday will be 501 miles, or 334 laps. Carl Edwards is the defending race champion, and I do have him on my fantasy team despite my aversion for picking drivers who won the last race, or the last running of the same race. Tony might look a little more natural in victory lane sporting the black cowboy hat wielding six-shooters, though. 

Driver Stats: Clint Bowyer

JJ takes the checkers, at a track very important to his team owner. That's the top story, and it was a good race--I would have preferred for Denny to win, but I did have Johnson as my A driver and Hamlin as a B driver on my fantasy team, so it was overall a good day. However, because I have profiled the first four finishers of this race previously, this week I'll look at the guy who finished fifth--and currently sits second in the points standings. Clint Bowyer drives the #33 Cheerios Chevy for Richard Childress Racing, and is currently outperforming his bigger-name teammates like Jeff Burton and Kevin Harvick. 

Bowyer is a relative newcomer to the series, but not to success. He won the Nationwide championship last year, but his first race in Cup was in 2005. His first full season in 2006 was the only time he's been out of the top five in the standings. He has 2 wins--the first coming in the first race of the 2007 Chase--2 poles, 19 top 5's, and 49 top 10's. Expectations were muted this year because he was moved from the #07 Jack Daniel's ride to his new team to help out new  Childress teammate Casey Mears. But he seems to be clicking with new crew chief Shane Wilson. Bowyer, a Kansas native, handles himself and his career with a no-nonsense, low-key approach that doesn't really put him in the spotlight. But quietly consistent performance on the track speaks for itself, and rising expectations for Boyer's return to victory lane may mean more media exposure as the season progresses. Even though he's well-spoken and polite in interviews, it's clear that Boywer's focus is on making a statement while driving, not talking, so watch out for a post-win celebration that speaks volumes in the near future. 

Track Trivia: Martinsville Speedway

Built in 1947, this track is the only one remaining running Cup events from the original lineup of venues from 1949. Martinsville Speedway, located in south-central Virginia, is a .526-mile oval and the 500 lap race will be 263 miles. The track is considered flat, with minimal 12 degree banking in the turns, and as such has some of the slowest speeds of any oval on the circuit. The grandstands hold 65,000 people, and while this may be the oldest, slowest track in the Cup series, the stands should be full. Like Bristol, fans love the short-track action at Martinsville because the cars have to run close together--there's nowhere else to go. 

Drivers who came up through their local short tracks love racing here, and usually do well, as do those with a background in road racing. Don't be surprised to see a faster driver nudge a slower driver who won't move over out of their way--it's just racin'. I have Jimmie Johnson on my fantasy league, and the Hendrick cars are expected to dominate. The race at this little paper-clip shaped track marks the first time this year the owner points from 2009 decide who is guaranteed a spot in the race, but qualifying still will be key for a good pit selection. Lets hope Sunday's trip back to the roots of stock car racing is a memorable one. 

Driver Stats: Denny Hamlin

Yes, Kyle Busch won in Bristol. Convincingly, dominating the race. It isn't the first time this season, and it won't be the last. But his teammate was right behind him, so that's why Denny Hamlin is this week's driver profile. Last year, Tony Stewart was the leader of the Joe Gibbs Racing garage, and Denny and Kyle were just two young up-and-comers. Now with Tony gone and 18-year old Joey Logano in his spot, 28-year-old Denny Hamlin finds himself in the disconcerting position of being the senior member of the team with just three full-time years in the series. Kyle's only been with the team one year, and at 23 he still has a lot of maturing to do. So Denny has buckled down and worked at being a good team player, and his team owner Coach Gibbs has noticed and commented on it. Let's hope it helps him win some this year. 

Denny Hamlin drives the #11 FedEx Toyota for JGR. He started in Cup in 2005, and won the Rookie of the Year title in 2006, his first full year in the series. He has 4 wins, 6 poles, 33 top 5's, 61 top 10's, and has finished the season in the top 10 twice. He did make the Chase all three years, but his best finish was third in his rookie season, so he's still reaching for the type of success expected of him. He has won at least one race each season. He experienced success in Late Model racing, coming out of the local NASCAR Whelen All-American Series. And he has that All-American, boy-next-door look about him. He's a talented racer who should have won a few more races last year but had some bad luck, so maybe some of Kyle's good fortune will rub off and we'll see Denny doing the victory laps a few more times this year. It's hard not to root for a driver who is actually buying and giving away tickets to the races on his website because he's concerned about the economy's effect on the fans. He makes me think about the American flag, but all Denny really wants now is that checkered one.