Martin to show off new look in 22nd Shootout start

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 6, 2010) – Mark Martin will debut his black, green and orange No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet in Saturday's Budweiser Shootout when he makes his 22nd start -- the most among any of his current, fulltime competitors. In 21 starts in the 75-lap, exhibition event Martin has posted one win, six top-five finishes, 17 top-10s and has an average finish of 7.5. The NASCAR veteran raced part-time in 2006 and 2007 before joining Hendrick Motorsports fulltime in 2008. Martin, who did not participate in the 2009 event, qualifies for this year’s Shootout as a past winner (1999) and a qualifier in the 2009 Chase for the Sprint Cup. "It was hard not to be in that race last year,” Martin said. “I was itching to get into that car, and to watch all the other guys go out there, it was an odd feeling. I was happy to hear with the way they restructured the race this year that we were definitely in. That time on the track is important to getting back into the swing of things with your team and with pit stops before the 500. I'm looking forward to it." Winning the Shootout would be a great start to the season for crew chief Alan Gustafson, who is looking to improve on his most successful season to date. In 2009, Gustafson and Martin scored five wins, 14 top-five finishes and 21 top-10s on their way to a runner-up result in the championship standings. "My goal is to win every race. I'll do everything I can to get to that point,” Gustafson said. “Sometimes you fall short and learn from it. Sometimes you succeed and learn from it. There's constant pressure regardless of what situation you're in. It doesn't change for me if we're 34th in points or first in points or second in points; coming off your worst season or your best as a crew chief. It's all similar. There's a constant pressure to perform. We hold ourselves to a high standard, regardless of the situation. The pressure is always there."